Author's notes:

Surprise!

Seems like I am finally, after such a long time, finding a way around my writer's block. (Also someone explicitly told me to continue writing. Thanks Uranov.)

So, consider this an apology for leaving you in the dark for so long.

Enjoy!

Chapter 16 - Skirmish

Vectra closely observed her comrade Hitomi after Vanessa had told her that she was the one Jacqueline wanted to meet the least. She of course knew that something was between Number 5 and the former Number 6. Thanks to a certain talkative warrior there basically was no one who didn't know. And, that was what Vectra thought, whatever the two of them had, held a lot of meaning to Hitomi – who seemed to be on the verge of going ballistic. She was staring at the ground, had her fists clenched and was slightly but visibly shaking, due to anger, as the Organization's number 2 could clearly feel.

She was slightly startled, though, as Hitomi straightened back up, the shaking was gone and her fists were no longer clenched. "I understand," she said, while the grinding sound of a blade being drawn filled the air. It was Vectra's blade, which Hitomi threw over to her. Number 3 caught it and was slightly puzzled as to why her comrade would hand her back her blade at that moment.

Vanessa tensed up, knowing what was to come, and drew both of her blades. "S'much for no fightin' then, I assume."

"Sorry about that," Hitomi said calmly, "but say, if one of your comrades was in trouble, wouldn't you come to help?"

Vanessa's eyes narrowed a little.

Vectra understood, took a steady stance and got ready for a fight. "I see," she said.

###

Many miles away, standing on the branch of a tree, a tall cloaked figure stood, looking into the direction the tree Top Ranks were.

"I knew it would come to this, Vanessa. What are you going to do now?"

###

Vanessa parried the two simultaneous attacks from Hitomi, who was striking downwards from above, and Vectra, who was attacking from the right. A consecutive attack from Hitomi, a horizontal slash from her left to the right, was easily dodged by Vanessa, who simply mad a small leap back, just to directly after kick Vectra's guts, who was open after being parried by the former Number 2. She had no time to celebrate that hit, though, since her back was completely exposed to Hitomi, who had somehow gotten behind her, and prepared to impale her. While still standing on only her left leg she leaped away from Hitomi, which bought her that fraction of a second she needed to smash her left blade against Hitomi's attempt to impale her, which altered the direction of the Number 5's attack barely enough to make in only a glancing hit, resulting in a shallow cut on the left side of Vanessa's waist.

'So fast...' the former Number 2 thought.

Landing on both her legs again, roughly two meters away from Hitomi, Vectra reminded her of her presence by rashly closing in from behind and trying to horizontally slash her, but Vanessa managed to do a quick backward-flip to jump over her, avoiding the attack and getting her into a remarkably better position. Just as she was about to stab her opponent's back with both her blades the sole of a metallic boot landed on her forehead. It was Hitomi, who also had leaped over Vectra and, just as if she had landed on Vanessa's head, backwardly jumped of again, leading to the former Number 2 being harshly thrown onto her back and Hitomi doing a back flip over Vectra, who was barely about to realize that her hide had just been saved.

Vanessa had just gotten back onto her feet and inwardly cursed. Just as she realized that only Vectra was still in front of her, she felt a strong grip on her left upper arm. A little startled she realized that Hitomi was standing behind her. And, that she judged from the flow of the Number 5's Yoki, she had sheathed her blade and had firmly gripped her hand around its hilt.

"Ts," she sizzled as a grin appeared on her face, "'t now, brat? Y'goin' t'kill me?"

"What reason should Jacqueline have to come here if I just killed you? She could as well stay away, then," Hitomi explained. She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them again to add: "No, killing you would defeat the purpose of this little skirmish."

'Skirmish?' Vectra thought. 'What is wrong with this person?'

"Say," Vanessa began to ask a question, "what's your rank, gal?"

Hitomi hesitated for a moment, but then answered: "I'm the Number 5."

"He," the former Number 2 chuckled, "'ouldn't 1 befit y'more?"

"I wonder," Hitomi answered, "I'd probably just let that get to my head and cut everyone annoying me to handy little pieces."

"Ah, prob'ly," was the answer she got.

For a few seconds that felt like years to Vectra she finally found the courage to speak up and say what was on her mind: "Seems like your plan does not work out."

Calmer than expected by Vectra Number 5 answered: "Seems like it. Well, Vanessa," she adressed her what got the latter alarmed, "this is nothing personal."

Hitomi was about to unleash her fearsome technique, the Soundcutter, which was faster than anyone else's technique had ever been, as Vanessa turned to the left as far as possible to stab Hitomi's face by attacking backwards above her own left shoulder. However, her attempted stab missed her opponent. And, additionally, Hitomi's Soundcutter had also not begun.

Hitomi felt a gentle, soft grip around her right lower arm. Her pupils had shrunk considerably, her mouth was slightly opened and her heart skipped a beat, as a deep voice from behind her said: "I'd rather you'd not do that."

Hitomi's left hand let go of Vanessa's arm, leading to the latter leaping away from her instantly. Also, Hitomi's right hand let go of her blade's handle, what led to the soft hand that had kept her from using her Soundcutter disappearing from her arm, too.

Hitomi stood there totally dully, as a tall, cloaked figure walked past her. Directing her gaze at Vanessa that figure said: "Leave. I will take care of things here."

"I understand," was Vanessa's answer, right before she dashed into the woods.

###

'That look in her eyes,' the former Number 2 thought while dashing away, 'what is she going to do?'

###

The figure took a close look at Hitomi and Vectra, before she removed the hood of her cloak.

"What might it be the Organization could want to go as far as to threaten the sole comrade I have got left?"

Author's notes:

After all this time things will finally heat up a little more. So Blankface has entered the scene, but just to come and save Vanessa? We'll see about that in the next update!

kstefan88