She was running. Running very fast. Excitement worked its way through her now tiny body and blossomed through the smile on her face. Her short ponytail flew through the wind, flipping left and right, up and down. Her mind filled with images of a young boy, a boy with a dazzling smile. She suddenly remembered the last time she'd seen him: a week ago, in this same forest. How he'd made her smile with his kind compliments and witty jokes. How he'd made her gasp with amazement when he had shown her the most breathtaking sight she'd ever seen: the view from atop a tree at the small village in the Viennese countryside.

Usually Gilbert would go with her but he had family time to attend to. So she went alone with a tiny lie that she'd play with the other school children and she'd only be until sunset. Her parents believed her, of course, because how could they learn to trust her if she didn't make such promises? They'd wait and see if she would fulfill it and then they'd know.

She and the boy were good friends, despite her initial reaction to a stranger in the forests. She'd spotted him as he came through the trees by her house, in search of a friend of his who often brought him food and clothes. She chased him, mistaking him for a thief and she jumped him and beat him with tiny fists. He begged and cried for mercy and when she stopped, she found that he was no criminal.

She let up, apologized and their friendship grew. She went to see him every week.

Eventually her love for him bloomed and she visited him more frequently. He and Gilbert never really got along; in fact they hated each other. Couldn't stand being within five kilometers of one another. But Elizabeta helped them to at least tolerate each other.

She laughed aloud as she jumped over a stream. Soon, she came upon a clearing, a plain of grass that barely reached her knees. Her running ceased and she panted. She saw him a few kilometers away. He sat upon a rock, his back facing her, his bistre head down. He was always reading when she came around.

"Hey! I'm here!"

When he turned, he smiled, eyes full of love. It was as if he knew her voice by heart and recognized it immediately.

His mouth moved. Almost simultaneously, her ears rang and she couldn't hear the wind blow past anymore. Only the ringing. She raised an eyebrow, confused and startled.

"What?" she called before she gasped. She couldn't hear herself. She called out again as the boy stood and turned around, still smiling as if everything was fine. The ground began to crumble beneath her feet and it was only while one of her legs sank that she began to notice. She was now gasping loudly and she cried out for him once again. The world around became dark as she fell deeper, faster.

The boy came to stand near the edge of the abyss she was falling into, still with that smile on his face, as his appearance began to flicker like a broken VHS tape in its player. Between each flicker she could see white hair and blood red eyes. Between each flicker she could his smiling face change to grimace then smiling face and so on. Through her gasps, she called for him again and again.

His mouth moved again and the ringing stopped suddenly and as the ground swallowed her she could hear what he said.

"Matryoshka."

When Elizabeta awoke, sweat rolled down the sides of her forehead. Her chest heaved and her eyes were wide. Reaching up to wipe her forehead, she looked to the window. Moonlight spilled for the open blinds and onto the floor. The sun still had yet to shine. She looked to her left.

The electric alarm clock on the nightstand said 340, with its annoying bright red numbers. She'd only slept about two hours. To her right, Dominik was asleep, breathing softly, facing toward the ceiling. The boy in her dream—or rather, nightmare—shared a few traits with Roderich and it pained her to think so. And it scared her. What is some sort of sign? That Roderich would leave her for dead eventually? Or Gilbert, if that was who the other boy was?

Or was it only a senseless dream?

The constant throbbing of her head irritated her and she clenched her fists tightly. The very fact that Roderich was almost identical to the boy filled her with anguish. He was so nice to her and she couldn't help but like him. She flipped over on her back and stared at the ceiling which was a creamy color last night but now it was an odd faint green. She paid no mind, closing her eyes and giving a lengthy sigh.

Perhaps her mind was just playing tricks on her. Maybe Roderich was just as gullible and kind as he proved to be. Maybe he had no idea what he'd gotten into when he joined Yao…

Or maybe he was everything Ivan described him as. What if this was all an elaborate charade just to lure her in? What if he was just plotting to take her down? She had to remain alert at all times, she decided. After this sleep, of course.

The next time she woke up, Roderich was up making coffee in the kitchen. He wasn't in his sleeping clothes but in proper clothes.

