Of Assassins, Samurai, and Magic
A/N: I have a special announcement to make! From this point onwards, I will be posting updates for this story on a weekly basis instead of a bi-weekly basis. With the story nearing its end, I figured I'd treat you all to faster updates. I hope you enjoy them!
For those of you who have left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:
Love thus story - Thanks for the review! ^^ I'm very flattered. *blushes* I can only hope the remaining chapters for the story are equally exciting for you. There's a lot planned, as evident by this chapter, and I can only imagine what everyone else's reactions will be to them. Hehe. Thanks again for the comments. :)
Disclaimer: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them.
*** ~ Chapter 29: Confrontation at the Cafe of Midori-ya ~ ***
"Signum? Vita-chan?"
The two said people froze in their tracks, right in the middle of the corridor. The pair was in the process of sneaking past the Empress' chambers for their own respective rooms, but now it seemed that was no longer possible. Hayate always did have this unusual sixth sense of sorts when it came to them. Reluctantly, Signum was the first of the two to face the brunette.
"Hai Hayate-sama?" The moment Signum turned around to answer the Empress, she immediately regretted it.
Blue eyes widened at the state of Signum's appearance. "What happened!" Hayate exclaimed.
The Empress rushed up to the Captain of the Samurai, immediately noting the line of blood across the pinkette's left cheek. Signum's cloak also sported various slashes in it, the samurai's armor scratched up worse than Hayate had ever seen it. Turning to her cousin, Hayate was horrified to find Vita in a similar state of dress.
"Stars and Lightning," Vita mumbled. She didn't meet the brunette's gaze. "We tracked them down, only to be attacked by the Numbers."
~ Half an hour ago ~
"Purple Lightning Flash!"
Flames tore through the air, Levantine's fiery blade decapitating yet another illusion. The blue assassin who was currently facing the samurai, their insignia being 'IV', merely smirked at the pinkette as two more illusions took the place of the destroyed one.
"Oya?" the blue assassin mocked. "That wasn't me either." A laugh. "Better luck next time!"
Signum gritted her teeth before slashing at yet another illusion. The White Devil currently struggled with another of the Numbers assassins in the background.
"Swallow Flier!"
Vita roared as Graf Eisen smashed against the four fist size metal balls hovering in the air in front of her. The steel balls took off like rockets, arcing towards the Numbers assassin she currently fought with. Somewhere off to Vita's right, the Thunder Reaper was just barely holding their own against the fourth of the blue assassins.
"Is that the best you got!"
The blue assassin fighting Vita, her insignia being 'IX', pulled back her fist before punching forward, her metal gauntlet meeting the first of the projectiles sent her way. The steel ball exploded into dust upon contact, the Numbers assassin immediately flipping backwards to avoid the second projectile, stopping mid flip to perform a handstand spinning kick which destroyed the remaining two projectiles.
Vita growled at how easily her attacks were dealt with, gripping at Graf Eisen tighter. "Try this on for size!" she exclaimed.
"Raketenhammer!"
~ Back to the present. ~
"We only just parted ways," Signum continued, having finished recounting the battle from before. They had since moved to the Empress' chambers, now sitting on the couches near Hayate's bookshelves of tomes. Shamal joined them moments later and was attending to Signum's and Vita's injuries. Signum grimaced slightly as the blonde spread ointment over the cut on her cheek.
"The White Devil and the Thunder Reaper escaped, as did the Numbers," Signum spat out bitterly. Shamal's gentle squeeze on her shoulder did little to soothe the samurai's anger and shame over her inability to capture the assassins.
Hayate frowned. The Numbers were starting to become a real issue as of late, Signum and Vita having not been the only ones to encounter them. If it weren't for the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper... Hayate could only shiver at the thought of what her capital city would look like with only the Numbers being the dominant clan. Signum and her Samurai could only do so much. The City Guards the same. They couldn't be everywhere at the same time, all the time.
Hayate's gaze strayed from the pinkette, to the table nearby where a copy of Carim's prophecy lay. The brunette's eyes narrowed on two specific lines of text.
Stars and Lightning vow for the celestials,
To destroy the seeping taint.
What part Stars and Lightning had to play in the coming days, the Empress didn't know. But it was quite evident that they were important in stopping the coming darkness that was foreseen by the Oracle's last remaining descendent. That meant they had to survive at all costs.
