AN: Hello! It's been a long time since I updated, and I'm sorry for that. D: At least this chapter is longer than usual! (somewhat) I'm actually starting my exams right now, and I spent revision time writing this! Aren't you touched? Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this, and I'm really thankful for the people who have : followed this story/ added me as a favorite author/ added this as a favorite story! Reviews are awesome.

lilgirlanima - what do you think? XD
TenshiBabe - thanks! hehe. here's your update! :D
Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo - I'd think so too!
Mizuki 8D - hehe. the story is continued!
Fireotaku18 - haha thanks! i hope you will still find it interesting in time to come!
The weasel is MINE XP - thanks! :D here's the update!
S0ar1nSky3 - you calling me the creator makes me feel all-powerful. HAHAHA

Anyway, on with the story!

CHAOS, ASSASSINS AND GODS
Chapter 4:
First Encounter

I'm staring straight into the turquoise eyes of a white panther.

I still, and my body froze instantly. How did I not realize that something that dangerous was so near me? I mentally whacked myself in the head, and tried to think of an idea to get away. I could try to swim away to the other side, but there was no guarantee that the panther couldn't swim. I was defenceless, weaponless except for my own body. My mind was in a flurry, countless ideas coming into my head and being rejected almost immediately.

A low growl quickly pulled my focus back to the white panther, and I realized for the first time how unique this panther was.

The panther was a beautiful white, pure and untouched like freshly fallen snow. The fur looked rough, yet still seemed to flow like silk along its body. I had the strong urge to reach out to the panther, to see for myself, to experience if that white fur was really as rough as it looked. I held back that idea, wary of the danger the panther posed. Its body was sleek, and it looked like it was made entirely out of muscle. The tail flicked almost lazily behind it, the very tip of it ringed with black, accentuating the white of its fur. But what was truly remarkable about the panther was not its colour, but its eyes. The bright turquoise eyes stared unerringly back at me, and I felt as if it was staring into my very soul. The eyes were filled with far too much intelligence for just an animal, and I was curious.

I braced my forearms on the edge of the lake, before propelling myself out of the water. My stomach protested such a strong movement, but I ignored it. I brushed my hair out of my eyes, letting it drip gently onto the grassy floor of the meadow. I extended my arm out to the panther, the intelligence in those eyes somehow reassuring me that the panther wouldn't attack. I silenced the voices in my head that were telling me to be careful, that I was being foolish. I trusted my own gut feeling, and I trusted that intelligence. I watched the panther, and waited to see how it would react.

The panther looked at me warily, before slowing padding over, its paws barely making a sound. Its eyes never left mine as it slowly moved over. I sat there, still as a statue, letting the panther get used to me. It sniffed gently at my hand, before its tongue snaked out and licked my palm. I smiled; the feeling of that rough tongue somehow ticklish on my open palm. The panther moved right up to me, the sleek muscle rippling under that white fur, creating an almost mesmerizing pattern on its skin.

Unable to help myself anymore, I slowly raised my hand, and slowly settled it on the back of the panther's neck. I watched the panther cautiously, being careful not to startle it. The panther only stared at me, the bright turquoise eyes expectant. I stroked its neck gently, revelling in the smooth feeling of its fur. Somehow, its fur looked rough, yet it was silky smooth. I was transfixed by the white fur before me, the feeling of the fur slipping through my fingers.

A soft purring erupted from the panther, and I grinned childishly. I gently tried to move the panther closer towards me, and the panther gave me a look, before moving over. It set itself down on its haunches, before lowering its body down onto the green grass of the meadow. It rested its head on my lap, and I continued to stroke its fur. The panther's eyes slowly closed into slits, the deep purring getting louder. I could feel the wild vibrations of the purring against my leg, and I decided that I liked that sound. I lost myself in the therapeutic action of stroking the panther, and I sat there lost in my own thoughts. Without noticing, I began to hum to myself.

The flat ears of the panther suddenly perked up, alerted by my humming. I thought about my next target, and how I should go about it. I felt like I should go tonight, for I knew that he was going to be at home tonight for sure. I also wanted to solve the mystery as soon as possible, to finally avenge my mother, who had lost her life for no reason whatsoever. But, the bruise was holding me back. I knew I couldn't try to attack tonight, because I knew that anything that could go wrong would go wrong. And knowing my luck, I would probably get whacked in that exact spot. I sighed, broken out of my thoughts.

Annoyed, I poked at the stupid bruise before wincing, a bout of pain having flashed through me. The panther gazed up at me, its blue eyes looking at me knowingly. I grinned sheepishly back at the panther, and it seemed stupid to think that the panther knew what I was doing. I gently patted the panther one last time before rising from the ground, knowing that I had to get home already. While I was thinking, the sun had already descended, the moon already starting to rise over the horizon. The panther stretched out lithely, the pose somehow reminding me of a domestic cat. I almost laugh, before catching the look being thrown at me. The panther seemed to be able to guess what I was thinking of, but I shook off that idea. It was impossible, wasn't it?

