Huh. You know, English has never been my first language, but I currently think that English is more expressive than French.

Gotta put Snake Eyes in this chapter =).

Disclaimer : I certainly do not own G.I Joe : Rise of Cobra and if I was, Storm Shadow would have redeemed himself.

Enjoy.

« … »

Chapter 2 : Her wound

Lynx Eyes exhaled sharply as she leaned on the cold wall of her shower, eyes closed and shoulders tensed. The hot feeling of the water dropping on her naked body was very welcoming and relaxing. Hell, she madly needed to relax before confronting the other Joe and their ninja. Especially their ninja. Of all the Joe in the operation Snake Eyes was the one the Chinese assassin was close enough to have a conversation without being feared ; after the mission in Sao Paulo they succeeded four years ago, Snake Eyes decided to open himself to his teammates but more to Lynx Eyes in whom he discovered a friend. That was what he needed after he killed his brother. A friend who could share his emotions. Having red on his ledger – Storm Shadow's blood – made him having nightmares : there was one time when he thought that Lynx Eyes was the ghost of his fallen comrade because she reminded him with her unique skills and he attacked her. Hard. The Chinese assassin had to block his chi points so he could not move until he snapped out of his trance. Killing Storm Shadow had already been enough to torment Snake Eyes, but the dreaded thought of knowing he survived his fatal wounds and managed to get to her would drive her most important friend fucking crazy. She clenched her teeth.

Damn.

After they got back to their base, Snake Eyes caught her immediately so they could talk privately. He was frantic, lost and utterly devastated. His signs were way too fast to be understood and Lynx Eyes had to slow him down so they could talk calmly. Meditation always worked for them but that time, the ninja was way too agitated to do something like meditating. It took her long, exhausting hours to completely calm him down because Snake Eyes wouldn't let her go. He would neither let anyone else in, not even Scarlett who was at least as close than Lynx Eyes to the mysterious ninja. He wanted comfort only from the Chinese woman, who could understand him without words or signs. He needed more than his friend, more than a fellow ninja. More than a confident. Someone who wouldn't try tell him that it wasn't his fault and duty had to get done.

Lynx Eyes sighed heavily, turned off the water and was about to step out of the shower when she sensed his presence. Clenching her teeth she rubbed her temples.

'' We may have slept together but that certainly does not mean you are allowed to come whenever I want to be alone, Storm Shadow, '' she said. '' You should be wondering what could happen if Snake Eyes is aware that you survived your wounds. ''

'' I have, '' he replied smoothly. '' He would listen to me if you are here with us, I am positively sure about that. ''

She turned around to face him. He was leaning against the doorframe, wearing his white pants. He didn't bother to put on a shirt or something, giving her the opportunity to marvel at his muscular torso. As she stared at him, Lynx Eyes couldn't help but remember their previous activities ; his hot body covering hers, slamming into her like a wild beast and his violent kisses were marvelous. There weren't many men who actually could make her cry out in pleasure like Storm Shadow did and that was a blast : sleeping with the enemy wasn't a good thing. So the Chinese assassin stepped out of the shower, then walked to the closet while trying to ignore the smug look on the ninja's face and pulled out a towel.

'' Looks like there is a mission going on, '' Lynx Eyes muttered as she wrapped the towel around her soaked body. She looked up to Storm Shadow who was staring. '' Since you are supposed to be dead, I suggest you play dead until I get back. Snake Eyes cannot be bothered on a mission, it would lead him to be killed like cattle, which he is not. ''

Storm Shadow rolled his eyes in annoyance. '' Is that supposed to be funny ? If it is, then your humor is quite bad. My brother may not be my equal but he is clever enough to not get killed idiotically. I would be really disappointed otherwise. ''

When they fought, Lynx Eyes could clearly sense venom in his words each time Snake Eyes was brought out ; the Japanese ninja would strike harder and stronger, making the woman assassin think about strategies to avoid any wound. Hating Snake Eyes who was first a stranger he found stealing – eating – food in the kitchen of his temple was his reason to become the best. Being recognized as the stronger ninja to his master's eyes should have been Storm Shadow's motivation because of the sudden preference Hard Master developped through the rough training between Snake Eyes and his rival. Rivalry was always the most entertaining way to become stronger, Lynx Eyes experienced it particularly.

But right now, there wasn't so much venom in his voice like last time. The Chinese assassin eyed him carefully. There was something she couldn't quite describe within the blank look on his features ; to her, Storm Shadow was a full mystery to himself that she still couldn't understand until she finally gathered all the pieces to assemble the puzzle. He was damn concealed, which was starting to grow on her.