"Signum," Hayate said, breaking the tense silence.
"Hai Hayate-sama?"
"When you see the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper next, tell them I wish an audience with them."
"W-what?"
All of Hayate's knights stared at her in shock. Zafira too, the demon wolf lying quietly on the floor to the left of the couch. Had the Empress lost her mind?
"Respectfully, Hayate-sama," Shamal said speaking up. "Is that really wise? They are-"
"They may very well be the key to stopping the coming darkness," Hayate interrupted. "You've all read Carim-sama's prophecy. You know what's at stake."
Everyone remained silent.
"If they were to fall, what do you think would happen?"
Signum pursed her lips together, looking away. Vita clenched at the armrest of the couch, glaring at the floor.
"I have a really bad feeling about all of this," Hayate said in no more than a whisper. Her eyes went to the copy of the prophecy again. "Something doesn't feel right-"
WHOOSH!
The doors to Hayate's room burst open, Signum's lieutenant barrelling into the room in a frazzle. "Empress!" Vice Granscenic exclaimed. "T-T-Taichou!" he said moments later, once realizing Hayate was not alone.
Signum was on her feet in an instant, Levantine already drawn at the intrusion. "Taii-san, explain yourself!"
Vita scowled at the man for his blatant show of disrespect, Zafira growling as well. Shamal merely looked at the samurai in surprise.
"My apologies," the brunette said breathlessly, dropping to one knee and bowing his head. "But I have news of the utmost importance!"
"Well spit it out already!" Vita growled in annoyance.
"There's been another attack in the Middle District," Vice said quickly. "The Harlaowns-"
Five pairs of eyes went wide.
"They were attacked by the Numbers!" the Lieutenant finished in a rushed breath.
Signum was out the door in an instant.
The White Devil sucked in a pained breath, wheezing as she held her left side. She barely escaped the four-way fight just half an hour ago, but not without injury. Thankfully, nothing was broken, nor was she slashed to pieces. But ribs were bruised, and the skin covering them was already turning a dark purple colour. She was also utterly exhausted, having to expel as much magic as she did in such a short period of time.
Taking a moment to catch her breath again, the White Devil pushed herself away from the wall she rested against and forced her body to make the final few steps home. Midori-ya was within sight, the white assassin currently taking refuge in one of the many alleyways nearby. It was only a matter of sneaking through Miyuki's bedroom window now, and she would be home safe.
Making her way up to the roof and taking a quick glance around, the White Devil failed to notice the lack of samurai patrolling the area. Ever since the day that she and Fate cooked for the Empress, she noted a significant increase of samurai in the area. That was probably Signum's doing, the Captain of the Samurai wanting to keep them safe. While she appreciated the extra protection (not that she really needed it), it tended to be a hassle when trying to sneak out at night without being caught. Tonight however, she had no trouble making it into the second floor of the Takamachi residence, the white assassin thinking nothing of it. That is, until she set foot inside.
The White Devil tensed the moment she jumped from the windowsill to the floor inside. There was an eerie quiet to the place, a lifeless atmosphere enveloping the building. Never had there been such a feeling here before. Unhooking Raging Heart from her back, the White Devil cautiously pulled open the paper door to her sister's room and ventured into the darkened hallway.
Quiet.
It was too quiet.
Then she noticed it.
A horrified gasp escaped her lips.
The paper door to her room was slashed cleanly in half, articles of her personal belongings skewed all over the floor. Clothes were ripped, pictures of her family were torn to pieces, and the glass frames holding those pictures were nothing but fragments of chipped glass on the ground. Violet eyes immediately turned to Kyouya's room, further widening at the disarray.
"Nii-san!"
The White Devil dashed into her older sibling's room only to find the same destruction and horror found in her room. Except in here, it was much, much worse. On top of broken furniture and shredded clothes, there was also blood. Her brother's blood. But no body. The White Devil collapsed to her knees as the sight of Kyouya's prized sword on the floor in pieces.
"Ile..."
"Master!"
Being so caught up in her despair, the White Devil didn't notice the others in the room with her. That is, until she was sent sprawling to the floor from a daze inducing smash to the back. Raging Heart went skittering across the floor, only stopping in its movement when a black booted foot came down upon its shaft. It took the White Devil a few seconds to get her wits about her, a hand on her head as she shook away the haze. When she finally looked up, violet eyes immediately landed on her attackers. One of them had Raging Heart under their foot.
