CHAPTER 17: PRESENCE
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CODENAME: NESOI

NAME: MURAKAMI RISTUKA

AGENCY: NJC

My vision was distorted from my lack of focus; though I knew exactly what I was staring at. Behind my eyes, a scene was playing out. The scene where U-know blew past me, I was ready, completely and utterly ready for his attack; yet it didn’t come. I exhaled heavily with relief. Somehow, Xiah and I managed to escape that quarrel without dying.

I blinked to clear my eyesight, then tore it away from the empty space and over to the frozen Xiah who had fallen on the ground. He – no less – is in absolute shock of what just occurred, probably even more shaken by the fact that I had pointed a lethal weapon as his head. I scoffed. However, I know it isn’t over yet: U-know has taken my gun. I scrambled to regain my wits and hastily ran over to Xiah.

“Baka*!” I screamed at him and then seized the collar of his white jacket, hauling him to his feet. Xiah, still in a dazed state, didn’t resist my actions as I dragged him over Micky’s car and out of the alleyway. If U-know inspects the weapon, he would know that there are no bullets. Then he would come back recognizing that there would be little in his way of killing both Xiah and me. Fleeing without the car would be the most suitable option: the car would be easily identified on the streets with one of the headlights smashed and a hole through the windshield. If U-know notifies the authorities of our appearance, then a road blockade would be put up to prevent all from coming in and out; just to search for two agents of the NJC. Besides, Micky has more things to worry about than losing this car.

I raced down the street, keeping these thoughts in mind while still grasping Xiah by the lapel of his jacket. Upon laying eyes upon a park – small yet still surprisingly crowded at this hour – I turned off the street and into the pavement laid out. Striding over to a clearing holding a single tree and lit only by a single path lamp, I released hold of Xiah’s neck and tossed him into the delicate grass. He flew down with the momentum and lay with his arms spread in the clearing. Stumbling over to the nearby tree, I leaned against it and sank down to the earth. My eyes scoured the area for any signs of someone alert from our presence; however, I suddenly realized that it was my fault for this predicament to begin with.

Undoubtedly, the only reason U-know was able to recognize me was because the colour of my eyes. Eos was right; perhaps I should have gotten contacts. I lowered my eyes to the darkened grass, if anyone was searching for us, it would definitely be through these eyes.

“R-Ritsuka-sama!” Xiah cried, finally reacting to the situation through words, “you – you were going to shoot me!” He sat up and turned to face me babbling in shock. I met his traumatized eyes and couldn’t help but let a grin creep onto my face. For all the trouble Xiah has caused me, wouldn’t it be amusing to torture him just a little?
“That’s right Junsu,” I hissed, crawling on my knees towards the disturbed man, “I grabbed my gun and aimed at your head like this.” Flourishing my fingers, I mimicked how one would hold the grip of a gun, and then pull back the chamber to load a bullet. “And I was pressing the trigger wasn’t I?” I the imaginary trigger with my left hand and placed my right hand on Xiah’s shoulder to support myself as I rammed my right knee into his stomach. He went down on his elbows to avoid me. “Do you know what would have happened if I pulled it all the way back?” Xiah’s breathing stopped; I leaned down towards his ear and brought the gun formed by my left hand to the side of his head.

“Bang,” I whispered. However, knowing what would have actually befallen of me if I did release the trigger; I collapsed back onto the soft grass. My right leg still extended over Xiah’s and my foot resting on his abdomen.

“Eh?!” Xiah cried, overwhelmed. He righted himself in a sitting position and gazed down at me.
“There weren’t any bullets in that gun,” I explained dully, “If I had pulled the trigger all the way back, you wouldn’t have died – not right away at least. U-know would have killed me first.”

“But where did the gun come from? I was certain that I had your weapons as well.” Xiah asked. I nodded inattentively; Styx thought it would be safer if Xiah held onto both our weapons for the current time, then for me to pick them up at different times and different locations.

