Katekyo Hitman Reborn
My Fate is Certainly Uncertain
Chapter 20: Change
Overall Warnings: Violence, swearing, blood and Oc-ness.
[Written to: Change - Taylor Swift]
~o0o~
I worked as a stamina trainer with Tsuna when he was developing his X-burner. I myself, had trouble with the area before I'd entered the CEDEF, so we worked on it together. On top of that, I also kept a constant vigilance, with the help of Al, on Chrome. Right now, everyone was either off on their own to train the way they wanted to, so I was in the infirmary with Starfish.
Being stuck indoors wasn't the most liked idea by many, Al being the most vocal about it, and without a chance to attempt to walk outside - for the fear of either being discovered or attacked by the enemy - I spent most of my free time with Chrome. We didn't talk, or anything like that. She physically couldn't, but despite her lack of communication, I could still hear her. It was barely above whisper, the voice in her head.
Dim.
Afraid.
Barely thinking at all.
But she was almost out of the dangerzone. All I really did now was sit beside her bed and read up on the medical journals that were packed into the room down the end of the hall. Today it was on Neurocriminology, the study of a criminals brain. Maybe some people wouldn't piece together that most will have defects within the tissue of the back of their cranium, just above the back part of the Forenus Magnum. Interesting, to say the least.
I slowly flicked through the medical report as Fuuta checked on Chrome for his own sake. Even as a child, anyone who knew him, or even spoke to him just once, got a vibe of a kinder soul than most. He worried for everyone's sake on a daily basis.
"Are you hungry, Sister Phillipa?" He asked, placing a new drip on the stand beside Chrome's bed. That one wasn't any specific medicine, just a bag of concentrated minerals, purified water so to speak, so at least Chrome wouldn't get dehydrated. That would be a bad thing, since she wasn't in a terribly good state. "You've been here for over an hour."
"No, I'm fine." I replied, running the top of my finger over the corner of the page. Even though I could eat massive amounts, it wasn't often that I felt really hungry. I'm what Reborn would call a grazer, someone who constantly snacks.
The sliding automatic door opened, and a scuffled Tsuna walked in.
"Ah, Brother Tsuna, how was your training today?"
Tsuna sighed tiredly. "Hm, I'm all beaten up…..first Lal Mirch...then Hibari….And I thought Reborn's training was hard...but those two train like spartans."
"Well, of course." Al mewed, sticking out his tongue. He was sitting by my feet, out of the way of moving feet. "This is the baby that taught Colonnello the works. And Hibari, well…...suffice to say he's not a people friendly person…..it's no surprise how he spends his time."
"You need so medical help?" I asked, looking up from my book. "I have some really cute plasters with cartoons of pokemon on them!"
He smiled. "No…..somehow I escaped…."
"Sounds like fun." Fuuta joked.
"How's Chrome doing?"
"At this time, she's still in a rather bad condition, but she is getting better slowly." He replied, as he looked down at her frail body.
"That's good to hear."
"It is." I said, getting up and putting the book back on the makeshift shelf. "You should hear her head. She's such a worrywart, much like you Starfish."
"Really?" He asked, blinking.
I nodded and then, when Al meowed loudly, I bend down. His ear flicked as a sharp turn of his head cause me to be concerned. It wasn't like him to meow loudly, but rather his thoughts could be on par with Squalo's, if he really tried.
"What's up chick-a-dee?" I asked, petting his head to which he cringed. "Upset that you didn't get a Charmander plaster?"
"I don't care about your fucking plasters." Al spat, flinching again. I frowned slightly and he realised what he said. "...Sorry. There's this obscene beeping sound that's giving me one hell of a headache."
"Cats get headaches?"
"We also get nasty stomach bugs and all the big booty bitches."
I looked around the small room. "Are you sure it's not one of the machines?"
He shrugged, and got up. "I don't know, but I'm not staying in this room any longer. This human stinks and I don't think I can hold myself back from spying on that owl. He smells delicious."
I cringed in disgust as the sliding door closed behind him, Al following Tsuna.
Ew.
~o0o~
As Reborn talked to Lal, when she sat alone, clutching an all too familiar bandana that made me ridiculously quiet, Kyoko spoke eagerly to a bashful Tsuna. Haru was still trying to cheer herself up after seeing Tsuna in the state he was. Everyone hungry wolfed down the massive feast that the girls - spare me, considering my amazing skills - talking amongst themselves, Tsuna cringed away from Bianchi, as she once again, tried to feed him poison food. Lambo scoffed the beef croquettes, smiling happily. This is all for me, he screeched, holding up the bowl. Fuuta tried to get him to share and for once, I noticed Al eating something other than fish. He was pleasantly nibbling around the edges of a beef rib; I-pin patting his tail gently, careful not to disturb him.
And as I ate my small portion of egg salad, marvelling at their potentials as world class chefs - except for maybe, Bianchi who can't distinguish between poisonous materials and clean ones - it started to dawn on me that I was beginning to change. No longer did I want to shy away from large groups of people, or ignore them to my witts end. I wasn't as lonely.
It was a good change.
~o0o~
I was glad that I had Al, to keep me warm in a cold bed that I couldn't call my own. At times like these, at night especially, I yearned for the comfort of my own bed. For a year, probably more during the time that I spent wandering around Italy, I never had a permanent residence that was ever close to the one I had at the base. And to be honest, I probably spent more time there than I did in any of my old 'houses' back in America.