Were they the ones who attacked Kyouya?
"Kisama!"
Just that thought alone made her blood boil.
The White Devil lunged forward, her left fist pulled back as she darted towards the smaller of the two assailants. The taller one disappeared in a blur of motion, a split second later, the White Devil finding the very air from her lungs being forcibly expelled by steel bending punch to the stomach.
CRASH!
The White Devil fell out of the newly made crater in the wall and collapsed to her knees on the floor. She gasped and wheezed for breath, both arms holding her mid section as she fought for air. Globs of crimson hit the floor in droplets, staining the face mask of the White Devil red.
A flash of steel.
"Garyu."
A sharpened blade stopped just an inch short of the White Devil's neck. The taller of the black assassins turned to look back at their partner.
"Who... are you...?" the White Devil rasped out. Pain filled violet eyes looked up at the smaller assassin. "What... do you want...?"
"Who I am is unimportant," the little assassin replied. "But if you must know, I am but a mere apprentice."
The White Devil was surprised to hear the soft, feminine voice which answer her. Very much child-like in her assessment of the assassin, which explained why she was so much shorter than the other one. The taller assassin still held a blade to her neck.
"And it is not so much what I want, but rather, what my Master wants," the apprentice assassin continued. "You two have met, in case you're wondering." A pregnant pause. "The Thunder Reaper."
All the colour drained out of the White Devil's face.
"W-what?"
Just under an hour ago, the White Devil and the Thunder Reaper fought back to back, along with Vita and Signum, against the four assassins from the Numbers clan. If the Thunder Reaper had wanted to attack her directly, he had more than ample opportunity in that brawl as well as the other times they had met in the past. Never once did the Thunder Reaper show any signs of aggression in previous encounters, though. So why now?
"I do not know what your connection is to the man who lived here," the apprentice assassin continued, breaking the White Devil out of her thoughts. "But it was my Master who took him away, knowing you'd be more cooperative if he had... collateral."
The White Devil gritted her teeth, ignoring the taste of copper in her mouth. "What do you want?"
"The Spirit Seeds you've collected," replied the small assassin. The girl stooped down to retrieve Raging Heart from under her foot.
The White Devil made a fist. So he did want them after all. But why go to this extent? How did he even find out who she was? The white assassin closed her eyes and bowed her head. She thought he was different from the others. She hoped he was different from the others. But apparently he was not. She should have known better.
"If he wanted that," the White Devil said through clenched teeth. "All he had to do was say so! I would have given them to him if it meant leaving us alone!"
"Put out."
Raging Heart chimed audibly, the Spirit Seeds the White Devil had collected so far, seven in total, materializing in the air around it.
"Received," the small assassin's legendary weapon chimed, the Spirit Seeds darting towards the black assassin's gauntlets before disappearing again.
"Now give Kyouya back!"
"Garyu."
The one named Garyu, something not human the White Devil finally noticed, disappeared from in front of her and back to his partner's side. The Thunder Reaper's apprentice shook her head.
"You still need to complete one more task before Kyouya-san is returned."
The White Devil clenched her jaw. "And what is that?"
"Bring my Master five more Spirit Seeds."
"I gave you all that I had!" The White Devil coughed immediately after her outburst, a pained groan escaping her lips as more red trickled down her chin.
"Then obtain five more," the apprentice assassin said. She tossed Raging Heart to the White Devil, the weapon clanking to the floor just in front of the white assassin.
The White Devil's reaction was immediate.
Raging Heart was snatched up from the ground and instantly pointed at the small assassin and Garyu. Garyu jumped in front of his partner, ready to defend.
"If any harm were to come to me, my Master would execute the one known as Takamachi Kyouya without hesitation."
The White Devil froze.
Seeing no further movement from the white garbed assassin, the apprentice assassin continued to speak. "The choice is yours White Devil," she said. "Either you get those remaining Spirit Seeds and save Takamachi-san, or you kill me now and never see him again."
"Kuso!"