It stood up, its head just past my navel. It looked me straight in the eye before gently licking the bruise. I almost push it away when I felt the initial spike of pain, but a curious sensation soon took over. I look down at my stomach, and I found that the bruise was slowly fading away. When the panther finished licking the entire area and the bruise was gone, I poked it again just to be sure. It was fully healed! Just a few licks by a panther, and a bruise would disappear? This panther was certainly a very unique one. I smiled gratefully at the panther, glad that the bruise was gone. It would certainly speed up my plan.

"Thank you panther, you've certainly helped me."

I patted it on the head again, before watching it prowl back into the forest where it came from. I watched the sleek muscle move under the white fur, wondering if I would ever see it again. I dismissed it, knowing that it would happen if it was meant to happen.

I walked back over to the other side of the lake, any moisture on my body gone due to the long time spent outside of the water already. I pulled on a loose plain white cotton tee before donning my underwear and grey sweatpants. I left my hair unrestrained, the wild mess left to swing behind me. I carefully made my way back to the house, pushing my way back through the dense forest.

I finally emerge on the other end of the forest, my bundle of clothes under held tightly in one hand. I slowly walk over to the house, pushing open the door quietly. I slip my sandals off outside before stepping in.

"I'm home!"

"Welcome home Ichi-nii, you're just in time for dinner!"

I grinned to myself, popping my head into the kitchen to see what Yuzu had cooked. I practically started salivating at the sight of baked salmon and roasted vegetables. I dropped my clothes in the hamper and quickly sat down at my place at the dining table.

Karin and Yuzu congratulated me on yet another victory, while my stupid father started wailing about what a violent son he had. I scowled at him before whacking him in the head with the chopping board that Yuzu had just conveniently put down beside me. The solid wood of the chopping board connected with his head with a loud thump and he fell off his chair from the impact. Yuzu chastised me about using her chopping board as a weapon and being mean, but she had a small smile on her face. Karin grinned back at me, before kicking the man who was now rolling around on the floor.

chaos assassins gods chaos assassins gods chaos assassins gods chaos assassins gods chaos assassins gods chaos assassins gods

I sat silently in my room, my gaze locked on the rising moon. Everyone else had already gone to sleep, and I was the only one wide awake at this time. The world outside was a monochrome grey, only illuminated by the silvery moon. Her pale luminescence cast a sickly glow upon everything, the cicadas the only sound around. I quickly stripped off my clothes, pulling on a tight black turtleneck that hugged my figure and black jeans that clung to my body. I bound my hair into a tight bun against my head, before I hid my entire head in a plain black bandana. I slipped on leather hunting gloves and made sure that they were tight around my hands.

I turned to the chest in my room, before moving over and unlocking it. I pulled out the pieces of my bow, as well as my daggers, mask and arrows. I quickly slipped the daggers into their places, and slung the quiver full of arrows onto my back. I assembled the bow in no time at all, before slipping the mask onto my face. The mask clung onto my face, the ceramic cool against my flesh. I gave a few seconds for my eyesight to adjust to the eyeholes of the mask before walking out the house silently. I put on black leather boots, well suited for running and scaling things.

I started running to Las Noches, my long legs quickly eating up the distance. I finally reached the edge of Las Noches, and I made my way around the boundary. I hid in the shadows readily available from the forest, being careful to avoid being noticed by any guards. I watched carefully for the change of guards, waiting for the small time frame that I could get through without notice. Eventually the moment arrived and I quickly launched myself at the wall, my nimble hands and feet grasping at tiny handholds, pulling my lean body up. The moment I reach the top, I pull my body over and run across the top of the boundary wall. I launched myself off the side of the wall, somersaulting in the free fall before tucking myself into a roll to reduce the impact on the roof of a low, squat building. I sprung up quickly and dropped from the rooftop to hide in the darkened alley, barely a sound made throughout the entire task. I pressed myself against the wall of the alley, just in time as a pair of guards pass by the mouth of the alley.

I stalk through the alleys, long ago having explored the entire network of back alleys and how they connected the entire city. My feet hardly made a sound as I made my way to my targets house. I reached my target, and I gaze at the impressive house. As far as I know, he only has one guard outside the house, too complacent about being inside the boundary of the city to worry about assailants. Well, he was dead wrong about that. His house was surrounded by a high wall, about 3 meters in length, with an imposing steel gate the only way on entry. For normal people at least.

I climb a tree next to the wall, my gloves and boots gripping the rough bark pretty well. When I climbed high enough to clamber onto the wall, I keep an eye out for the sole guard that I knew would be patrolling around outside. I waited for him to stand facing the other way before I pulled myself onto the wall. I balanced myself onto the abnormally wide wall; bow already out at the ready.

As I brought forth my bow, everything else in the vicinity immediately ceased to matter. I had a recurved bow, the solid yew of the bow encased in smooth leather. The leather was polished until it shone; the feeling of the bow perfect in my hands. I drew an arrow from my quiver, and quickly notched it to my bow. The arrow was made with lightweight wood, the arrowhead sharp and deadly. Each and every arrow was handmade by me, and each was nearly perfectly identical to the other. I settled into a stance, my feet shoulder width apart. I readied my core, and pulled back the bowstring with a near silent whoosh of air. My muscles tightened, and I anchored the sight. I took sight at the guard, and everything was focused onto my arrow. My left thumb pointed toward his head, my left arm stretched out straight. My right hand pulled the bowstring right to my jaw, my right thumb just barely grazing my jaw. I waited for him to turn around to face me and the moment finally arrived.

