She stared out the window and her dark eyes shone with a reflection of the city. In the seat across from her Thoth stirred, mumbling an incoherent something before drifting back into sleep. It had been a long, long journey, and the jetlag that plagued even Riya would be harder still on her partner. She wanted to rest. She wanted the safety of her little house, wanted her bed and her security system and her guns, and most desperately, wanted to sleep and know that everything of the past months had been more than worth it, for Thoth would be there when she woke.

"Are we there yet?" Riya glanced up to see Thoth peering at her from inside a tangle of blankets, and the harsh lines of her face softened somewhat as she nodded at the girl. It took little effort to make a reply, less than she had even had to give before. "Yes, we are landing. It will be a drive to Hiroshima, but you may rest upon the way. Are you feeling well enough?"

She received a nod in return, and so smiled just a little, more in reassurance to herself than for Thoth. Yes. And you will have more than enough time to recover once we are secure in my... in our... home. I have no pressing business that will distract me from watching over you. For once there will be neither Hale nor any other danger to bother our lives.

It was both a comforting and boring thought, but in a rare moment, Riya was looking forward to a little boredom.

There was an uncomfortable shift in pressure as the plane wavered on turbulence and then bumped on touchdown, but it really was nothing compared to space travel, and it did not unduly bother either of them. The pilot was kind enough to taxi the aircraft straight to the hangar where she had left her car before, and he even helped her carefully carry Thoth down the stairs and into the back seat of the coupe. She gave him a smile as she climbed behind the wheel, and just a moment later she and Thoth were weaving through the highways of Osaka as they made their way toward Hiroshima.

Muted snoring told her that Thoth was fast asleep, and Riya hummed to herself under her breath as she drove. The exhaustion of the past few days was tugging at her insistently, weighing down her limbs, dulling her eyes, and it took considerable effort to stay aware. It was with relief that she finally turned down a quiet residential street and pulled into the drive to her unassuming little house. She turned off the engine and waited, scanning the windows and listening for any unusual noises, but none reached her, and eventually she slid out and opened the back door.

"Thoth. Thoth, wake up. We are here." She gently nudged the girl and grinned as Thoth waved a lazy hand and growled in annoyance. "We must get you inside, and then you may sleep as long as you wish." A muttered curse was her reply, but together they slowly made their way up the stone walkway and into the tiled foyer. There was a splash of white in the dark, and she froze, Thoth stumbling against her as she stared. Any other time and she would have been noticed the disturbance before they had even parked the car, but as it was, it took her nearly three seconds of disbelieving staring to recognize what lay on the front steps.

A lily. A single, perfect white lily. Just laying there on the enamel tile. On the steps of her home.

She lowered Thoth into a sitting position and handed her a gun, keeping her voice low. "Someone has been here... I will search inside. If anyone approaches, shoot them. I do not care if they are enemies or not."

Then, with her keys cupped in her hand to keep them from jangling, Riya silently opened the front door and slinked inside, pistol at the ready. Living room, secure. Kitchen, secure. There were no signs that anyone had been inside since the last time she left. Dust coated the floor, and there were no footprints save her own. But still she searched every room, even the back deck and yard, until she was certain that there were no intruders, before retreating to the entryway again to retrieve Thoth.

When they were both inside she locked the door, reactivated the security system, and double-checked all the doors and locks. Safe. She would know if anyone tried to break in tonight, so it was more for comfort than safety that she settled Thoth comfortably into her bed and then crawled onto it next to her. Thoth was too tired to question the disturbance, and made no protest as Riya coiled like a snake and lay watching her until she too drifted asleep.

Guns beneath their pillows, guns on the bedside tables, guns in holsters beneath their clothes, and it was in this nest of weaponry and blankets that Riya and Thoth, together after eight months of bloody separation, once again slept soundly near one another as they had done in the days of Scorpion.

“Are we there yet?”

"Yes, we are landing. It will be a drive to Hiroshima, but you may rest upon the way. Are you feeling well enough?"

Minerva nodded, slightly lying. She wasn’t feeling well at all. She wanted to get up and stretch her legs, and the plane’s movements made her feel sick. Not a good feeling to have when there is a hole through your chest. She had been used to space travel, but plane travel in gravity was a different sort of nausea.

The plane landed and the pilot came into the cabin to help Riya and Minerva with their things. Riya and the pilot both took one of Minerva’s arms and slung it over their shoulders to help her down the steps of the small aircraft. She walked down the stairs easily enough, flinching a few times from pain. She didn’t like the idea of sitting in a car for a lot of hours, but she was happy that their journey was almost complete. Jet lag took over Minerva in the car and she fell asleep with a renewed vigor. She didn’t dream much, mostly just random images of Riya and battle school and their days in Scorpion together.

"…wake up. We are here."

Riya nudged Minerva awake and she grumbled with annoyance. Just like Riya to go wake her up just as she was sleeping well.

“We must get you inside, and then you may sleep as long as you wish."

Sleep. Glorious sleep. She felt as if she could sleep forever. Just like the tale she heard as a kid of Rip Van Winkle. She envied him right now. She muttered a curse under her breath and then slung her arm over Riya. She stumbled out of the car and onto the steps of the house. Then Riya froze for unknown reasons.

"Someone has been here... I will search inside. If anyone approaches, shoot them. I do not care if they are enemies or not."

Minerva was suddenly very alert as she took the gun that was handed to her by Riya. She scanned the area, looking for any sign of movement. What had Riya heard or seen? Minerva hadn’t noticed anything unusual. She felt mad at herself for allowing her senses to become weak in her injured state. She could get them both killed that way.

Riya finally returned, slightly satisfied that no one had entered their new residence. She picked her back up and placed her in a bed. Her bed.

Thoth had her arms twined over her waist and her face buried against her shoulder.

"Nn, Thoth?" She kept her voice quiet, not really wanting to wake the other girl. Thoth didn't even stir. Riya sighed and glanced over at the clock on the bedside table. 4 p.m. in the afternoon! She cursed herself for sleeping in so late, but had a difficult time caring too much.

She is injured. It will not hurt me to tolerate this.

For another hour she lay there with Thoth wrapped around her and didn't flinch once. It was... different. The word 'cuddling' was not in Riya's vocabulary, and she would have been extremely displeased if anyone accused her of such a thing, but for one who hated to be touched, she was enjoying this. She was comfortable and safe. No one was hunting her again, yet. Thoth was alive. There was nothing to mar her pleasure, except...

...except that damn lily that she knew waited outside on her front porch.

Irritation furrowed her brow and brought a frown to her face as she idly played with Thoth's hair and stared up at the ceiling. Her ridiculous dream of Hale was just that, ridiculous. He was away, far away. She would never see him again, and besides, he would never have wasted time on such a gesture. Nor would any Agents of Legion who might be on her trail. That left... who?

Never Wilkes. Not any of her contacts; none knew where she lived, and even if they did, they wouldn't have done such a foolish thing. Riya could not think of any single person she knew who would leave her a lily, no matter what its symbolism or meaning.

"Try to stay out of trouble. Until next time."

Just as ridiculous of a thought.

Riya did her best to shove the concern from mind and focused instead on trying to extricate herself from Thoth's grasp without waking her. It took some careful maneuvering, but she managed to slide off the bed, leaving Thoth tangled in the blankets. Riya paused, looking at her partner, and when her eyes softened to a muted, happy blue, she scowled and turned away to stalk from the bedroom.

Thoth slept that entire day as Riya lazily tooled around the house, cleaning the dust of months worth of abandonment, organizing her weapons and securing every window and door with an even larger array of security devices. Overprotection at its best, but whenever she walked past the open bedroom door and caught sight of Thoth asleep, it did not seem like unnecessary measures.

When night had fallen completely and her stomach made her very aware that she had not eaten in nearly two days, Riya quietly stepped into her room and perched on the edge of the bed. Amusement was shining in her eyes as she tapped Thoth lightly on the temple with the barrel of her gun, and when the girl blinked up at her, she couldn't help but smile.

She dreamt a lot, completely unaware of the time that passed through the day. She dreamt of her childhood, she dreamt of Battle School, she dreamt of Japan. She could see the geisha dancer from the postcard, but this time she was real and alive and dancing the sad dance Minerva had imagined. But her face was hidden in a tangle of black hair, and Minerva strained to see her eyes, even though she knew what they looked like from the postcard. And finally her head rose, and in a flash the hair was white, and the face was Riya’s. But she was not sad like the postcard, instead she was smiling and her eyes drew Minerva to the stage. Everything was silent. Minerva looked down and saw her normal clothes had been changed to that of a geisha’s, white with a pink floral pattern and a pink obi tied at her waist. Riya beckoned her to dance with her, and Minerva started the flowing movements, unconsciously knowing the steps. They danced together, and they smiled, and the audience had disappeared to an empty auditorium. They were alone, dancing in harmony.

