I really had nothing to do until we launched our attack, so I wandered around the Castle a bit. I stopped in the kitchen, grabbing a quick snack, and then headed towards the room where they were preparing the bombs.
Bombs...I snorted to myself. Such a bold and obvious plan would never work. Were it up to me, I would have organized a stealth attack, infiltrate the Citadel quietly and take everyone out before they could react. Then again, stealth was simply my nature. A flash of a memory made me halt for a moment in my path.
"...and D will be outside as sniper backup," Giovanni says, glancing up from the plans we've drawn out. It's a floor plan of the entire house, with red dots marking our targets.
I put out my cigarette and pull on my gloves, wrapping my chains a moment after. "Yeah," I say. I tuck two handguns into my waistband for good measure.
Dorian double-checks her rifle, making sure every part is in working order before closing the case on the table. She tucks two sai into her sash before lifting the case. "Let's do this..."
...I silently creep through a dark hallway, no sounds in the air. With careful precision, I pick the lock on the main bedroom, slipping inside like a shadow. My target is lying unaware asleep on the bed, and I make my way beside her. Taking great care not to disturb her as I climb onto the bed, I wrap my chains around her neck and pull tightly, snapping her neck and killing her before she could even awake to scream.
"Mark," I say quietly into my mic.
"Copy. Mark," I hear in reply a few seconds later from Gio. I leave the room just as silently as I entered...
"...kat?" I blink owlishly at the figure before me, the last of the memory receding already. It was Deidrex, waving a hand in front of my face. Out of instinct I grabbed her hand quickly, still staring at her.
"I'm fine," I said a moment later, releasing her. I hurried past her, not even giving her a chance to talk to me. I found the room where the bomb-making was underway, and walked over to Ximh.
"This isn't going to work," I said bluntly in an undertone. "It's just...I feel like he's underestimating them. Organization Zero is cunning. Throwing a couple bombs at them isn't going to finish them. Sure, they'll have to find a new HQ, but what else?"
Ximh shrugged, and raised an eyebrow. "I guess that's where we come in, right? Whoever survives the bomb dies by our hand."
I took a bite out of the peach in my hand, thinking. "It's still too sloppy," I said finally. "My Other was an assassin. I know more than a few things about infiltration and elimination."
Ximh looked to me interestedly, and I cringed as I realized what I'd said: information about my past. "You used to be an assassin?" He asked.
"Yes. I don't want to talk about it," I said back. "That's not the issue here."
"Oh," he said, "right. Well, as far as the plan...all we can do is wait and see how it goes, right?"
I turned to watch Tamex and the others as they fiddled around with the parts for the bomb, and frowned.
------------------------------
KitKat: Do I detect a little dissension in the ranks?
Rexikat: ...it's a stupid plan, that's all. -_-
I took the snapping plant with a blank expression on my face. I really had no idea what brought this on…I barely even talked to her as it was. There was really no reason for her to be giving me gifts…
“Thanks,” I said unsurely, raising an eyebrow as it purred again, “but I don’t really need a plant for protection. I’ll keep it as a…pet…plant…thing.”
“Oh, sure,” she replied, “but where were you just now?”
Persistent little girl, I thought. I had hoped to distract her with stupid conversation. “Why do you want to know?” I asked, carefully keeping my voice neutral.
Kyxsha shrugged. “Um, I thought I saw you at the meeting…but I don’t remember giving you your assignment,” she answered.
I narrowed my eyes a little at her, sensing that she was scrambling for a plausible story, and trying not to get caught. “Oh,” I answered in clipped tones. “I had to stop back at my hometown to pick up some secondary weapons for this attack. If you must know.”
“Ah,” she said nodding her head. We both stood there for a minute or so before I said, “So?”
“So what?”
“Aren’t you going to give me my assignment?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. She definitely was covering for her own nosiness with that mission story.
“Oh,” she said. “Right. Well…”
------------------------------------
Continue, Kyxsha!
After leaving the infirmary, I intended on heading back to my room, to head back to Citadel Abyss and figure out exactly what Pashnirix wanted of me. Before I could reach my destination, though, Ximh found me in the hallway.
"Hey, Rex," he said. "You...you feeling alright?"
I scoffed. "I'm fine, Ximh," I answered, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "Those tears you saw were completely fake, a diversion to keep the Leader off my back." I continued walking down the hall.
"Oh," he said, hurrying after me. "Well, before you go any farther, there's a meeting in the Dining Hall, right now."
I paused. "About what?"
"We're staging an attack on Citadel Abyss," he responded.
Frowning, I turned and followed him silently to the hall. Maybe this latest development could prove useful...
