Note: Again, I will THANK YOU ALL OF YOU GUYS for waiting for me patiently to update. I am so sorry. If I was the reader, I would just abandon myself, so for those of you who stuck with me, thank you!

Note: Italics is in Japanese. I, being a Jap, can't really write Japanese in abc without cracking up. So I translated them into English instead.

Chapter 7: Mission Unaccomplished

The next morning, Elena entered as Arien was sparring Tseng in the arena. "What are you two doing?" Elena asked curiously.

Arien held up a hand as in time out, then wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "Sparring," she said.

"Wutai style?"

"Yep. Tseng's the expert. I'm strictly amateur."

"Why?"

"Elena, you should read the security portion of the portfolio," Tseng said mildly.

"I did. But guns are quicker."

"That's the problem. No guns allowed." Arien dropped the wooden Wutaian sword onto the floor. "Actually, no weapons allowed. That's one of the reasons why I'm going. I'm the only one who can use these swords except Tseng, and of course Tseng's not going. The other reason is that I'm a Wutaian. I know the customs, the language."

"Why am I going, then?"

"I can't fight a squadron alone. I need your help in other stuff too. I'm totally hopeless when it comes to memorizing maps and any other kind of explosives. You're the expert."

"Ah."

"Ladies!" Reno showed his face through the window. "Ready?"

"Let me get changed," Arien said, bowing. "Thank you for the spar, master."

"Anytime," Tseng replied in common.

Elena had further disagreements about Wutaian dress other than the sandals. When they both donned the kimono, she realized that the garment hardly allowed any movement.

"Is it supposed to be like this?"

"Yes."

"How are we supposed to move?"

Arien looked at her feet peeking from the hems. "Uh… good point."

Elena pursed her lips. "Looks like we have a slight problem."

Seconds passed in silence until Arien smacked her head. "Elena! Remember those rubber suits?"

"The ones that Rufus spent an insane amount on and nobody wore again?"

"Yeah. Did we bring them?"

Elena checked the list. "Erm… yes."

"Good." She started to undress in the small room of the inn. "Get ready to strip into those suits. We're gonna need them."

An hour later, the two women were standing outside the door. "I need to see him," Arien said in fluent Wutaian.

"Oh?" said the man with a big scar on the cheek. "Because?"

"That's none of your business. Just tell him that Akina is here."

The two waited in the lobby. Arien, with her long hair in a traditional Wutaian hairstyle and her Wutaian make-up, looked serene, in place. Elena's eyes remained focus on the frontal view, where the door was.

"Relax," Arien whispered.

"How can I?" Elena whispered back. "I'm in a rubber suit!"

Arien decided not to reply; rather, she stood up as the door to the left opened. A slender young man appeared in a male Wutaian garment. His eyes were clever and sharp, taking everything within its dark depth and giving nothing back. His hair, raven, just like Arien's, was cut one-length, as if the hairdresser had drawn a straight line around his head before cutting. There was a vagrant strand on his forehead; his arrogant nose only added to his cool intensity of his expression. He was almost as tall as Reno, Arien noted.

"Ah, ladies." His voice was quiet. "To what pleasure do I owe?"

"Can we talk inside?" Arien's voice was soft as well. "My companion and I would rather not talk out… here." She made a sweeping gesture.

"Of course. Forgive my discourtesy."

Arien was dressed in a lavish white kimono, with pale purple and pink pattern on the hems. It was made of the richest silk, and it vaguely made her feel as if she was going to see her husband for the first time in an arranged marriage. Elena's was slightly more extravagant, with bright red and golden embroidering.

"Why are we going in?" Elena whispered. "Who are we supposed to be?"

"Lavishly dressed and artistically talented prostitutes."

"What's his name?"

"Noriaki. He's from a loyal clan."

"Then why are we eradicating him?"

"He's the prince of the crime world. Let's just say that he's a menace."

"Do I have to offer sexual favors?" Elena looked slightly annoyed.

"I have no clue."

"What's my role?"

"You're my apprentice… in a way."