She heard a mumbling sound and felt something tap her temple as she flinched suddenly out of sleep. She groggily opened her eyes, blinking numerous times attempting to clear the haze from them. She grabbed the blankets and pulled them to cover her face, curling herself into a ball. She felt good. She liked the feeling of waking up late, in a warm bed, feeling completely safe. It had been many, many years since she had last felt that, before she had gone to Battle School. She heard the mumbling again and she pulled the blankets off her face. Riya stood over her, looking at her in a motherly way with a gun in her hand.

Minerva began to speak to Riya, but her voice emitted no sound. She paused for a moment, clearing her throat so she could speak. Her voice was still hoarse when she spoke.

"Hey. What time is it?"

Minerva yawned and stretched, feeling much better now that she could relax.

Thoth huffed and muttered something, and then it was Riya's turn to grin as she reholstered her pistol and placidly watched the other girl struggle with her boots and gear. Annoyance was evident on Thoth's face as she finished and turned to look at her, and as a peace offering, Riya motioned toward the door. "You are in my country, now. I will take you out?"

Her boot crushed the wilted lily to the tile as she stepped out the front entrance, and she was very relieved that Thoth never noticed the flower.

They drove together through the streets of Hiroshima, Riya behind the wheel, Thoth in the passenger seat fiddling with the radio. Shamisen melodies filled the silence, then loud J-rock, and Riya made a face of disapproval as her partner smiled triumphantly and tried to follow along with the music. She was like a child, constantly peering out the windows and pointing at different buildings, and Riya managed to be a rather friendly tour guide, entertained by Thoth's questions and pleased by the interest in her home city.

Finally they stopped outside of a gated building. The entrance was imposing, an impressive redwood arch leading the way into a garden. As they made their way toward the front foyer, a woman in a kimono stepped forward, bowed, and smiled at Riya.

"Konbanwa, Kinoshitasama. Ogenki desuka?" She shot a look at Thoth. "Dareka?"

Riya flicked her gaze toward her partner, who was watching the woman with a perplexed look. It made her smile, and she tapped Thoth's arm and began to usher her inside. "Okagesamade. Thoth-chan."

They finally stopped and got out of the car. The restaurant's doorway was a large redwood arch that led to an absolutely beautiful garden. A woman came out and greeted them. Minerva was surprised that she was dressed in the traditional kimono. She thought they had given up wearing them in public long ago and were only used for special events.

Like the woman on the postcard...

"Konbanwa, Kinoshitasama. Ogenki desuka? Dareka?" The woman greeted them.

"Okagesamade. Thoth-chan."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Thoth."

Minerva instantely fell in love with the Japanese language. She made it her new mission to learn everything she could about it.

The woman led them inside and to a back room, obviously for their special guests. As they entered, she shut the rice-paper screen behind them for privacy. Minerva thought they were beautiful, but didn't like that she couldn't see what was on the other side of them...or that they were not going to be very good protection should someone shoot through one.

The table was low to the ground and Minerva felt uncomfortable sitting on the tatami mat on the floor. She almost perfered being in a bed again. Along the walls were paintings on scrolls of beautiful women in kimonos and battle scenes. Japanese characters were written along the sides to describe the scene, though Minerva couldn't read any of it.

Riya looked at the woman with a kimono. "We are hungry."

That was apparently enough for the waitress as she bowed and left. Almost instantely two more waitresses dressed in kimonos entered with a variety of foods. First tea was set in front of them, then sake and finally a small, light green tray of sushi. Minerva watched the women work as they set down the dishes, exclaiming various Japanese phrases she did not understand. "Doozo. Sumimasen, Thoth-san."

Riya pointed at the sushi, indicating it was not enough and to bring more. The head waitress answered with a "Hai, Kinoshitasama," and shuffled off hurriedly. Minerva did not say anything until more sushi had come. Minerva picked up her chopsticks, positioning it between her fingers like she remembered when she was a child. Riya was already eating her second piece of sushi. As Minerva went to grab the sushi however, her chopsticks flipped out of her hand and landed across the table. Minerva stared at Riya a moment who had paused in mid-chew and then burst out laughing.

"I hearby give up on using chopsticks," Minerva spurtted out between laughs. Riya moitioned to the waitress to bring her a fork and she bowed and left.

"OK, so this is sushi, eh? I've never tried sushi before." Minerva grabbed one in between her fingers and plopped it in her mouth. She chewed a few times, hurridly, then slowed down abruptly as she curled her nose up in disgust. With most difficulty, she swallowed it and looked at Riya.

When Thoth flicked her chopsticks halfway across the room, Riya had to restrain a smile. When Thoth made a disgusted face, Riya did smile. And then Thoth poked at the wasabi on her plate and glanced up to give her a questioning look.

"I think this sushi stuff is an acquired taste... uh, what's this kind?"

With a straight face, Riya answered, her tone placid. "It is very good. You can eat the entire portion."

Thoth did. And then she screeched, spat it across the table, hurriedly drank every single glass of water and sake within reach, and wailed loudly, tears in her eyes.

Riya laughed.

The sound was uninhibited and joyous, a lilting tinkle of amusement that somehow did not match her normal solemn tone or reserved demeanor. It was a child's laugh, and Riya's eyes widened in surprise as she glanced quickly to Thoth, as if to see if the other girl was as surprised as she. Thoth sputtered and stared at her, about to speak when hurried footsteps paused outside their room and one of the waitresses peeked in to see if something was wrong. Riya immediately lost the smile and laughter, and the sudden silence was heavy until the woman slipped away and closed the door once more.

She tried for reserve, but the amusement continued to glitter in her warm blue eyes, and Riya finally managed to regain her composure.

"...uh, what's this kind?"

"It is very good. You can eat the entire portion."

She looked at Riya questionably, but saw no flicker of expression as usual. She took her newly aquired fork and scraped up the mystery food off of its small dish. She pushed it into her mouth, chewing for a couple seconds and staring over Riya's head as she tried to place the taste of it.

And then it hit her: The burning. The unbelievable burning that overcame her. She screamed as she spit the hideous food across the table. She picked up her napkin and began wiping off her tongue to no avail. She reached quickly for her water and gulped it without breathing and then reached for Riya's, downing hers' in one swift gulp. After that, she couldn't remember what else she had drunk. The tears in her eyes were to prominante for her to see anything.

And then it happened. The most amazing noise began to fill the air. Minerva wiped her eyes and looked around to see where the high pitched child's laughter came from. She was utterly shocked when she saw that it belonged to Riya. She stared at her a moment, mouth agape, water down her shirt, and tears in her eyes. She was completely amazed. Riya was laughing. Laughing! And not like a normal person, but with a high-pitched child's laugh. And before she knew it, Minerva was laughing. She could not contain her excitement over the fact of hearing a complete laugh from Riya. She wished she had something to record it in case Minerva never saw it again. Minerva tried to form words to show her amazement, but the waitress appeared at the door. Riya and Minerva glared at her to show her what was happening was none of her business, and she retired to the kitchen.

Riya looked at Minerva, her deep blue eyes were still laughing inside. "Gomen nasai."

Minerva smirked at Riya "Thank you. Thank you so much." She surveyed the food left on the table. "Do you think I could just order a hamburger or something?" Minerva chuckled as she went about examining some noodles in front of her.

Riya could not remember the last time she had enjoyed herself so thoroughly. It was surprising to her, to find that she could find amusement in things other than death and destruction, but it was a pleasant discovery, one she was glad to have made. Their time in Scorpion had never afforded them the opportunity to relax and simply enjoy eachother's company, but with no restrictions, no pressing business, and no Hale, they found that they could have quite a good time.

The kitchen had managed to conjure up some "American food," as Thoth called it, and while she chewed away happily at her steak, Riya sipped her sake and watched her partner. Her own contentment felt so out of place that she wasn't certain how to handle it, but it grew harder and harder to care as the night wore on. They ate and drank, Thoth laughed and Riya smiled more than she considered appropriate, and the sky was gaining that translucent darkness that preluded dawn as together they bowed farewell to the geisha hostess and slipped into their car.

A brief but aggressive argument ensued over the radio, but when Thoth was left sulking after being denied the loud J-rock that gave Riya a headache, Riya somehow conceded a little and made truce by teaching her the words to the song that was playing. Maybe it was more for her amusement, to listen to Thoth blunder cheerily and off-key through the melody, or maybe it was because she cared that Thoth was unhappy; Riya didn't know, and didn't really want to. It was enough that they were safe and together.

Much later, after a long drive through the city, she was busy unlocking the door to her house when Thoth's voice sounded behind her.

"Riya? What's this?"

Minerva was tickled when the chefs managed to cook her a nice big slab of steak. She loved steak. Even though it was slightly undercooked, Minerva finished it all off with no difficulties.

