Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Angels of the Assassins ❯ Chapter Ten: Rain ( Chapter 10 )

"Hey, where's Ryo?"

"If it's Ryo you're looking for, she went to a classmate's party." Yoji mumbled.

"But what about tonight's mission?"

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Birman, Manx, and the others gathered around the basement of the flower shop, all dressed to kill. None of them is speaking, just looking at things, rying to keep themselves busy. When Birman glanced at her watch again, she heaved a sigh.

"Where's Ryoko? Yoji, you sure she's coming?" the blonde didn't answer

"Has she answered the messages or calls?" Yuki, Omi and Aya shook their heads.

""Well, we can't do anything about that. We're running out of time. You just have to do this mission. Jel, you'll have two charges for tonight. Jel?" Everyone turned to the girl and saw her staring at the opposite wall with glazed eyes.

"Jel!"

"Huh? What?" Briman repeated her statement.

"Y-yes."

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Ryoko stared in full concentration on the TV screen in front of her while smashing the controls. She glanced momentarily at Calvin who was focused on the screen, she grinned, there's no way that he could beat her. The cheers of her classmates drown the other noise inside the room.

"I'm close to beating you Calvin…" she smirked.

"Uhm, Ryoko, your phone's about to burst with messages." A classmate shouted.

"Stop bothering me…"

"I'm not kidding Ryo. You have ten missed calls and six messages. The calls came from Omi, Aya, and Yuki."

"Shut it, will ya, I'm trying to concentrate here!"

"I'm not kidding!!!! Do you want me to read the messages?"

"Stay away from my phone and stop bugging me!!!!" Ryoko shouted, as her character was thrown off the ground.

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"Something's not right." Ran muttered.

"What?" Yuki asked, looking at him.

"Jelmerie's not herself, it's quite obvious that she's been worrying about something. Yoji, though he's not showing it, is incensed with Ryoko not showing up for the mission. Yoji can do his thing, Jelmerie can't. Omi," the brunette looked at him.

"Keep a close eye on Jelmerie, she may need assistance with this mission."

They arrived at the place, a huge burnt building housing a gang engaged in kidnapping and child trafficking. They are unsure of the children's whereabouts, they're not even sure if the children are still there, all they know is that the building is the gang's headquarters. It's just a four-floored structure, no guards whatsoever lurking around the grounds, this will make their mission easier.

" `Mi-chan, Yo-chan,. Jel-chan, goodluck!!!" She grinned, but only Omi returned the gesture.

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Ryoko stretched as she walked away from the TV, grinning. She won the second battle after Calvin won the first one, it's a tie now and she needs to win the final round. She grabbed a glass of punch and drained it, then sank on the foam Hikari spread on the floor. She remembered the messages on her phone and decided to check them, that is after she let her eyes rest, but before she knew it, she was asleep.

"Hey Ryo, wake up, third round's about to begin. Get up now, that is unless, you want Calvin to win." The last words made her jump.

"What?!?! Let that stupid Orion win? In his dreams!!!" she said, marching to the TV set again.

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"So, we just crash in?" Yuki asked as they climbed the stairs to the topmost floor.

"Yeah. There're twelve rooms in the hall but not all of them are occupied." Ken answered.

"Does that mean we're gonna to do it door to door?! Arr… I hate this."

"You know, I'm starting to wonder how they got you three to be assassins."

"Us? Simple. Jel's family is one of the highest officials of Kritiker, while Ryo and me were taken in, by our own free will."

"But, none of you're even eighteen, they shouldn't have let you do work like these." He replied

"Omi's just sixteen and you're not even twenty. So, what's the difference?" she smiled sheepishly.

"Just to remind you two, we're in a mission." Ran growled.

"Okay, okay, no need to roar Ran, sorry. Well, looks like we're here already."

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"Great going Ryo, go on kill him!!!!" a classmate cheered.

"Calvin, beat the hell out of her!!!!" the others echoed.

The third and final round is full of tension for Ryoko, she can't bear to lose and she won't let anything distract her. She punched the controls and concentrated on her attacks, not minding the jeers coming from the Calvin supporters.

"Ryo, a message for you reads, "Where in hell are you Ryo, answer the phone!!! We're about to go!!!' from Yuki." She tried to ignore this.

"Here's another, `Ryo, you're the only one missing. Where are you?' this came from Aya."

"Shut up!!!"

"Another from Yuki, `We have a damn mission Ryoko, and you'll like it, so come here immediately.'" By this time, the messages started to make their way to her mind.

"From Yuki again, boy, she sure wants you home. `Ryo, everyone's already here. We have a mission.' What's all this mission about?" Ryoko started to lose focus.

"Oh, at least this one's not from Yuki. I know about he party but please call if you can't make it. We're waiting.'. it's from hmm, Baka Yoji? Who's that?" Ryoko's blood froze.

