A black haired boy – man – with deep, dark eyes and very familiar face features brightened up in a smile when he saw me.

“No! It’s impossible!” I shouted, happy that it wasn’t.

“Can you recognize me? Lord, I hoped I had changed...”

“A bit uglier, maybe,” I laughed.

He stood up and hugged me. This hug was full of warmth, friendship and happiness.

***

“Well, you actually have changed a lot, Danson. But your smile revealed you,” I laughed when he let go of me.

“Then how have you been? Solved any riddles lately?”

“Many, but none of them are of the brilliant kind you used to make. You remember Alien, right? Alien Huang? God, he proposed to me! It was truly a riddle to find out how to answer,” I said. Danson had always been my most confidential friend – before I met Genie – and ten years of separation couldn’t change that.

“Seriously? I remember him as a very... well, a type your parents would love you to marry,” he laughed. “How did you answer then? Am I to give you my blessings?”

“No way. I responded with a ‘no’. I’m pretty busy lately, and,” I lowered my voice, “and I already like someone else.” I giggled in a very 8-years-old-girlish way. How I wish I could return to that time.

“So he’s the reason for that ring on your finger?” Danson smiled. I immediately stopped smiling.

“No, actually... you can say that it’s the other way around. And he doesn’t like me, so you can’t tease me about it.” I tried to smile again, but failed.

For a short moment, I wondered what would happen if I told Danson about the Blazing Soldiers. But I quickly threw the thought out of my head; through him, I was in closer contact with the more innocent and carefree me I had been before becoming a Coder.

“But what are you busy with then?” he asked. I used my common excuse; ballet training.

“But how have you been doing? I mean, when you disappeared ten years ago, you didn’t even tell me where you were going,” I said in a serious tone. This had actually been bothering me for a long time.

“Oh, my parents sent me to a boarding school in Russia when they moved to France. What can I say, they’ve never been the most caring parents,” he rolled his eyes. “They still live in Paris. I finished my education this spring, so I took the first possible opportunity to get back to Taiwan.”

“Russia? Seriously? What kind of education do you have?”

“Military. Specialist in weapon technology, you can call it a blacksmith. But more advanced.”

“Wooow...” I breathed. “I thought you would become some kind of... riddle expert, if they exist. Weapon expert was the last thing I’d expect.”

“Except for stripper, e or underwear model, I hope.” He winked.

“No; you’re too ugly,” I joked, and laughed.

Just then, my mobile rang. I picked it up.

“Miss Wu, quickly. The head quarter, now!” I voice said. It sounded like the person was running.

“Who is it? What happened?” I asked.

“It’s me, Jolin. We will tell you when you arrive, the phone is too risky.”

As Danson looked strangely at me, I said:

“Okay, Genie, I’ll be there in ten minutes.” I hung up, and smiled at him.

“Ballet training, we have a big competition this Friday, and our teacher is going crazy. I’m sorry, but I have to leave.”

Exactly ten minutes later I stood in the reception of the head quarter. Jolin was waiting for me.

“Oh, thank god! Come with me.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the hospital wing. She explained while running.

“There has been another murder. And this time it’s... spooky. There are no traces of violence.”

“Who has been murdered?” I couldn’t make myself say the word “dead”.

“Z20. He was on vacation with his family, and they found him dead this morning. They hadn’t heard anybody break in.”

A lot of people were gathered in front of a ward. The door was closed.

What I guessed was the man’s wife and daughters were talking with Jack. A lot of adult Coders stood in a group and had an intense discussion, and a group consisting of Aaron, Jiro, Selina, Ella, Hebe and Rainie were standing a little away, all silent.

I ran toward them.

“Gui Gui, finally!” Ella exclaimed.

“But why is it important that I’m here?” I had been speculating about it, since I wasn’t a Z Coder like everybody else here – except for Jolin and Z20’s family.

“You were with us when we found the first victim. There was a new note.” Rainie gave me a piece of paper that was exactly like the first note we found on Sam, except for that the text was different.

“We have many ways.

BB No. 2,” I read out loud.

“Jolin told that there were no signs of violence that could have caused Z20’s death,” I said.

“Yes, but they’re examining him now. The doctors,” Rainie told me. I took a deep breath.

“It’s scary that... there’re more. Of them. No. 2. Will no. 3 be the killer next time?” I looked at the paper again. “And I wonder what BB stands for.”

“We’re just as clueless as you,” Selina said.