For 1125, it didn't seem to be very early. The sky was already blue and the sun was already shining brightly in it. She'd slept in. With a smile Roderich offered her some. Elizabeta took it eagerly and watched him drink his own as she did the same. It rolled smoothly down her throat and she smiled and closed her eyes in bliss as the heat reached her stomach. This coffee was obviously different from the cheap she'd always bought. It was like she'd been taken to another world that was filled with a comforting warmth that purged all the worries in her head.

There was an amused chuckle that closed her eyes to open again, though very slowly.

"I take it you've never had Folgers." Roderich had finished his cup already.

She nodded, still smiling. "I've only ever bought some cheap off-brand. And it's been quite a while since I've actually drank the stuff."

"Hm." He scratched the back of his head, yawning. "Is Dominik still asleep?"

"Yeah." She downed another gulp. "He may not have looked tired but he was, believe me. Fell asleep before I could get back to the room." Roderich sighed.

"Yeah, well, that's usually how things are with him. He's very good at acting."

"Huh. By the way, I couldn't help but notice that Dominik is…um, a bit off."

"Oh?" He rested his forearm against the counter for support. "How so?

Elizabeta's eyes flicked from him to the coffee pot and she cleared her throat. "He coughed a lot in his sleep. And his breathing is a little fast. Is he sick?" She tried not to make herself seem rude. She was concerned for the boy and his shortness of breath was something unusual. His paleness was explained by his white hair; he was an albino. That couldn't be the reason. She knew because Gilbert never had these problems.

"Ah. Yes. Well, you see, he's been this way since he was a baby. He's anemic. To top it off he is albinistic." She knew it. "I can't tell if his paleness is caused one or the other but whatever. His anemia prevents him from playing with other kids, or running at least. He is only six."

"Does he ever get dizzy?" She'd been required to study things like anemia and albinism by Ivan a long time ago.

"Sometimes. When he's walked too fast or too much. Often times I have to carry him. I admit, though, I do worry for him, for his future." He ran a hand through his dark brown locks and he looked away, resting both arms on the counter now.

She smiled, resting a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up. "Don't worry. I'm sure everything'll work out for him. I have an albino friend myself and an anemic friend too. They turned out fine." That wasn't at all reassuring to Roderich but he pretended like it was and he smiled.

"Thanks." He stood and smoothed his hair. "Well, I should finish getting ready. I have a job to get to. You know, pay the bills, bring bacon home, put food on the table. The good stuff."

Elizabeta gave a tiny laugh as he headed toward the bedroom. Then she sighed, a small smile still gracing her lips. She was doing it again. She couldn't help it; being nice was in her nature. Especially since he was always being so nice in return. Neither of their kindness was false and Elizabeta knew it. She'd figured that out last night.

A few minutes later, Roderich came out of the bedroom with a slim messenger bag, stuffing a few unimportant documents into it. "Um, a few friends are coming over to get me so we can walk to work. You may need to hide because if they see you, they'd just conjure up some weird story of what I did the night before."

At that, she laughed. "Really?

"You must think I'm joking, they'll really do it." A half-smile stretched at his mouth because of her laughing. "At least change into something that makes it seem like you didn't spend the night.

"Alright, alright." She stood and left to change and fix hair, then came back to find that his friends had already arrived and were in the house. She peeked around the corner at them.

There were six of them and one was a little teenage girl. The rest of them were men about Roderich's age. One was rather large and muscular and was shyly holding the hand of a much smaller man whose ditzy smile filled her delight. Next to them was a man who looked almost identical to the airhead cling to the behemoth and he was glaring at them. He looked ready to hit someone. The last man was talking to Roderich and looked like he was related to the girl. The first and last men, along with Roderich seemed a little familiar.

"Why weren't you at the meeting yesterday?" The tall one demanded this, interrupting Roderich's current conversation.

"I was…busy," he replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"Busy with what?"

"Running from unintelligent miscreants and saving lives. Two lives, Ludwig!" Elizabeta covered her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Sure. I'll believe that you ran from some thugs but not about saving lives," said the one related to the girl. "Like you could ever do that."

"I did. One of which is that cat." He pointed to the feline that was sleeping lazily on the couch as he pulled his coat on.

"Ooh! You have a cat now?" The ditzy brunette made his way over and marveled at it.

Ludwig sighed. "Okay, maybe it is possible. Who is the second?"

"Well, haven't you grown interested in what I do on Saturday's? I'm not telling. Shouldn't we get going?"

