Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The Getaway ❯ Jeopardy ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter four: Jeopardy

Arcia sat back to her study stool that night she had returned from Florence. As usual, the mission was quite of a success. SCO got their target while CIA received each and every information about Alejandro Morales' connection with the Splinter Cell.

Her meeting with Shishio was run-of-the-mill. Of course, Schneider's words still bothers her a lot. She was… totally anxious with the thoughts of seeing her self being chastised with the SCO. Everyone in the agency knows a lot about what would happen once they were informed by any sign of a conspirator around the organization.

She leaned back in her desk chair and contemplated the ornaments surrounding her escritoire. Files, papers, books, reference works, keepsakes… family pictures. "I'm only doing this because of you… mom, dad…" she took the frame and hugged it tightly. She was totally sick of what was she's currently doing. And that stupid triad caused all this damned whole life. First, both of her parents were killed because of betraying Splinter Cell's dictums. Second, this pain-sticking guilt kept on bugging her from the thought of betraying Enishi, the sole person she truly trust. Nevertheless, she ended up lying to him, not finding the courage to tell him everything, to persuade him from being a renegade him self and join her. But of course Enishi will never do that. Especially now his wife was currently under the SCO's protection group. And third, the thought of being too deluged with her work and at the same time doing her best in retaining her grades as a freshman student who needed to finish her studies here in this bloody university. Arcia Rinslet was too drained from this entire impediment. If faith would be sympathetic, she would like to die soon and forget everything she had left from being the dauntless killing-machine that everyone had known her for.

She rubbed her tired eyes. `Was this what people meant when they said youth was wasted on the young?' Arcia had the feeling that people in retirement homes led more exciting lives than hers.

Arcia got up and paced her dorm room like a caged animal. "Damn world! Why me??" she groaned aloud. She sat down on her bed and dropped her head into her hands. Her world seemed to be closing in around her, rapidly shrinking to the size of her desk. Already she felt like she was barely holding her self together, and yet she had gone ahead and created more stress in her life. Why was she always so hard on her self?

A bloodcurdling scream from somewhere just outside the door startled her out of her funk. Arcia was on her feet before she was aware of having reacted. "Lana?" she called.

Another holler. Arcia bolted out of her room and into the common area. It was empty. Her roommate's door was closed. Everything was silent.

"Lana, are you okay?" Arcia called.

An instant later there was an anguished wail from inside Lana's room, barely muffled by the door. Then a stream of curses, so fast and furious it was incomprehensible. "You dog," Lana's voice screeched. "You pig! You filthy, disgusting, sickening pig!"

Arcia's heart knocking against her windpipe, she noticed that the phone cord snaked under Lana's door. She saw it go taut, then relax, and then go taut again, as if Lana were pacing around with the receiver. `Clark?' she wondered. She wouldn't have pegged her dorm mate to have such violent arguments with her boyfriend.

"You make me sick," Lana half sobbed, half spat. "How could you do this to me? How could you? I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" the words were punctuated by a crash and the sound of something shattering. Arcia guessed it was one of the many photos in the ` Amiable Boyfriend' shrine. Then came the softer sound of weeping.

Arcia hovered by the door, holding her arms. She wondered if it was her place to intrude. Obviously this was a horribly painful moment for goldilocks. She was so distressed, her usual golden locks were in tangles, her eyes were bugged out from crying, and her room was one hell of a mess. Maybe Lana needed someone to open up to as much as Arcia did. If she reached out to her suite mate now, it could turn into a bonding experience. Tentatively Arcia knocked the door.

There was another vicious explosion of curses. Then Lana screamed, "Go away! Leave me the hell alone!"

Arcia took that as a no on the bonding thing. Terrified, she hurried back to her room as more crashes and bangs emanated from Lana's bedroom. She shut the door behind her and locked it. And even to think that this incident happened without them having their usual dinner.

-=0=-

Exactly eight in the evening, Enishi stride his way inside the bureau. It was late when he had heard Makoto Shishio's message upon his answering machine and immediately headed his way once he had heard his voice. He knew it was very rare for Makoto to call him during his typical day-to-day existence.

As he reached Shishio's office, he immediately opened the door and never had expected seeing someone else inside… especially the form of a woman sitting in Shishio's lap, kissing the hell out of him.

