Chapter Twenty Three.

 

#Millia:

 

Oh no! She came back to get me didn’t she?

 

“Sol Badguy!” yes, there is no mistaking it, it is her. “If you don’t want to die, hand her over!”

Sol popped his neck and held his sword tight, not at all prepared for a fight. I was tired, I have walked a lot and it had been a stressful day, emotionally and physically.

“What’s your name, wench?” he lit a cigarette and shifted his weight.

I sat up from the couch and used my crutch to hop over there. “Hold on, Lori! What do you want?!” I shouted, there was smoke everywhere.

 

“Milly!” she grinned her golden-tooth sloppy grin. “Fancy seeing you here!”

I frowned. “What do you want?” Who am I kidding? The guild wants me, what else?

“Venom wants to talk to you.” She pulled out her Nunchucks and tossed away dark hair from her face. “Dead or alive.”

 

I opened my mouth to speak but it seemed to be too late, Sol had charged up to her and thrust his sword towards her. I couldn’t do anything but watch the quick thrusts and blocks. If anybody knew how Nunchucks were used, it would be Lori. I need to stop them, they wont be able to come out of this alive, I just know it.

 

I might have zoned out for a second, because I looked up when I heard a grunt, it was Sol’s. she’d gotten him across the face!

She had hit Sol! Sol Badguy! He was way underestimating her.

“Stop it! Both of you!” I shouted and almost tripped on my own crutches.

 

Lori grinned her golden tooth grin at me, but was too slow to dodge a clear hit in the face.

I cant believe Sol is hitting a lady!

Her tooth skidded across the floor and I stared up in horror as her Nunchucks went flying to his face.

She’ll kill him!

Sol’s sword hissed and made contact with her stomach, burning a hole in her shirt.

 

“STOP IT!”

He had just gotten out of a fight himself, he should be tired, he shouldn’t fight anyone now!

 

A rough, wooden stick was dodged, before a line of flame was bounced off. This is going to burn the whole building down for no reason at all.

 

“Lori, I’ll go! Just stop it” I’m tired of this all, I’d rather see what Venom has and accept it, Sol does not deserve what I’m putting him through.  

“What?” I turned to see Sol frowning at me.

“I’m going.” I pushed my disturbed hair away. “You don’t need all this, I’m sorry for the trouble.” I stopped talking before any of the tension showed in my voice.

 

What's happening to me?  

 

His hand held my arm when I walked past, and pulled me to him, “You are going off to kill yourself?” His eyes suddenly turned cold as steel.

“Yeah.” I took one last look into those amazingly blue eyes before pulling my arm away gently. “I said I was sorry.” I whispered and fought the thought of kissing him. I can feel his breath…

“I’m not going to follow you.” He warned with a dangerously low tone.

He was serious…

A shiver ran down my spine. “You won’t.” I’m doing this for you, after all.

 

I think…  

 

Lori grinned a tooth-less grin and put her Nunchuks on her shoulder, “Come on Mil Mil… Lets go.” I turned around and frowned at her.

“You said you’d be my friend forever.”

She brushed blood off her chin. “He gave me another golden tooth! Why would I say no?” she twisted my arm to my back and pushed not so gently. I took a last glance at Sol behind me, but I couldn’t see his eyes…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I don’t remember what happened when I climbed down the last step of the staircase, she must have hit me… I woke up later in a bed, the smell of blood and cheap perfume filling my nose. I sat up and bit back a scream at the pain in my arm. I looked down to realize that they had broken the cast off, and left the injured skin exposed.

When did the guild become this cruel? Oh, Zato…

 

Sol…

 

Tears of pain and fear filled my eyes. I was scared, scared of what they might do to me. Scared of the cold look that was in Sol’s eyes when I decided to leave.

”I’ll never leave you, honey, I promise.”

 

You promised, mommy, but you left.

 

I took a deep breath and laid down. Somebody opened the door.

 

“Hi Milly! Awake yet?” I pretended to be asleep, never moving a muscle. “WAAKE UP!” same annoying voice. “Millia!” I braced myself…

 

For the bucket of water that came splashing down on my face.