But I hated the night. It gave me too much time to turn over tedious tales, some I'd rather not remember and others as recent as the day gone past.
"In regards of invading the enemy bases," Giannini started, finishing from where Lal had left off. ",let me explain to you some of the equipment I've prepared. First off, the Vongola rings. To hide them from the enemy, I've made these special covers. I call them 'Auto Mamon chain ring' covers. Besides the fact that they have a long name, they're something that is normally closed when the Ring isn't being used, sealing the rings power."
"So with all certainty in my mind, it works like Mammons did back with the Guardian trials, right?" I asked, confirming my suspicions and he nodded.
That's good news, I mused, staring at the screen. That way, we can get through undetected. That will make life quicker.
I breathed out through my nose and looked the ring on my finger, the one that was supposed to be some long lost article of a terrible past that my ancestors must have bore. I'd asked Giannini to make a cover for mine as well, and he did so without another word, but looked at me with such uncertainty in his eyes you could drown someone in therm
I didn't like the way the ring gleamed in the moonlight.
I didn't like the way he looked at me either.
~o0o~
It was probably a matter of an hour or two that I slept terribly. That really, really didn't help at all then without warning, the alarm started blaring, purposely waking me up with a jolt. I moaned really loudly, upset that I had to get up despite my terrible sleeping status.
Al growled as he mewed, apparently sitting in the same boat as I was. "I don't recall them saying that there was a scheduled 'wake the fuck up' training. Did you?"
" 's cause it's not." I murmured, trying to get my clothes on. While fiddling with the pants -that I eventually gave up of for being so annoying, ergo, swapping them with an easy to put on skirt - I slipped the earpiece in and grabbed my bag. I'd packed it before I decided to sleep. Leaving things to the last minute wasn't my style, but neither was getting things done early. Strange, to think how indifferent I can get.
I started into an easy jog as Al and I made our way through the dimly lit corridors. I could feel vibrations through the bottom off my feet, already knowing that the base must have been attacked before Reborn contacted me. Which, I guess, was why the lights in the corridor wasn't working fully.
"You up online Phillipa?" I heard, as Al jumped onto the back of my bag. I paused and put him in the back, then continuing with my run towards the control room.
"Yes, yes, I'm coming right now!"
"No! Go meet up with Lal and the rest of them! The mission starts now!"
I turned a corner and saw the group up ahead. As what my mind had been hinting to, I heard over the intercom that Hibari was dealing with the attackers. There was no doubt in my mind that He'd be fine with dealing with a bunch of troublemakers. He'd been doing it for years now, so I wasn't worried.
I stopped by the group as they listened to Reborn's voice. Tsuna's face was contorted into a set of worried eyes. The boy was raised with love and any trouble or harm that was hellbent towards any of his friends - even if Hibari refused to consider himself so - caused him to become even more of an introvert.
"What are you doing?" Lal asked, her fierceness injecting a speck of encouragement into Tsuna's soul, in a way I hadn't expected it to. It seemed that whenever Lal was around, she could make anything possible. "Don't lose your sight of your own role!"
"You know how strong Hibari is, don't you Tsuna?" Reborn said, knowing the answer already.
An alarm went off in the control room and Giannini's voice came on. "I have a signal from our surveillance points above ground! The coast is clear! Tenth! Right now, you can take the F hatch and use route 312 straight to the enemies hideout!"
"Tsuna!" Reborn called. I knew all too well that Reborn couldn't come on this mission, and that, for a moment when I could wait till we were all out of the base for a simple talk, would be the most I could have to grab what information I could.
"I-I understand! Open it please, Giannini!"
~o0o~
Getting to the enemy's base proved to be a silent one. There wasn't a lot, or hardly anyone at all to block our way. They were quickly disposed of by Bianchi and Lal, who led the way through the dark streets of Namimori. In the dark, I couldn't grab any bearings, and neither could anyone who was from the same timeline that I was from. For sure, Tsuna recognised some things, but a lot had changed in the area. No longer did the supermarket stand. Instead, it was converted into a hardware store.
Ryohei was no help though. His sense of direction was just like it was ten years ago.
Flat out wrong in every direction you could think possible.
"It's this way." He said, pointing in the direction he thought was right.
Hayato looked at him as if he was speaking russian, or another language that he didn't understand. Alien would be a good language. That'd freak him out.
"It's not fucking intuition! Look at the map you idiot, the map!"
Lal fiddled with her electronic glasses, bringing up a map. "I'm confirming it now."
"This way!" A voice called, and Lal looked towards the B2f area of the car park. I was suspicious of the whole building, since you'd think that there'd be at least some security cameras positioned on each floor, but no. Only ones on the E floor.
Bianchi was standing there, waving us over. I found it silly, how Hayato didn't swoon in sickness, just because she had a pair of goggles on. His mentality was profoundly damaging to himself. She hid herself partially behind one of the concrete columns and called us over.
"You got here before us…" I mused.
"She's a worry wart herself. Her little brother is the world to her." Al whispered, only his nose poking through the small hole where the zip wasn't closed. "Other than him, she really doesn't like her family, especially her mother. It's funny with what my little ears hear. People should really be more careful with what they tell a cat."
"I've come to see you guys off."
"Eh, you didn't have to come to such a dangerous place."
