CHAPTER 37: WALTZ 

CODENAME: NESOI   
NAME: MURAKAMI RITSUKA
AGENCY:NJC

I sighed heavily, wrapping my ankle around the metal post and arching back over the edge of the beam, hanging from the ceiling rafters with just my feet.

“Dammit,” I murmured to myself, “why am I the only one without anything to do?”

Micky, of all people, got the first fight of the night. Micky, who was to be stationed at the back of the convoy. Rin told me that being up at the front would allow for the most exposure to the enemies lines, but soon after, I watched as that odd NIS girl practically ran at Rin, was shot, and then continued to slowly limp right past our defences.

It was so infuriating!

Rin promised that putting me in the front line of the progression would let me have as much fun as I wanted, but I haven’t even had the chance to take down a single person yet.

Even in my boredom, I had unscrewed the silencer on my gun and fired into the air to draw attention to myself and away from Rin. Still, Rin had her hands full with a small team of NIS that were still there, and I was out of range to help without distorting the formation and allowing someone else to get past me to get to Junsu.

Rin put me under strict orders to maintain progression through this damn warehouse. What did she expect me to do? Break open a lock and march through the warehouse? That was no fun, and it wasn’t particularly safe either. Luckily, I was able to spot an open window from outside the warehouse. A grin grew on my face as I decided that if I had to go through the warehouse, I might as well have a bit of fun. So with that, I elected to scale the building, slide through the open window and end up perched on the ceiling rafters inside.

Suddenly, the sound of creaking metal brought me back to the mindset of a killer. I swung my body forward and pulled myself to my feet before crouching on the beam like a cat. I quickly leapt to another metal post, one with a vertical column which I could take cover behind. Peeking out from behind it, I saw two figures slowly and meticulously making their way into the entrance of the warehouse.

A cruel smirk spread across my face.

Finally, I had company. I watched as two members of the NJC slowly and carefully walked through the entrance of the dark warehouse with their guns pointed straight ahead and their flashlights flickering around. They checked every aisle between the ceiling-high shelves, but they never bothered to look straight up.

I scuttled down the length of the beam, trying to get their attention, but it was to no avail. The agents didn’t hear me. I sighed in frustration, deciding that the easiest method was to just pull out my gun and click the safety off… I was not disappointed.

One of the agents quickly glanced up at the echoing sound of metal, just as I nonchalantly aimed the gun at him, pulling the trigger.

Bang.

Bang.

Always shoot twice to be sure, we cannot have any half-dead agents around here.

The body fell lifelessly to the floor. The other figure, alarmed by his partner’s sudden death no doubt, rushed forward to check. I rolled my eyes. What amateurs, obviously they should have checked the line of fire before running into the direct path of another bullet. Still, I have waited too long for the conclusion of my first battle.

I ran down the length of the beam again, leaping onto a shelf and landing on load of packaged boxes before springing forward again for a low hanging industrialized chandelier. The chain rattled upon landing, swinging precariously from side to side.

The agent spun around in surprise, but it was already much, much too late.

“Bang, bang.” I said in unison with the bullets, the recoil of my fires sending me swinging back in the other direction. My aim was true as the agent collapsed with a dull thud.

I smirked. No one is a match for –

Suddenly a silenced bullet whizzed past my face. My eyes widened in shock and my body reacted before my mind could comprehend what was going on. Using my weight, I swung the chandelier over to the lowest support beam, jumping up to catch it with my arms. My landing was loud as the gun in my hand collided with the metal beam. I quickly pulled myself up onto the beam after catching my breath – just before another bullet passed below my feet.

  Someone was shooting me: someone with fairly accurate aim and a silenced weapon. Obviously, I was at a disadvantage, like a sitting duck. Actually scratch that, more like a flying duck since I was now jumping from rafter to rafter in order to put some distance between and the last bullet that was shot. I came to sharp, sudden halt using a vertical pole attaching this particular rafter to the ceiling and allowed my momentum to smoothly swing towards the direction of my attacker. However all that was left to see was the boot of a dive-rolling man who obviously valued his life over a clean shot.