I could see the shock on his face as he caught sight of me, the look of terror as he recognized the mask. Before he even had the time to move, the arrow was already loosed. The arrow flew straight and true, and with deadly precision buried itself into his socket with a sick thud. He collapsed without a sound, his thick body dropping to the ground immediately. I dropped from the wall, gracefully catching a convenient tree branch to slow my descent. I drop to the ground noiselessly, and then walked calmly over to his dead body. I used one foot to hold his head down, and I pulled the arrow free from his skull with a sickening squelch. I used his own shirt to clean off the gore that covered it before slipping it back into the quiver. No sense in wasting a perfectly good arrow and leaving more evidence behind.

I walked up to the door, and on the off chance, tried to open it. The door swung open without protest, and I thought of what an idiot he was. Just because he lived in the capital, it didn't mean he was immune to attacks. I smirked to myself, at least such idiots made my job easier. I walk in as if I owned the place, my brown eyes immediately adjusting to the darkness within. I could see a faint light coming from the second floor and I simply climbed the stairs in plain view. As I reached the top, I looked through the open door to see that my target, Nakeem, was just getting ready for bed.

I hummed softly to myself, wondering how I should go about this. I didn't actually really think out what I was going to do once I had him. It was too boring to do everything the same way anyway. It was too easy, and no one was even going to look for him at this kind of time. I almost laughed to myself at the fun I could have with him! I slipped into his room, and lay down on his bed behind his back.

I patiently waited for him to turn back to me, and when he did the look of terror on his face was priceless.

"Were you expecting me?" My voice mocked him, almost sounding sincere.

He opened his wide mouth to scream, and I was right in front of him in a flash. He froze, his mouth still wide open. I stared straight into his eyes, the plain brown pupils dilated in terror. I slowly raised my finger up to his lips, in mimicry of shushing him. His eyes tried to follow my finger, and they started to cross as he struggled to keep it in his view.

"Shhhh… You aren't allowed to talk until I say so."

He started to nod vigorously, all too eager to comply with my wishes. I started to laugh, the sound soft but building in volume until a watery echo developed. I couldn't help myself, the sound nearly turning deranged. When I spoke again, it wasn't my normal smooth tenor, but a watery lilting echo of it.

"Are you afraid? You should be you know…"

His eyes widened even more, the small beady eyes stretched to their maximum. I could feel his thick body trembling under my finger. His blown out brown eyes stared into mine, and I knew he could see them all too clearly.

"Do you know what's going to happen? You're going to die."

His knees buckled, and a foul smell assaulted my nose. I glared at him, his head tilted up to me, his eyes locked to mine. I drop down into a crouch, so that I could look directly at him. One gloved hand rose, cupping his cheek gently, a mockery of friendship. I could feel his entire body shaking, and I revelled in that feeling. I could almost taste his fear on my tongue; imagine the cries he would make.

"Well, before you die, you're gonna tell me something good, or it'll be even more painful."

He began to shake his head, denial in his eyes. I could tell that he didn't want to tell me anything, but that would just make the game even more fun. My mind conjured up various images, many different ways to extract the information from him running through my mind. Oh, he had just made this so much more exciting for me. I ignored his pleas to let him go, to not force him to give information, and I slammed the side of my hand into his neck, knocking him out instantly. After all, a good stage required time to set up.

I stood up, catching sight of myself in the mirror behind him. A figure dressed all in black, the material clinging and showing off the hard muscle underneath. The mask, almost insane in its design, striking fear into the hearts of people. The weapons, out for all to see, a warning of the danger lurking. And golden eyes with black sclera stared back at me.

Outside, thunder cracked, lightning flashing across the sky. The pitter-patter of the rain barely audible, then building into a raging storm that flooded the earth. The wind began howling, the leaves outside rustling and dancing frantically in the gale blowing through. The leaves seem to whisper a secret of their own, an unknown language unknown to anyone but themselves. What had they seen? What do they know? Nobody else would ever find out.

I started laughing again, the sound building up and the crazy laughter rebounded off the walls of the room, echoing back to me madly. There was no one here to listen, for the target was out cold. No one here to interrupt the game, for the game has only just begun. His fate was sealed, his death guaranteed. And I would see how long it took for him to break, and what kind of measures would work the fastest.

The night of madness has only just begun, for chaos has come out to play.

More AN: heh heh, i hope you guys liked that! Anyway, here's a question. do you want me to continue and write the torture scene (which could turn out graphic/really disgusting/really weird, since i've never written one before)? or do you want me to just skip the entire part? leave me your answer in a review! the next chapter will be up in a week or two (or three, or more. -sheepish grin-)

Anyway, hope you guys liked it! :D