Enishi rolled his eyes in disgust. He most especially didn't came here to witness this shit. Yumi, most well known as "the secretary" particularly stood from her previous position and directly went outside the chamber. But before stepping outside the door, she did give a seductive wink on him leaving him even more appalled.

"Sorry. I just came home and heard your message." He sat down in front of Shishio's desk with both arms intertwined on his chest, "What is it this time?"

"It's all about the rebel, Yukishiro."

"What about it?"

Shishio then pushed a couple of papers to Enishi's side, evidently motivating him to take and read it. Enishi took the hint and started to observe the article. His brows furrowed indication on how blasé he was with the subject matter.

"Those are some feedback's from a transistor attached with Miss Rinslet." Shishio started. He knew it wasn't an affirmative answer, yet he needed to do this for the sake of his distinction and the resplendence of Splinter Cell.

"So? What am I supposed to do with this?" asked by Enishi.

"Arcia betrayed us. We think she's the mole."

"What?" Enishi could not believe what he had just heard.

"Arcia's a double agent working for the CIA. She's giving out SCO's top secret information's to the CIA without us smelling her mislead." Shishio leaned back to his chair, both hands twisted together beneath his chin. "I had my men following her for over a week… but of course there was no success of finding any evidence. Not until she came to Florence to investigate Morales' new appearance. Those feedback's we detected weren't ours."

"Bull shit!" Enishi roared angrily. "You don't know what you're talking about! Arcia will never do that!"

Shishio raised an eyebrow underneath the bandages he wore. "How can you be so sure? Arcia's one of the elite spies. She exactly has the capabilities of keeping any secrets…"

Enishi looked up to him with bewildered eyes. He knew Arcia. They have known each other since the first time she came into the organization. If all of this were true, then why haven't Arcia told him about this? "YOU have to double check this. Arcia will never betray us…" or would she? Enishi thought. He was so confused. Shishio had a point about her being a skilled liar, but it doesn't make any sense at all. Why would Arcia betray them? She had sworn to protect their country by retrieving every weapon that would harm the society. Arcia dreamt of seeing the world at peace… that's why she agreed on joining the SCO.

"We're currently doing that. We heard that she's going to Cuba tomorrow. Maybe by that time, the results will be seen." Shishio cleared his throat and then continued to speak, "Until then… do please try to observe her moves. You have to monitor her."

Enishi nodded his head. He'll definitely prove to this person that his intuition weren't true. "Alright. I will follow her to Cuba. Until then…"

-=0=-

[Warehouse]

"How's Alejandro Morales' case? Have you found any further evidences?" Arcia pushed a thick lock of her hair behind her ear while propelling her self up to the table.

Aoshi shook his head, leaning near the door with crossed-arms. "All those data's from Cuba helped us a lot. Morales' had been cooperating rather than before." Who wouldn't be anyway? It took some time before Alejandro could confederate with everything the CIA had been trying to accomplish. Arcia Rinslet almost died because of the wrong codex Alejandro gave. And if it wasn't for the treaty of making him appear dead in the SCO's eyes, Arcia could have burned her self from that huge explosion in Santa Monica depot.

He had been quite really impressed with that little scene where she made her escape out from that thin waterway beneath the building. "You were remarkable back there."

"I'm not remarkable." She was almost sacred to death when she was trapped inside that blasted colonnade. How damn she wanted to attack Alejandro Morales' back then for giving her the wrong code. She had always known not to trust an enemy, but of course, the CIA won't listen to her.

Aoshi glanced over her. She seems to be bothered by something that no one could predict. After that trip from Santa Monica, everything appeared weird and abstruse. He could see it upon that small frown she's wearing on her expression. They had been working together for almost a month, this would be the first time he had seen her so sullen like this. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Arcia jolted and raised her head and looked over to his direction, "W-what? Of course I'm all right! I've always been fine…" she hoist her eyes and seen him arch an eyebrow. She slightly expected him not to believe her anyway. A man like him won't give credence to such lousy remarks.

With a heavy sigh she grumbled, "Alright, alright… I give up! In fact, I had been living in hell these past few days." She started as her eyes came to shut its lids; "This whole idea of being a double agent had been totally wrecking my whole life." her eyes sparked in ire with her hands slightly clasping firmly. The first reaction and answer were quite interesting conforming to what Aoshi was sensing at the moment. "My professors were whining about me not passing my thesis on due dates, my roommate became so crabby that I couldn't even stand a single minute with her and then various strangers kept on following me everywhere these past few weeks!"

