Hello, readers! Sorry for the delay; faulty DSL. But, that's not half the reason, I guess. You could say I've been... lazy in the writing department. If you must know, I've been playing Zelda: Twilight Princess and Batman: Arkham Asylum. Oh, and I'm away from home too. Sorry, so sorry! Don't worry, I'll try and get back on track now.

Well, after killing Ken and Rafael in cold blood, Ash and Paul are headed to the Guild while Drew protects the girls from any Assassins who come near their hotel. Will Ash and Paul find the answers they seek and discover the client's identity? Will it quench their thirst for vengeance and will there be any payoff afterward? Let's find out!

Oh, and this chapter is rather focused on action, so apologies for any lack of dialogue. Anyway...

Enjoy chapter 8!


The scene: Veilstone City, Abandoned Warehouse.

Ash and Paul stood at the entrance to their former brotherhood, the merciless lust for vengeance in their eyes.

The secret door above waited; seeming as welcoming as it had ever been.

But both of them knew this was not a homecoming. This was a raid, an assault on the Assassin's Guild. They were planning to get in and find out exactly who wanted the blood of Dawn, May and Zoey. They were prepared to rip their former brothers to shreds if they had to; this contract had caused them too much emotional pain.

Making use of their taught athletics, Ash and Paul vaulted up towards the door to the Guild.

Only Ash had been out this late before and there had been no guards at the time, so he assumed they would face no opposition. However, overconfidence could have grave consequences; especially now. His caution paid off.

"Good thing we didn't barge in." Ash whispered, pointing. They were perched on the doorway which overlooked the Guild's halls from higher than it seemed on the floor of the warehouse, since the Guild itself was deeper underground. Paul followed Ash's outstretched arm and saw an Assassin standing guard, a lit torch in his hand. The Guild had either diverted attention to security, for a change, or they suspected that the three 'traitors' might try to infiltrate. Either way, Ash and Paul had to pass.

Dropping as silently as possible to the wooden floor, Ash and Paul headed towards darker shadows, keeping low but moving swiftly.

Before they had arrived at the Warehouse, Ash had proposed they head straight to the archives and find someone with authority there; for he or she would make the perfect victim of interrogation, quite unlike those idiotic peasants who had been sent to kill them and now lay in a dark alley in a pool of their own blood.

Paul had agreed, for he had had no better ideas at the time, nor did he have any now; but he had asked if Ash had actually seen any other rooms besides the one with all the terminals. Ash had recalled seeing offices and quarters while heading there, all of them accessible only through the trap door in one of the fighters' changing rooms, as was the database itself. In his opinion, that was as good a place as any to start.

Despite their days away from the Guild and the emotional turmoil they had gone through during those days, the layout of the facility was still imprinted in their minds and as Ash led the way, he made a series of seemingly random turns to avoid the occasional sentries posted at corners or in hallways. When they came across an impassable area, they backtracked in order to find a way around.

Until now, they had faced no problems; but soon, they ended up in a bit of a predicament. They were trapped in a hall with two sentries at either end; one of them having arrived only after they spotted the first one. The hall was empty except for four doorways, two on either side which led to the Assassins' sleeping quarters. Ash and Paul had taken refuge in their entrances, trying to avoid taking the risk of waking the rooms' occupants; but on opposite ends. The guards did not appear too intent to move any time soon, so they knew they had to take action now, or they would lose the safety of night's darkness.

The guards were not looking straight down the hall, but around the corners which led to other halls. Since this was the case, it was possible they might spot a sudden movement out of the corner of their eyes. But with a fierce determination, Ash decided it was time to take chances like this.

Utilizing a sign language unique to the Assassins, Ash signaled to Paul to swiftly make for the center of the hall to lessen the chance of being caught in the guards' peripheral vision, assuming he got there without being detected. As Ash gave further instructions to take the guard at the end of the hall they had entered from, he thought: How ironic that we use the very skills taught here to bring it down.

He used the phrase 'bring it down' because of how far he was willing to go to get their hands on the one who wanted Dawn, May and Zoey dead.

Putting their plan into action, Ash and Paul swiftly rolled out of their respective doorways and came up back to back in the center of the hall, Ash facing one sentry, Paul facing the other. The guards did nothing but shuffle their feet a bit. Ash assumed they had not seen a thing. Good, he thought, and now...

The two rogues slowly began to creep up on the guards. It seemed highly unusual to them that they had not moved at all yet, so they still moved with great cautioned. Ash recalled a high encouragement of training the ear at the Guild too.

Ash reached a place just behind his target and slowly stood up, readying to incapacitate the guard as soon as he heard Paul doing the same. Sure enough, he heard a scuffling noise as if a struggle was taking place and hastily elbowed the man in front of him on the neck, then covered his mouth and nose in a powerful grip. The man's screams and grunts were muffled and soon enough, he went still.

Ash slowly laid the man on the floor. He turned around and saw that Paul had incapacitated the other sentry has well. "Is there any point in hiding the bodies?" Paul asked.