He snorted, then turned on his heels to go back to the room. Lynx Eyes followed him silently, smirking, then went to her suitcase to fetch clothes. She felt his eyes burning on her back but chose to ignore the stare. After all, it wasn't as if they suddenly became closer by their previous love-making.

'' I will be following you, '' he said.

'' Excuse me, what ? '' she asked incredulously as she whirled around to face him. Her eyes were wide of surprise.

What did the blasted ninja just say ?

Storm Shadow smirked.

'' I am sure you heard me right : I will be following you to your mission, '' he repeated while sprawling on her bed. He looked smug. '' It will be best for us to keep contacting each other, I do not want to meet you every two weeks after your work. ''

'' Why the hell should I let you come with me ? '' Lynx Eyes demanded as she came before him, her towel still wrapped around her. Her eyes were sparkling with indignation. '' This is not funny, Storm Shadow ! What if I had to explain your sudden appearance at my side if you were ever going to get caught ? There is no way you will follow me into this mission, this is...''

'' Dangerous ? '' he whispered at her, suddenly before her. Only three centimeters were separating them from meeting their lips. His burning eyes glared down at her but she didn't falter. '' We are both gifted assassins that kill almost every day of our life and there is no regrets about it. Danger is a part of us, another limb to our body and mind. If I want to redeem myself, I have no further choice but coming with you so we can work on it together. ''

'' Do I have something to say about this ? '' the Chinese ninja spat harshly.

Storm Shadow didn't smirk, but his eyes were.

'' Are we in America ? I do not recall Italy being a part of this blasted country where people enjoy fast-foods so no, you do not have something to say about it. '' He brushed his lips upon hers in a provocative way, smirking lightly. Lynx Eyes jerked back but the Japanese assassin grabbed her waist to make her stay just before him. '' What is your answer, Lynx Eyes ? ''

In fact, Storm Shadow didn't expect her to respond by words. Words were for those who would never dare to challenge him and he was sure the woman standing before him was someone who liked resolving problems by martial arts. And he was glad to see he was damn right : a second later she attacked him and he just moved away to avoid her hands. They parted, distanced each other to take their stance. As Storm Shadow observed her movements, he couldn't guess the style she was using ; her moves were gracious, light yet very precise. The fact that she was wearing nothing but a towel covering her curves didn't seem to bother her. Her eyes weren't black like he thought, but a deep brown that could make you lost yourself in their colour. Right now, she was ready to strike. Right now, it was as if she was ready to make sure Storm Shadow wouldn't follow her.

'' What is your answer ? '' he repeated.

'' You already know it, '' she said.

Then, she attacked.

If snakes were fast, then Lynx Eyes was something else. Every Cobra grunt knew that she was very dangerous and also lethal when she wished to be and that's why they were trained hard enough to keep up with her speed. But even with that kind of task, they couldn't take her down so they could capture her. Each Cobra grunt was found dead, sometimes cut into pieces in a surgical way. Her movements were fluid, almost too fast for Storm Shadow to see her. But somehow, he could block any blow, it was like they were caught in a dance ; they danced around the room, attacking each other without any of them taking the advantage upon the other. When Lynx Eyes was about to strike his abdomen, Storm Shadow blocked her, then took her by the wrists to throw her into the bed. Unfortunately, she landed perfectly on her heels onto the mattress, spun her long leg to strike him onto his side, which was graciously avoided by her opponent with a step back.

Storm Shadow smirked as he witnessed the slight annoyance on her delicate features. She was starting to feel irritated. If Snake Eyes was skilled enough to keep up with her, she should have known that his nemesis, Storm Shadow, would be able to do so. They were trained together under the care of the same master, the two of them top class students – even if Snake Eyes was considered as the best instead of Storm Shadow. She shouldn't even be surprised if he took her by surprise. He moved with an unique grace different from her martial art style, maybe because of their opposite origins Japanese and Chinese were different kinds of people if we are talking about martial arts. They had their own ways how to use them, how to understand them and how to interpret them.

Their dance came to an end when Lynx Eyes finally saw an opening : she ducked his leg, let her body slide on the floor then struck the palm of her hand on his stomach. Storm Shadow was sent flying backwards and crashed on the table of the room. Hard. Staying on her knees to stare at his form, the assassin didn't move until she heard a slight groan of pain. She got him struggling to get on his feet, Storm Shadow rather rolled to avoid any cuts from the glass pieces and coughed. She had struck him so he couldn't get up for a good moment.