Ludwig agreed with a bit of haste in remembering why they were there in the first place. "R-Right. Hurry and finish up here. I'll be waiting out front." He headed out with a call to his brunette who soon followed after in a hurry to keep up. His twin followed suit for the reason of keeping them apart.

Roderich turned to the girl and smiled, nodding at her. "Lily. Dominik is still asleep, I'm afraid. He stayed up too late last night. I'm sure he'll wake up soon though." She smiled and nodded. "Well, we're off. I'll be sure to tell Yao that you're tutoring Dominik again."

"Okay." She nodded again and he patted her head. The blond next to him kissed her forehead and they left. Lily set her backpack down on the couch and removed her coat before heading toward the bedroom but Elizabeta was still in the hallway and the younger girl stopped and stared at her, startled. "Wh-Who are you?"

The realization that she was stranger in a foreign house struck Elizabeta hard. She smiled nervously, trying to ease the girl and convince her that she was no threat to her or Dominik.

"Who are you?" The repeat was a tiny bit stronger and fiercer.

"The second life that Roderich saved…?" It was a good try, one that worked. Lily's expression softened, realizing that Roderich exactly had for once done something great like saving a life. Or that saving a life wasn't just his excuse for missing an important meeting.

"So, spill it," came the curt Italian as they exited the neighborhood. The five men, in their thick coats of leather and polyester, walked at a moderate speed along the sidewalks. Many people, who were either unemployed or had a job the same time they did, were walking. There were joggers, kids out on their winter breaks and every so often an elderly couple out for a stroll. The quintet would nod politely to them in respect with small smiles on their faces. They were taught to do this to prove that they weren't the thugs that ran rampant harassing the senior citizens and insisting that they were useless.

Roderich rolled his shoulders, hands stuffed into his pockets. "Why, whatever do you mean, Lovino?"

"Don't play dumb, you stupid bastard," he spat, glowering, "I mean, that second life you supposedly saved. Or was the cat the only one?" It was a question that was smug and didn't sound like a question.

The others looked at Roderich, also eager to hear.

The Austrian sighed. "There was a second life and it was a person. And I can see that you're all so curious to know more. Well, for your information, it was a woman." Feliciano looked at him with surprise. "And since she had only arrived here last night by her own poor choice, she was chased by a thug—and might I add that it was one of your men, Lovino. Tall, thick, burly. Had a beard."

Lovino grunted after hearing the description. "Right, I know the one. You were saying?"

"He was really looking to assault her, if you get my meaning. And he was drunk. He cornered her in an alleyway and I was lucky I got there in time." He paused to take a brief peek over his shoulder. "…I got her out of there but—see this bandage? He got me with his knife. Anyway, we ran and we lost him, somehow."

"So what happened to her?" asked Ludwig.

He flushed. "Well, I…S-Since it was well past midnight I allowed her to stay a night at my—"

"And there's the unbelievable part!" Vash threw an arm up. "Like you would be so bold."

"Well, there's no need to doubt my ability to ask a woman something when you can't," Roderich said, earning him a hard smack to the back of his head. Sighing, he rubbed the spot. "It's true.

You can't speak two words to Laura without choking up or blushing."

Before Vash could reply to the callous remark, Feliciano laughed and clapped. "Oh! But Roderich, you only have one bed, right? Did she sleep in the same bed with you?"

With a reddened face and shocked expression, Roderich shook his head rather furiously. "No, of course not! I wouldn't just—invade her privacy like that! Honestly, Feliciano. I'm not like you. I gave her the bed and I slept on the couch."

"How…gentlemanly," Ludwig commented.

"Of course." Roderich smoothed his hair. "There has to be at least one gentleman to set an example around here. Else our entire clique would become like Vash."

"Will you shut up with that?! We're here anyway, so drop it."

The group stopped before a tall building that blocked the sun from where they stood. There was a parking lot that surrounded it and there weren't many cars parked in it. The group consisted of young teens and children—too young to drive. A rusty bike rack stood close to the building and a few bicycles leaned against it. Some biked, others walked, few drove. Yao's large, slightly dented van was in his own special spot and Holland's clean car was parked next to it. Alfred's pick-up truck was nowhere to be seen. They were on time, if Holland was here and Alfred wasn't.