 

Instinctively I sat up and breathed. I ignored the bubbly laughing and brushed away my wet hair. “Very funny.” I frowned and glared at her, she had her left shoulder and arm all wrapped up in gauze. “What happened to your arm?”

“Oh, nothing much… your boyfriend decided to have human steak for lunch…” she shrugged and winced, “I swear if that guy wasn’t human I’d say he isn’t!”

I blinked.

“I’m sedated, don’t mind me Milly, you hair wasn’t the obedient pet either!” she laughed and leaned on the wall. “Welcome back, Milly.”

“I’m not back.” I whispered. “I just want it to end.”

 

“Tough luck there, Venom isn’t here yet, he’s gone and nobody knows where he is…”

Confusion. “What do you mean?”

She crossed her legs on the floor. “Well, you see, when you ran after Zato, Slayer decided to disband the guild, we’d die of hunger if that actually happened!” she grinned. “But Venom here kicked his ass and appointed a temporary dude to run the place until he came back…” she scratched her unkempt hair. “Well, we don’t know when or where he went, we just followed orders of those atop us, so sorry if I hurt you or anything, Mil.” She smiled.

She was nice, but she’s blinded by gold too easily… “Hurt me?” I touched my arm. “You took off my cast!” I took a deep breath. “My arm hurts like hell…” I must have been too affected by Sol’s behavior, hell?

 

“Oh, don’t worry, Mill, the doctor should be here soon.”

“Doctor?” I frowned, “Why did you take it off in the first place?”

“The rain ruined it!” she shrugged and winced. “Which rises another question.” She scratched her cheek. “Why aren’t you wearing any underwear?”

Heat of humiliation spread in my cheeks. “Why would you care?”

She grinned. “Well, the guys were wondering when they brought you here.” She sat up and rolled her shoulders carefully. “well, I’ll be going then.”

“Wait.” I sat up and limped towards her. “Get me out of here, I wanted to speak to Venom not some other guy!”

She shook her head. “You know more than anybody else how bad it gets when you disobey orders.” She rubbed her stomach, where Sol had burnt her.

 

Oh yeah, disobey orders and…

 

I fought a shiver and caught her arm, “They don’t need to know! Leave your card here!”

She pressed her lips together and flashed her card key out. “No can do.” Her eyes darted towards something behind me before they rested on my eyes again.

 

We were being watched.

 

I reached out to grab the card, who cares who was watching me, I want to speak to the head of the place, why were they putting a bounty on my head, dead or alive? Why did they assign Lori to watch me?

Oh Sol, I miss you already!

 

What the…

Her hand moved away and she pushed me towards the bed, pain shot up my spine. “Sorry, you cant get out of here.”

I forced the pain to the back of my head and jumped on her again, my hand touched the smooth surface. “I cant believe you! You used to do anything for me!”

Her hand caught my throat. “Too bad, you actually believed it?”

Ice ran in my veins. “What…”

“You believed too quickly!” her fingers tightened on my throat and my hair prickled. No, Please no! “You are as gullible as Venom, You’ll never be answered, don’t you get it!?”    

Please hair stop it. “Shut up! They are only using you!” just as they used me to get Zato and the way they are using Venom to get me… I guess the guild wasn’t as innocent to begin with… “Soon you’ll be their next target!”

“Get this.” She grinned and broke the card in half with her palm. “Nobody uses me, Do you know who my father is?”

“He’s the Head Scientist?” I cant breathe… That’s what I remember about her, anyway. She used to brag about how awesome her father was all the time, but he was fired shortly before Zato was claimed to be half-dead. 

“Wrong!” Her hand dropped the ruined card and she sent a fist to my stomach. “He’s the Head of the whole Guild!”

I cant breathe…

“You know what else he can do for me?”

Cant… Breathe…

“He can let me have everything you had! The fame, the position! I can even get your Boyfriend if I wanted to!”

Sol?

“But who needs an ass like him when you can get all the guys in the guild?”

Sol… He’s the … He never hit me…

“Damn, I’ve been wanting to tell you this since I’ve met you, you were so stupid!”