Personally, I would have taken the opportunity to shoot if I were the one on the ground and was being attacked from up above, but dive rolling to cover was a respectable decision none the less. Besides, if the agent hadn’t chosen to play it safe, chances were that our short battle would be over. No, this way was much better – after all, I always did enjoyed playing with my food.

“First head to second head,” Rin sounded into her earpiece.

“Yes Rin? I’m a tad bit preoccupied at the moment, and this one’ll last more than twenty seconds this time!” To my surprise, Rin’s next radio message was an obscenity.

“Dammit! I’m facing a small team of people at the moment and the fact of the matter is that I’m clearly –” mid-sentence the sound of what must have been one of Rin’s bullets nearly broke my eardrum, “outnumbered.”

More likely than not, Rin was hoping that I could leave my position here to lend her some aid. But even as we exchanged this short conversation it was impossible for me to sit in one place for too long. Though the fighting from the rafters was no doubt enjoyable and allowed me a large vantage point, maximizing my maneuverability, it was imperative for me to keep moving. I was more or less an easy target if I stopped, and my enemy seems to be well trained enough to take advantage of this fact.

“Oooh, sounds fun over there too. But sadly, I doubt I’ll be able to leave the warehouse and provide you with some backup – that is, assuming you were wanting me to double back behind enemy lines. This agent is going to try and tire me out; it’ll take some time before I could come help you”

Rin swears under her breath, her next transmission is accompanied by the sounds of return fire: “Fine, then this is what I want you to do…”

A grin is plastered onto my face. Not only did I find someone interesting to fight, but Rin’s plan would make the whole thing, so much more entertaining. All I had to do is somehow make it seem as though the gun man had cornered me – as if he had received the upper hand. And if he was confident enough, well I should be able to speak to him plainly and deliver Rin’s bluff. Telling the enemy that Styx was a suicide bomber? And even more astonishing, that Hades was alive? The anticipation was practically pumping through my adrenaline fueled heart!

I swung from the metal pole next to me and, much like a gymnast would, spun around bars as unpredictably as possible, sometimes I swung myself up and simply jumped from one bar to another. In the meantime, the agent below the ground took short, two-round shots at me before retreating to his original cover or dive rolling to a shelf nearby. With my wild movements, and the gun man’s predictable shots, I found myself closing in on his position quickly. This was good; the close proximity was making it more difficult for the shooter to have a clear line of shot. Finally I was close enough.

I gripped onto a bar, hovering above a metal storage shelf momentarily, waiting to hear the awkwardly aimed shot. Gunfire rung through the air of the warehouse once again, but the awkward aim made it almost impossible for him to hit me.

Well, there was still a chance he could think he hit me; I’ll let him see a falling angel tonight. I focused my gaze down onto the storage shelf ten or so feet below my feet before my grip on the bar loosened. A dull thud announced my perfect landing, but I allowed my arms and legs to fall freely so that I fell to the shelf in a crumpled, rag-doll like state.

Scuffling from the ground confirmed that the ground agent was taking my bait. Perfect. My mouth opened and I let out my best possible ‘Oh, no I was stunned and wounded’ groan. I have heard enough of them from my own victims so it was easy enough to play the part of the fallen enemy. Just as I predicted, the sound encouraged the agent to check out his handiwork. Soon enough, the agent climbed his way up the scaffolding. But as the dark brown eyed agent locked eyes with my own for the first time tonight, I could immediately feel my stomach sink. The man whom I had been facing was the tall, masculine figure that I have found myself running into time and time again. There was no mistake, it was Yunho.

“You,” Yunho said astonished for a quick moment. This time the groan I let out was completely authentic. But despite my previous wounded dear act, he almost immediately crouched down and tensed his body ready to shoot at a seconds notice. “You freaking kissed me!”

Silence. I found myself wide eyed and stuttering.

“W-what?”  

And that’s when the memory of my frantic exchange with Yunho came flooding back. Damn him, I had tried so hard to push it out of my head, and with the urgency of this escape fiasco, I almost did. To my horror, I felt blood rush into my cheeks in an embarrassing flush.

“You’re blushing,” Yunho stated stupidly.