She shrugged, thinking nothing much of it. Bianchi, like my mother, had trained herself to become an assassin. Within ten year gap, she jumped leaps and bounds to reach her goal. Being stealthy was something that had become almost as natural as waking up.
Bianchi moved from where she was loitering, and opened a nearby door. A scrunched hand gestured into the room.
"You can enter from the duct in here."
"Okay!" Lal pumped, getting ready for the task ahead. "Let's go!"
Everybody ran ahead of me, but Bianchi called Tsuna back, reassuring him that she would take care of the girls and children. As much as I wouldn't do it with my own, she would be one of the safest people to leave a child with. Protection wise, that is. Poisoning is another factor that swung out of the ballpark eons ago.
Hayato was the other one to speak to her. He really wanted to discuss something, probably on the topic of his own mother, but something held him back. He didn't want to be tied to his past anymore, which meant manning up and dealing with what's past. A flow of sisterly love trickled out of Bianchi's mind, as she watched Hayato's back. From behind, he gained what she looked for in a man. Courage.
"I'll catch up soon. I just need to talk to Bianchi about the plan." I told Ryohei this, who was the last one to enter the air duct. He looked at me with hesitation, but nodded firmly and climbed in. He looked uncomfortable, since he was quite a bulky boxer, and trust me, the view of his butt was a nice bonus to crawling through a musty air vent.
However, I wouldn't do that just yet. Now was the time where we weren't watched by anyone.
Good.
"One moment." She said, holding up a finger. Bianchi brushed back the long, dulled pink locks that covered her ears well. She took out the earpiece and switched the intercom system off. I did the same with mine and put it back in my ear. By doing that, the conversation that would take place would be heard or recorded by any other parties. However, our tracking system was still on. That wouldn't give anything away. It would be suspicious if I turned that off as well. They'd think we had been attacked.
I didn't want that.
"I take it that what you just said isn't true." Bianchi bit her bottom lip, cleaning out her left ear. "You went through the records at the briefing thoroughly. There would be no reason for you to discuss it any more."
"You were always quick to the point." I said, smiling. "I need information."
"On what?"
One thing after another came into my mind. This was an opportunity of wealth.
"First off, do you know if I know, or if I've ever mentioned or met someone named Rachael?"
She blinked. "No."
I swallowed, and moved on quickly. I'm sure that name would turn up later.
"Why every time someone from this period of time they look at me with such sadness or an immense hatred, or just plain spying that I can't stand to be in the same room. It's like being a fly and someone else is holding that can of bug spray, spraying away. It's a heavy, very awkward and volatile air." I breathed out and scratched my arm. Giannini was probably the most nervous around me, however that man gets as timid as Tsuna. "What did I do to make them, make you look at me like that? Am I dead?"
Her face stayed still and like she did back at the base, she shut herself off from me. Bianchi breathed out of her nose, trying to stay calm. "Reborn doesn't want me to talk about what happens in this future to anyone, for the fear of changing the past. But...something tells me that you're not going to take that for an answer, right? You're the same as Reborn. You won't stop, and I know that."
With all of her talking, I blinked silently. Her way of twisting words was an attempt to distract me, but like what she just said, I wasn't going to stop. But already, I knew. She didn't have to spell it out for me. I could see it in her eyes.
I exhaled. "So I am dead. Probably a bit earlier than what I expected."
Bianchi bit her lip again, and flinched. Her inner anger followed a very common phase that I saw a lot, how initially, anger is an emotion of brutality that comes from sadness. Hers followed her anger wherever she went.
"You shouldn't say that."
"What, that I'm dead? That I'm going to die?" I asked, shrugging in a mocking tone. In this world, I wasn't too bothered by the notion of not living anymore. Momma made sure to ram the idea in my head - as well as Mason's- that we were never safe, and those who truly believed that they were, were foolish themselves.
"Phillipa…"
"Don't start now," I whispered, as Al sulked back into the backpack. I looked back up at Bianchi. "Look, I just, need to know."
Bianchi rubbed her eye, internally fighting with herself. "Fine. Fine. But what I tell you is all you're getting. Don't fucking go looking for anything else, okay? I don't want to see you get hurt."
Get hurt?
"Alright. You have my word."
She nodded, as said the words I already knew.
"You've been dead for a while."
I didn't expect the sting of those words to hurt as much as they did. To mildly put it, I felt a force drop to the bottom of my feet. It caused them to tingle and in insatiable fashion as Bianchi controlled herself, thinking that I didn't see her bottom lip quiver. I nodded, trying to calm myself, convincing her that I would hear this through. "Please, please continue."
Bianchi breathed out. "It's what surrounds your death, I think, that warrants every look that passes your way. It was sudden, and none of us expected it. Reborn, Dino, Tsuna. They didn't believe the news until your body reached the morgue and Reborn identified you. He almost threw up. It was that bad. Took out the window with his gun too. Dealing with death should've been something easy for him to cope with, but you…." She shook her head. "You are definitely in a different universe to everybody else."
"How?" I asked, almost cutting her off.
She shook her head. "No."
I stepped forward. "This is important Bianchi. I'm going to make some decisions in the future that may lead to this. If I know about it, I can avoid it. Easy-peasy."