The Thunder Reaper cursed for the fifth time in the span of minutes, dropping down into the alleyway near her house. After a tiring battle involving the White Devil, the Numbers Clan, along with Signum and some red head, the Thunder Reaper just barely managed to escape the madness without pursuit. But she was not unscathed. Her right arm was numb, having been badly bruised but miraculously not broken after a near fatal attack. Had her reflexes been any slower, she would have lost the limb from the elbow down. Thankfully that was not the case and she managed to get only a glancing blow. Nevertheless, it hurt like hell.
"Kuso!" she cursed again, ducking around the corner to escape the peering gaze of a samurai.
For whatever reason, there were way too many samurai lingering around the area. The city guards too. This was the ninth one she had to evade on her way home. So far she hadn't been caught, but if the samurai and guards kept popping up at this rate, she wouldn't be able to hide from them much longer. Signum had trained them well. So had Chrono.
The padding of light steps.
The Thunder Reaper spun around instantly, Bardiche brandished at the one trying to sneak up on her. Wine coloured eyes widened in surprise when they landed on Erio. The boy was holding Friedrich in his arms along with a bundle of cloth.
"You-"
"Hurry up and put this on," Erio said quickly, tossing a bundle of clothes at the Thunder Reaper.
The Thunder Reaper caught the bundle in surprise, burgundy coloured eyes widening further when she realized it was her favorite kimono and her thick black cloak.
"What-"
"I know it's you Fate-san," Erio said, peering around the corner to see if the samurai or guards had spotted them yet. So far so good. He turned back to the Thunder Reaper.
The Thunder Reaper swallowed thickly.
"I recognized your weapon the moment I saw it," Erio continued. "I saw it back when you dashed passed our room the day that demon fox wandered into the house."
The Thunder Reaper paled considerably. She had completely forgotten about Erio and Caro that day, the day that Arf returned. She was so used to the house being empty aside from herself or Lindy that she didn't think anyone else would see her.
"Erio-kun, I-"
"I didn't tell anyone," Erio interrupted, much to the Thunder Reaper's relief. The red head turned his face away, looking at the closest wall.
Just why was he helping her again? She was an assassin, no different from those other assassins and thugs who killed his parents, killed Caro's parents, all in the quest for those damned Spirit Seeds! Yet... Fate had saved him, and Caro, more than once, and let them into her home, asking for nothing in return. Maybe she wasn't like those other assassins and thugs. And perhaps it was that very reason that Erio was helping her now. Because he believed she could maybe even fix the bad things going on now.
"Look, I don't have much time to explain," Erio said in a rushed tone. The longer they lingered here, the more likely they'd get caught. "Put that on quickly. We need to get you back to the house before anyone else thinks something's wrong."
But the Thunder Reaper wasn't done asking questions yet.
"What's going on Erio-kun?" The assassin asked. "Why are there so many Samurai and Keibi around tonight?"
Erio hesitated, looking around the corner again. "We were... attacked by assassins wearing blue an hour ago," he reluctantly admitted.
The Thunder Reaper felt ready to faint. They were attacked? Oh gods. She had snuck out of the house without anyone knowing, and in her absence, her family was attacked. Was someone hurt? Did someone die? If she had been there, she could have-
"Fate-san!" Erio said shaking the Thunder Reaper's limp shoulders. Burgundy coloured eyes looked back at him in a daze. "Everyone is safe," he said in a tone which surprised even him. "Arf-san chased them away before anyone could get hurt."
"Kami-sama..." The Thunder Reaper collapsed to her knees in relief.
"O-oye!" Erio exclaimed in shock and surprise. The red head almost fell to the ground himself trying to keep the blonde upright.
"Hey! I heard something over there!"
The echoes of booted feet rushed in their direction.
Erio's eyes widened in fear. "Fate-san! Hurry!"
"Kaa-san!"
Signum spun around at the sound of Fate's voice, just in time to see the blonde rush into the kitchen to hug her adopted mother.
"Fate-chan! I was so worried!" Lindy said, tears in her eyes as she clutched at her adopted daughter.
The pinkette breathed in relief at the sight, the last of the Harlaowns finally accounted for, safe and sound. A blur of red moved in Signum's peripherals, the samurai turning to see Erio walk over to Caro. The young girl sat at the dinner table next to Arf. Signum made a mental note to thank the boy later. After Lindy had taken him and his friend in, something not uncommon for the teal haired woman, especially if there was someone in need, he surprised them all tonight saying he'd find Fate when it was realized the blonde was not in her room upstairs. And true to his word, he brought Fate back.