They finally left at dawn, much to the delightment of their hosts. Since they were the only customers in the entire place, and Minerva could tell the cooks and geishas were tired from being on alert in Riya's presence. Minerva hopped in the car, and as soon as the engine started, she turned on some loud J-Rock music. She started banging her head, laughing, and looking at Riya to see if she would also laugh. Instead, Riya changed the station to a Japanese song. They argued for a bit, but in the end Minerva had to conceed since Riya was driving and was a quicker draw then Minerva. She turned and looked out the window at the passing streets of Hiroshima. She pretended to be angry, but in reality she didn't care much. This was the game they had always played in some form or another. The only way Minerva could win this game was by trying to sing the song. She listened to the chorus once, then began singing the words she could remember, though it wasn't much. And to top it all off, she sang as best as she could, which was definitely off-key. But this time the game changed and Riya began teaching Minerva the words to the song on the radio. Minerva didn't understand the Japanese language at all and basically sang it as, "Desamurerara arisotomojo liejanamuka..."

They finally arrived home. As they walked up to the steps, Minerva noticed something on the steps of the house: A white lily. It had been crushed, but there it was, clear as day. Minerva noticed it had been perfectly cut at the stem. Definitely left there on purpose.

"Riya? What's this?"

She looked at Riya and frowned as she thought about the flower.

"It is nothing."

Riya had answered hastily and turned back quickly to get inside the house. Minerva smiled at Riya's back, knowing now what it was.

"Does someone in this house have a secret admirer?" Minerva winked at Riya's turned back thinking of the fun she could have with this one.

"Well, you know what I think...I think we should pick this darling thing up, dust it off, and put it in a big vase on the dining table. And everyday I can look at it and think of you."

Minerva picked up the flower and started through the door, but instead Riya grabbed the lily out of her hand, and let it fall back to the ground. Minerva saw her step on it as she entered back into the house.

"I do not think so."

Minerva chuckled and started into the living room of the house. She looked around, realizing she hadn't explored her new surroundings yet. She immediately began walking hurriedly from room to room, opening every cabinet and drawer, looking behind every space. In the bathroom she pulled back the shower curtain, marveled at the space of the tub, then lifted up the toilet seat to make sure it was clean. In the bedroom, she opened up the closets, jumping up and down to see the top shelf. She even bent down to look under the bed. Then she skipped into the kitchen, opening the refridgerator and cupboards. The entire time, Riya just stood in the middle of the house, watching her shuffle from room to room.

"I love looking at new places. Everytime I would stay in a hotel, I would have to look in every nook and cranny. Even when I got to Command School I searched it, even though I knew there wouldn't be anything there. This is much more fun!"

Minerva finally stopped at a closed door. She turned the knob and pulled, but the door was locked. She tried it once more to no avail.

"<i>Nothing</i>."

Thoth was taken aback by the sudden reproval, and Riya herself blinked a little in surprise. She had managed to deal well with the teasing, and had even been amused by Thoth's interest in her home, but when the other girl jangled on that locked doorknob, it was too much. There are places even angels hold sacred, depths that demons treasure, and Thoth had just laid hands on what amounted to the entrance to Riya's sanctuary.

She had known that Thoth would live in her house, but had for some reason decided not to consider that her partner might want to know what lay behind that door. It was so precious to her that she flinched noticeably and moved to take Thoth's hand from the doorknob, but she caught herself and stopped, staring at the door before turning jealous eyes to the girl.

Minerva stared at Riya, completely taken aback by the forcefulness in her voice. She gazed at her as she walked into the bedroom with an air of anger to her step. She didn’t know how to respond to such a controlled outburst from Riya. She had never been curse with her before.

She followed her into the bedroom and sat down at the corner of the bed, slowly pushing up and down with her feet to make the bed bounce.

Hours passed. She fell asleep on the bed, and didn't wake until dawn, when both the encroaching light and the insistent ring of her cell phone made further rest impossible. One glance at the phone display told her it was nothing important, and she left the caller to deal with the voice mail, but even after she closed the drapes to her window to shut out the light, she still could not go back to sleep.

And so she got up.

She dressed quietly and made her way through the house, pausing briefly at the locked door, only to touch the handle before continuing onward into the living room. Thoth was curled on the futon couch, buried in comforters and snoring lightly. Riya watched her for a few moments, with something akin to affection, before resetting the alarm system and slipping out the front door.

When she returned from her excursion Thoth was still sound asleep, but it was okay. Riya busied herself in the kitchen with the supplies she had bought, and was setting food on the table when Thoth finally shuffled into the little dining nook and plopped herself into a seat. She blinked sleepily up at Riya, and Riya smiled, and then Thoth grinned when she saw what Riya had made for her.

"I thought that perhaps you might be hungry."

Minerva stood by the window for some time, probably hours. She didn’t count the time. When she grew weary of thinking she finally left the window. She watched Riya sleep from the doorway to the bedroom for a few minutes, then decided she would crawl onto the futon in the living room. She knew she had seen some blankets around somewhere. She began quietly opening cupboards until she located a large white comforter and pillow. She crashed on the futon and immediately fell asleep.

Some time later she heard Riya shuffling around the house. She knew the sound of her footsteps as well as she could distinguish Riya’s voice. She pretended to not hear her and pulled the comforter over her head to block out the light. She moved her head on the pillow straight into something wet. She rubbed her face and realized that she had been drooling on the pillow, and in the process made quite a mess on the right side of her cheek. She wiped herself off on the comforter, flipped the pillow over, and fell back to sleep.

Eventually the noise became unbearable and she managed to roll herself upright in bed. She could feel her hair piled on one side of her head. She rubbed her eyes, pulling out all the sand from the corners of them and attempting to focus on the room. She smacked her lips a couple times and noted to herself that she must brush her teeth soon; the taste of wasabi still lingered. She attempted to stand up but couldn’t force her legs up all the way. Then a very welcoming smell lingered in from the kitchen and she found a renewed vigor to stand up.

She shuffled her way into the kitchen, her eyes still hazy with sleep. She slammed her right shoulder into a doorway, but ignored the inconvenience and walked into the kitchen. She found a chair, sat down, and waited for the wonderful smell to enter her stomach. She looked down at the food before her and noticed something strangely familiar…

“I thought that perhaps you might be hungry.”

…eggs and bacon…

Riya had actually made her eggs and bacon. She looked at them a moment, then up at Riya. How could she ever be mad at her after she made her eggs and bacon?

“Ahh! Good! I’m glad to see the chef is back from vacation! Tell him I very much appreciate this meal.”

Riya sat down next to her and they began eating silently. Minerva was thinking about the old days in Scorpion when a sudden memory popped into her head and she began to chuckle at the table. Riya stopped eating and stared at her from across the table.

“What is it with us and food? The first time I ever really talked to you was in the Mess Hall. That’s where I became friends with you! And all those days, trying to get you to talk over lunch and dinner. Let’s see, what did I used to say? Something along the lines of, ‘Talk to me you mute idiot! Or I’ll talk, and talk, and talk until you can’t stand it anymore and you’ll end up shooting me out of annoyance and then Gabe and Sol with think you noble and thank you for killing me.’ Something like that, right Riya? Hey! All that has come true! Except for the Gabe and Sol part, but there is still time left, neh? And then the infamous food fight! Do you remember!? Ahh yes, an oldie but a goody. Boy do I miss those days in the Mess Hall. Though I was picking food out of my hair for weeks after that food fight!”

Thoth rambled and Riya listened with pleased disinterest, enjoying more the sound of her voice talking than the actual words. Every once in a while Thoth would stop, and then Riya would either nod in agreement or manage a brief answer, but always only enough of a response to encourage the other girl to continue her monologue. For an hour she sat complacently in the kitchen, eating silently and watching with contentment hidden deep in her dark eyes, and for that hour, Thoth chattered on and made Riya a very happy person.

When they were both finished with their meal and Thoth had paused for breath, Riya blinked a few times, glanced around, and was struck by a rather amusing idea. "I thought that perhaps today, if you are feeling well enough, we might find you new clothing and weaponry." She poked at the stiff fabric covering Thoth's shoulder and frowned. "This does not befit one of our status."

And with that little inquiry, so it came to be that Thoth and Riya went shopping.

They toured through tiny shops and dimly lit back rooms, going places where no one would report the white-haired fugitive or her injured friend. Contacts and suppliers met them with veiled surprise, always eyeing the pale redhead who followed closely behind Riya as she perused the newest shipments and goods, every once in awhile picking out a particularly nice pistol or armament and offering it to her companion with the question "You like this?" At one boutique a flurry of women surrounded Thoth, taking her measurements and, much to her utter disbelief, chatting freely with Riya as she pointed at clothes and demanded Thoth be given this or that. And when Thoth would ask the price or glance at a tag, then look to Riya with horror and try to demure that it was too expensive, it gave Riya more than pleasure to let flitter over her face the smugness that only Thoth could read and then buy it anyway.

Riya and Minerva walked through the streets of Hiroshima. She trusted Riya to be lookout for IF officers as she pressed her nose against ever window the street had to offer. They started off small, going into antique shops and knick-knack stores. One store had a shelf full of carved rock animals. The price was a little high, but Minerva couldn't resist buying the lone Scorpian figurine lying on the shelf.

Riya introduced her to some of her outfitters of various weaponry and clothing. The first thing Minerva longed to get was a long, black trenchcoat.