 

The world went black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I opened my eyes slowly, the little light that filtered from under the door hurt my eyes. My arm and leg were numb, I couldn’t feel them at all. There was something damp on my cheek though… I touched in and stared hard at my fingers, were the ceilings leaking? No… it had stopped raining, it seems. Then what is this-

 

Blood…

 

There was blood on my face!

I sat up and gasped, wetness poured off me and a heavy piece of flesh lay against my leg. I touched it carefully and realized it was an arm. Trying as hard a I could to remain calm, I shook it. Did I hit Lori? Did my hair hurt her?

Sometimes my hair tends to attack without my permission, especially when I lose consciousness. I remember the time when I fainted and hurt Sol, I just hope I didn’t hurt her greatly.    

“Lori?” I slid my hand down, trying to reach for her shoulder, but my fingers only caught air.

 

My heart went skyrocket. Her arm was detached! Ungh… I threw the arm away without a second thought and touched around for the rest of her, but I only found puddles of dampness here and there, I couldn’t find it in me to look around anymore, tears rolled down my cheeks.

 

I’ve killed her, I’ve killed a person! Exactly how daddy killed her! Torn to pieces and blood and mirrors… I hugged my hair out of habit and gasped when I felt the dampness in it. It had torn her apart, because of me!

 

No… All my life I had promised to stop killing, that I’d never let anybody make me kill anything anymore… but no…

I could barely breathe, I cried as loud as I could, I couldn’t keep it in anymore, I have killed a person… I’ve become just like him. I’m a murderer again. I’ll always be.

 