"What were you thinking!" Lindy exclaimed, after pulling back from the hug.
"I'm so sorry Kaa-san," Fate said, wincing from the scolding. "I just-"
Lindy pulled Fate back into a hug again. "I know Fate-chan. I know. Erio-kun told me how you went to look for Caro-chan's little friend."
Fate looked at Erio in surprise, the look missed by Signum as her attention was elsewhere at the time. The Captain of the Samurai was currently talking to her Lieutenant, wanting to know what the situation was over at Midori-ya. No one else seemed to notice the look either.
"I..."
Erio nodded to her.
"I know it was late, but I couldn't just leave him out there all by himself," Fate said, blatantly lying to Lindy's face. She felt bad for the ruse, but it couldn't be helped at the moment.
"I'm sorry Lindy-san," Caro said quietly. The small girl stroked Friedrich on the head, the tiny dragon having been returned to her by Erio.
Fate was very relieved to see that colour had returned to Caro's face, the small child looking much better than before. For the next two days after she had collapsed, Fate had stayed by her bedside the entire time, watching over the young girl. To see her moving around on her own again was truly a relief.
"I-"
"Don't feel bad Caro-chan," Lindy said with a relieved smile. "Fate-chan has always been the type to help people out in a pinch. So it's no surprise that she snuck out tonight to look for this little one."
Lindy patted Friedrich on the head, the baby silver dragon crooning happily at the affection.
"What do you mean you haven't heard from them?"
Signum's angry outburst drew everyone's gaze towards her.
Vice withered under his Captain's fierce look. "It's as I said Taichou-sama," he said meekly. "We-"
"Kuso!" Signum punched the nearest thing to her, that being one of the support posts for the lower level. An audible thud rang out, along with the brief shaking of the walls. All the chatter amongst samurai and guards alike died instantly.
Vice unconsciously took a step backwards in fear the moment Signum's cold gaze landed on him again. "Send a messenger ahead to the Empress. We're moving the Harlaowns to the Upper District tonight for their own protection."
"Signum-san..." Lindy said in shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"I'm sorry Harlaown-sama," the samurai said, truly regretful. "This happened because Fate cooked for the Empress. These assassins are trying to get to you to get to the Empress. So for your protection, you will all be moved to the Upper District where we can protect you better."
"But Signum-san," Fate said, the blonde said, her face pale. "If they attacked us tonight to get to me, what about Nanoha?"
Signum swallowed thickly. Vice had just informed her that the messenger sent to check up on the samurai watching over Midori-ya had yet to return. The messenger had been sent over half hour ago. It was a ten minute walk from here to the cafe, and that was at a very leisurely pace. For a seasoned samurai, it should have taken no more than a few minutes. The fact that the messenger hadn't returned meant nothing good.
"Fear not Testerossa-san," Signum said. "I will personally ensure to her safety myself."
Signum never made promises she couldn't keep.
Signum couldn't believe her eyes. The door to the Midori-ya was nothing more than splinters of wood on the ground. The tables and chairs of the cafe were broken to bits, with shards of ceramics which used to be plates and mugs littering the kitchen floor. And her samurai were no where in sight. Nor were any city guards.
Wasting no time, the Captain of the Samurai raced up the stairs to the second floor with Levantine drawn, to where she knew the Takamachi's lived. And the moment she did, she immediately regretted it.
Just like downstairs, everything she saw was either smashed or just torn to shreds. Clothes. Furniture. Personal belongings. Nothing was recognizable. Despite this, it was not any of that which made Signum's heart sink. No. It was the smell. The air was heavy with one particular scent.
Blood.
"KUSO!"
A/N: Woah, I think this has to be the longest chapter I've written for this story so far. Hehe.
For those of you unfamiliar with the non-English words, I have translated them below.
Hai = Yes
Ile = No
Onii-san/Nii-san = Big Brother
Taichou = Captain
Taii = Lieutenant
Keibi = Guard (used in the context of this story, it's meant to represent the City Guards)
Kisama = You (usually used to show the speaker's extreme hostility / outrage towards the addressee)
Kuso = Damn it
Raketenhammer = Rocket Hammer (German)
For an explanation of Japanese honorifics (eg. [name]-sama), please check out: http:/en[dot]wikipedia[dot]org/wiki/Japanese_honorifics