'' I heard you were a tough opponent. But I did not know you were that tough, '' she declared.

Her voice held something that Storm Shadow immediately understood.

Respect.

« … »

When Lynx Eyes reached the place where the helicopter had landed a few moments ago, clad in tight jeans, hazel T-Shirt, black jacket and boots, she was greeted by the content faces of her friends. She made a thin smile as Scarlett was the first to embrace her. The red-haired fiend – like Storm Shadow liked to call her – was one of her most trusted friends besides the black ninja and it was odd not to see or talk to her for a month because of her « vacation ».

'' You know, Chinese little lynx, it was somewhat empty not to see you sparring with Snake for a month ! '' Scarlett exclaimed, cheerful. The tall red-haired hugged her tightly before letting go, smiling widely. '' It was kinda... ''

'' Weird ? '' Lynx Eyes finished. Then she nodded. '' Tell me about it. I was wondering if General secretly fired me. ''

'' Because there wasn't any mission ? '' Heavy Duty teased with a mocking smile. '' Come on, you are more than needed when it comes to infiltration missions. Along with Snake, you make the perfect couple of master assassins to complete such missions like these so...huh, wait a minute : do you even know the newbies here ? '' Seeing her slight confusion upon her features, Heavy nodded. '' Guess not. Well, meet Ripcord and Duke, the ones who helped to defeat Cobra. ''

When she saw the two new Joe, Lynx Eyes's face brigthened in recognition. Now she remembered their faces ; they were the two men from the army squad which was ordered to escort the dangerous package Cobra had wanted. The Black man named Ripcord, who was the cockier one of the two – if self-confident wasn't enough to describe his attitude, then none other adjective would be sufficient to do it –, saluted her with a big cheerful smile whereas his comrade Duke nodded at her. Lynx Eyes politely nodded back at them before shifting her eyes to Snake Eyes.

Clad in his usual black ninja outfit and his visor, her friend's presence was still as enormous as ever. Even with his vow of silence, Snake Eyes managed to get through her walls without trying. She couldn't see his eyes, but there was no doubt he was watching her intently. This time, Lynx Eyes truly smiled, came to him and let him embrace her. It was a strange gesture from the ninja but when it came to Lynx Eyes or Scarlett, Snake Eyes always made sure to open himself to both females. After all, they were the ones he was close enough to hold conversations without being bored or hesitant.

'' Alright team, no time to dilly-dally ! '' Heavy Duty instructed. '' We have a mission, so let's do it quickly. ''

'' So you can go check up on your woman once we're finished, right ? '' Ripcord kicked in, smiling like a Cheshire cat. Then, he frowned in confusion.

'' So I can meticulously, seriously, kick your joking ass once we're finished, '' the British man replied while getting in the helicopter. '' If you don't want me to start right away, I suggest you get your damn ass in here before I come to help you. ''

Ripcord snorted before getting in, the laughs of his comrades following him softly. Lynx Eyes allowed herself a little smile showing her amusement before being pushed by Snake Eyes so they could all get in. Once they were seated, the plane wasted no time and quickly landed off, flying in the night sky. Sat besides the ninja, the Chinese assassin let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes in meditation, in order to ponder everything that happened before the Joe called.

First, there was Storm Shadow who made his sudden apparition before her, right here in Italy. Finding her musn't have been very hard since he somehow knew exactly where to get to her ; the ninja must have tracked her movements with a device like Breaker's, which shouldn't be surprising. At all. But what was surprising enough to make her freak the hell out was the fact that he survived tons of ice after his body sank deep in the ocean ; how in the hell did he manage to survive through his wounds ? Snake Eyes confessed that he struck right in his torso and when the ninja killed, he made sure to hit a vital point. So there was no way in hell that Storm Shadow could have survived that. Unless...

Unless that blasted ninja has been injected with nano-mites.

Now that would completely explain why he was still alive and in a so damn good shape. Those nano-mites were more than little robots ; Lynx Eyes had read many reports about them and had been quite stunned about their abilities. They could do more than make someone obey to the sick bastard known as the « Doctor », oh so just more than being a puppet. Whoever has been injected with nano-mites possessed many abilities that turned into a sort of inhuman freak who couldn't fear anymore, with no sense of pain whatsoever. That apparently was considered as a way to wipe the pain out – Lynx Eyes had snorted in annoyance at that. And the best thing she ever saw in that concept was the fact that each nano-mite also has the incredible ability to heal. Healing any wound was marvelous but healing fatal wounds so death would be avoided was fantastic. With those nano-mites incorporated in his body, Storm Shadow would regenerate forever. It would be as if he was immortal.