"That one's nice, but look at this one, Riya!" Minerva slung the trenchcoat onto her shoulder. "Good room for guns and knives to be hidden. Oh! And it looks cool when I do this!" Minerva spun quickly around, pretending to draw weapons in the process. The split tails of the coat flew out dramatically, swinging around Minerva's body. She stopped with a big smile on her face. She took off the coat and looked at the price tag. "Umm....nevermind. Maybe we should go look on the discount rack." Riya grabbed the coat from Minerva and walked to the front desk silently, pulling out a large wad of large bills. The coat was bagged and handed to Minerva who thanked Riya profusely.

As they left the store, Minerva turned to Riya and said, "Are you sure its wise to carry such a large amount of money with you?" Riya stared blankely ahead. "I doubt a robbery attempt would be successful." Minerva snickered. "Stupid question, neh?"

-------

They continued on through more clothing stores, buying coats here and leather pants there. Minerva liked being pampered by Riya's contacts so much. The second they walked in anywhere, the measuring tape came out and the smiles were wide.

At each store, Minerva grew more and more concerned with the money Riya was spending. She surely didn't have such money to blow on clothes so easily?

"Riya, this has been fun, but we're done. No more spending moeny today."

"But we have not visited the weapons store yet."

How could Minerva refuse that?

She felt like a kid in a candy store. She bounded through the shop, pointing at various guns. "OH! Look at the handle design on that! Feel the balance on this! It's beautiful!" She bounded around until the owner appeared and she decided to put on her "serious" face. Riya and the owner spoke back and forth in Japanese a little before they were led to the back of the store to see the more "interesting" items. The owner began speaking in English again as he opened up a wooden crate in the back.

"This brand new. Top line. You hold! You love it, no?" Riya held it, giving no expression to how she felt. She handed the gun over to Minerva. She bounced it lightly in her hand, flipping i over and analyzing the craftsmenship of it.

"You like this?"

"No. The balance is off. When you shoot it, I think the kickback would twist your wrist the wrong way."

Minerva handed the gun back to the owner. He began shuffling through more boxes and shelves, obviously nervous to please Riya. What he finally brought out made Minerva drool with envy. A .45 Calibur pistol. Semi-automatic. Stainless steel. It had a forged frame and slide, a titanium sight, and the most perfect trigger. Riya handed it to her.

"You like this?"

Minerva pretended to be critical of it, analyzing it, when all she wanted to do was feel it strapped to her side.

"Yes, I believe this will do nicely."

The owner seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"We wish to look at sniper rifles," Riya announced blankely.

They looked at many rifles, each better then the last, but none suiting Minerva's needs. She loved looking at all the beautiful rifles though. Finally, he pulled out the rifle. It was a variation on the old Tango 41 model. Only 9 lbs. 44 inches long. It had a supressor on the end. It was blueprinted for Tac-Ops specifications. Stainless steel barrel, a custom ground recoil lug, and a 7.62 mm scope which would easily let you see a 1000 meters. You could just smell the accuracy of it.

They went back to the front, bought the guns, 3 in all, and added a new belt holster, a leg holster, and some ammo. The two assassins then continued on to the knife sotre, playing the same game with the owner. When they left that store, both Riya and Minerva had aquired some very impressive knives and daggers. Two to put in Minerva's boots, one for the front of her belt, two throwing knives for the back, and one for the small of her back. She was armed to the teeth. As they hefted the bags through the street, Minerva turned to Riya.

"Do tell me where you managed to aquire this small fortune?"

"It is not a small fortune."

"What is it then?"

"A large fortune."

Minerva smiled and thought of her new armory as they walked back to the car.

"Can we go to the shooting range tomorrow so I can play with my new toys?"

"If you wish."

It had taken them nearly the entire day to roam the streets of Hiroshima, and Riya was anxious to return home. They piled their purchases into the trunk of her coupe before setting off back through the crowded thruways and tunnels that ran across the island like a maze. There was an odd silence between them in the car during their drive; Riya quiet because she, for once, was nervous, and Thoth because she was too enamored of her new weapons to notice the disturbance in Riya's demeanor. And while she wished for idle chatter, Riya had to focus instead on maintaining her reserve until she could smile again.

They pulled into the driveway of her little home, spilling from the car with bags in their hands and slung over their shoulders. Dusk was approaching as they finally made their way inside and threw everything onto the bed. Riya busied herself in the kitchen in order to distract herself, cooking and every once in awhile glancing over her shoulder toward Thoth, who was sprawled on the floor surrounded by rifle parts and munitions boxes. An hour passed.

Then someone knocked on the front door.

"Answer it." This from Riya, who stood in the center of the room and stared at the door. Thoth gave her a funny look, and picked up a pistol, but the intensity to Riya's gaze was enough to keep her from asking questions, and she did as she was told.

Thoth's screech when she looked outside made Riya feel better about having shot her partner.

A Ninja streetbike, the same as hers but in sleek black, was parked on the front curb.

Finally the car pulled up to the house and they lugged the heavy bags into the living room. Riya went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Minerva plopped herself down on the floor, pushed aside a chair and table, and began unpacking her presents. First the opened the knife bag, opening each box and taking it out. She tested ever blade, every action of it, then put it down on the floor with the blade still out. She then layed them in order from smallest to largest. Then rearranged them by color. Since most of them were black, she rearranged them again in groups: neck knives, throwing knives, daggers, etc. Then she just layed them all out again, sighed deeply with content and moved on to the bag of guns. She moved to a different area of the floor to not upset the knives and began unpacking her new pistols. She grabbed her holster, strapped it on, and set the pistols in it.

"Hmm...what should I name you guys," she mumbled out loud to herself as she stared in the mirror at herself. "Let's see...how about The Furies? Nah...the sounds weird. 'Hey Riya, hand me the Furies.' OH! I got it! OK boys, you are now known as Genghis and Hannibal, and together we will rule the world!"

Satisfied with herself, she kneeled down to the ground and opened the box that contained her sniper rifle. She couldn't help but smile and sigh and the site of it. She lifted it out of the box and began putting together the pieces of it. When complete, she moved to the mirror again, raised it up, and pretended she was sniping someone from a rooftop building.

"Let's see, we got Genghis and Hannibal. What are you?"

She thought back to all her parents had taught her about mythology. She used to read it all the time, but the names she thought of seemed so cliched. She was trying to remember all the Gods of Death or War when she remembered a Buddhist word.

"Shakti!" In Buddhism, 'shakti' meant, force, power, and energy. They were female but had the active energy of a male. She placed the rifle back on the ground and started opening her ammunition boxes. She was halfway through loading her new pistols when a knock came at the door. She stopped suddenly, stared at the door, then looked to Riya.

"Answer it."

She gave no indication whether they should be alarmed or not, yet Minerva felt that Riya would have been on a higher alert should the knock be unexpected. Minerva checked the clip of one pistol anyway, and moved slowly to the door. She threw it open, gun raised, her body turned sideways to make less of a target. She stared down the length of arm, past the barrel of her gun, and to the most incredible site in front of her.

"AAGGHHH!!! HOLY SHIT!!!"

She ran outside, reholstered her gun, and stopped short in front of the Ninja Streetbike that sat in front of her. Minerva knew the sleek, black bike on the curb belonged to her. Riya already had one, a white one. She screamed again, waved her hands frantically in the air, and jumped up and down in a circle as a teenage girl would have done at meeting her heart-throb. She finally stopped jumping, bent down halfway, clenched her fingers in her mouth, and stared wide-eye at the bike for a few moments. She couldn't contain it; she jumped up and began to scream all over again. She ran back into the house, grabbed the smiling Riya from the kitchen, and pulled her outside towards the bike.

"Oh my god! I can't believe you did this! AAAGGHHH!!" She couldn't contain it any longer and jumped on top of the bike, laid on it, and held it like a dear old friend. She swung her leg over and straddled the perfect, comfortable seat. She stroked the handle bars and placed her feat on the pedals. She squeed with excitement again.

"Let's go for a ride! Wait! I don't know how to ride it! TEACH ME TO RIDE IT!"

Riya walked over and began explaining to her how the pedals worked and how to make it go fast. Minerva cut her off half way through.

"Oh screw it! Let's just go ride the damn thing! Grab yours! We'll go around the block a few times."

Riya moved towards the garage where her bike was kept. Minerva yelled suddenly and stopped her. "Wait! I can't go unarmed," Minerva said with a hint of excitement, "I think I'll go get my new guns!" She hopped off the bike, grabbed the other pistol, strapped on her belt that held three of her knives, sheathed them in, and ran back to the bike. Riya had pushed hers out and started it with a loud engine roar.

They started off on the back streets, staying away from the busy freeways that Riya considered too dangerous for anyone save herself. Through small towns and larger cities they road; past the outskirts of Kure City to Yuki-cho, then Yachiyo-cho, the sky growing darker and then bright as the moon rose above the horizon and the lights of civilization grew more sparse. They wove around mountain passes and hairpin turns, the night warm and the wind cool, and it was hours before Riya suddenly braked to a stop alongside a treacherous curve in the highway and motioned for Thoth to do the same. She hit the kickstand and climbed from her bike, the other girl mirroring her dismount, and in silence Riya led Thoth away from the bikes to sit on the top of a little hill and stare down at the road.