“Could it be another organization?” I asked.

Aaron, who had kept silent all the time, looked surprised at me.

“There it is! Of course, why didn’t we think about that?” He took the paper from me. “BB... BB... What could BB stand for?” He looked around at us.

“Bloody Bastards,” I suggested. “But not likely, even though it would fit.”

“Agreed. But they would probably choose something more scary,” Hebe smiled sadly.

Aaron pulled me a bit away.

“You said you had an idea about where the Flower Ring is,” he said so only I could hear, “how?”

“I found a riddle. It has the mark of the Blazing Rings, and if I’ve guessed right, the first verse tells that it is the Flower Ring. The second verse says that it is in a forest in the northern mountains, near the ocean,” I told him, and pulled out the paper with the riddle. I gave it to him.

“How did you get it?” he asked, examining the paper.

“I found it. In a park.”

“Have you considered that it might be a trap?”

I hadn’t, but I nodded anyway.

“But if we don’t try it, how will we know?” That was probably the bravest thing I had ever said in my whole life.

All Z Coders plus I, Jolin and a doctor were gathered in the big conference room. There was silent until the doctor stood up to take the word.

“Mr. Z20 died of an overdose of painkillers. It means that the murderer somehow made him eat the pills. But there are no traces, not even a bruise after a fight. The murderer must have made him eat the painkillers without using force.” The doctor sat down again. Jack had hidden his head in his hands.

When he looked up after a long silence, he asked:

“And nobody has any idea of who it could be?”

A few shook their heads, the rest just kept silent. Jack sighed. Then looked at me.

“Remember the mission I gave you?”

I nodded nervously as everybody suddenly looked at me.

“To collect all the rings,” I stammered.

“How is the progress?”

“I... might know where the Flower Ring is,” I said. This caused mumbling around the table. Jack’s expression lit up.

“Really? You know, the faster you collect them all, the faster we can stop this,” he exclaimed.

I had learnt not to ask about the connection between these things.

“I have promised to help her, Master Na,” Aaron said. “We’re leaving in two days.”

I looked surprised at him. We hadn’t agreed on this.

“Perfect!” Jack slammed his palms on the table.

“I can’t leave in two days!” I exclaimed when Aaron and I were walking down a corridor alone.

“Why not?” He stopped and looked at me.

“Because I have the biggest ballet contest of my whole life this Friday! Genie and I have been training so hard to be ready, and...”

“Please, Gui Gui. You can’t be the little ballet princess anymore!” He seemed surprised by his own exclamation. I noticed that he had called me by my nickname.

“And who are you to decide that?”

“Your senior. And that’s final.” He crossed his arms.

Why did I like him?

I kept speculating about that on my way home.

I only got hurt. By every angry word he spoke to me.

But that was the reason I knew I liked him. That I got hurt when he was angry.

If I didn’t care for him or directly hated him – assuming that I was able to hate anyone, which the rest of the world considered as impossible – I wouldn’t get hurt, only angry.

I compared him and Alien.

Alien had been my friend since I could remember. Aaron... I didn’t even know what to call him. My senior, I suppose.

But then he had hugged me. Never talked about it since. I hadn’t either.

I suddenly stopped.

What if... if this... if I ended up the same way as Sam and Z20?

My parents didn’t know what I was doing. My friends didn’t. Only Genie.

How could she explain if something happened? Maybe I should tell one more friend. Just in case.

And I also had to tell Genie that I could anticipate in the contest on Friday...

God damn it. Even ballet had been taken away from me.

***

I’m afraid this fanfic is getting very, very long........

I hope you all survived xD omg, THANKS for all the comments!

Oh, well. I’m sorry this chapter is a bit short :/

I’m going back to the town in two days, and I don’t know if it’ll affect my writing. I usually have less inspiration when I’m in town >;[

Gui Gui is going to tell one more of her friends about the Blazing Soldiers – who’s it going to be?

How will he or she react?

How are Gui Gui and Aaron going to find all the rings?

How is it connected to the killings?

Comments are very much loved :] <3

- Blitz

P.S. Ohhhh I watched Lady and the Tramp I+II yesterday. Have been thinking about them since. Why haven’t I watched them since I was like, 8?! I want them on DVD, only have VHS :/ Arg. The sound is so bad on the first one, can only hear every third word clearly. Need a restored version, lol. Sorry, this was random. <3 (I love the Danish version of “Always There” from the second movie :D ...sorry again)