They entered the building, each giving a nod to the security guard and took the elevator up to the fifth floor, where they were to meet.

Roderich cleared his throat as the doors closed. "Now tell me. Why are we coming here on a Sunday?"

"Training," Ludwig said, "Vash found that Ivan had sent out someone to assassinate you."

"Oh, that. I didn't think he'd make us starting training again. Or at least me. I thought I was finished with all of that."

"Don't be lazy."

"I'm not lazy. It's just that I hate training. In fact, why did I ever agree to all this?"

"Maybe because you were an amnesiac little boy and was highly attached to everyone who came in contact with you," Vash said bluntly, leaning against the wall. "You trusted Yao too much and you let him talk you into becoming an agent."

"Well, he seemed very persuasive at the time."

Vash scoffed. "You haven't even gone anywhere! You've been training practically your whole life and you've never take down anybody, nor have you taken any missions."

"And whose fault is that? How am I able to snap up such an opportunity when they're always taken by you or Mika or Kiku or someone else who's rowdy for a fight before I can even think of it? Honestly, it's like you don't even think at all, Vash." He crossed his arms as the elevator doors opened. Vash's eye twitched at Roderich's reasoning.

They all stepped out into a waiting room, where some of the others were. The only door in the quaint and quiet waiting room was closed, meaning that Yao was not yet ready to begin. It was just them in the room, the small group of those who always arrive on time, so the others who were always late and/or sleeping had to arrive fast, or else Yao would punish them.

They were greeted but once they caught sight of Roderich, they flocked him with their concerns for him.

"Are you alright?" asked Toris.

"Why weren't you at the meeting?" from Holland.

"What's wrong with you? Don't you know there's a maniac after you?!" yelled Feliks.

Roderich took a step back, a bit alarmed. "I'm fine but what are you all worried about?" They looked at him as if he was crazy. Laura pressed a hand against his arm.

"Yao said that Ivan sent an assassin out for you. We were worried about what happened to you when you were supposed to be in the meeting."

He rolled his eyes. This again. "Look, I get that there's someone after me but that doesn't mean I'm in danger 24/7. I mean, have you seen what his agents are like? Toris got past them just fine before and he didn't even break a sweat."

"But that doesn't mean he hasn't beefed up his agents since then," Toris said. "What was it that you were doing yesterday anyway?"

He sighed. "Since you asked, I was chased twice by two different mobsters and each time, I saved a life."

"Ve! It's true! One's a cat and the other's a—"

"Get this—it was a woman he supposedly saved," Romano interrupted, a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Let her stay a night at his house. Apparently she's there as we speak."

A second passed before Feliks laughed hysterically and Holland gave a dry chuckle. Toris joined in quietly once he caught on to what they were laughing at. Laura looked at them, confused of where the joke was.

Roderich pinched the bridge of his nose irritably. "Can someone please tell me why it is so unbelievable that I would help a woman out by letting her stay in my home? I am telling you truth!"

Feliks wiped a tear from his eye, a smile left over from his laughing. "The unbelievable part about it is that you'd never had to guts to, like, ever do that. The only girls you've ever had contact with are either taken, too young for you, or…Laura." That earned him a flick to the side of his head from the Belgian.

"That doesn't technically mean I'm not able to talk to women. I'm telling you the truth, it's a woman," Roderich groaned, rubbing his temples.

Holland quirked a brow. "Where's your proof?"

"I don't have proof with me now. What do you expect me to have? A pair of her panties? A handkerchief as a reward for saving her?" He crossed his arms. "If you don't take my word about it, call Lily."

"Oh, sure. You'll probably stop me before I can even press the first digit."

Roderich only shrugged and sat himself down in an arm chair. He unbuttoned his coat and exhaled, resting against the back rest. They stared at him and he smiled. "Still don't believe me? Want to bet money on it? I'll show once training is over."

"He's bluffing," Feliks chuckled.

"I assure you, I'm not. How about this? If I can prove it, all who doubted me can pay twenty dollars each. If I can't and there really isn't a woman in my house, I'll pay each of you double what you were to pay me."

A grin came to Holland's face. "Well, then, cut my off a slice of that!"

"Yeah, like, me too!"