This was where Riya's parents had been killed, but she wasn't going to tell Thoth that.

No, she just wanted to talk... or rather, listen. She lay back in the grass and stared blankly at the sky, humming quietly to herself, and waited until Thoth had done the same before she turned her head to look at her partner.

"Thoth?"

"Yes, Riya?"

"Thoth?"

"Yes, Riya?"

"Tell me what happened after I left."

Minerva smiled to herself, shaking her head in disbelief that she had failed to mention the events after her departure. Things had been....hectic...

"OK, where to begin...I woke up that morning, the day after you left, and I found the envelope that you left me. About the schoolboy, and the family, and...your parents..."

Minerva felt uncomfortable talking about it. She knew Riya had left those, probably thinking they would never meet again. She quickly continued on with her story.

"I ran down to your quarters, but you weren't there. I was about to go look in the showers for you, but when I left your room, the MP's got me. They took me to the detention level, of course. Cuffed me. Interrogated me. They thought I had helped you. I only wish I had..."

She smiled at Riya. She made sure she was going to rub in that fact every chance she got.
She paused for a moment and looked up at the stars again. It was hard to believe she had been up there just a few months earlier.

"The hardest part was that I didn't know if you were alive or not. But I'll tell you, Riya, I was upset. Really, truly upset at you. I imagined killing you many times. They took me to a court martial. Tried me. All I did was sleep, and I got a whole, huge court martial! Pretty cool, neh?"

Riya made no comment either way. But Minerva could tell she was listening intently at the story.

"So, I'm sitting outside the courtroom, when guess who walks up to me? Hale! That fucking asshole. The best part of being out of there, is being away from him. That little fucker. But this is the best part, Riya! He was under trial too!"

Riya suddenly turned her head towards Minerva. She was obviously interested in this information.

"We talked outside. He was ever-so-briefly tolerable. He told me that you fooled me and to learn from it. Guess I didn't, did I?"

Minerva looked down on the bikes and above at the stars. What would Hale think now?

"He was a little fucker right to the end too. Told me that he had taught me everything I knew. Anyway, I was released of all charges, of course. But Hale...Hale went to Io. For 20 years! Twenty fucking years!"

Minerva began to laugh uncontrollably. She could tell by Riya's look that she was ecstatic at the thought of him rotting in prison. She even smiled, ever-so-slightly.

"The assigned me some stupid ass small jobs. Survelliance and things like that. They partnered me with Lee. The guy who was with me..."

She suddenly had to stop. The thought of Lee made her very sad. He was such a good guy. He tried so hard, but he just wasn't that good at what he did. She wished he had left her. Why hadn't he left her!? She didn't realize that she had paused for so long until Riya asked her to continue.

"I studied you. I tried to find any information on you that I could. It wasn't easy, I must tell you. The ended up giving me one assassination hit on some mob guy, but that was it. I never even used the skills you taught me. Very boring. And then I got the hit on you. We went to Paris first. I found the phone number in the tea jar. Followed you to Hong Kong. I went to the herb shop and spotted you across the street. You know the rest of it, I suppose. I remember the being shot part the best."

She looked at Riya. She was still looking up at the stars, staring intently at them. Minerva waited for some kind of reply, but none came.

Io. A small, cold prison for the man who thought to teach me. The edge of a tiny, smug smile flickered briefly over her face, but was lost to contemplation. Do you sit in your cell and understand that it is you who gave me the means for betrayal? So fitting, for you to pay the time for my crimes. I could not have achieved such power without your help. Do you think of that? How you must hate me.

Her smile grew as Thoth laughed, but their amusement was not for the same reason. Perhaps we shall meet again, William Hale. I would wait that long, to see you dead. She blinked up at the sky and tried to decide which light might be Io. And you will see that not even you can defeat m--

"Nnnn, nani? What is it, Thoth?"

"I said, what happened with you?"

"Now I don't feel so bad about spending your money. Can we spend more tomorrow?" Minerva shot her a playful smile. "This is just so....strange...We're free, Riya. We're free now. I used to have a CD from an old movie when I was a kid. One of the last songs on it was called 'Now We Are Free.' It was so...promising. The music slowly built up into a happy melody that made you know that the future would be bright, even if the past was dark. That's how I feel now; that our future is going to be bright. We're going to go kill, we're going to go make lots and lots of money, and we will grow old and retire in the Bahamas."

Riya smiled back and stared up at the stars some more. Minerva followed suit, thinking of Battle School and her new weapons. She didn't know how long they had sat there in silence, but she felt the urge to ask more deeper questions. Riya was in a good mood, and Minerva wanted to take advantage of it while she had the chance.

Part of Riya liked to ignore that any of that had ever happened... but another, deeper part of her was pleased that someone knew, was proud of what she had done, and wanted to glorify the deed and bask in the understanding. That part wanted recognition, wanted acknowledgement, wanted another kindred spirit to revel in the blood and glory of her revenge. The only problem was that Riya did not know which part of herself to indulge.

She knows. Yet she is here, with me. Does that mean she understands? Does that mean she knows that I did what I had to do? Is she proud, or pleased, or-- and what does she mean, that she wants to understand me better?

Against all her better judgement, Riya answered.

"Yes. It was me."

Perhaps it was not a lengthy answer, but for Riya, it was a great concession. To no one before had she admitted her involvement. Speculation and near-certain deduction had existed for years, but never once had Riya ever told anyone that she was the one... yet, with one simple question, Thoth had received the first honest answer, and Riya immediately found that she did not regret being truthful.

Minerva thought long and hard about Riya's answer. Of course she knew it had been her. Why else had she left that packet? But how could such a little girl do such horrid things? And how could the IF possibly think this girl could be a trained soldier?

She was always meant to be a killer.

The IF hadn't created the killer; she was created when she was born. The anger and rage inside her had always existed. The IF had mearly provided her extra training and weapons along with it. Minerva thought of the others she had met in Command School: Rabin and Gabe both seemed made for IF service. Sol maybe had not been at one point, but perhaps Gabe had changed her in someway. But Minerva? She stared at the sky and wondered what had ever made them place her in Scorpion. She came from a somewhat stable family. She didn't particularly love killing things. She was book smart, but always struggled with the physical aspects of the training. She was never meant to be a killer. She was meant to live in some suburban neighborhood, have children, be a teacher or something mundane, and live to be an old woman who bought expensive presents for her grandchildren. Instead, she was sitting on a hill, looking at her new Ninja Streetbike, with guns strapped to her sides, and next to her sat probably the most dangerous woman on the planet: her best friend.

How did I get here?

She turned at stared at Riya again. Should she continue probing into her past like this? Minerva felt guilty already and didn't wish to continue the line of questioning. She had enough anyway. She knew Riya even better then she had thought possible now.

"Well, we better get going, neh?"

But today was a different day. Today she would attempt to cook. She found herself smiling as she fumbled quietly through the cupboards looking for ingrediants.

Let's see...pancakes? Waffles? Eggs?

She quietly reminded herself that she did not know how to make any of these things. But she had seen Riya do it a hundred times. And her stomach was telling her to move ahead. How difficult could it be?

-------

The eggs had been a disaster. No matter what she did, they burned. She also managed to drop a couple of uncooked ones onto the floor. She vowed to pick it up later. The pancakes had been atrocious. She didn't know how much batter to make, and at first she made enough to feed a football team. When she first flipped them, she also realized that keeping them on one side for 5 minutes wasn't a good idea. The burning came with a definite batter mix smell to the kitchen. She figured waffles would be easy, since you just had to put them in the toaster, but the toaster also didn't seem to work properly and they were also burned. Hoping that Riya wouldn't notice, she put a mixture of all three on a plate and covered up the burned parts with jelly and syrup. She turned to go back to the bedroom when she saw Riya standing in the doorway.

"Look! I made breakfast!"

Finally they ate the edible parts of it. Riya ended up making more food so that they wouldn't starve. Minerva cleaned up all of it, since Riya felt the need not to help. Minerva threw some cooked eggs at her and another food fight almost ensued. They did their ritual that they did everyday: The cleaned their guns, read over dossiers, ate lunch, cleaned their guns again, practiced throwing their knives at the target they had set up in the living room, then settled in to watch TV. Today happened to be a very engrossing show on the history channel about famous assassins. At one point, Minerva nudged Riya and said, "Hey, maybe the two of us will make this list someday, neh?" Riya opened her mouth to answer when a knock came to the door. Riya jumped up immediately as Minerva grabbed her gun that was at her side and stood behind her. Her gun was drawn straight out in front of her and pointed at the door. Riya motioned her to stay where she was, and she obliged. Riya quietly slinked to the other room to look at the surveillance monitors. There was silence for a moment before Riya's voice came threw the door.

"Thoth. Answer the door."