"Another from him, `Ryoko, we have a mission, we're here at the shop' Hey Ryo, looks like your folks want you home badly."

After hearing the last message, Ryoko unconsciously dropped the controls, letting Calvin make a deadly attack that decreased her life points a lot. After realizing that her supporters were shouting madly at her, she picked up the controls and started punching, paying little attention to what's happening, hearing only the messages in her head as if Yoji'' speaking it, reminding her of someone. At last, she heard a tumultuous roar and found Calvin jumping up and down, her character lay dead on the TV but she couldn't care less. She grabbed her phone and read each of the messages, praying that her classmate only made it up, knowing it's absurd for someone in class to know her work as an assassin.

"So, Ryo, I won!!!!" Calvin beamed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." She said hastily, gathering up her things.

After making a quick apology to Hikari, she made her way out of the house, donned her roller blades and skated to the flower shop.

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After finishing the mission, Ran, Yuki, and Ken headed down to the first floor of the building. They can't be sure if they were able to kill the whole gang and that they still need to be alert, though two of them are likely unaware of that fact much to the redhead's disdain.

"Thanks for that save earlier kitten. I failed to see that bum behind the dresser. I was busy with another target."

"Well, that one's just a week's worth of chores" the other snickered.

"Hey, I saved you from that guy who looked like an ape, remember?!?!"

"But---"

"We're quits kitten!"

Something's moving closer to them from behind. It can be Omi and his group or other members of the gang, which one, they are not sure. The three halted, waited until the steps were clearer. Any moment now, they will be able to see the approaching persons.

"Omi! It's just you guys." Yuki called.

"Hey, what's wrong with Yoji?"

"Jel got into a tight spot and he tried to save her, only that he half succeeded."

The three looked at the other group and in truth, Omi is the only one that's without an injury. Jel's full of scratches while front of Yoji's coat is torn and stained with blood. Both looked tired and none of them spoke on their way back.

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Omi stood patiently outside Ran's door the next morning waiting for Aya-chan to get out. It took him a great amount of courage to knock and to face Ran who opened the door. Jelmerie left him just now, still passive and withdrawn. He heard a door open and looked with optimism to the one beside him.

"Hey `mi-chan, waiting for someone?" Yuki smiled knowingly

"Uh, y-yeah." He replied, his face starting to color.

"Don't worry, she'll be out in a while. Ran didn't let you in did he?"

"Actually he did, but I-uhm, told him, I'll just wait outside." Yuki tried hard not to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Ken just closed the door behind him and pushed a helmet on Yuki's head.

"Nothing. Gotta go. I still have a class to catch" he was about to say something when he heard a voice beside him.

"Hi Omi! Sorry if it took me long, where's Jel?"

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Omi and Aya-chan walked to the shop and found Jelmerie going out the door. Wondering what's happening and why the shop's still closed, the two turned to Jelmerie who just shook her head and leaned on the wall. Puzzled, Omi opened the door.

"We were there doing that cursed mission and where were you? Having the time of your somewhere! We've tried to contact you but what?! Did you make a reply? Did you even think that we were waiting for you all those time? Why the hell did you not even call?!?!"

"I told you. I wasn't able to read the message until later! Was that my fault?!" Ryoko shouted back back.

"Didn't you check your phone?"

"I---I left it on Hikari's table."

"Didn't someone tell you that you have messages?" Ryoko was silent for sometime.

"We were drawn into the game." Yoji's eyes blazed.

"A game?!?! That challenge the guy told you about? Ws that it? You exchanged your mission for that?!?!"

"The mission. Is that the reason why you're raving like a mad dog?!?! I have a life Yoji, killing people is not the only thing I do or even think of!"

"It's not just the mission! Okay, let's get that out! Why then, did you not even tell us where you were last night? Why didn't you even send us a message telling your side?"

"By the time I've read your messages, you're already out there!" she retorted, tears starting to rise.

"Still, you shouldn't have done that! And to think that you stayed here instead of going back to the apartment! You don't care for others do you?"

"What are you talking about?!? For your information Yoji, you don't have a damn to what I do!" she shouted, dashing to the door.

"Ryoko, as long as you're staying with me, you're my responsibility!"

"Dammit! Stop acting like you're my brother Yoji, because you hellishly know that you're not!!!"

"Ryo!!!" Aya shouted, trying to run after her.

"You know, I think she had a point." Omi said quietly after Aya left.

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Morgaine knocked on the door and waited for Hecate to open it. She stepped inside the girl's beautifully decorated room and in an instance smelled the fragrance of the scented candles that surround the room, it's evident that they were the only light inside the room before Morgaine knocked. Her eyes traveled to the light blue walls lined with paintings to the elegant furniture, and lastly, to the seemingly innocent girl who opened the door.

"You know, you will never convince anyone that you're an assassin if you're going to make the confession in this room." Hecate smiled.