"I doubt it and we've wasted too much time here anyway. With luck, we'll be long gone before they come to." Ash replied. The other Assassin grimly nodded and swiftly but silently, they headed off again.

***

Outside the hotel housing the three girls...

Drew was bent on one knee and panting. The green-haired Assassin had been scarred during the events of the past twenty-four hours and it showed; his face was sweaty and creased with blood. But a fiery determination burned in his eyes.

These Assassins seemed desparate to get in there and silence the three innocent girls inside. After Drew had eliminated three of them, he discovered the others acting in a more cautious manner; no doubt they had noticed some of their comrades missing and were now focused on their own safety as well as their mission.

In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if they knew exactly who it was taking them out like this.

Each one he fought and put down took more out of him than the last. They fought with increasing brutality and it was clear to Drew that they had no qualms about killing a former Assassin. He had done his best to conceal each body in the shadows of this long night, even though he doubted it would do much good.

Diverting his gaze to the hotel, he wondered what the girls were doing right now... Whether they were still resonating hate for the betrayal they had now faced or whether they were overcome with sorrow and wanted to leave the memories of Veilstone City behind them. Drew could hardly blame them; but they were in danger now. Besides, it was far too late for them to be awake anyway.

Knowing he could not waste any time resting, Drew rose...

Only to be struck on the back of his head, hard.

Dazed, Drew stumbled forward while trying to clear his head. He spun around unsteadily, swinging a blind punch at the unknown attacker. His fist was intercepted and he was thrown to the ground.

Mentally calming himself, Drew executed a more graceful sweep kick that made contact and sent his foe sprawling.

Utilizing mental calming techniques taught by the Assassins, Drew regained control over himself and sprang to his feet whilst avoiding a sweep kick attempted by his attacker. Quickly drawing his knife, Drew stabbed down; but only hit the stone roof of the structure they stood on, for his opponent rolled out of the way, unsheathing a blade of his own.

Knowing he had to end this before it got out of hand, Drew slammed his foot onto the Assassin's armed hand. He grunted, but managed to keep his hold on his weapon. He got to his feet and began slashing wildly.

Surprised by this lack of finesse, Drew continued to parry and evade, looking for an opening, a chance to strike.

He found it.

A powerfully defended slash sent Drew's attacker reeling back. Drew quickly kicked the man in the stomach, taking the breath out of him and forcing him to drop his knife. With admirable reflexes, the other Assassin dived for the knife but Drew was too fast for him. He kicked the dropped weapon off the roof.

Drew stared coldly down at the panting, trembling Assassin. This man hardly seemed fit to be part of the Guild. His battle techniques had no subtlety, no finesse and he did not seem to know what he was doing half the time.

But then, Drew remembered with horror: A young man, eager and determined. One who took pride in his killing even during his short time at the Guild. Hoping to Arceus he was wrong, Drew pulled the man's mask off.

The face of a young man, no, a boy stared up at him. A new recruit. Lucius.

Lucius had come to the Guild himself. He was only an adventurous kid; orphaned it seemed. He had found the secret hideout by himself. Impressed, the Assassins asked him to join. His already sharp senses, when attuned, would be an invaluable asset to the brotherhood.

But he had no skill with a blade. He fought wildly. Brutally. Disciplining him never seemed to have an effect, for he always went back to his old ways.

He never seemed to be interested in his comrades' lives. He never spoke to them or tried to make friends, despite his young age.

Ash, Drew and Paul had been mildly intrigued by him, but nothing more. But now...

Now it sickened Drew to think they had sent such a young Assassin to kill three girls.

As Lucius glared up at the older Assassin, Drew could only feel pity. He did not have any intention of killing this boy. He should never have been brought into this in the first place. But Lucius certainly had no problem of killing; he had always been cold-blooded.

"Do it, then." Lucius said in a voice as tinged with hatred as his eyes.

"I have no time for you, Lucius; why did they send you in the first place?!" Drew asked. Lucius actually smiled. "They didn't. I chose this."

"You chose to kill three innocent girls?!" Drew was utterly astonished.

"Hardly innocent, my friend." Drew knew he was wasting time here; more Assassins could be converging on the hotel as they spoke.

"Do as you will, but do not interfere with me." Drew spoke as commandingly as he could. Without waiting for an answer, he ran to the edge of the rooftop, leaping to another and leaving the defeated youth behind.

Drew was now headed for the hotel's ground entrance. After all, it was not impossible they would try to get in that way. Overestimating an enemy could be just as dangerous as underestimating them.

When Drew reached the front of the hotel, he indeed saw someone. A lone figure but, oddly enough, it did not seem to be an Assassin. The figure seemed to be looking for something. Silently dropping to the pavement below, Drew slowly approached. He drew a knife, not willing to take any risks and said: "Don't move." The figure gasped and went stiff. "Wh-who's there?" It was a feminine voice. One that Drew recognized.