She slinked to the door, looking down the length of her arm at the barrel. She moved to the door. She grumbled slightly, wondering if Riya meant for her to get shot instead. She didn't sound panicked though. She reached the door, bent down, turned the handle, and quickly threw it open. She moved her gun rapidly, looking for any movement to shoot at, but there was none. When she was satisfied that it was cleared, she lowered her gun and looked around. All she saw was a small box and a white lily laying on the doorstep. She stared at it a moment, dumbstruck. Was it bomb? Maybe it was a spy camera? Or a listening device? She wondered if the lily was even a real lily. Then suddenly it dawned on her:

Minerva began laughing uncontrollably and she quickly bent down and grabbed the box and flower. She slammed the door and began half prancing, half skipping into the the other room. She jumped up and stopped in front of Riya, waving the two gifts around.

"Ooooh, someone has a secret admirer, I was right! I wonder who it could beeeeeeeeeee!"

Riya suddenly grabbed for the items, snatched them, and pushed Minerva outside of the room. She heard the lock click behind her.

"Riiiiya, c'mon, let me see, I'll stop teasing."

She knocked on the door a few times before giving up and listening. She heard only slight movements inside. She realized it would be futile to stand there and she retreated to the living room. She pouted and stared at the door, wondering who in the world would give Riya a gift.

She finally re-emerged from the room and began heading for the front door. Minerva jumped up and tried to stop her. She wanted answers.

"Who is it from? Do I know him? How does he know where we live? Are we safe here?"

But Riya didn't listen and she walked out the front door. Moments later, she heard the streetbike engine begin and speed off. Minerva stared at the door for a few minutes with a look of utter disbelief on her face. How could she just leave like that? Minerva had no idea where she was going to or when she would be back. She jogged back to the surveillance room to look for any clues, but Riya left none to her whereabouts. She paced about for a bit, but could not think of anything to do. She couldn't leave the house. She would have to stay there and wait.

-----

Shot me. Legion shot me. Hurts. Shot hurts. I do not like this. No. No no no.

Leaving Ejan's care had not been a prudent decision. The combination of pain, blood loss, and the bullet wound to her arrogance was nearly more than her system could handle, and her body was now finding it difficult to compensate. Her vision was blurring, and with the downpour of rain, she could barely see. She felt numb, as if her hands and feet were not her own, and the bike swerved in and out of lanes, missing other vehicles by close margins that she could not control. Even with the medication and careful bandaging that Ejan had given her, the pain in her shoulder was a surprise and a shock to her, and she did not have the artifice in place to deal with such an injury.

Why did he shoot me? I did not... did not shoot him first? Did I?

Her thoughts were disjointed and fuzzy as she sped unsteadily down the freeway, hugging her injured shoulder to her body as she tried to steer one-handed.

Hurt... it hurts, okasan, I do not want it to hurt...

She narrowly avoided an oncoming truck and was startled by its bright lights and the sound of its horn.

Want to be safe... safe at home... home with Thothchan...

How Riya made it home safely was a miracle not to be questioned, but nearly an hour after she had been shot, she found herself on the steps of her home once more.

It hurts...

She knocked, because that is what polite people did, she was busy telling herself. The door eventually opened, and Thoth peered out, and Riya could only tilt her head and stare.

...weak...

Minerva didn't know why her body moved, but suddenly she floated through the door and grabbed Riya in a hug. She hugged her so hard that her hands hurt. She slowly felt Riya's own hands pull up from their spot at her side and place themselves around Minerva's waist. The rain hit Minerva and drenched her hair. At first the rain stinged her skin, but eventually it felt refreshing. She had never realized how great rain could be until that moment.

She didn't know how long they stood their hugging as sheets of rain pelted their coats, but eventually Minerva snapped out of the dream and let go of Riya.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

Riya didn't need to answer. Her eyes were sharp with pain and it looked like she was having problems focusing. Minerva looked her over and finally noticed the small blood trail dripping off of her right hand. Minerva suddenly pulled Riya inside and slammed the door. Water dripped off of their bodies onto the carpet, making a small puddle where they stood. They were both silent at Minerva tugged at the coat that covered Riya. But this coat wasn't one that Riya owned. Who's coat was this? Did it belong to the same person who left the package? She pulled slowly down, so she didn't have to move her right arm to much. Riya's grey sweater had become a dark red on her right shoulder where the wound must be. Minerva knew she couldn't pull the sweater off without hurting her more. She reached down and pulled one of her knives out of her boot and began slicing the sweater off, starting at the neck and working down. She peeled it off and stared at the wound. Riya still looked blankely ahead, not commenting but showing pain in her face. Minerva led her to the couch and sat her down. Someone had bandaged the wound. It was done quickly, but who had done it?

"Who wrapped this for you, Riya? Can I take it off and look at the wound?"

Riya still stared blankely with a sad look in her eyes. Minerva felt the tears welling up inside of her. The dull pain in her throat told her that she could weep at any moment. She chocked out her words to Riya, blinking hard through the tears in her eyes.

But Thoth moved, she started talking, she pulled Riya inside and tugged off the jacket and cut off the sweater, her eyes wide and damp as she stared at the bandage that graced Riya's shoulder. When she pushed her to sit on the couch, Riya could only stare back. She had nothing to say.

I want it to go away. Make it go away, Thothchan.

"Who wrapped this for you, Riya? Can I take it off and look at the wound?" A frantic tone worked its way into Thoth's voice, and Riya reacted, startled, afraid. She wanted comfort, and to find Thoth as uncertain as she herself was feeling was frightening. "Tell me who did this to you! Tell me who hurt you and I will kill them!"

The command was enough to spurn obedience, and Riya answered flatly, automatically. "Ejan. Went to see Ejan. Legion followed me. Shot me. I killed him." She looked up at Thoth then, her eyes full of pain, and her voice raised as she continued talking, wavery and indignant and frightened. "Shot me. Shot me! He shot me, he shot me!"

Ejan? Who was Ejan? And why in the world did she go see him? And why was there a Legion around? Riya had been staring blankely ahead, but now she stared straight into Minerva's eyes. Her blue eyes flashed with fear as they stared at her.

"Shot me. Shot me! He shot me, he shot me!"

She quickly pulled away from Minerva and pushed herself farther down on the couch. She clutched her arms to her chest, holding her entwined hands under her chin.

"Hurts, it hurts, it hurts...."

She kept mumbling to herself, staring straight ahead again. Minerva was dumbfounded; she had never seen Riya in such a state before. She looked at the wound and began to examine it as much as possible without touching it. By the placement of the wound, it was not in a critical spot. It would hurt like a bitch, but wouldn't kill her. There was a minimal amount of blood, nothing that would put her into shock. By all accounts, the wound would heal in time on its own. But why was Riya so distraught if....

She's mentally gone...

The wound wasn't what was bothering her. It was the idea of being injured that hurt her the most. But why? Surely she had been injured before? Minerva thought back to as long as she had known her. Granted that nothing serious had ever happened when she knew her, she doubted that her life had been accident free. But what she needed now was comfort. She needed a stable rock to lean against.

Minerva wiped away the tears and touched Riya's shoulder gently. "Riya? It's OK. Everything is OK. Your going to be fine. Look at me. Everthing is fine."

Riya turned slowly and looked at Minerva in the eyes. She could see she was already beginning to calm down a little.

"Let's go to the bedroom. Your soaking wet. We'll get you some dry clothes, and we'll go to sleep, ok?"

Minerva pulled on her wrist and stood her up. She placed the left arm around her shoulders and helped her walk into the bedroom. As Minerva pulled her pajamas out of the drawers, Riya sat on the edge of the bed and slowly removed her boots and pants. When she was changed, Minerva grabbed a towel from the bedroom and began drying her hair, then draped the towel over her shoulders to keep her back dry. Riya finally laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Minerva moved around the bed and laid down next to her, placing her arm under her head and staring sideways at her face.

She fell asleep to Thoth's whispered promises of protection, but it was not a peaceful sleep, and several times she awoke with a start, drenched in cold sweat and frightened. Every time Thoth would cuddle closer, and ramble on about how Legion couldn't hurt them and how Hale was in prison and how they were free, and the emotional petting coaxed her former confidence back out into the open. Every time she would wake to find Thoth smoothing her hair and to feel the grip of her pistol as she clutched it to her, she would regain a little more of her invincibility, and finally the nightmares ceased.

Morning came, and the pain had subsided enough that she could ignore it. That was Riya's method of coping; if she pretended it hadn't happened, then it wasn't true. The wound on her shoulder had been imagined, the ordeal with the Legion had been nothing but a nightmare, and after she showered and dressed, she couldn't even see the bandage. Thoth was surprised to find her cheerful, puttering around the kitchen and cooking breakfast, but knew better than to question, and they both settled down to ignore whatever had happened the previous night.

Then, once again, someone knocked at the door.

Go away. Just please leave.

Riya did not want to answer it. It felt like deja vu, and she did not want to have to think about lilies and gifts and visits with friendly Wolf agents who bandaged wounds and lent their jackets. She frowned, then sighed, and Thoth was already in the surveillance room watching the cameras with a perplexed look on her face when Riya finally pushed up from her chair and went to look at the cameras herself.