I’m sorry… Sol. 

~~~~

 

I spent almost an hour in there, my eyes couldn’t shed anymore, I felt so tired. the door refused to open no matter how many times I try the password. I know I’m in the lower cellars of the building, but its very unusual to be left here unguarded for this long, and then Lo-- She had been missing all this time… Where is everybody? I want to get out of here, I cant stay in the same room as her… not when she was dead with blood everywhere…

If only I had given myself up to Venom in the first place.  

 

There was a knock on the door.

 

Seems Venom had hired idiots, no wait, it isn’t venom that’s in charge anymore.

“Hey assassin are you in here?” it was a loud, high-pitched voice that was familiar, but didn’t exactly bring up an image. Who is this guy?

Who cares?

I brushed back my damp hair. “Can you get me out of here?” 

“Stay away from the door!” I am away. I opened my mouth to speak but soon decided not to when a loud explosion rocked the walls. The door flew to pieces before a shadow stepped into the smoke. “I’m here to ask for directions, but- Hey! You look exactly like that chick in the Bounty Hunter’s bed!” he scratched his silver hair. “Nyah, I’ve seen million o’ blonde sleeping chicks with red hair-ends, care to tell me where the hell I am?”

I tried to stand up but my leg hurt too much, “You are at the Assassination guild, please help me up!” Get me out of here.

He stood in the doorway like a scarecrow. “I’m there already?” the strange man walked over to me and put his arm around my shoulder to help me up. “Whoa, What the hell happened here?” I carefully ignored the remains of the body and hopped out of the cellar, when I was out and away from the dangerous grounds, I looked around, trying to remember the exit. I purposely Ignored his question, if I talk about it I’d probably loose consciousness again.

 

The second building, ground floor. They must not hate me this much, then. This is where they keep the important, kill-not hostages. That means…  

 

“Hey assassin lady, where’s the head honcho here?” he almost dragged me up the stairs and when we reached up my leg was already beyond numb.

“Ah…” I took a deep breath and tried to keep from screaming.

“Assassin lady! I’m talking to you!” I glared up at him and noticed my hair wrapping around his neck. “Assassin lady!”

I pushed away from him and leaned into the wall, to keep from strangling him for one, but mostly because his hand was feeling up my side. 

 

He coughed and winked, “You’ve got a nasty bruise on your side, didja know that?”

I blinked a few times and started walking up the stairs. “Just get out of here.” You are too naive to be killed here. Especially by me.

“Hey! Listen I’m not just some kid with a grudge! I’m here to kill the head assassin guy here!”

“At least call him by his actual name!” I shouted over the commotion.

Commotion? What is happening up there?

 

“What name? for all I know there are three dudes hoggin’ the place!” he jogged up the long stairs. “One’s dead, one’s half dead and the last is preferably dead!”

“That’s Zato, Eddie and Venom.” I frowned and brushed away tears of pain. Don’t cry, it doesn’t hurt that much..

 

But it does Damnit!

 

“No no… listen Hun, one’s dead, and one’s half dead, Mito said he’s a vampire or zombie or both or what the hell I’m gonna kickhissorrylittleassanyway!” he laughed and opened the door for me. “Hey chick, you don’t look so good…”  

I took a deep breath and walked out the door. I’ll never climb stairs again.

“Hey! Don’t tell me Badguy’s started without me?”

 

My hair prickled and my heart stopped beating. Pain went out the window.

“Badguy?”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

#Sol:

 

Don’t friggin ask.

 

“Mito Damn it! Watch it with those fans!” Zessen aren’t some paper fans you get at ‘a store near you!’

“Gomen Sol Kun!” he hit his head with the fan and smiled. A guy came up from behind him, knives swords and all, he got stabbed in the gut with… get this.. a fan…

I rubbed my forehead and groaned. I’m going to kill the guy who put Zessen into a fan. “Stop pet-naming me.”

“Sumimasen!” he stepped over a guy and started fiddling with a password panel.

 

The only reason I brought somebody with me was because they wanted to, not because I needed them. Che, I don’t need no body.

 

“You know, Sol sa- err, Sol.” There was a stretch of silence until I realized that he wanted some kind of acknowledgment.

“What.”

“Your woman is probably behind this door!”

“She isn’t my woman.” I lit a cigarette and started building a map of the place in my head.

“Why would a sane man come to this hell hole if not for the well fare of woman he loves, hmm?” I stopped composing the map long enough to imagine him with broken glasses on his nose.

Fredrick sang something cheesy in my head, something I probably was too ashamed to keep in my database.

“Sol san, If you were an assassin, what kind of password would you put?” he scratched his head and looked back at me.

 

I walked over and thrust Fuuenken into the metal door, making a hole big enough for both of us to fit.