The room the man led them to was beautiful, if simple. "Your name is…?" He asked.

"Akina," Arien answered. "My… apprentice, Lin."

"Ah."

Arien had cut the top so it became a halter suit, secretly apologizing to Rufus. He had a gentle touch as he slid his hand around the back of her neck. His other hand was tugging at her belt. His hand crept up, undid her hair. The kimono came off her shoulders. Then…

He froze.

"You aren't the purchase," he said in common.

"No." Arien agreed. Elena flung off her kimono as well, revealing a black rubber body suit. Arien's showed her white shoulders, starting just above the swell of her breasts. He looked at both of them.

"You aren't here for money."

"No," Elena agreed.

"You're Turks."

"Correct."

"Then I suggest you question me and leave."

"Oh no, my boy," Arien said, standing up. Noriaki remained seated on the floor, his eyes challenging. "Apparently you don't know us. We aren't spies, you know. We don't question. We just kill."

"What do you want?"

"Quite frankly, nothing. See, you've been quite a thorn in Rufus' side." Arien began pacing around him. "And it's time that he plucks the thorn out."

"Oh really… Cousin."

Arien stopped, but before continuing Noriaki lunged for the Wutaian swords that were on display on the wall.

Arien and Elena ran to the other side of the room. With a loud metallic noise Arien pulled out another sword from the wall bracket. Elena edged toward the doors and chained them shut.

"Oh Cousin," he called to the Wutaian woman. "You've turned into quite a beauty, I see."

"Not with your help," Arien replied, gritting teeth. They were circling each other like a tiger now, unwilling to give up or show any moment of weakness and looking for the chances to attack.

"You could have been my wife."

"Elena, can you watch the door?" Arien asked without looking back. "In your dreams," she retorted to her adversary.

"Although, I must admit, I would take great joy in taking you to bed," he mused. "Harder the obstacle, sweeter the victory. You know the saying, don't you?"

"I'm no one's victory," she replied, smiling slightly.

"Ah, we'll see about that when you're in my bed."

"The only thing we're going to see around each other is lots and lots of blood."

"I wouldn't mind shedding a few drops to see you under me. And the other girl too."

Arien was getting furious, and she was glad Reno was not here. Reno went berserk when she had to flirt with a man as a mission; this kind of talk would have sent him over the edge.

He lashed out first. She blocked raising her sword, then ducked as he swung the sword above her head. She tried to deliver a slice to the thigh, but he expertly danced out of the way.

"Why don't you surrender now?" he asked. "There is no point."

Arien ignored the comment. He slashed again, and a thin line of red blood trickled down from her upper arm.

"I don't like injured women," he said quietly. "Don't make me hurt you even more. You!" He turned to Elena, blocking Arien without looking. "Don't move."

Arien, without a reply, slashed against his leg. It was his turn to trickle blood.

"A scarlet reply, I see."

She sidestepped, holding the sword.

"Why do you wear that… thing?" He asked curiously, swinging the sword and crashing it down only to be blocked by hers. "You two can't dress more provocatively if you tried."

"For convenience. Shut up before I lop your head off."

"My my, what a brave girl." He pranced back. "Your sword seems lightweight."

Arien twisted her body to the left, contorting her torso and cutting into her opponent when a knife crashed through the window. It lodged itself into Elena's back. She fell, face forward, onto the floor.

He dropped the sword immediately, but Arien was faster. "Elena!" She whispered harshly.

"Who did that?" He was calling out angrily to the garden. Then with a dismissive shrug, he turned to the woman on the floor.

"Don't come near us," Arien ordered.

"Why?"

"Go look for that idiot." Arien knelt by her coworker. "I know you didn't order that knife. Now go look for him. I have to get her to a physician."

"I suggest you don't move her," he said. "She does have a knife sticking out of her back, after all." He walked out of the room, and Arien could hear him calling for a physician.

So he keeps a physician around, Arien thought. Who is he, Rufus' evil twin?

All her thoughts were lost as she sheathed the naked sword and sat by Elena and her puddle of blood.