"Who's that, Riya? Is he supposed to know where we live? What's going on?" For once Riya didn't ignore the questions, and she perched on the arm of Thoth's chair and looked down at her, an uncertain displeasure in her eyes. "That is Ejan."

Thoth caught on immediately. "The one who sent you the gifts? Was that his jacket? Did he bandage up your shoulder afterwards? Why is he here?"

"Nnn, hai. Yes. And I do not know. Perhaps he is delivering our next dossier in person. I... I do not like this." Riya stood up suddenly and motioned toward the back bedroom. "We should pack our clothes. We are leaving for France. I will take care of this."

Riya moved toward the living room, but Thoth followed, and she turned to look at her partner irritably. "What are you doing?" Thoth crossed her arms and frowned. "Staying with you. I'm not going to leave."

With a shrug, Riya opened the door, Thoth like a dark, glowering shadow behind her, and they both looked to Ejan with nearly identical expressions on their faces.

No, the person that drew his gaze was the girl standing behind Riya, the girl named Thoth.

When she'd been in bed and wounded in Hong Kong, he could never have imagined her looking as she did now. Before, she'd been pale and wan with blood loss, barely able to stand on her own. Now, she looked...menacing, her gaze angry and fastened on him as if she'd just discovered a new breed of insect that needed to be disposed of as quickly as possible. Tousled red hair surrounded her face, and narrowed sea-colored eyes seemed less interested in what he wanted than how much trouble it would be to bury the body.

"I will take those." Ejan's attention focused on her again, and he handed the disc and jacket to her with a small smile that she did not return. Thoth was watching their every interaction like a hawk, her hands resting on the butts of the pistols that sat holstered on her hips, and Riya turned away from Ejan to blink at her partner. "You are a faster draw than he. That--" with a nod toward the obvious readiness to draw a weapon-- "is unnecessary, Thoth."

Then she left them to glare at one another and went inside the house.

She dropped the jacket onto the back of a chair and took a different seat in front of her laptop, plugging the disc into the slot and waiting as a reader program loaded. The dossier appeared on her screen, and she ignored Thoth and Ejan as she quickly scanned it, concentration furrowing her brow almost imperceptibly. Her eyes narrowed as she finished reading, and she glanced up from the screen, only to find the pair still poised in the doorway.

Minerva was always weary of such things, but in light of recent events, she became almost paranoid of a door knock. She immediately drew her gun from its holster and ran quietly to the surveillance room. Riya was slow on the uptake to follow her which made Minerva even more wary of the knock. But the black and white screen showed a top angle of a man she had never seen before. She squinted her eyes in thought as she tried to figure out who this man was.

"Who's that, Riya? Is he supposed to know where we live? What's going on?"

Minerva attempted to remain calm to not upset Riya any further. Though she was finding it difficult to keep her cool by the look on Riya's face; she was concentrating on the image of the man, but not in that 'how do we kill him?' way.

"That is Ejan."

Ejan? That was the name that had been mentioned last night, but she still had no idea who this man was.

"The one who sent you the gifts? Was that his jacket? Did he bandage up your shoulder afterwards? Why is he here?"

"Nnn, hai. Yes. And I do not know. Perhaps he is delivering our next dossier in person. I... I do not like this."

Dossier? So this man must be of some importance, but how? Did he work for the Wolves? Minerva almost grinned at the thought of a mission, their first mission, but she still had to know who this man was and why Riya didn't like the feel of it.

"We should pack our clothes. We are leaving for France. I will take care of this."

Pack? Leave? Hell no! She followed Riya into the next room with a look of determination on her face.

"What are you doing?"

"Staying with you. I'm not going to leave."

She crossed her arms and stared straight at Riya's deep eyes. There was a brief pause while Riya considered, but she finally shrugged her shoulders and opened the door. Minerva straightened up her back and glared the most evil glare she had in her capabilites. It wasn't very difficult for her, since she already despised this Ejan.

"What do you want?"

It took Ejan a moment to answer. He wasn't staring at Riya; no, instead he was staring at Minerva. She found herself so angry, so boiled up inside, she didn't even blink or twitch. And the fact that Minerva was quite tall, towering over Riya, probably made her even more intimidating. Maybe it also had to do with the gun she grabbed tightly on her right hip. Ejan finally managed to blink and look away enough to answer Riya's question.

"Good morning. I brought you the dossier for the contract you accepted...and your jacket."

Jacket! Why the fuck did this...person...have Riya's jacket? And was that his jacket she was wearing last night? Minerva's blood boiled even higher, not with anger, but with jealousy. Why had she never know of this Ejan? And why was she not allowed to go with Riya last night? Minerva knew that if she had been there, Riya would have never been injured. But this Ejan probably distracted her and she was shot. Minerva became even more hot when she thought about all the possiblities of how Riya could have been distracted.

"I will take those."

Minerva glared at the jacket and disc, watching how Ejan handed them to Riya. She was relieved when their hands never touched skin to skin. She didn't know what kind of germs this Ejan had, and she wanted to make sure Riya didn't touch him....or that he touched Riya.

"You are a faster draw than he. That is unnecessary, Thoth."

Minerva finally blinked and looked at Riya. She had been montioning to her hand on her right hip pistol. She didn't wait to see if Minerva replied, and instead walked deeper into the house and sat down in front of her laptop. Minerva would have followed to see the dossier, but she instead guarded the door like a doberman, making sure that this Ejan did not step foot in their house. She would have liked to have shot him right their on that doorstep, but she didn't want to have to clean up the mess he left.

"Thoth. Allow him in. We have things to discuss."

Minerva turned her head slightly towards Riya, keeping her eyes fixed on Ejan. She didn't enjoy disobeying Riya, but this game had gone on far enough. She wanted answers, and she wanted them now.

Her pride was furious that Thoth would defy her like this, in front of a Wolf, and the challenge to her authority made her stand suddenly, take a few steps closer. Thoth had been concentrating on glaring at Ejan, but when she noticed the fury behind Riya's mask, she did not look away. They stared at one another in silence, each trying to make the other back down, and when Riya finally spoke, her voice was small and cold and quiet.

"Do you dare to disobey, Thoth?"

Thoth looked straight back and kept her hands on her pistols. "I mean it, Riya. I'll shoot him if you don't tell me what's going on. You know I will."

Riya was incensed. How dare Thoth do this?! She took another step closer, her eyes warm and glowing azure, and stared straight into that seagreen gaze that defied her. There was anger there, to mirror her own, but there was also fear, and it took Riya a moment to realize what it was. It wasn't fear of her, but for her.

Is she afraid for me? Why?

The answer came when she remembered the wound, the blood and the shock and the fear of last night, and a little of her anger turned to understanding and surprise. Thoth was afraid for her. It hadn't occurred to Riya to think such, for she had so long denied her own affection for Thoth that she couldn't see what affection Thoth might hold for her, and her eyes widened. No wonder there was such resistance. Ejan was an unknown variable, and in their comfortable little game of life and death, neither really wanted disturbance. Riya knew she wanted stability. She just hadn't known that Thoth might too, or that her partner would find Ejan to be such a threat.

He hadn't remembered that Thoth, too, was Legion. After this rocky introduction, he would not forget.

Thoth allowed him inside, and he inclined his head in slightly amused thanks as he slipped by. Whatever his internal discomfort, it took interference from Aryn or something like it to make Ejan show it on the surface, and this little byplay was hardly that. Thinking of his sister made him remember how displeased she was going to be when she found out about this little side trip, and he quickly cancelled that line of thought and moved his gaze from Thoth to Riya, his smile disappearing. Ejan was not a slow learner, and it seemed emotion was not something Riya appreciated in her companions.

Of course, he reflected a tad jealously as he met Riya's eyes, Thoth seemed to get away with it.

Thoth's blatant dislike for Ejan and Ejan's obvious wariness of Thoth was, to put it lightly, extremely entertaining, and Riya had to consciously refrain from returning Thoth's grin. She couldn't, however, keep the amusement from shining in her eyes. The two partners, one sitting, one standing, stared at eachother for a long moment, and their pleasure was mutual.

Then Ejan slowly glanced behind him, gave Thoth a bemused expression, and raised an eyebrow.

Thoth suddenly lost her smile, and Riya's eyes were instantly cold once more.

Do not look at her with such disrespect. Perhaps I should have allowed her to shoot you, if you are going to be so foolish as to act with such insolence.

"She does not like you," she said abruptly, her tone matter-of-fact and slightly reprimanding, as if she were reminding a child to behave, and Ejan quickly met her gaze again. "She was kind enough to refrain from killing you before, but I daresay that if you tease her like that, she may not listen to me the next time."