“That would work..” he trailed quietly behind me. “But Sol san, I think you wrecked it!”

“Don’t.” I whirled around, growling. “Pet. Name. Me.”

“H-Hai, Sempai!” he fixed his glasses and trembled like a little girl.

I don’t know what the hell that meant, but as long as it would shut him up its fine with me.

 

He started playing with another panel while I lit another cigarette and watched him. Why does he insist on solving the puzzle when you can just burn it? “What will you do when you find her?”

Thinkthinkthink. “Take her to the Holy Orders.”

His fingers stopped working. “Uhh, I’m not sure I understand what you are saying, but anything is better than this!”

Hell yeah. “To collect my Bounty money.”

I stubbed the cigarette under my shoe and was met with a pouting Japanese face. “That’s not very nice!” he turned around to look at me. “Are you saying you came here just for the bounty?”

No. “Yeah.”

 

I figured he’d open his mouth any second to lecture me of how noble it is to treat women kindly, but instead he just pressed a button and passed through the now-open door. “You are cold, Sempai.”

 

Che.

If you weren’t on my side you’d be in Kisky’s arms… hands… whatever…

 

“GAMMA BLADE!” I corked a brow and watched the male Geisha fly to the opposite wall. “Whops! Sorry!” a certain albino walked through the hole in the wall and knelt down. “Buddy you okay?” Hmm, I guess he’s done being lost in the maze of hallways. 

“Baka…” there was another person walking behind the albino.

 

Alarms went in my head. It was Rage, covered in blood.

Damn, she’s hurt.

Damn, she’s my bounty…

 

“Millia Rage!” the Japanese man sat up and gasped, “Dear Kami! you are in a horrible state! Let’s get you to a doctor!” she leaned onto his arm and thanked him, unknowing of yours truly.

Fire burned in my belly… what the hell was he doing, touching my gi…

Bounty…

 

“She’s been walking like a drunkee all the time! I don’t think assassin lady can walk anymore…”

“Chippu san, could you at least be polite enough to call her by her name?”

“Che.” I chewed the inside of my cheek and pulled her arm to me. The beast in my chest writhed at her gasp, but I didn’t allow our eyes to meet. I pulled her up over my shoulder and turned to the Japanese-wannabe. “Go home, its over.”

 

Warning, Female crying.

 

Che…

 

“Sempai! That is no way to be treating a woman!” his ego was probably bigger than his head. “And an injured one at that!”

“Shut up, go kill your assassin or whatever.” I turned around and started to the door I blew up. Their bickering still lingered on in the hallway behind me, smoke and ash everywhere.

 

“Hey Mito, what do you think crawled up his ass?” … “Sempai likes to conceal his true identity.” … “Really? Who is he really?” I stopped walking, if he tells him I’m a gear-. “A man in need of Love.”

 

I continued to walk.

 

Rage stopped kicking.

 

“Sol Badguy, we finally meet again!” a lazy, husky voice echoed through the walls. Without even analyzing the voice, I already knew who it was. Rage went limp on my back.

“Come on out, old fart.”

“Hahah! Cheery as always!” he clapped his hands and pulled out the smoking Pipe from his mouth. “Now now, I thought you’d left the stone age! Put her down…”

I took a step forward.

“Now Sol, that is not a way to treat a lady.” He shook his head, “And an injured one at that.”

My cheek twitched. Fine, okay, alright, I’ll put her down, will that make your life better? I slid her off my shoulder and laid her down in a corner, she was long since passed out.

 

“So it’s a fight?” I fought a smirk.

“No, not really, I just came to meddle in your affairs.” He smiled.

This is getting boring, nobody wants to put up a fight around here. Not even rage.  I came here looking for her, and looking for good practice, there was none damnit, just wussy guys screaming for their lives…

“Fight me.” I pushed my headband up, Fuuenken thrummed.

“The girl.” He motioned with his chin.

“She’ll be fine.” I walked over to him and grabbed his shirtfront. Our foreheads banged before he flew to the opposite side. Damn he’s such a hard-head.

He slammed into the wall and fell on the floor in that way that made me want to kick his teeth in. “Ah, but I wasn’t asking about her health, Sol!”

Damn, caught off guard. “Shut up.” I ran the short distance and stabbed Fuuenken into the floor, it generated a river of fire that ran straight head for the old man. Eat this, health freak.

 

Something hit the back of my head and before I know it I was face to face with the grinning vampire.

 

“At least I have a wife!” he bit my neck and pushed me away, I tripped over a dead body and fell on my ass. Damn, never fell on my ass in ages. Heh.

“Least I’m still young.” I ran up to him again and kicked his legs from under him, kicked him in the gut and thrust Fuuenken into his side. He simply smirked and put cheek on his fist, where he was lazing on the floor.

“At least I can smirk up at you and you can do nothing about it.”