"Easy-peasy my ass. Nothing about your death made sense." She spat. Bianchi looked to the side, at the ground and closed her eyes painfully. Her breathing pattern slowed down. "You swan-dived off of the top of a fucking building, onto the roof of a fucking car. It didn't make any sense. Why would the mother of a one and a half year old jump to her death? The fact that you did it all the way in America made it stranger. I mean, why not near Italy? That would've been so much easier and quicker to deal with for Dino and Reborn! You made everything into a hellhole for the next three years."
"I have a child?" I asked, with an honest denial, not knowing if I should believe it. Or if I even could. I don't know if I made myself clear in the past, but I've never wanted children. Not with a life like mine. I wouldn't want them to be born into a world like this. I wouldn't want to become my own mother. "I would have never killed myself."
"Well, ya did. And you know what's more fucked up? Everyone in that building killed themselves too. At the same fucking time, all fourteen floors, everyone died at five minutes past three. Hangings, jumpings, everything that went on there was…...alien. Even Hayato still tries to find out what happened. Dino's the one who's given up on it all. He never speaks of you and always drinks at night."
The words "drink" and "death" seemed to go hand in hand with the story of my life. I knew the smell all too well. Mother always kept her cupboard stocked, and used it not only for consumption, but medically too. Her clothes would stink whenever she came home from a hit. It irritated my nose relentlessly.
I scratched the bottom of my chin, where my neck connected. "I...I take it things in this time haven't gone too well then."
She gestured to all around us. "I don't know if you've noticed Phillipa, but we've almost been wiped out. Things are very bad here."
"And Dino's family?"
"They've held out, but that won't be for long. They've already lost half of the family due to the Millefiore. When he sees that you've turned up, he's probably going to distance himself even more."
"This is just what you wanted Phillipa. You wanted to have him, yet you don't want a relationship. You want a normal life, but you want to find who's responsible for your mother's death. You're an introvert and yet you can switch to an extrovert in an instant. You're a bloody walking paradox!"
I shrieked at him. "I said to be quiet Al!"
"Is he telling you that I'm right? Animals are truthful creatures. It's the humans who lie and deceive, but you two seem okay together." She looked over at him, as if he was a stranger. Bianchi then stopped, and stood straighter, making her mind up on the spot. "That's it. That's all I'm going to say. I won't go any further."
I blinked, my mouth becoming dry as the conversation ended. "Fine. Thanks for the 'fo. I won't ask any more of you."
Bianchi was taken back by a slight surprise. "Y-You're not going to ask me to keep this from Reborn?"
I was heading to the opening of the air vent, when she stuttered the statement. I knew what she was getting at. A hand of trust, a ploy of perseverance. Whatever you considered it to be. "Well I can't control you. You, being an assassin, your kind play with information like it's a currency. And I can't stop you from passing it on. I'll give you my trust and leave it like that. Reborn can read me all he wants to and badger endlessly, but I'm never going to stop."
"Stop what?" She asked, genuinely confused.
Sharp as usual. She's never dulled…...
"None of your buisness, missy moo. It's in the past." I said, smiling upon the situation.
I had no reason to smile about the information I'd just collected.
In fact, I should be mortified.
Horrified.
But dubiously, I was distracted.
The matter of the fact was that we were two girls mixed up with guys we adored. Sometimes, we lied. Sometimes, we made decisions that were unpredictable. Infact, most of mine were. The stability I had built up over the past months had been stripped down again when I was thrown into the future. I wasn't used to staying in one place, so this sudden change was a nice one. A familiar one.
Spontaneous, I think, would be an appropriate word.
Admitted, Bianchi was thinking about how had she forgotten about my tendencies, that it had been that long since she had a mellow argument with me. Going on that, in my head, her tone suggested that I had been dead for a while. Probably no less than three years, if my apparent child had been one and a half at the time of my death. Not a lot of time, ten years was, and yet I sensed a distance in her mind, like I did with Giannini and Lal.
I left her in an angered state, and made my way through the vent, turning my earpiece back on. Crawling on all fours wasn't my forte, but here, I didn't have enough room to crawl if Al was to stay within my backpack. I took it off and twisted onto my back. I let him out and then quickly zipped the bag up again, it's volume becoming smaller.
"Have you calmed down?" He asked, sensing my emotions. His paws made a sticky sound every time he lifted his paws, like when you lie down on a wood surface for too long in the heat.
The vent was stuffy enough to make me smell my deodorant wearing off. Not nice at all. "No...no, I don't think I will for a while…...but I can't stop now just because I find out that I'm going to die. Everybody does." My teeth chattered as I rolled back onto my hands and knees. No. "I don't want to talk about it anymore."
He sighed and despite his constant worrying I carried on. But when, after about five minutes of making my way through the vents, I went to turn a corner, but barely, I backed my head up. Automatic lasers fired to where my head was previously. If I had stayed there, I probably wouldn't have a head anymore. There was a massive hole in the vent where it shot at. Too dangerous to attempt to jump through there.
"Crap…...There's no way I can make it past that. Even with my shield on, I think that the laser's firing will cause the attention of unwanted Millefiore personal…" I breathed out and pressed my head against the cool floor of the vent. I hoped that the others had gotten past those. I didn't want to be in an enemy's base alone. My breathing halted then, and I moved my head to the right side, pressing my ear against it.
"Anyone there?"
I licked my top lip and shook my head, my bangs beginning to stick to my forehead.
"I can't hear anything right now, thoughts. That's good. But that won't be for long. We'll have to be quick."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my swiss army knife and stabbed it through the steel. Cutting the steel was extremely difficult, and often my hand would cramp up. By the time I had cut three sides, my knife broke into three pieces.