That got his attention. Irritated and somewhat amused again, Riya blinked at him flatly and got down to business. "Considering the events that took place during my last visit to Paris, I am certain that this contract will prove slightly more troublesome than previously anticipated. The French authorities, Interpol, and Legion have all confirmed my past presence in the country, and will certainly be looking for me again. My partner is still recovering from our last encounter--" No sarcasm in her voice when saying that so calmly, and neither did Riya make mention of her own injury-- "and thus, you are now notified of the increase in my fee for this contract. We will complete the contract, and you will disperse payment to my accounts, as usual."

The snide nastiness in her voice now wasn't efficient, and it wasn't reasonable. It was rude, and to a man to whom evil was merely a matter of insufficient justification, rudeness was close to unforgivable.

He listened patiently while she threatened him, and allowed the amazon behind him to continue to loom over him without another glance while Riya outlined her terms. The increase was reasonable, considering the circumstances. Her tone was not, and he waited for her to finish before studying her with concern and concealing the anger her lack of manners had engendered.

But that was the past, and this was now. She had been wounded, and as a result she was losing her reserve, in a manner completely unlike herself. Her tone was less cold than snide, her demeanor more rude than polite. Without knowing it consciously, Riya was trying to compensate for the injury to her pride, by being arrogant and imperious. Her little defense mechanism of ignoring the incident hadn't succeeded, and taking control over Ejan was her last-ditch effort to maintain a hold on things.

It worked, for a few minutes. And then he asked about her shoulder.

No. No, I am not injured, do not ask me such questi--

Riya could not maintain the facade. She grew pale, and her eyes widened, hardened, turned bewildered and furious as they had the night before, and she looked from Ejan to Thoth almost frantically. She touched her shoulder automatically and winced, pulled away and stood up very abruptly, and stared at both her partner and the Wolf in turn, waiting for one of them to say something. What she wanted to hear, she didn't know; perhaps that it was a joke, or perhaps a reassurance. Neither came. Ejan watched her with concern, and Thoth made a move to step closer, but Riya was not in the state to handle physical coddling.

I cannot be wounded. I am invincible.

Her little illusion disintegrated further, but as it did, her expression softened, and suddenly she felt as if she were five years old again. It didn't seem quite real, and she straightened, her features falling back into their old lines... but the vulnerability remained in her eyes, even as she turned away and left the room.

"Do you dare to disobey, Thoth?"

She gripped her pistols tighter, stared even deeper into Riya's eyes, and put her foot down.

"I mean it Riya. I'll shoot him if you don't tell me what's going on. You know I will."

Riya took another step closer and continued to stare. Why was she angry? Didn't she know how upset she was? Perhaps she should pull her into another room to discuss this with her in private, but she dare not leave this Ejan alone.

Then something flashed in Riya's eyes and she backed off; not physically, but mentally. Before you could feel the tension between them, but it suddenly pulled off in a subconscience understanding.

"That would be messy, and I do not like to clean. Let him in, Thoth. He is the Wolf Agent that we contract with. Killing him might prove troublesome."

Wolf? This...Ejan...is a Wolf?

She almost did not believe it. He didn't seem the type. Too....scrawny....or something. But if he was, then he was. She began to understand now. Though she still hated him, she decided to tolerate him, if only to do a little killing and get a little money. And Riya had conceeded, which was a huge landmark step in itself. She could still surprise Minerva, even after all these years.
Without removing her eyes from Riya, she slowly moved aside from the door to allow Ejan in. He slinked by, making sure to not touch either one of them Which was a good thing, because Minerva would have removed a limb if he had touched either of them in anyway.

"Is there a problem?"

Riya did not answer his question. And Minerva refused to speak to him in any form. The question went unanswered as he sat down in the chair. Minerva silently moved behind him, crossed her arms, and stared at Riya on the other side of the room. She couldn't conceal the cocky grin on her face as she thought what was more funny: Riya conceeding a fight, or Ejan now terrified of her. Riya glared back at her for some time, and Minerva could see her laughing on the inside. It became very difficult for her to keep from giggling outloud.

Ejan began slowly turning his head around, almost afraid of what may be behind him. Minerva's grin disappeared and she put on her "Angry Riya Face" as she stared down at him. His face was not scared though, it almost looked as if he pittied her. She removed her arms from their crossed position, and placed them on her guns once more.

"She does not like you. She was kind enough to refrain from killing you before, but I daresay that if you tease her like that, she may not listen to me the next time."

Damn right. Minerva wanted to stab him right then and there, but she also wanted money, so she did indeed refrain.

Riya gave the rundown of the situation and how they would be paid. She did mention an increase in fee, which made Minerva grin crookedly. Money was good. Money bought more toys.

"I trust this will not be a problem?"

Ejan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He agreed to the increase in fee and Minerva smiled even broader. She was already imagining the new gun she would buy with their winnings.

"How is your shoulder?"

Minerva lost the grin immediately. Are you an idiot!? Do not ask such questions!

Riya lost her unemotional stare, an immediate sense of panic coming to her face. She looked furiously from Minerva to Ejan. Her hands became restless as she grabbed at her injured shoulder. She suddently jumped up. Minerva was stunned; she had never seen Riya act so...inconsistent...before. She instantely became worried and stepped towards her to get her away from Ejan, but she moved away, stumbled slightly, turned around and went into the bedroom. Minerva stood there dumbfounded. What was that? That person she just saw was not Riya. She had to consol her, but she could not with Ejan there, and she suddenly grew very angry. She spun around with pure hate in her and glared at him.

"Get out. Get out or I will fucking shoot you. How dare you ask such fucking questions! How...HOW......HOW? I do not care if you are Wolf! Don't ever ask her questions, don't ever talk to her again! Are you a fucking idiot!? I mean...I'm...I'm totally lost for words to explain your stupidity!"

He stood still for a moment without moving or speaking.

It had been a while - a few years, at least - since Ejan was held at gunpoint, but it had been familiar enough before that to allow him to keep most of his composure. He had no trouble preventing himself from focusing on the gun, because there was something else equally close to him that appeared far more threatening and drew most of his attention.

Thoth.

The girl was obviously distraught over Riya's condition, and that was something Ejan could understand; he might have admitted to being a little concerned himself. He didn't know what offense he'd committed that merited such a reaction; maybe the girl was just extremely overprotective. It looked like he'd been the cause of Riya's sudden withdrawal, though he couldn't imagine how, but asking after her well-being didn't seem like a crime worthy of execution. Maybe the girl thought he'd been the one who wounded Riya last night...but if Thoth knew her partner at all, she should know better. Ejan was still alive, and that in itself meant he'd never done anything harmful to Kinoshita.

He looked past the barrel of the gun into those sea-colored eyes and tried to read her emotions. Fury narrowed her eyes and set her jaw, but it wasn't fury that creased her brow and pressed her lips together. Minerva Thoth was...afraid...of something.

It should not have been this difficult to maintain control, she tried to reason, and rational thought had a very harsh reply. She was injured. She-- Kuniyo Kinoshita, Agent Noir-- had been injured. There was no way around that little fact, and she was going to have to accept that someone had actually managed to hurt her.

She fought it, but in the end, it won. Admittance came, of a sort, but as with all things involving Riya it was tinted with arrogance. It is true. I have been injured. I... am not invincible. And to think that I believed I could not bleed. Perhaps I was foolish.

Impossible. That cannot be the answer. They will all die for what they have done to me. It is no longer for money. I will hunt them, and they will see the error of their ways.

Shouting from the other room brought her attention back to the matter at hand, and she picked up Ejan's jacket from where it lay on the floor. It took another moment, but Riya managed to school her expression back into its customary mask, and she was nothing but blank as she stepped back out into the living room.

What met her eyes made her want to sigh. Thoth, it is not your duty to fight for me. Do not begin a battle, not with the Wolves. Ejan's eyes flicked to hers as she stepped through the doorway, but Thoth remained unwaveringly focused on the pistol she had pressed to his forehead. Riya blinked in thought, before moving closer, raising a hand and gently lowering Thoth's, so that the gun was pointed at the floor. Thoth looked at her in surprise, and Riya held out the jacket to Ejan.

She looked a little shaken, but she seemed alright, and she was holding out a jacket. His jacket, actually; he'd forgotten he'd given it to her last night.

After a long glance at Thoth he reached forward and took it. The girl flinched when his hand brushed Riya's, and he pulled it back to him as quickly as possible. Something in Thoth's gaze said he was still in danger of losing anything that came too close to her companion.

"If you need anything else from me, let me know." He spoke to Riya, not to Thoth, but he did glance at the girl once more before he turned and left, depositing a card with his cell number on it on the table as he exited.

Come now, Thoth. We must be polite. And we cannot forget the true reason we play this game. We cannot forget the other Legion.

Riya tapped a fingertip lightly against Thoth's forehead and shook her own head in reprimand. "To kill him would begin war. I am too tired for war now." She moved to the table and picked up the little card Ejan had left behind, memorizing the number even as she turned around and offered it to Thoth. "Save your temper for those who deserve it."

Amusement resurfaced as Thoth began to angrily rip the card into shreds, the tiny remnants of paper fluttering to the floor, and Riya managed to conjure a smile as her partner finally finished and grinned back. "Let us go to France."