"May?!" Drew said, almost loudly. He backed away, nearly dropping the knife. May turned around and gasped again. "Drew? I-"

Breathing hard, Drew backed up. To feel the hatred emanating from May would be too much for him to handle. But he noticed her eyes had no anger or hate in them; only sadness. She held out a hand. "Wait." She said. Drew's legs froze of their own accord.

May stepped closer. "Drew, what are you doing here? Where are Ash and Paul?"

Finding his voice, Drew replied: "Never mind me! Why are you out here? You're in danger." He inwardly kicked himself for letting that last part slip. He doubted it would help matters.

But May seemed calm enough. "I heard something like a struggle. Apparently it was loud enough to wake me up. But, what do you mean by 'danger'?" Her voice carried the faintest hint of fear.

Now that Drew thought of it, all the rooftops he had dispatched Assassins on had been at roughly the same height. The same height as the girls' room. He wondered if he had really made that much noise. He tried to think of something to say. "Just...Just please, go back in and stay there. It's for your own safety."

He had forgotten how beautiful she was; and as he gazed into her eyes, he couldn't help feeling a shadow of the affection he held for her. May shook her head. "I think you should tell me why and how we're in danger, Drew."

Drew thought hard, but could not find a way around this. So he sighed and explained: "Very well, then. But please, don't interrupt me." May nodded. Drew continued, "Assassins have been sent to kill you, as well as Dawn and Zoey because..." he swallowed. This was hard for him to say. "Because we failed. We all come from the Assassin's Guild and for our failure, me Ash and Paul are considered outcasts. They're trying to kill us too. Ash and Paul have gone to the Guild's hideout in the abandoned warehouse to try and discover the identity of who wants you dead. I decided to come here and protect you from any Assassins who came here. I have dispatched quite a few of them, which explains the noises you heard. I decided to see if there was any threat to the main entrance and found you here." He waited as May absorbed all this.

Finally, she blinked and spoke: "But if it is as you say, why didn't you kill us in the first place. Paul... tried, but even he didn't do it. What happened? And why are you here protecting us? And why do you need to find out who wants us dead?" Her voice was soft now, which comforted Drew.

"Because you have commited no crimes worthy of a contract in your life. And... we just couldn't bring ourselves do to it anyways. We can't bear to see you die. And now, for all the pain this contract as put us through," he clenched a fist, "we are out for revenge. But... you are our true motivation. We sincerely like you, we had genuine feelings for you, even if the rest was a cruel lie. Let me just say... I'm sorry for that." Drew finished. He sighed and stared at his feet. He felt unwanted tears coming to his eyes. He heard May step closer to him and tilt his chin up. She had a sad smile on her face.

"I believe you, Drew. I'm sure Dawn and Zoey would too. Thank you." She sounded sincerely grateful and her tone was much warmer now. This did not quell Drew's tears as two of them escaped. May brushed them away with a thumb, then did something that shocked Drew like nothing else ever could.

She put her arms around him and for, reasons Drew could not imagine, kissed him. It was a fire that burnt all the cold ice that had formed around his heart due to his recent despair. He returned her passion, hugging her close. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, then parted, smiling.

No more words were needed. Drew simply bolted off towards the rooftops while May watched. Eventually, she went back up to her room.

***

Back at the Assassin's Guild...

They had finally made it. Ash and Paul were now in the fighter's room near the Battle Arena that hid the secret entrance to the archives. Ash stepped on the pressure plate, then hoisted Paul up to the door in the ceiling. Paul then pulled Ash up.

It was exactly as Ash remembered: a hall far more technological than the rest of the Guild. Even Paul seemed slightly awed. They decided to check the database room first. When they entered, Ash was surprised to see it was full of people.

Black-uniformed technicians sat at almost every terminal. The sounds of hundreds of typing fingers were clear. Ash and Paul still stood in the doorway, so they had not been noticed yet.

"They're only staff. Let's go." Paul whispered. Ash thought, and eventually agreed. They marched straight into the room, ignoring the astonished looks and exclamations of the people they passed. But one of them actually stepped into their path. "Why are you here?" He asked.

Paul merely stared. Ash spoke, "It is not your concern, fool. But you will do yourself a great favor if you tell me who is in charge here." He partially unsheathed his knife, enough for the technician to see.

"I-I-" The man stammered. He backed away, stumbling over a terminal. Ash and Paul continued to the back of the room, towards the giant vidscreen mounted on the wall. Then...

"I must say, you took longer than expected." A voice said. A shadowy figure under the vidscreen accompanied by another. "But better late than never." The other said.

Ash and Paul tensed. Finally, the time had come. Now, the would discover the truth; and at long last calm their desire for vengeance.

Ooooh, cliffhanger! Not one, but TWO people are in charge? Who are they? You can only guess right now!

Well, this was a relatively okay chapter, IMO. I apologize again for the delay.

R&R, dear friends!

Daijobu!