According to Saitou, Arcia's identity was concealed strictly by the CIA. Unless someone's roving around underneath the SCO's influence. "It's definitely impossible that the SCO's already has the knowledge of what you're currently doing. Are you sure about this?"

"You don't understand." Her blue eyes uncovered from its lids and took a quick look at Aoshi, "Everywhere I go, there's someone following on my trail. Men in black suits pacing on my shadows…" Her head returned her gaze to the vast space of nowhere, all illuminated by the bright light coming out from the small window. She then turned her head to the man standing next to the postern.

Arcia find it amusing when he's in puzzled. He just stood there, his gaze glued in a void, thinking of things she couldn't theorize. A sigh of lack of fulfilment came out from her when the deafening utter stillness enveloped the two. "That's it!" good thing her voice reached for his attention, not to mention her plans of walking out. It's just as if his mind cruise somewhere else that no one will be able to wake him up from his trance.

"That's it what?" he turned and grabbed Arcia's arm.

`God… not the hand grip again…' she thought irritatingly.

"What did I do now?" There was a fragment of browbeating in spite of the fact that Aoshi's voice was still unperturbed as expected. He has no intent of releasing her at this moment. Even if she struggles more he'll be forced to use his strength if that's what it takes.

"This is important to me Aoshi! SCO's starting to have doubts on me."

"SCO will never harm you. They need you."

Arcia's jaw suddenly dropped and strenuously flexing her arm away, "You're wrong." She hissed, "SCO's the number one enemy of the state! They barter weapons and chemicals and sell them to the people who want to destroy the government. They're the same agency who killed both of my parents, kept my best friend under their protection and took my innocence away by making me, my self as their bloody agent!"

"And you think that by making such conclusions means you're freeing your self into this tumult, is that what you're talking about? We need some proof to your accusations before making any further moves that may affect everything. Both you and me are risking our lives here Arcia, and you alone can't make any further insights whether to do this or not." The look on his face tells it all. Even though he turns to be really inhospitable and half-hearted, he still has this strange aspect of being optimistic.

Quickly, she shook the thoughts away and came looking straight into his eyes. "It's too late. They're probably starting to plan how to execute me…"

-=0=-

"It's confirmed." Shishio looked up to the man standing forth his desk. "We detected the traitor."

Enishi couldn't believe his eyes. Jineh, SCO's spy under CIA took all Arcia Rinslet's files and brought it here in Shishio's hands. His verdant eyes instinctively came to observe the whole document. "No…" was all he could mumble. It shocked him to know this and couldn't even understand why on earth Arcia betrayed him, SCO, and her country. He didn't care no more about the big secret she had been keeping. What bothers him now was the fact that Arcia Rinslet was SCO's new target. There are some possibilities that she'll go under a quick simple doom or the agonizing slow pace of torturing death.

Schneider him self was surprised with the sudden occurrences. CIA was supposed to be careful with those kinds of files. `Load of bull…' he cannot let SCO torture Arcia. He has to do something before it's too late. He turned to the smirking form of Shishio who he had been cursing through out his damned life, "What are you planning to do with her?" knowing Makoto Shishio, he enjoys seeing people dying in hardship and distress. No doubt he'll let the double-crosser be killed instantly by one-shot of a sniper rifle. He'll torture her way to hell.

"I knew exactly how to discipline someone who's trying to bamboozle me under my nose. And I do assure you that little Arcia will regret everything she had done against me. She'll pay…"

Both men fret what exactly may happen to the troubled agent, and doubtlessly no one of them would like to see her catastrophic state.

-=0=-

Almost a month had passed since Arcia and Aoshi had been handling each and every assignment coming from the CIA. Until then, both were still in the verge of uneasiness, completely wary from seeing each other's presence. After discussing the whole strategy, Arcia would just walk off and so does he.

Back to SCO, everything was quite normal, yet weird in a sense. Enishi had been very cold to her after that little task they did in Cuba. The day after that, he won't even dare to talk to her neither saying `hi' as a greeting. Makoto Shishio had been throwing narrowed glances at her during the meetings while Shneider just kept on giving her this typical worried expression on his face.