When we got to the hall, people were already there, some arguing over the best way to attack. We stood there for another ten minutes before Tamex showed up and said, "Why don't you just break down the main pillars and have it fall to the ground in a crumbled mass of nothingness?"
"What did you say?" Ximh was the first to question Tamex, and he opened up a whole floodgate of questions. Holding a hand over my forehead, I slipped quietly to the background of the group, leaning against the wall. For an "organization," we sure weren't very organized, with the amount of arguing that went on at every meeting. We should just start calling them "arguments" in stead of "meetings."
"There is the matter of making them, though," someone shouted. "Do you even know how to make electrical explosives?"
I cringed as soon after, Ximh and Tamex got into another fight. "I don't need this," I muttered, ready to simply leave.
"Good, because neither do I," whispered a voice behind me, as an arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me into a portal.
------------------------------
KitKat: Five guesses, and the first six don't count! ^_^
Rexikat: HOLY F***! He does that to me one more time, and I SWEAR I'LL KILL HIM! I WILL DESTROY HIM SLOWLY, AND TORTUOUSLY, AND EVERYONE WILL HEAR HIS SCREAMS FOR AGES TO COME!
KitKat: ^_~ Aw, come on, you know you like it.
Rexikat: 
NO! NO, I DON'T!
KitKat: ...Right.
I returned to the castle after a brief conversation with Verex, heading straight for my room and locking the door. Pacing the floor for a while, I soon realized that there was nothing more I could do for RaXi now; all I could do was wait for the news of Nyx’s and Xemmsur’s return.
I sat on my barely used bed, and held my head in my hands. If Nyx could live up to her word and rescue RaXi, then the worst of my worries would be how long Pashnirix would detain me for. But if they failed…if they failed I’d be relying on Pashnirix’s word and his skill. By nature, I didn’t like having to rely on anyone else besides myself, but…if anyone, I was glad it was Pashnirix I had to trust. He was someone like me, who understood my way of thinking, who could hold his own against me. I respected him for that.
I laid down, trying to get comfortable as I waited, and ended up falling asleep. I was awakened by the sound of a scream. “TRISKIX! LEXIAN! NYX!”
Leaping out of the bed and dashing out of my room, I raced down hallways and stairways, tracking the sound of the scream to its source. It was RaXi, and I couldn’t help but feel relieved, even with the situation at hand. By the time I arrived, Triskix and Lexian had already gotten to her. I stood silently, and watch their conversation.
They tried over and over to reassure her that they were not, in fact, dead or faded by her hand, but well and alive. She finally understood, touching each of their faces in turn, and then Lexian asked, echoing my thoughts, “What about Nyx and Xemmsur?”
"I'm right here," said Xemmsur from the doorway. "And Nyx is in the other room. She is really hurt." I quickly looked to her. She looked a dripping mess, her cloak covered in blood.
"What happened?" Triskix asked standing up.
"We got there right when Marlex arrived to get Raxi. I don't know what happened to Nyx, but even in her condition she tried to fight Marlex. I took over for her.... and he erm.... I let him get away."
“Define ‘let him get away,’” I growled, turning fully towards her. She shrunk back from me.
“I—I opened a portal, and he—he slipped through,” she stammered. “But we got RaXi back! Isn’t that what you wanted?”
I closed my eyes and placed a palm to my forehead. “Yes, it was what we all wanted,” I said calmly but laced with anger, “but if you could have apprehended one of their members, that would have been rather helpful, don’t you think?”
Xemmsur looked like she was about to cry, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel sorry. She should have known better than to just let him slip. “For all you know, he could have come back the minute your back was turned to destroy you all,” I muttered, voicing my thoughts.
“Rexikat, enough,” growled Triskix, glowering at me. “Nyx and Xemmsur returned successfully with RaXi. That’s more than enough.”
I glared back at him, but let the subject drop. “Whatever,” I murmured. Turning my attention to RaXi, I said gently, “RaXi. You in there?”
“Nyx…NYX! I KILLED NYX!” RaXi screamed and sobbed. I rolled my eyes.
“For goddess’ sake,” I grumbled, roughly grabbing her by the arm.
“LET GO OF ME! LET…GO!” She kicked and twisted, trying to get away from me, but I held fast. Triskix, Lexian, and Xemmsur all shouted in protest, but I ignored them. Dragging her into the infirmary, I pulled her over to where Kyxsha and Tamex were quickly addressing her wounds.
“Look,” I shouted at RaXi, “LOOK! That’s Nyx. She’s fine. Kyxsha and Tamex are taking care of her. In a few days, she’ll be as good as new. Now quit acting like such a baby and get over yourself!”