Vash agreed too and so did Romano. Roderich's smile widened a bit. He was glad so many of them were money-hungry idiots always looking for a way to gain more. With the small amount of pay Yao gave him, how else would he pay for food for Dominik?

"Very well, gentlemen. How many of you now?" He counted the hands that shot up. "Four then." He shook hands with each of them and the deal was set in stone; no backing out now.

"Are you sure, Holland?" Laura asked, placing a hand on her brother's thick arm. "Roderich seems awfully confident about this."

"'Course I am. He's bluffing, he's lying."

The Austrian only thumped on leg over the other, propping his head up with his hand, elbow on the arm rest. He was relaxed. All that was left to do was go through the day, take them to his house to just have a glimpse at Elizabeta, so not to seem like he went off to brag to his friends that he'd brought a girl home. Then he'd earn eighty dollars easy.

But Yao's door opened quickly and the Chinese man came running out of it, pushing past them to get to the elevator. When they asked what was wrong he answered, "There's trouble at the front door!" And he left, taking the elevator down.

Not a second passed before the group followed on the elevator adjacent to the one that Yao used. Once the doors had opened, they rushed out to find Yao, the other Asians, and the whole team of security guards standing at the main front door.

"What's going on?" Vash asked as he attempted to peek over the shoulders of the tall guards.

Roderich managed to catch a glimpse through the tiny spaces between each muscular figure. His eyes widened a bit as a woman came into view, standing and glaring at them, her defenses up. On her arms were Lily and Dominik trying to pull her out of the building and back home.

"Calm down. We just want to know what you're doing here," Yao said, holding his hands up. She didn't answer and her only movement was her eyes flicking here and there every few seconds. Roderich cleared his throat suddenly and rather loudly, catching everyone's attention. The security guards turned and looked at him before moving and nodding their heads at him in respect as he stepped forward.

Elizabeta looked at him, surprised as everyone else was. "Roderich…"

"Roderich?" Yao asked, confused.

"B-Brother! We tried to stop her!"

"Yeah but she was too strong!" The two seemed a bit frantic as they let go of the woman's arms and scurried over to him.

He stared back at the woman. "What are you doing here?"

The question caught her by surprise and she straightened her back. She looked down and fumbled with her fingers, trying to form the right words. Her cheeks reddened. Of course she wouldn't tell. She hadn't told Lily or Dominik why, nor did she tell the security guards when they'd initially used force. "I…W-Well, I…"

Before she could utter the next word, Roderich smiled rather smugly. "You couldn't have come at a better time."

"I—What?" Elizabeta's puzzlement was obvious, as he offered his hand to her and she took it. He led her to Yao, who was still very confused of Roderich's connection to someone like her.

"Do let up on her," the Austrian said with the same soothing tone he'd used earlier to place his bets. "She's new to town. It was foolish of me to just leave her with Lily and Dominik. It's a good guess that curiosity got the best of her. Am I right?" He looked to her and she nodded, almost automatically. She couldn't tell if he was forging some false explanation for her or if it was an actual guess.

"But Roderich," Yao sighed, skin between his thin brows creasing, "I don't understand. Who is this woman?"

"Oh, how many times must I repeat this story? Long story short, I met her last night and helped her escape the grasps of a drunk gangster who, might I add, is one of Romano's men." His smug smile stayed as he straightened his coat in a jerking fashion. He turned his head just in time to see Holland gape in disbelief. "Well, gentlemen. Pay up."

Grumbling indistinct curses, Holland, Feliks and Romano reached for their wallets and paid their dues, slapping the bills into his waiting palm. Three twenty-dollar bills. That wasn't right. Wasn't it four men who placed bets? "Where is Vash?"

Laura piped up from behind the wall of security guards. "He left for the waitin' room just a second ago! He didn't say anything but I think it was because he saw your friend there."

"That little miserly Scrooge." Roderich pocketed his money, sighing. "No matter. I'll get him later."

"Uh, Roderich, if you're done collecting money, I'd like to know what we're going to do with this," Yao said, draping an arm over his shoulders. "Because I have to dismiss the security team. She's not a threat? I'm very confused."

Roderich took a moment to think of a response. "She's no threat, I'm sure. You can dismiss the guards. However I'm not so sure what to do with her." There wasn't much he could do, considering that she was an adult. He couldn't punish her, he wasn't her guardian. The only thing he wanted to know was how she found the building. Yes, she could've followed him but there was no way she would've with him through the walk, given the time of day it was and the crowd of people.