Something was definitely wrong about everything. Arcia cannot keep up with her studies either for the fact that the thought of Enishi being indifferent totally bothers her a lot. She tried to communicate with him but he had never returned her calls. She had lost Kaoru who in fact she hadn't gotten any chance to talk to… she was too afraid to lose Enishi too. Sayo and the others had been really concerned on her current situation. They even volunteered on helping her; it was only her who declined the offer. Lana decided to quit the `mourning over Clark' thing and went on easing things up for Arcia.

Arcia appreciated all of their help. In fact, she was quite ashamed of her self for being weak and downhearted like this. She needed some answers and Arcia Rinslet's not a quitter at all. She has to resolve this and by doing that means talking to Enishi him self, face to face.

-=0=-

[Daigaku Hall lounge]

"I wouldn't be caught dead wearing baby bonnet and sucking on a pacifier," Okon said in her usual bored-to-tears voice, reaching for the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. "That's the same pledges we made last year and it didn't actually worked out."

"Lighten up Okon," Sayo retorted, grabbing a handful of cheese puffs. "All the dumb stuff that happens during rush is a tradition. Anyway, what's a few days compared to your whole college career? For four years in the only sorority on campus that matters, I'd wear diapers for a week." The girls clustered in the lobby nodded.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Arcia sipped her can of diet soda and glanced back and forth between her floor mates. They had wasted almost half an hour about this stupid debate about the Greek letter society's new pawns. She's not really involved with this kind of stuff but Sayo insisted her to accompany them, it's also a perfect reason to take a few miles away from Lana, who was still ill tempered as ever. She just sat their holding one of her psychology books while finishing the research paper she had promised to pass tomorrow morning.

"We need something new." Takani Megumi said, one of the senior theta members who were taking medicine as her major. She was quite haughty as well just like Okon who had been frowning on the opposite couch. "I pledged Theta because it seemed like a real community-not a bunch of judgmental snobs."

Okon agreed with Megumi's viewpoint, and then she turned her head to Arcia who had been quiet since she stepped inside the rendezvous. "How `bout you, Arcy. What would make you to join our sorority?" that was a neat question.

The thought of joining a sorority never came to puzzle her mind. Belonging to a group might be reassuring, but it might just put more pressure on her to be someone she wasn't-or didn't want to be. And besides, it'll just add up to the pain she had sustaining right now. "I'm not really into it. I don't have any idea." Arcia retorted.

"C'mon Arcy! Being in a sorority means loads of fun." Sayo jumped to the davenport next to her. "Why won't you ask Lana to join too. I'm sure she'll love it."

"Lana?" of course, no one knows about the Lana/Clark break-up issue. Goldilocks was quite talented in hiding those kinds of problems in front of the other people. "It'll be really impossible for us to-" and then the ring of her mobile phone did it all. She had thanked the Gods that someone had called her in this kind of situation.

She excused her self and quickly headed to the corner side. She brought up the phone and placed it near her ear, "Hello?"

-=0=-

Aoshi rushed his way to the agency once he had received Okita's urgent call. According to him, Saitou needed him as soon as possible and was summoned to meet him in the main hall. He could notice the obvious tone of agitation within the young police officer which was quite rare to hear.

He was walking towards the marbled hall and saw the door half-closed. There was Saitou sitting at the side, Okita and one of the top Commandant Seijuro Hiko, chief executive Yamagata Keysuke sat at the center, and a certain blonde man stood near the further side of the hall.

Not even bothering to think further more, Aoshi stepped inside and gave his apologies to the CEO. Just as what the blonde stranger did, he chose to stand rather than to repose. This was something serious for him to ease off especially knowing that most of the top overseers assembled together at this very assembly room.

"What's going on?" he asked prominently.

"We're in trouble," Saitou made his first retort. "by the way, Shinomori, this is Schneider Alexander, one of the hidden double agents for SCO. Schneider, this is Shinomori Aoshi, Arcia's handler." Both exchanged their nods a remark of an accosting.

`So, this guy's Schneider… Arcia's brother-in-law.' His eyes narrowed skeptically, `What is he doing here?'

Yamagata turned his head to Aoshi and glared at him straight in the eye, "Officer, do you have any idea where your client is?" he asked which was rather unusual to be a question to appeal for.

"In school I guess." Where else would she be anyway? He hasn't received any further tasks from CIA nor from SCO. He couldn't help to get the feeling that something weird was happening around.