I placed the sweaty handle down and bent the steel upwards, to create a big enough hole.
"Ready?" I asked, Al steadying himself behind me. Even at this height, he hated jumping down. Don't know why that was.
"Yup."
I gave myself one final nod and rolled out of the vent, landing on my stomach. Al dodged me as he landed on this front paws, just like a cat would. My stomach stung a little as well as my jaw, but relatively, I was fine and now inside the base.
Whoop-De-freaking-doo.
As the stinging in my chest faded, I stood up cautiously and, being as quiet as I could, I looked at my environment. The place was very clean and, much to my irritation, extremely white. Like, super-cleaning-Nana-white. Like CEDEF-cleaning Lady white. I hated the smell of cleaning chemicals more than feta.
I checked the halls for any security cameras or traps. Unluckily, there were some cameras at the end, in the top corners, but no visible traps I could sense that gave off any dying will flames.
I guess I could stay in the hall for a little bit until I work out where the others went. I bet-
BANG! CSHHHHH!
Aaaaand there it is.
I tapped the earpiece that was lodged into my ear. "H-Hey, can anyone hear me? Hello? Tsuna? Yamamoto?"
Nope.
Nada.
No siry.
Silence was the only thing to greet me, underneath my breath and Al's. That was never a good thing. Either you were in trouble, dead or was the one about to cause the trouble.
"Reborn, are you there?"
Ksssssssssss
I breathed out and took the earpiece out. Didn't need something that didn't work. I felt very uncomfortable. The temperature was like a Finnish sauna. Geeze.
"It's really hot." I murmured, looking at a door that was down the hall. It wasn't coming from that direction, the air was getting colder that way. "Like, really hot."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know I was effecting you."
"Hah. Very funny." I took off my top layer and stuffed the thermal into the backpack, leaving a singlet to cover my torso. "No, what I was meaning is that it's hot, but I've felt this type of humidity before."
"Really? Where?"
I nodded. "Back at the base, when Lambo was messing with the generator."
He cocked his head, his tail flicking erratically from one place to another in a hypnotizing way. "You think the power would be on this floor?
"Certainly it feels like it, that or it's extremely close." I replied, taking a small plastic supermarket bag out. "Hey, I've got a smart idea. Let's go mess with it."
"You want to mess with their power generator? You know if you do, you're just going to let them know that you're here?"
B-BANG!
"How haven't they, with all that ruckus?" I asked, deadpanning. "They're going to sooner or later. Starfishie's group aren't what I'd call silent spies."
"You do know a silent spy is a dead spy?"
"Psh, I know that. That's what we'll end up if we stay here! Now come on!" I lifted him onto my shoulder and cautiously made my way down to the edge of the hall, where it cut off into another. Knowing that the camera was watching, meaning that while there is a constant surveillance of the scene being taped, there would be a slight chance that a person wasn't paying attention.
I pulled out one of Giannini's devices and threw it at the camera, quickly retreating behind the corner wall. A small screen mechanically ejected from the inside of the dart-like device and fitted itself over the camera lens.
"What in the world is that? Giannini's invention?"
"Hey, I left one behind for him, remember? I'm not a total kleptomaniac."
"And yet you nicked the rest of them. Way to go, Bilbo Kleptins."
"Shush you." I said, taking out another dart and throwing it at the camera on the other end of the hall. Once that was safely secured, I checked out the door that was radiating with heat. Beside the door, and much like the system back at the base, the door was locked with an access card holder, stating that level three and upward holders of a pass card were allowed beyond this point.
Which meant that I had to go find a big fish. I'd be cool with that, if this mission wasn't so important. Add on the time factor, and I really didn't want to go fishing.
"Where the hell am I going to find someone with that kind of clearance?"
~o0o~
The answer came to me in an unusual place. Seeing as I only had eight of the dart devices left, and thinking that they'll fail soon enough as they were early prototypes of Giannini's work, I made my way on foot around the facility, the sounds of what I assumed to be a battle fading as time passed by.
I found myself in the female washroom, by the time the sounds had completely stopped. I'd hidden myself in here since the dart collection that I had so lovingly sneaked in had gone quicker than I had anticipated it to. They were considerably cleaner than the ones back at CEDEF, and apparently, you didn't need a key card when you need to get from point A to point B when the urge to pee or poop is involved.
I, myself, had no need to pee since mentally, I'd shat myself when my head was almost taken off by those lasers. However, my fears of being detected didn't really seem to be heard as I hid in one of the stalls. I'd figured out that a lot of the women that came in here in twos or threes, and like most, they liked to gossip about their workplace. About our target, Irie Shouichi and the other captains. Quickly, I'd learned about the hierarchy tendencies and the rivalry between the white spell and the black spell. WHat divided them, I wasn't too sure of just of yet, but it did seem more on a personal level.
I sighed as the next bunch left through the door.
"Why is it that they come in here in pairs?"
"Maybe they're afraid of the boogeyman."
"He must be a she then."
I waited in the single, disabled stall for another twenty minutes before a loner came in on her own. I flushed the toilet and opened the door. When she entered out after finishing her business, I caught her by her collar and threw her to the ground, pouncing on her body, which was a little smaller than me.
The one thing I hate to do during a takedown is unnecessary killing. I won't do it unless the guy deserves it or if I'm in a super dire situation.