Unless she knew what the Dynasty building looked like and what it was for exactly, he thought. Realization struck him hard and he was stunned for only a second before a smirk made its way to his face, a curling, devilish smile that was more complacent than anything else. Interesting.

The smile didn't go unnoticed. Elizabeta was the first to see it. She opened her mouth as if to ask why he was smiling but quickly shut it. What is he thinking? Can't be anything good.

"I may have just found a solution." Roderich's devious smirk was reduced to a neutral, tiny smile. "Just a small request, that she joins us in our activities." He looked toward Yao who was surprised by the suggestion and he almost looked about ready. But something about the way he was looking at him seemed to turn his decision in the opposite direction.

"If you'll watch her, then by all means," the Chinese man replied with his own grin. "Let's give it a try! How about it, everyone?"

Laura was the first to agree, with her wholeheartedness. "Sure! Why not?" Slowly the others followed her, though with slightly less enthusiasm. Elizabeta blinked. She still wasn't following the situation. How would Roderich come up with such a solution?

Yao dismissed the security team and ushered the lot of them into the elevators and out of the lobby. They went up to the fifth floor again and nobody took a glance to Elizabeta. She didn't look at anyone either, only looked at the bright red numbers that indicated what floor they were passing or were on. It reminded her of the ceiling when she'd awoken from her nightmare, how it was a faint green. It was like someone was shining a light at the surface. She looked around.

Roderich held Dominik in his arms and the boy rested his head on his shoulder sleepily, clearly exhausted from the ordeal. His white fringe fell over his brother's shoulder and his tiny hand gripped onto his sleeve. He sighed, whispering something to Roderich. Elizabeta couldn't understand it but it made Roderich chuckle.

She felt sorry for what she did; forcing two children to come after her, waking Dominik up from his much need sleep. Why hadn't she listened? She didn't know what compelled her to go after Roderich. It was as if Ivan's influence had taken over her body and told her to go forth with her mission. Elizabeta has always worried about herself, but her concerns amplified now.

What exactly did they have in store for her?

"Ah, thank you for coming, Gilbert." Ivan placed his crossword puzzle on his desk and smiled, folding his large hands neatly. He'd finally cleaned himself up and reorganized his office into its original tidy state. Clearly, a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders when he'd sent Elizabeta to New York City. Gilbert stepped in, a hand in his pocket and he kicked the door closed.

"Whatever." He plopped into the chair before Ivan's desk, uninterested ruby eyes set on the Russian boss. "What do you want?"

"All business. I like that!" Ivan's smile failed to diminish as he kicked himself away from his desk and opened his filing cabinet. He thumbed through plentiful folders for Gilbert's folder and once he found it, he laughed and pulled it out, swiveling back to his desk. He placed the folder on the desk.

"Whazzat? My criminal record? Did you call me just to criticize me about whatever disaster you think I did? Because whatever it is I didn't' do it!"

Ivan laughed again. "Nyet, nyet, Gilbert! You see, I've grown a bit tired of the Dynasty. Simply put. So I've decided to bring give you a mission."

"What kind?"

"Termination."

Gilbert's eyes widened and he sat up straight, all rebellious intentions and comebacks to Ivan vanishing from his mind. "Man, I already told you—"

"Yes, yes, I know you won't kill anyone innocent. However, you won't be killing as innocent person." The Russian pushed the folder forward. "Take a look for yourself."

The albino hesitated but reached forward to take the folder. He opened it slowly. Inside was a thin stack of papers: data sheets on the person to be killed. He flipped through the stack unhurriedly and found a square Polaroid photo at the bottom of it all. It wasn't very large. Gilbert took it in his hand and flipped it over to see the person. Once he did, his eyes widened.

In the picture was a girl, looking no older than thirteen, Asian, with beautiful long black hair. She was smiling to the camera, which was something that Gilbert found weird. Members of the Dynasty and the Era were required to take an annual photo at their local police station for their criminal records. Usually they didn't smile; it would show that they were troublemakers, comfortable with talking to the cops when their little disasters happened, willing to fight with authority.

There was something about her smile though, that made him want to smile also. A carefree grin full of cheer.