"For Pete's sakes, let's get over this!" Schneider suddenly blurt out in anger. He bolted near the table and directly stared in Aoshi's eyes, "SCO's already apprised about Arcia's connection here in CIA. Makoto Shishio ordered to torture her."

Aoshi's eyes verged to widen, "What?" everything came into such sudden rush. "Where is she?" it could be possible that SCO's starting to hunt for their target.

"She's in Barcelona. SCO gave her a false mission. Makoto's planning to capture her by surprise." Saitou him self could not believe what's currently happening with the department. CIA had assured well to protect Arcia's identity, how on earth did the SCO learned about her little secret?

"We can't afford to lose that agent no matter what the odds! I'll send some back-up to take her away." Hiko added within the predicaments.

Schneider doubted the idea; "SCO must not spot any sign of the CIA around the district. You'll get Arcia killed with that kind of idea."

"Then what should we do? There's no more time left." Aoshi turned his head to the CEO who supposedly to have the answers.

"Someone must follow her to Spain and help her." Schneider raised his eyes and tend his direction to where Aoshi stood. "I know the exact place where she'll be held in custody. Shinomori, since you're Arcia's handler, better yet you go to Spain and save her out from the harrowing camp alone."

"It'll be easy for me to sneak in, it's difficult to escape out." he knew that after this little heroism, his life would turn out to be not so normal as what he has right now. SCO will try their best to track them down and it would be very difficult to be caught up to such situation.

"We'll discuss the procedures after that, leave the country as soon as possible." Schneider had no other choice but to bestow all his endowed knowledge. Arcia would be a very huge loss for the Government, and so as to his wife who's waiting patiently to meet her again. There's no way he'll be able to carry such burden upon his hands.

-=0=-

[Barcelona, Spain]

A new task was given and Arcia was off to retrieve SCO's top weapons from a man named Richard Gates, a former CIA general who possessed SCO's merchandises. She was told to do this mission alone without Enishi as her backup. It did devastated her a lot since she wouldn't be able to have a one minute talk with him or so about the sudden coldness he was showing. But of course, she needed to do this job first before thinking any further about her personal problems.

Arcia walked in tiptoes until she reaches the hatch right on the attic. She gingerly slipped her self inside, landing on the wooden floor in a swift motion. Languidly, her head drift through each route, observing each guards screening the whole place. `Damn… too many nudniks around…' she thought and went to strike one of the wards with her kunai.

She went behind him and stabs the blade right on his pulse in the neck. Before the man could almost wail out in great agony, she placed her gloved hand to shell his mouth, keeping his scream back to his bleeding throat. In one swift movement, she pulled the corpse back inside an uninhabited chamber and hid the dead body into darkness.

Phasing to the next area, she found two more and sighed inwardly in vexation. She used one of her ninja techniques and went hanging on to the ceiling with them, sprawled upside down in her sight. Her sharp eyes vision the two, almost wanting to strike them with her glares. In stead, she took a little green bottle out from her side pocket and threw the flask onto them. The couple of half-witted beings stared down at the thing that was undeviatingly fell in front of them. A thick haze of green smoke came out from the shattered glass. The Splinter Cell agent held down her breath until the whole smog was gone.

She flawlessly fell down on the floor, somewhat appearing like a feline as she dock. Her feet treaded its way to the subsequent sector, at a leisurely pace hiding her self from the shadows of the thick bulwarks. Slightly, the core of the building was filled with troops of wards, which was quite hard to advance on. `Where to enter… where to enter??' just as she persuade her self to think of some strategy of getting near to the vault, her eyes immediately caught a sight of an outlet right on to the canopy. A grin appeared on her façade and swiftly took the risk of finding a path on the topside.

It wasn't really hard to slip her self on the hole that made it easier for her to move free around because of her lithe form. Who can blame her? She's just a woman isn't she?

Taking soft mounts, she crawled her way to the lane where the roof was taking her. According to her calculations, the arch was just a few strides away.

When she finally found the hollow leading down to the coffer, she promptly grabbed her pony-tailed hair and tied it down to the side of her neck for her to put up her hood again. It's better to be cautious or endure the circumstances if any one caught a sight of her real appearance.