"What brings you here?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to check on you since you failed to come down for breakfast, as you never skip it before."

"Uh, I was talking to a friend. She's planning to visit Japan and since I told her I'm now based here, we're planning a little get-together."

"That's good. Is she the one who visited us last summer?"

"Nope. The one I'm talking about is a long-lost friend. She'll be coming here from Australia. I even told her to bring me a koala."

"Do we know her?"

"I think not. But I may have mentioned her name once or twice."

"Okay, what's her name?"

"Yuriko."

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Rain poured heavily that afternoon, and when Yuki returned to the shop asking about Ryoko, Jelmerie, and why everything looked dull. Aya-chan filled her with what they witnessed.

"He has good intentions but what he did just made Ryo remember her brother." Just then, the door opened and a guy entered.

"Yuki, where's Jel?"

"V-vaughn, what brings you here?" again, the door opened and Ryoko and Jelmerie went inside.

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Jelmerie emerged from the basement together with Vaughn. She was smiling, but her eyes clearly showed signs of tears she must've cried sometime earlier.

"Aya, I think I haven't had the time to introduce this stupid bloke. Anyway, he's Vaughn Seymour, my older brother." Jelmerie smiled.

"Hi. So, you're Fujimiya Aya, nice to meet you." He smiled, shaking her hand.

"He knows me already?" Aya asked.

"Yup. He's a Kritiker officer so he already knows about you."

"Jel, I see you're feeling better today." Yuki smiled.

"She's just worrying about me. You know how my beloved little sister loves me so much." Jelmerie rolled her eyes.

"I don't."

"Yeah? Then why won't you let me go into the field again?"

"I-I… just shaddup!"

They all laughed, excluding Ryoko who's busy looking at each one. Jelmerie making faces while Vaughn tried to fake strangle her, Yuki and Aya laughing their hearts out . It seems like she's the only one who carries a problem among them. Jelmerie's visited by her brother, Aya-chan's living with her brother, and Yuki, well, everyone knows how she's being treated by Ran, among them, it looks like she's just the one having problems.

"Kira…"

"Hey, Ryo, come here!"

She heard her name being called but didn't bother. She remained rooted to the spot where she stood, silent tears falling to the floor. And then something inside her head flared up…

"Where's Ryo? I swear she's just there." Jelmerie asked, pointing to where Ryoko stood.

"Maybe she went home or something." Vaughn shrugged.

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The rain did not stop pouring and just got worse. Jelmerie's back to her old self again, to Aya, Yuki, and Omi's delight. Omi, who came a little after Ryoko's disappearance was shocked when Jelmerie greeted him warmly when she didn't even talk to him for the past few days. Vaughn treated the three after the shop closed and dropped them to their apartments before heading to the hotel. They passed by Yoji's door and the three looked at each other but just continued walking.

"At last! I've finished unpacking!!!" Yuki shouted triumphantly.

"If you just let me help you, you could be resting now." Ken said, matter-of-factly.

"I told you, I can manage it by myself." She flopped down the couch.

"Now, I'm really tired."

"You sure you're really done? Then what's this?" she turned around and saw him carrying a box.

"You gotta be kidding! I can't believe this…" she groaned.

"I'll take care of this. It's just full of books. Where will I put it?"

"Er… no, I'll do it." she said, running to the room.

They were almost halfway down the box's contents when Ken picked up a book and examined it.

"What's this?" he said, turning over the pages of the thick book.

"That's Camellia's book. She's a fan of the Arthurian legends. Always telling me things about Guinevere, Arthur and many more." She said, continuing her work.

"Hey, look at this picture,"

He laid the book on the floor and held the picture in his hands. There were nine persons smiling from it, four were girls, and the other, young men. Two girls were grinning from ear to ear with a guy holding a book above their heads, pretending to hit them anytime. In the middle sat a girl, and another young man both making faces in front of the camera. Then two girls with great resemblance with each other stood next to them. They were arm in arm, both smiling while the two other men were looking at their direction, particularly to the blonde girl. After looking at it for some time, Ken found out that he'a familiar with two faces in the picture.

"Is that Sora, Birman and Manx I'm seeing?"

"Yeah, that's them! That must be when they were like us! Hey, see that one? She's Camellia, she's supposed to be the one in charge with you." Yuki said, pointing to the seated girl.

"Wait, is this Sora?" he asked, pointing to the blonde girl.

"Now that you've mentioned it… yes, it's her!!!! Wait, the one beside her looks familiar, I'm sure I've seen her." the two looked at each other.

"It can't be her, can it?" Loud banging on the door startled them both.

"Yoji, what on earth are you doing?!?!" Ken asked after opening the door. Yoji was standing behind it, so are Omi and Jelmerie

"Ryoko… she's, she's missing."

"What?!?"