"What the hell are you trying to pull here, Russki?" he spat, words soaked in venom. "This better be some kinda joke."

"Oh, but Gilbert," Ivan said, holding his hands up, as if asking for something to be put in them, "I thought you were ready for this. You've been trained for this mission."

"Are you kidding me? This is what you've been planning?!" Gilbert was beyond furious. A small trace of a vein appeared on his forehead. "You expect me to kill a kid? A little girl?! You Schwein!

"Gilbert!" Ivan's yell shocked the albino into easing his angry expression. "Enough of your disrespect! If you would please shut your mouth and listen to me, I will explain to you what she has done." His composure calmed in a split second.

Gilbert released a breath of anger, his tense muscles relaxing. "Alright."

"Good. Her name is Mika Aquino. As you'll notice on the data sheet, she is an infamous killer of nearly a hundred. Ah, yes, you're shocked, I know." Ivan almost smirked at Gilbert's look of speechless shock. "You see, Yao has taken her in young and trained this…little monster to kill ruthlessly and without mercy. It is disgusting. Repulsive!" Ivan sounded disgusted but didn't seem to be selling it.

A short moment passed before Gilbert shook his head. "No."

"What?"

"I don't believe you. No child could ever do that."

"Gilbert."

"I just—it's possible. She'd know what'd be wrong or right."

"Beilschmidt!"

"There's no way! A kid can't kill that many people! A kid can't kill on purpose! A kid would know—"

"Gilbert, calm down!"

The albino was hyperventilating at that point and pressed a hand to his chest and another clutched on the arm of the chair. He didn't talk anymore, only squeezed his eyes shut to keep his frustrated tears in. Memories flooded his mind, his stomach churned uneasily. He cursed himself silently.

"Now Gilbert. I know you want to believe that children are innocent and that the past interferes with that belief but this is one of Yao's underlings we're talking about." Ivan's voice was gentle and comforting—a tone that Gilbert knew was fake. Despite that, he was soothed and his breathing returned to its steady state. "She has killed. She has committed her sins. She doesn't regret them. Which is why you must rid the world of such a monstrosity, so that we can live on, knowing that Yao won't send her to us, to kill us."

Every word was like a tiny sting from a bee, Ivan being that bee, and the more he talked, the more stings Gilbert received, and the more he hated him. The more he wanted to swat him away, do away with him so that he could feel at ease. Unfortunately Ivan was more difficult to get rid of than a bee.

Every word was a lie, something so cleverly hidden behind the tone of his voice that he could believe all of it, if he hadn't known him for so long.

He wanted to decline, slam the folder into his boss's face, and leave laughing his ass off. But he couldn't. When they were assigned a mission, there was no backing out, or else they'd be punished. Some were killed, he heard. Plus, he needed the money. Ivan paid beautifully when they succeeded. It almost made it worth it.

"Fine."

"Excellent." Ivan smiled. "You start immediately. Leave today. Don't tell anyone of your mission. You are dismissed."

Gilbert quickly got up and left, the folder tucked under his arm. As he did, he thought of the girl's smile. His heart dropped. A smile like hers was genuine. Beautiful. Something he was to kill. If Mika Aquino was truly the person Ivan said she was, he didn't know if he could pull through with it. He didn't know if he could in any situation. Not to a child.

Who knows? Maybe I can tough it out, he thought. Maybe she's really a murderer. Maybe I can actually do this.

His attempted comfort to himself was no help. He sighed, ruffling his hair. Maybe he could run away. He hoped Ivan wouldn't find him. He could change his name, dye his hair, get colored contacts—change everything to hide himself from the truth.

No.

Not again.

But who knows? Maybe he could find a way around this mess.

Alright! First set of updates! Finally. Thanks for hangin' in there, you beautiful beast. Anyway, a few notes on Gilbert: the depiction of Prussia as a full-time violent character is a little bit much but also making him non-violent is just as wrong. I've decided to write him as a slight thug who rolls solo on most occasions, if not accompanied by the other two-thirds of the BTT, and a bit of greaser. He fights for fun, yeah. But he's got that soft spot that I love to think he has. You know, to kids and pets and stuff. He's got a weak heart when he's put in a situation where the Era and children mix. Yeah. He's probably the most fun to write. Aside from Kugelmugel. Please review!