Debris fell over my head before I could think up anything witty, what the hell’s going on?

 

Fuuenken was kicked away as the old man laughed and shouted, “Been fun! I have to go now!” he disappeared. A big chunk of ceiling fell and, without thinking, I dove to a knocked-out assassin sleeping in the corner.

Her eyes cracked pained blue slits. “Sol?”

The thing in my chest twitched. “S’gonna be okay, babe, go to sleep.” 

She was alarmingly light when I carried her in my arms. “I’m sorry…” her trembling fingers touched my face.

”I’m sorry, daddy!”

I shook my head and started towards the door, pebbles raining over my head. Where’s Fuuenken? “I forgive you.”

She smiled. Its doing back flips in my stomach, damnit. “Thank you.” Her eyes closed.

 

“Sempaaai!!” I heard his shoes before he caught up on me. “The place is falling apart!”

“I told you not to use that much gunpowder!” the albino popped out of nowhere, a small black bag in his hand.

“Me! You are the.. Oh never mind! Lets get out of here!” he tripped and fell down, face first. “Itai… I believe this is yours, Sempai?”

I glared at the sword and fought with my inner self.

Rage.

Fuuenken.

Rage.

Fuuenken.

 

Damn!

 

“Get the sword and follow me.” I took one step before glaring at him, “And don’t you dare scratch it.”

“I- I wont!”

I ran up ahead, and only strained to hear Geisha shoes, the albino was worth dirt… unless it was up for sleeping pills. Who the hell cares? Pebbles were making tiny bumps on my head and here I am thinking of drugs? I’ve lost it…

 

Its your fault, Fredrick.

 

“Sempaai!!” the Japanese shouted that annoying word. “Do you have any idea where we are headed?”

Not the slightest idea. “Yah.” The map got corrupted thanks to that bite the vampire gave me… I should learn that move…

“Hey!” the albino popped up in front of me. “Why don’t we just blow the place to smithereens?”

“Iee! We are still in it!” the Japanese kicked a dead arm. “Eh! What is this?”

“Oh.” I groaned at the idiots I keep company. This albino was more drugged than a drunken lab rat. At least the damn rat could find the cheese..  I glared at him and he grinned. “Well, Lets hope Johnny gets here before the place IS blown to smithreenees.”

I rolled my eyes. “Johnny?”

“Eh…” the girly dancer hugged my sword and nudged me with his shoulder. “He, uhh… Kind of offered! Besides the explosion would blow up this side of the planet!”

“Like Japan wasn’t enough!” the albino laughed at the silly joke of his.

“I find that surprisingly mean of you, Chippu.”

“G… Gomen?” he chuckled, an annoying sound. I just wanted to get the hell out of here. The door we came from was blocked by a giant piece of ceiling. “At least I got what we wanted!”

 

I looked down at the sudden feeling of dampness in my shoe, the place was filling up with water? What the hell…

 

The wall broke to a thousand pieces I swear if I see something else explode I’ll blow my head off.

A … uhh…

 

Whale…

 

Peeked in.    

         

“Yamada San!” a tiny girl known as… May... walked into the trembling building. “Lets evacuate everybody! This is not a drill! Come on guys!!”

 

I looked down at the girl in my arms, mainly because she was the only sane thing in the whole room.

She didn’t have pink on her.

 

I ran over to where the uh, whale was… and climbed the airship. The same Airship Rage had climbed few days ago.

I kept the woman so close, I could smell the tears and blood on her.

“Let me help you!” my eyes met bloody-red, gentle eyes. Dizzy.

“No,” I shook my head and walked inside, watching the building groan and collapse. My eyes scanned the place for Mito… where could he be?

I’d better not find a scratch on my sword.

 

“Itai! That hurt you Baka!” an anvil fell on the Albino’s head, but I only scanned the place for a red sword thing…

 

“Phew! We could have died!” the door closed, air stopped slapping dust in my face. “Are you okay, Sempai?”

 

A loud explosion achoed in the distance.

 

I glared at the Japanese dancer. “Where’s my sword?”

“Nn… I gave it to you, didn’t I?”

I glared. Rage stirred in my arms.

“Hnhn… Chippu san! Stop playing games! Give the nice man his sword!”

“What? Hey I could be a drug dealer but I’m no thief!” I groaned and walked over into the next room, it had a yellow sofa that went horribly wrong with the red walls. I quietly rested Mi… My Bounty on the cushion before crossing my arms over my chest and watching the silly fight between the Japanese and the Japanese wannabe.

“If your head wasn’t extinct, I would have killed you both.” I searched my pockets but there were no cigarette’s left.

“Hha ha!!” he laughed nervously, “Sempai! We have your sword but-”

“Butitstoolatetogobacknow!” the albino grinned and scratched his white scalp.

I uncrossed my arms. That only took 00:31 seconds to process. “There could be windows.”

 

The girly dancer almost fainted.

 

“Ano, Sol san!” I looked down to see big, innocent eyes peeking at me through blue lashes. “Is this yours?” Fuuenken was in her arms.

It wasn’t my sigh of relief, it was the two Japanese’.

 

End of chapter twenty three.