"Just doing what I've gotta." I said, as I held her on the ground in a tight arm lock, pulling her head towards the ceiling while I pinned her body to the ground with my own. She tried to move her arm backwards to reach her holstered gun, but I stopped her with my leg. "Just ignore me."
A minute later, when she had collapsed from unconsciousness, I dragged her into the disabled cell and placed her body onto the seat, after stripping her of her clothes and positions. While changing into them, I felt kinda bad, but they were the enemy and I was kinda getting desperate. Wasn't going to do me any good walking around in the clothes I was currently in. So I left them there, like a kind of 'sorry for knocking you out' present.
It was a crap one, but it was all I had to work with.
The key card was in her inner breast pocket. I zipped down the shirt and unhooked the button to take it out. But one look that I took made me growl, and then shut up quickly as the door opened, It didn't matter. I simply took her clothes and left mine for her when she woke up. The woman who had walked in didn't even bother to look at me when I walked out of the stall, after flushing the toilet.
She obviously took pride in her appearance. The woman didn't come to relieve herself, but only to take a bathroom break to look at herself in the mirror. The pressures of having to deal with the group that she worked for definitely wearing her down. Coincidentally, the words "Irie" and "Intruders, probably" stuck up into my mind, and then, I knew this woman would be useful. Before grooming her afro with a small cimb she hid in her pocket, she put the whip she came in with on the washroom vanity.
I acted very quickly so that she wouldn't have the upper hand against me. The woman was of a tall stature, so I hopped off one foot and hooked my arm around her neck. Before we had hit the tiled floor together, my back contorted so that it was the woman who broke my fall. A guttural howl was released from her lungs when I tightened my grip. She scratched at my arms, some scratches eventually bleeding and it took a lot of strength to incapacitate her. But when she was - finally - down for the count, I dragged her body by the feet into the empty stall next to the disabled stall.
Her name was Iris Hepburn and she was a squad twelve officer, whatever that was. But she was a level two, and I was thankful, since there was only one more stall left within this washroom.
"Thanks for your I.D Iris." I said, putting it in the breast pocket of my new threads. I sat her on the toilet bowl and took the whip, placing it inside the bin that was sitting underneath the hand dryer. Then, I left.
I felt like we were getting somewhere now.
It took me roughly five to ten minutes to find the stuffy hallway again. I kept my head down whenever I was passing a camera, or a group of people. Never made eye contact, never made a pep. When I got there, two people - who had black uniforms on, ergo I assumed that they were a part of the black spell unit. And even though they didn't know me whatsoever, I felt the intense glares they sent my way when I passed. I must have looked meek in their eyes, looking down at the ground and not meeting their gazes.
But they left in no time, and I got to work as soon as they passed the corner. I got the card out and examined the door panel again. Swiping it through, access was granted to me in ten seconds. Knowing that I was probably still being watched, I continued to keep my head down as I entered the humid room and eliminated the camera's in there by cutting the wires in the back of the panel system.
The room was much larger than I had anticipated it to be. Roughly, it was the size of a warehouse. Computers and cylinders lined up the walls, with bookcases filed into the middle of the room. Blinking lights were everywhere, but not in an alarming way. Once in a while, some steam came out of the side of the cylinder's existing pipes, or one of the machines would grunt. I had absolutely no idea how any of this worked. However, I figured, messing around with some stuff should rub them the wrong way.
"The main control panel is over here." Al whispered, after he had wandered not too far from me. I opened the covered panel to see a lot of wires. Some were wrapped around each other, and I didn't know where to start. But I knew I didn't want to go sticking my bare hand in there, so I
covered my hand with the end of the coat sleeve and ripped the majority of the wires out.
Alarms blared then. Now was the time to run, my mind screeched. And run I did, pressing many many buttons as I ran, my hand gliding across the panels as the colour red bleached the room, reflecting off of the steel framing.
~o0o~
"Good, this is it." Lal said, looking down the hole that Yamamoto and Hayato had opened. The hole was deep, but out of the darkness, a ladder latched onto the side, bolts tightly screwed into the wall. "We can go down to the eighth underground floor from here."
"Are you sure it's okay to leave without Phillipa?" Tsunayoshi asked, concern spreading across his face, faster than a rash.
Lal, herself, didn't want to leave without the girl. But after hearing vibrations above her, as she climbed down the ladder, and the lights above flickering nervously, she rolled her eyes. Nobody noticed, since her eyes were covered with her eyewear.
The girl's mischief was starting already.
~o0o~
I hid in another washroom for five minutes. To relieve myself felt like a weight off of my shoulders, and I needed to tend to my appearance, if I wanted to trick the Millefiore personal. I dumped whatever was left in the bag on the vanity counter and collected the stuff that I absolutely needed. Whatever was left that I didn't need, I tossed. I took off the ring and pocketed it, along with the key card.
Walking the halls, I didn't hear much reason among the base for alarm. Most of the men, and women, were oblivious to a certain degree. This part of the building, however, looked to be unaffected by my little power cut, which only confirmed what had been on my mind, that there were other generators. Of course there would be. Nobody would rely on just one of something.
I checked rooms as I passed through the hallways. Discreetly, most of them had both men and women working away on computers, or either they were on a lunch break, eating. I guess there was more Millefiore guys around here than they know what to do with, because some of them didn't pay any attention to me. But when they did, they just said hello, or to pat Al.