Right after she was all done, she removed the alcove covering the chasm. Once again, she glides off from the ceiling and stumble down to the repository. Her cunning rhythm infinitely helped a lot this time. Now, she's finally inside vault, a perfect moment to search the whole area.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Her blue pools struck widely open when an unequivocal voice spoken out of no where. Was someone watching her since she disembarked from the roof? She was sure she had not noticed any one around when she peers through the hole.

Slowly respiring, she gulps back and makes an effort of not looking behind her. It is very perilous to let anyone discern her way of speaking. "And why not?" she deeply asked, trying her best to sound potent.

Enishi glared at the thief and made a sole step of revealing him self from the shadows. "Arcia, turn around."

Is it her or did she just heard Enishi's voice back there? "Enishi?" she spun and saw the tall man standing a few miles away from her, a pistol pointed at her direction. Sapphire pools met burgeoning lush when she faced him. "W-what are you doing here? What's with the gun?" she was a whole lot relief that her partner was here, but definitely was not glad to see him with that pistol in his hand.

Enishi never returned any retort, in stead, he nod his head to some direction passes through Arcia's shoulder. She moved her head behind her and even saw a line-up of men in black suits and shades surrounding her ground. Revolvers and rifles were clutched on their hands.

She gritted her teeth; her fist clenching in wrath as her ire rises to her head. Was the SCO insulting her? They sent her here only to find her self trapped within this stupid set-up? "What's going on? What is this all about??" she demanded an answer if that would be possible. Especially to the fact that Enishi was standing forth her, aiming a shot on her flesh.

"SCO wants you dead." Enishi said, "And we're here to consummate Shishio's plans."

`Holy shit… SCO already knew about me and the CIA… shit!' this time, she was totally fidgety since she's starting to rationalize the whole circumstances. SCO gave her a fake assignment only to captivate and torture her. And now, here she was, surrounded by Splinter Cell agents.

Enishi had this certain frown on his face when Arcia came in the point of glaring at him. Honestly, he had no intention of being the one to do this job. He can't even stand the look of mixed hurt and fear within her eyes. Shishio insisted him to do this, and knowingly he couldn't refuse. Kaoru's coop up with the SCO's hands… he's afraid that SCO might do something to her and to their child.

"What? Are you gonna arrest me now and take me to Shishio or you'll just be standing there and gaze at me forever?" no matter how she tries to act cold and glacial she still couldn't help but to feel sorry as the guilt of lying to Enishi came to fill her mind.

"You can't run away from us. Better to surrender than to retreat." This was so damn hard for him. He might even curse him self for doing this to her. He couldn't afford the thought of Arcia being tortured with her dead body being dumped down by the nearest river. He loved her and even though she betrayed the agency and lied to him, his love for her will never ever vanish.

Arcia then glowered at her old friend, "Are you mocking me?"

"I'll be forced to kill you right here if you won't listen to me."

"Then why don't you do it, huh? Kill me! Kill me slowly so I could feel the pain!"

Enishi's eyes narrowed when she started to holler such words. He may not forgive him self after this. "Get her." the men enclosing Arcia walked towards her with plans of clutching her down. But definitely Arcia would never let her self be captured like that so easily.

She raised her arms and released the twin blades attached to it. Her eyes followed her enemy's movements and promptly she had read what they were about to do. She did evade a few gunshots and did her best somersaults, dodging each hazard drawing near her.

Her scalpels killed half of the mob until she was finally held down, pushing both of her arms behind her, taking off the blades away from her grip. Arcia hissed between gritted teeth as she struggles hard to be released. But of course, her efforts were wasted since she's closely encompassed by a horde. Someone had taken a fistful grasp on her hair, pulling her head to lean backwards. That's when she saw Enishi drawing near her.

"I'm sorry, Arcy. This is for the agency, and so as for the country…" she had seen the sadness within his verdant hues when he raised the gun and was about to shot her. Her lids closed upon her eyes, waiting for the bullet to hit her. And then…

BANG!

Her eyes flew open as the cold cartridge hit her belly. Her mouth hanged opens in the twinge of pain that languidly immersing down to her flesh. It felt really icy and because of that, it eliminated the unbearable pain away.

She felt numb as her eyes flutter down in trance.

It's the end… she's so near to her doom…

Is this death?

And then everything went black. She fell down to Enishi's arms who which was still bewildered to what he was doing. He regretted this too much, his eyes shut off in sorrow as if he nearly wanted to curse him self through and through.

"I'm sorry…"

TBC