As she was about to speak to Snake Eyes about their mission, a sudden cough made her stop. Along with the coughing came a vile pain on her right side. Lynx Eyes bent over, gathering everyone's attention as she continued to cough. Each cough was like a burning, goddamn punch in her lungs. She spat something on the floor and would have collapsed if Snake Eyes hadn't caught her he pulled her close to his chest, attempting to calm her ragged breath, slightly confused and worried. Scarlett and Breaker ran to them, alerted.

'' Lynx, are you... '' the beautiful red-haired started in alarm.

'' Scarlett, she spat some blood ! '' Breaker exclaimed frantically. '' That's not normal, do some check up on her ! ''

'' On it, '' Scarlett acknowledged stiffly. She proceeded to see any further wound on Lynx Eyes.

Everyone stood in alarm, now worried of their comrade's state, Snake Eyes the first ; he had forcefully laid Lynx Eyes on his lap so Scarlett could work on her while Heavy Duty pulled out the kit of first aid. Ripcord and Duke stood behind the others, confused and not really knowing what to do to help. Stress rose among the entire team as they all watched the Chinese assassin struggling to stay awake ; her eyelids dropped a few times, opened then in a forceful way and closed again and again. Her pink lips were full of blood, which was something very rare on her. So when Scarlett removed her shirt, she exposed a large bruise on her right side and inwardly gasped out loud like everyone. Snake Eyes's grip tightened in fury.

'' Lynx, who did that to you ? '' she demanded with a restrained voice. She was lightly shaking in anger. When Lynx Eyes threatened to lose consciousness, Scarlett snapped. '' Don't you dare to go sleeping on us, Lynx ! Who the hell did that to you ? Who could have been strong enough to give you that bruise ? ''

As Lynx Eyes remained perfectly silent, the British soldier groaned in annoyance.

'' We can't catch this son of a bitch if you don't fucking tell us, Lynx ! '' he shouted. '' So talk right now or I will make you talk ! ''

Snake Eyes frantically signed to the tall Black man, his visor looking straight at him.

'' Do not even try that, '' Scarlett translated before she turned to Heavy Duty. '' I don't think that's a good idea Heavy ; with Snake around her, Lynx wouldn't tell anything even if you forced her hand. ''

'' Damn, Snake isn't the only one to be worried about her state ! We all are ! ''

'' Guys, '' Ripcord chimed in, trying to get everyone's attention.

But he was easily ignored as Scarlett and Heavy Duty got into an argument.

'' Listen, she will eventually tell us who did that if she wants to, '' Scarlett said defensively, glaring intensely.

'' Oh, and what in the hell, pray tell, makes you think she will tell you what happened ? '' Heavy retorted, bitter.

'' Seriously, guys... ''

'' Shut the hell up, Ripcord ! '' the British man snapped in response.

'' Can't you see she's already asleep ? '' Ripcord exclaimed in exasperation, pointing to Lynx Eyes.

He was right ; she was actually asleep against Snake Eyes, her head resting in the crook of his neck. She was breathing peacefully, oblivious to the hellish ruckus that occurred around her because her ninja friend had soothed her in his own way. Carefully, he wiped out the blood on her lips with his gloved fingers, watching her sleep with blazing intensity. Her very long black hair, always tied in a well-made bun or a long tress, were falling around her in a black curtain, shielding her neck.

But not those red marks on her skin.

The black-clad ninja's eyes widened behind his visor as he stared with more attention. Once he spotted one more red mark, he saw them all ; if he counted, there would be a dozen of them. Maybe more. This was mind-blowing, utterly mind-blowing. Who on Earth could leave...hickeys on Lynx Eyes ? A long lost lover ? Certainly not, the man would already have his throat sliced by Snake Eyes's blade before even saying her name. More important : leaving hickeys on a woman's body meant something. It always meant something and Snake Eyes didn't like it a bit. Raising his head, he signed to Scarlett who was still by his side.

She nodded. '' Snake said Lynx will be OK for the mission, '' she said to the others.

'' How the hell do you know that ? '' asked Ripcord, baffled. '' She's sleeping. ''

'' Trust me. I know her more than you do know Scarlett's body, '' the pretty red-haired translated. She distributed a light punch to Snake Eyes, glaring.

'' Again : she. Is. Sleeping ! '' Ripcord insisted.

Unknown to anyone, the ninja mentally smacked himself. Stupid newbie. Scarlett chuckled, followed by Heavy Duty and Breaker, now relaxed and relieved.