They took me as one of their own.
I steered clear of the black spells. They were enough trouble on their own, but I felt an overbearing hatred when I passed them.
It didn't help that they purposely tried to annoy me.
"Hey girlie, what's with the cat?" The balding man asked, his blond hair contrasting with the pigment of his skin. I blinked and gritted my teeth, looking at the ground. I didn't attack them right there. Nope, na-ah, my Momma didn't raise no fool. Weaving in and out of a crowd was the best way to blend. Become one of them. Become closer than the clothes on their back. Or enough to fool them into thinking that you are no threat.
"How rude. Does he know he can address me politely and I'll still rip his eyes out, free of charge?"
The guy beside him, a little shorter than me, laughed loudly, his long hair flickering with each tinkle of his humor. "Ha, she can't even look at us!"
"I-I'm just passing t-through…" I stammered, flinching at the guys words. Once, for a brief second, I looked up. I glanced past them, feeling the presence of other people behind them."I d-don't want to cause any t-trouble….."
The purple haired guy clicked his tongue and smiled cheekily. "Don't want any trouble? Look at how short that skirt is!"
I breathed air out of my nose with force, trying to step around them. "Just l-let me through please…"
"Let her through." The man behind them said, the one with the funny eyebrows. He had been addressing another man, one that seemed very stern. I didn't meet their gazes, but looked to the side, cringing.
I jogged past them and heard laughter as I disappeared around the corner. My heart didn't stop it's pace until I reached a large cargo room, where I was alone. I calmed myself down as the door closed behind me. My back hit the door, and slid down till my butt hit the ground. l clambered out of my arms and sat himself on the floor.
"Are you really that scared of them?"
"I ain't scared! Those pigs aren't scary!" I puffed up my cheeks, then sighed. "I just don't want to get into a fight while I'm here."
"Pity." A deep voice said, echoing off of the cargo walls, reverberating into my ears and deflecting off of the opposing wall until the vibrations faded into silence. As my head bobbed up, my gut dropped lower. The man that had gotten me out of that mess with those other black uniforms had appeared right in front of me, on the other side of the cargo bay. "Because it seems you've just managed to get yourself caught."
His aura wasn't soddy, or grimy in a sense of blockage but that didn't mean he didn't hold a vicious intent. His aura was clear, but his purpose, his will - the one that I felt rush from behind his presence - was troubling. It didn't brew, but focussed in a mislead purity.
I didn't like that.
"W-What are y-you talking about?"
"Your actions are faulty. The white spells would be able to hold their ground against the black spells, if it were about conversations. Lord Byakuran wouldn't allow the weak to join the ranks of the Millefiore." He pulled out a sword, one out of four visible ones I could count. He probably had other weapons, but those pointy sticks of his were the ones I was most concerned about. I didn't know much about sword users, so I was practically going to have to be quick on my feet.
Or, quicker than him, at least.
"You must be with the intruders."
"I-Intruders?" I stuttered, gaping.
"I don't think he's going to change his mind…"
"You're not going to admit?" He asked. "Then what's my name?"
…
"Genkishi, the Phantom knight." I automatically said, reading both his mind and memories. "You w-were the man that jumped b-between…" I paused. "Mr I-Irie and Mr G-Gamma…."
Genkishi lowered his sword slightly, unconsciously, but never looked away. "So you know me. That doesn't prove anything. You're either a liar or a weakling. I have no time for ticks like you, nor does Lord Byakuran. He won't mind if I dispose of you."
And with that, quicker than I had anticipated, he attacked without any remorse for my being. While rolling to the side quickly, Al jumping off in the other direction, I spread out an open palm and pulled my entire arm across the open air in front of me. My shield followed suit very quickly, and as I stood, I heard clanking and Genkishi landing meters away, his eyes wide open.
I sighed and checked Al. The little kitty was all good, no hair on his little head plucked. Good. "I was hoping no fights would occur…...they seem very unnecessary…"
"It is necessary to exterminate rodents." He said, quickly appearing to my left. I only had enough time to block it while grunting at his force. As he jumped back again, hungrily, the mouth shot out again like a vine from bulbasaur's back. It lurched erratically and snapped at him.
Instinctively, Genkishi swung his sword in a defensive motion and cut the mouth off at the base of its neck. The mouth fell to the ground and disintegrated into the air. It was quickly replaced by another one, that was much larger. Despite it's size, the mouth moved swifted, and travelled around Genkishi and slammed into his back.
He wasted away into the air and because the mouth had bit him, I tasted the air around me. It was like tasting the smell of freshly cut grass, and since he disappeared into apparent thin air, my mind was telling me that he was a mist user. Oh joy.
"What in hell is that?" He pondered, eyeing the mouths intently.
I didn't reply to him, but instead, attacked with what power I had, manipulating my flames into a sort of sword to defend myself with. It probably wouldn't be able to cut him, but if I could find the real one and latch onto him, I would have a chance.
His attacks were as if someone was holding a dart, and I was a spectator. I didn't know where his attacks would come from but all I knew is that he was very, very good. Precise were his movements as was his force. It was difficult for me to keep up with him and even though Al wanted to help, I kept him at bay in this fight. As much as I wanted him to help as well, I wouldn't forgive myself if he ever got hurt.