"We can't move her," the physician said.

"What?"

"She's in a delicate condition. Her back was damaged from previous assaults. Looks like she got flailed in the past." He pointed at the faint scars on Elena's back. Arien winced; she knew exactly where she got "flailed". Past battles didn't leave easy marks on the body.

She didn't want to be the one breaking the news to Reno. She had no idea what he'd do. Or how he'd react. She just had a definite impression that she didn't want to be there when it happened. Reno was trigger-happy as it was. Adding nasty shocks was like pouring oil onto a flaming inferno.

"I'll keep her," Noriaki said. It sounded to Arien as if he thought Elena was some exotic pet.

"No way."

"Why not?" He asked again.

"Because you tried to kill her! God knows what you'll do."

"I did no such thing," He replied calmly. "I won't kill her. I promise."

"Oh really."

"I wouldn't want to kill her," he smiled. "Renaldo Miller's beloved? No. I have other uses for her than sending her to death, Arien. Besides, I wouldn't want to be the one to crush this little flower."

"She's beautiful to you?" Arien found this puzzling. Renaldo Miller's beloved? Where did he get his information? She did look distinct, yes, but in Midgar and The Edge she blended in. Then she remembered that Elena was in Wutai, where everyone had raven hair and dark eyes.

"Oh, no." He denied that claim. "But her arrogance makes her future submission even more attractive."

Arien was still suspicious, but she also believed him to honor his claim; she knew male species enough to see that to this man, Elena was a primal challenge to his male ego, a beautiful platinum trophy. Besides, she trusted this physician; even from her view, it was obvious that Elena could not be allocated. She finally nodded. "Fine." Arien said.

"I knew you'd understand."

When Arien left, he was still smiling.

What Elena did not know was that Arien and Noriaki knew each other quite well. Wutai was a small town, and they were around the same age. Although Noriaki was one of the princes and Arien just a normal girl, they were good friends in childhood.

Through his network of spies, he had learned that Arien had grown into maturity, had graduated from the Academy, joined the intelligence, and was soon elevated to the Turks. However, it amazed him that she had developed a relationship with her colleague. It was unlike her, this mix of personal life and her business one.

Her photograph had amazed him even more. True, she was no beauty, but her arrogant expression tickled something within him. She looked clever and intelligent, which added to the challenge. Her coworker, however, intrigued him even more. Eager to please, hardworking, intelligent, and blonde, she was an epitome of lethal beauty for him.

And now here she was, comatose and defenseless, in front of him. No one else was in the room. And Arien would be in the vicinity. He wanted her as well.

Noriaki hated Renaldo Miller for his dirty work. Reno had no pride in himself, or that was what he had believed. He had no idea how that redhead had captured this female. Arien did not seem to be the type to simper when she was caught – she was a fighter – but she wasn't the one to fall for idiots either. Reno was the very definition of what Noriaki disdained – stupid, cocky, cheap.

Well, he thought. Time to change that.

No, he did not plan to marry Elena. Or anything. But as his mistress, she was perfect; she had the wit, the manners, and provided an amusing challenge for him. It also meant that he was ultimately better than the Head of the Turks.

He smiled to himself again, glanced at Elena quietly breathing, and left. He would begin his conquest when she is conscious; he had no desire to take advantage of a comatose body. The physician said it will take a few days for her to regain consciousness; this would give him time.

Au contraire, Elena was awake by the next hour.

First she wondered where she was, and why she was lying on her stomach. Someone had changed her clothes; she was no longer in that rubber spandex suit. She tried to roll over and winced, and remembered the crashing knife.

"Damn!" She swore into the pillow. "Fuck. I screwed up. Fuck, fuck, fuck." She wasn't the one to swear, but this deserved much swearing. She had never screwed up her mission due to her inability. And now this!

"Awake?"

She looked around, using only her eyes, and then her stare turned murderous.

"Enjoying my demise?"

"Not particularly. Immobile women don't excite me."

"You bastard. You told me not to move. I just stood there. You honor the floor by having someone throw a knife at me?"