'' Give it up, Ripcord, '' Breaker chirped, sympathetic. '' It's a ninja thing. Even I don't understand, so why should you ? ''

The rest of the flight went silent, sometimes interrupted by jokes and laughter. One hour before the landing, Lynx Eyes woke up. She stayed within the embrace of Snake Eyes who had tightly wrapped his arms around her slender form ; she couldn't move with his strong arms strapped and sure as hell didn't want to. So, feeling safe and in confidence against him, the Chinese woman rested her head in the crook of his neck and he followed the gesture, resting his against hers in a fraternal way.

She opened her mouth.

« … »

Leaving Venise and its dreaded Italian chicks hadn't been easy for Storm Shadow and as he slumped in irritation in his first-class seat on a plane going straight to his new location, the ninja couldn't help but groan in annoyance at the thought of the bunch of girls that caught him leaving the hotel of Lynx Eyes. Being sexy had its advantages, but also its default ; right when he wanted to go at the airport of Florence as soon as possible, do those damn Italian wenchs had to flirt with him so he would miss his plane ? Testing a ninja's patience wasn't something to mess with, especially if that said ninja was trying hard his ass out to redeem himself with the help of the enemy.

Storm Shadow sighed and closed his eyes to meditate. Around him, the disturbing noise of people whirling to set their luggage seemed to disappear as he shut himself to his environment. Once he reached the « Meditation state », the white clad ninja breathed out.

No sound. No damn Italian wenchs. No freaking Joe to kill discretely. Just peace.

He knew where to find her again. Lynx Eyes wouldn't have to discuss his presence on her mission just because she feared that they would be caught by the other Joe. Whatever, that will come whenever he wanted to be caught and brought straight to their HQ ; Storm Shadow and the Chinese assassin will have to cooperate if no one wanted to be stupidly endangered because one of the most deadly and brilliant Joe was working with a previous Cobra soldier who only wished to redeem himself before his brother and start a new bond with him. His crimes wouldn't be easily forgotten or forgiven but if Lynx Eyes approved of him and stood for him and only, there was no doubt that everyone, Snake Eyes included, would believe every word she would say. It was not by chance the Japanese ninja chose her to help him, he just knew she would. And just because she was a forgiving person, Lynx Eyes was the perfect match among all Joe to help him find the way of redemption.

That was the one and only goal I had from the beginning. Finding the way of redemption that would allow me to reach peace. I do not care if it takes me weeks, months, years, she will be there to help me.

Because she had to.

Because she wanted to.

Because he wanted her to.

« … »

Lynx Eyes straightened her shoulders as she listened to Breaker who was briefing everyone about the mission going on. Behind her, Snake Eyes wrapped a solid arm around her waist and gently pulled her against his well-built torso. She complied with a little smile tugging on her lips.

'' The Carlton family owns a company producing electronic stuff like computers, tablets and other things – I'm a huge fan of them... so, passing on the subject, '' Breaker coughed lightly. '' Some group of terrorists known as « Jigsaw » is quite interested in the microchips they created. Those microchips may look like any other microchip but in reality, they could be more than microchips. ''

'' What do you mean ? '' asked Duke.

'' Carlton Industries succeeded in creating special microchips that automatically download every dangerous programme that would put America in a very bad position. They pretty much work like drones and don't even need to be emptied as they can absorb more than 1900 MB of memory, which is impressive. And also dangerous. ''

A little silence followed his words, letting the news sink in. Now that was very interesting, indeed. If anyone would like to protect something disturbing and that could put a whole country in a damn bad position, Carlton Industries had the right solutions to solve the problems ; their new created microchips were the perfect target to attempt an attack upon powerful countries like America, Europe and Asia. Lynx Eyes squinted her brown eyes then turned to her fellow ninja. He returned her gaze, pressing a hand on her hip reassuringly. She nodded in response then turned back.

'' Looks like I am to work with you all on this one, '' the Chinese assassin said coolly. '' Though I could complete this mission alone, I think it will be best if we join our forces. With Breaker on the informatic to guide us, Duke and Ripcord's wit to get through all situations, Scarlett's genius abilities and Snake's ninja skills, there is no way we are going to fail. ''

'' You seem so sure about it, Ninja Girl, '' Ripcord teased.

Lynx Eyes merely nodded.

'' I am, '' she replied.

'' She is, '' assured Scarlett, Heavy Duty and Breaker.

'' Why ? '' Duke insisted, which earned him a weird look from the ginger.

This time, Lynx Eyes smiled at his bold determination.

'' Are you acquainted with the woman known as « Baroness » ? ''