And I didn't want to take my chances with Genkishi. The guys was as tricky as a rubix cube. Every time I'd land an attack on him, the body would disappear and a new one would pop up. Sometimes, two at the same time even. Keeping up with him was a mission in itself and with every strike of his sword, I felt my stamina deplete to the point where I was panting. The fight went on for what felt like a long time. I was breathing through my nose, trying to conserve the flow of oxygen when he, it was hard to distinguish between his real self and the illusions, paused to observe me.
"Are you afraid?" He asked calmly, his eyes travelling between the mouths and my face. His particular eyes felt more like Yamamoto's. I'm sure I related the two due to them both having swords, but Yamamoto's eyes were darkened, more browner than his. Genkishi's eyes just gave me the creeps.
"No." I replied, giving up on the stammering act. It was clear that he wouldn't stop and that he was going to continue stabbing at me till I'm rammed into the ground. It wasn't like I was going to tell him that I was slowly becoming afraid.
"You should be."
"Well I'm not. So I suggest you back off before I start getting really fucking pissed."
"I knew it. You are with them." He said, straightening. He kept his composure as he continued to attack. Relentlessly, I dodged. His pace quickened and soon, it wasn't long till his sword nicked my shoulder.
"Phil!"
" 'm fine." I spat, holding my arm. The cut had done some damage, and I couldn't control my left hand now. I was in big shit. "Don't you move!"
"Talking to a cat?" Genkishi asked, still remaining as emotionless as ever. "You're losing it."
"No I'm not. He's my partner."
"Partner?" He repeated, and instantly, I regretted ever opening my mouth. Genkishi, the Phantom knight, immediately aimed an attack at Al, who waited anxiously on one of the cargo boxes that layed in the corner. Many of the wooden boxed laid scattered on the floor in fragmented bits, creating a mess which was hard to stand on. My foot sometimes slipped, and it was hard to find a stability in this terrain. My footing was clumsy, but determined to stop him, I positioned myself between them and saw black.
SWOOSH!
I hadn't ever seen the colour black like that was, as it covered my entire vision. It was everywhere. I'd thought, for the briefest moment, the briefest second that I had fainted. The sound of fluttering clothes denied my idea, as it was a cape that swallowed over me from Genkishi's sword. I moved my head to the left, to see the long beak in the menacing mask the man was wearing. His high collared cape blocked the majority of his face, but it couldn't hide his stark, white mask that gave me quite the impression.
The beak was the only distinctive feature that I could point out. There were no decorations, or identifying features of this man who had mysteriously saved me. All that I knew, was that his voice was deeper than Genkishi's and that his arm was clinging to my side, pulling me in closer for protection.
"Move." Genkishi said mercilessly, stepping forward. "I'll obliterate you after the girl."
"I hate fighting, but you are quite the catch, young man." The man said, his voice booming. I felt a smile in his tone, and it began to occur to me that it felt all too familiar. "However, due to the fact that you're about to hurt my Phillipa…" He raised his hand, and soon, everything was gone, replaced with a blinding light. I closed my eyes and buried my head down. "...I have to ask you to disappear!"
As the light faded, I gawked in amazement as Genkishi was no longer there. I pushed the man away and swayed, looking at my arm. There was blood trickling the end of my fingertips.
"W-Where…where is he?"
"Gone." The man said simply. "Somewhere, perhaps in the base, I'm not too sure. It's been a while since I've zapped someone."
"And who are you?" I asked waringly, almost begging myself not to ask. My chest was heavy, and he didn't have to answer to confirm what I had already gotten from his mind.
"I'm Al. Don't you remember me?"
~o0o~
Well….. Yeah.
Surprise.
Replies:
Wiki: Aw, don't cry or pout pet. It was bound to happen.
LifeIsARayOfSunshine (1) Ch 18 - Yeah, well it takes away from me writing! Well not any more!
LifeIsARayOfSunshine (2) Ch 19 - I remember that omake was included in one chapter of the old version of the story, so I wanted to incorporate it before I deleted the old story. *waits for the impact* Yay! You actually pointed the mood out! Yea! And no, I haven't decided on her box animal yet, or even if she gets one.
Juliedoo: (Love your name, BTW) Thank you! Please, keep on reading and welcome!
Akayuki Sawada: n_n
GreenDrkness: Not really. She just happened to appear there and Chrome found her.
chibianimefan18: :DDDDDD back at ya.
Viper's Girl: SKKKUUUUUULLLLL should come soon. He'll be back for sure. I mean, I can't just not do that, that wouldn't be very nice of me…...
Shanagi95: I do too…
YELLS: THANK YOU HERE'S MOAR
Guest (who had no balls to even add a pen name.): Fine. I don't expect everyone to like my story, just like I don't expect everyone to have the same humor. And while there are others who might benefit Phillipa's character, I refute your claim. Dino's a perfectly fine character for her. And I don't see how I'm 'ruining' my story for everyone else when I'm just writing in the way I think I can do best in. Get lost because I won't waste my time anymore trying to convince you otherwise when your opinion is outweighed by a hundred more.
*Sighs*
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, this will be the last update for a couple of weeks, maybe even a month as I'll be in Japan and then it's kinda Christmas and where I'll be is quieter than a cemetery.
So thanks everybody, as usual. The reviews, your words, all of the follows and faves really do make me happier. And I'll get back to ya when I can.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
-Verdigurl
P.S) - I wish you the best for the new year and hope that the Doctor doesn't die in the christmas special.