"I never ordered that."

"Liar."

"Truly." Noriaki sat down beside her futon. "I swear."

"Hmph." That was all she replied.

"You look particularly pleasing to me, Elena."

"You look particularly unpleasing to me."

"Ah."

"Which bastard threw the knife?"

"No bastard. It was a woman." Noriaki mused. "Her name is Michele, apparently."

"Michele?"

"Tsubasa."

Elena scowled. That damn librarian!

"She asked me to tell you to have no hard feelings… she was hired."

Elena continued to scowl, but she forgave her anyway. Assassins for hire. Arien could not accuse her. She would have done the same thing.

"And now… of us."

"Of us?"

"Well, yes. You are my honored guest for the time you're injured, but after your recovery you must admit your defeat. The defeated do not walk away unscathed."

"I don't call this unscathed. And it wasn't even a combat."

"It is within the rules that you must compensate."

"This is called backstabbing. Literally." Elena twisted, trying to alleviate the pressure on her neck, and failed. He gently scooped her up in an upright position.

"Better?"

"I didn't expect you to be so courteous. I almost expected that you'll stab me while I was knocked out." She paused. "Thank you."

"It is my pleasure… in more than one way, my dear friend."

"That's not funny."

"Elena." His face, carefully chiseled, became serious. He perhaps looked even better than Tseng. Definitely younger, but with the capability to lead. "Can we talk not as enemies, but at least as a host and the guest? Forget the current for now. Remember the past."

"When will this happen?"

"Whenever you want it to be."

She looked at him, stared into his dark eyes. It was masked, passionless; still she nodded, mainly because she was in a precarious position. She was a guest, but only at his mercy. She was mesmerized by his dark eyes as well, and saw an endless pit in them, that she may fall in.

The next moment, she felt his mouth on her own. And she could not move.

"Mmmfgh!" She screamed, but his lips insisted to continue the little game. She was running out of breath; she opened her mouth, and as if he was going after that, his tongue came into her mouth. She felt the dangerously gentle sensation; and she fell.

"They developed an anti-mako round?" Reno was practically yelling. "What the fuck is this, let's piss off Reno day? God damn it!"

No one was in the office, but he continued to scream unprofessionally at Rude anyway. "That goddamn motherfucker, stupid fucking bastard."

Rude bore it without the pain. He was not really listening.

The report that he had previously thrown against the wall was a report from Rude, which reported that the cause of mysterious deaths where people who had mako-exposure died by crystallizing into silicon crystal was because of the anti-mako round that reacted with their silicon-based cells and transformed them into crystals.

"Shit! Fuck!" Reno screamed. "Goddamn mako! Always causing more problems…" he saw the red light flash, indicating that there was an incoming call. He pressed the button and turned on the speakerphone. "Reno."

"Reno, we have a problem."

"Oh gimme news, yo, not history." Reno groaned. "What is it, Arie?"

"We failed the mission for now. Some bastard threw a knife when I was fighting the target. Elena's seriously injured."

"And?"

"Well, I can't move her! She's under the hospitality of Noriaki right now. No, I don't like it more than you do." She paused for Reno's grating retort, received none, and continued. "I'm staying in Wutai, and I'm requesting a small contingent of agents to be flown over to the location when I ask for it. I mean it."

"Yeah. Permission granted. Want news back at home?"

"Sure."

"Yeah, well, remember the crystal corpse case?"

"Who doesn't?"

"Well, Rude solved the mystery."

"Give a heads-up to Rude. And the cause is?"

"Some group developed an anti-mako round. It reacts with the silicon base of our system, turns it into silicon crystal. Nice, eh?"

"Great." She paused. "So how do we not turn into crystals?"

"I'm making the science research department give us an answer ASAP. But until then, let's hope you can dodge bullets."

"Wonderful." She sounded depressed. "Right. I'll ring you later, when I check up on Elena."

"Call home!"

"I already did." Blip.

"Fuck!" Reno yelled again. "Goddamn it. Goddamn it, goddamn it..."