“It was in Yoochun’s car.” I replied, “Unfortunately, there weren’t any bullets in them, I hadn’t noticed until I tried to shoot U-know the second I pointed my gun at him.” Little will Xiah know that I had found out that Micky’s gun was empty when U-know had pointed a gun at him – there is no need to throw Xiah into lunacy. Besides, even if U-know shot Xiah the chances of a fatal injury are low.

“So, the whole time, when I thought you were going to really kill me...” Xiah interrupted my thoughts.

I nodded.

“But what if he hadn’t tried to stop you from shooting me?”

“U-Know?” I questioned just to be sure we were talking about the same man, “The impatient guy who acts on his emotions before thinking it out? Seeing me shooting a teammate would have appalled him. No he would have.” Xiah groaned loudly and fell to the grass under me.

“Dear Lord. I can’t decide whether my bosses are completely insane or utter geniuses. Wait –” Xiah cried, he sprang back into a sitting position with sudden and surprising intensity; my foot stabbing him in the stomach once again. Xiah ignored it, “How did you know Yunho so well? He was just a guy that happened to be passing by!” I cocked my head to the side, noting the small footprint my shoe had made on his jacket.

I considered another contemplation: “Ne, Junsu, why were you in the alley with a member of the NIS?”

“Yunho helped me.” He replied cautiously.

“With what?” I hissed, knowing exactly where this was going. Xiah’s bad luck had still managed to follow him to Korea.

“I was being robbed, Yunho helped me escape. I guess I’m in his debt?” He said sheepishly. Annoyance flared in my blood, and anger became evident on my face as I realized a dilemma. I quickly sat up, lifted my right foot, and shoved it harshly into Xiah’s chest. He yelped in surprise.

“Debt? Debt?” I hissed, “Is it possible, Junsu? Are you concerned about the debt you owe to an enemy when I risked your life, my life, and the NJC to save you?”

“But, Ritsuka-sama, I am forever in the debt of the NJC, I would never do a thing that would purposely jeopardize anything about our organization.” Xiah quickly replied, trying to make up for the mistake. I considered his words, and then considered what he has done for the NJC – for my father. I sighed heavily.

“Junsu, you fool.” I muttered, throwing myself back onto the grass.

“Hey, Ritsuka-sama,” Xiah asked, I felt something touching my calf that was still lying on Junsu’s leg, it throbbed, “you have a wound.” He said, poking it again curiously. I lifted my leg until it was within my view, it was unladylike of me to be doing such action while wearing a dress, no matter I was wearing a petticoat. I looked curiously at the large laceration that cut through my socks and skin, it was going to take some time for the wound to heal – the wound that I received from U-know.

“Leave it well enough alone, Junsu.” I said, aiming another hefty kick at his chest.
“Oof!” Xiah cried as he stopped touching the wound. U-know…Yunho. It was all upon chance that I met U-know again, and it’s peculiar how violently he reacted to my appearance.

“I met him in Australia.”

“Who?”

“Yunho, U-know is his alias. We fought. I won. Rin told me not to kill anyone though, so I left him poisoned, it was purely coincidental that we met again.” I swore I would have killed him the next meeting, however, I didn’t, I couldn’t.

“Damn. Ritsuka, don’t you understand what this means? The NIS knows we’re in Korea!”

“Yes, that would be a very likely assumption.” I said uninterestedly. Xiah appeared confused with my almost relaxed acceptance. However, there was something else on my mind, something that was beginning to bother me.

“But then our cover is blown?”

“Yes, it would seem so.” I replied back, still with that colourless tone. Something is grasping my attention and holding it hostage. Whatever that something is, it is refusing to release my thoughts until I find out what it was.

“Ummm, so now what?” Xiah asked, stammering at my apathy.

“We wait for Rin. As you said, she might be able to come with something ingeniously insane to get us out of here alive.”

Xiah exhaled deeply then joined me once more in earth’s chilling embrace.

“Junsu,” I asked, finally realizing what that something was.

“Yes Ritsuka-sama?”

“Do you have my Pocky?”

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*Baka: A Japanese term for idiot.
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