“I am not! If you forgot, you shot me – again! It’s the heat of the battle- that’s why I’m flushed!” I argued pathetically. How could I have ever lower myself to do such a vile act? The very idea of that sent shivers down my spine. To think I would ever put myself in that kind of contact with an enemy was unforgivable. My thoughts momentarily flashed to Rin and Junsu. At least that I had kissed a real battle-worthy man in comparison to Rin’s school girl crush on Junsu – Junsu who had barely ever lifted a gun in his life.  Glancing at Yunho, I could see that his body was well toned; he was a warrior- someone on par to myself. His angular face was a handsome background to two battle-hardened eyes. He was definitely better than Rin’s pick of a man; it wasn’t a total waste was it?

Yunho’s eyebrows rose in a suspicious interest, “You’re pouting,”

“Dammit, would you stop chastising me! Here. Look. My gun –” Yunho followed every miniscule moment of my arm as I grabbed my weapon, making my heart beat uneasily in a self-conscious fluster. Quickly, I tossed the gun over the side.

“Well that’s one gun down. But you always have a trick or two up your sleeve. I’ve fought you one to many times, Ritsuka.”

“Oh! And look who knows everything now!  I may as well not bother pretending that I’m hurt then – you could really work on your aim.” I said as I rose to my feet with a smirk.

Yunho choked on his surprise for a moment before regaining his composure, “Wow. You’re short. Like seriously short, how old are you?”

“19,” the number snapped defiantly out of my mouth.

Yunho didn’t bite back his surprise this time. “What, 19? You’re just a little girl – our training program is a minimum three years at the NIS! What the heck is your leader, Styx or whatever, thinking. She must have let you waltz into the organization before you were even in high school!” 

The comment snapped me back to focusing on my mission. Finally, this was a chance to relay Rin’s message. Though my original plan fell through as soon as it turned out that Yunho was the gunner, I could still deliver the message to the NIS as per Rin’s instructions.

“Styx? Don’t tell me you people at the NIS still believe that Kimura Rin is our leader! That’s too funny; I guess Mr. Know-it-all doesn’t know much after all!” Yunho simply tilted his head cautiously, which clearly signaled that he was heeding my words. I continued spouting the intriguing lies Rin had come up with.

“Besides, if anyone were to inherit the NJC it would be me, being Hades’ daughter and all. Did I ever mention that to you?” I said, letting a mischievous smile stretch across my face.

“What –”

"But dear old dad has yet to kick the bucket, I can’t believe that the false information Poseidon fed you would be so effective. I guess father’s decision wasn’t such a waste of time after all. It even let Rin come in close proximity to that little team outside those warehouse walls. A suicide bomber isn’t that effective of a strategy if there’s no one close enough to blow up, I suppose.”

Yunho’s eyes turned deadly in a split second. His fingers pulled the trigger without the slightest hesitation. The shot landed at the base of my feet, and ominously promised more bullets to come. I jumped back in shock at the sudden attack and grabbed the vertical pole to slide down as quickly as possible, just in time to just miss another shot at my feet.

“I’m not going to shoot an unarmed little girl point blank,” he snarled, “but I am going to take down anyone who threatens my sister.” 

Now genuinely concerned for my own safety, I knew that I had to retrieve my gun quickly. There! The weapon had fallen on the storage shelf below the two; if I could just retrieve it, I could stand a chance against the suddenly fuming man above me. Yunho was now shooting at the metal shelf that separated the two of us, each bullet puncturing the metal reminding that I needed to be ready to fight and fast. I hopped off the pole that connected the storage shelves to each other and dived for my gun. After hastily reloading my gun, I made a beeline to the edge of the shelf before jumping on a separate scaffolding.

The game that I had played for Rin’s plan was more effective than either one of us could ever guess. Not only had Yunho believed the message whole heartedly, but the threat against an apparent sister on the battlefield had released a deadly beast inside of him that was ready to kill.

From behind me, I hear the fierce, resonating echo of Yunho’s voice.

“Ritsuka,” it roars, “let the better shot win – once and for all.”

Author's Note: Aaaaannnnndddd, it's April.... Oh well. Always keep the faith, right? 
 

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