I released her arm to plant my hands on my hips. “You think you’re the only person who has hurt people in a blind rage? Think again! Triskix, Lexian, Xemmsur—well, maybe not Xemmsur,” I said, hoping my bluff would work. I faintly heard Xemmsur protesting, but I ignored it.
“Point is, everyone has hurt someone they care about, whether intentionally or not, at some point in their lives. You need to get over it,” I said.
“But…but I almost killed her,” said RaXi in a quiet voice.
“And I’m about to almost kill you, if you don’t snap out of it! I swear, I never knew you were this weak, RaXi!”
That seemed to do the trick. At the word weak, her face snapped up to mine, eyes flaring. “Don’t…you…EVER call me weak,” she growled, lunging at me.
I smiled, easily deflecting her hasty blow. I threw her away from me, and she staggered a bit on her feet. “Now, that’s the RaXi I know and like,” I muttered to myself, smirking. To her, I called again, “Weak! That’s what you are right now, weak! Talking to yourself? Can’t even tell what’s real and what’s not? Please!”
She threw herself at me again, this time with more focus, and I heard Triskix draw out his weapon in the background. He needed have bothered, though. I deflected her again, this time laughing.
“Don’t you laugh at me, Rexikat,” she snarled. “I know what’s real and what’s not. I am not weak. THAT’S what’s real.”
I tried to tone down my laughter, but couldn’t help it. “Alright, RaXi, relax,” I said. “I was only baiting you to get you out of CuckooLand. You should be thanking me. I know how you hate appearing weak.”
RaXi growled at me, looked to Triskix, Lexian, and the others there, and finally sighed. “I guess you’re right. Thanks,” she said grudgingly, “and I’m sorry, guys. For hurting Nyx, for all this…”
She slumped against one of the beds in exhaustion, and Triskix rushed to her side. Holding her up, he said, “Don’t worry, we’ve got you. Everything will be alright.”
Maybe for her, but I still had problems of my own to deal with. Pashnirix…and… “Oh,” I said. “RaXi, when you’re feeling better, look me up. I’ve got…a message for you from someone dear to you,” I told her, not wanting to say something private in front of everyone there.
She gave me a look, and then nodded, and I left, off to figure out exactly what I was going to do about my Pashnirix problem.
--------------------------[Pashnirix’s POV]---------------------------
As he watched the fight between Marlex and Xemmsur, Pashnirix grew more and more worried. The girl wasn’t taking any kill shots whatsoever; at this rate, she’d never win. Apparently, she didn’t understand that Organization Zero wasn’t here to play around.
Finally she pinned Marlex to the ground, but Pashi had a bad feeling. Even as he sensed her forming the portal, he himself entered the Corridors of Darkness, waiting to hunt down Marlex as he entered. Sure enough, the pink-haired man appeared amidst the darkness.
Before Marlex could pass through the other side to another world, Pashnirix dashed forward and grabbed the man, putting him in a headlock.
“Let me go,” the pink-haird Nobody snarled.
Pashi thought quickly. While he had promised he wouldn’t interfere with RaXi if Nyx and Xemmsur won, he never said he wouldn’t touch Marlex. As far as he his Leader was concerned, he could at least pretend Xemmsur won (even thought she didn’t kill him, he sighed internally, such bad form), and say he picked a fight with Marlex after his humiliating defeat.
“Absolutely not,” Pashnirix replied casually. “After a defeat by the hands of two girls like that? You must be trying to make me laugh.” Before Marlex could even react, Pashnirix whirled him around and knocked him out with a blow to the head. Shaking his head, he grabbed the unconscious body and headed back to Citadel Abyss. He’d return the pink-haired nuisance, inform Verex of RaXi safe return…and then he had his own little personal nuisance to deal with.
“But if I may ask,” Pashnirix said, “why not just ask me to take you there yourself?”
My face darkened. “I can’t. The Leader ordered Nyx and Xemmsur to rescue RaXi. Much as I hate obeying orders, I’m already being punished as it is because of you,” I seethed.
Pashnirix frowned and looked displeased, though I couldn’t place why. Shaking his head, he said, “Then I should be going.” He opened a portal, but before he stepped through, he turned back to me.
“You should get out of here, before either of our leaders finds out what’s going on,” he said lowly, “and I trust you will not be speaking of this to anyone, Verex?”
Verex shook his head. “You are helping her, yes? I have no reason to say anything.”
“Alright, then,” Pashnirix said before disappearing through the portal.
[Pashnirix’s POV]
He slipped through the portal, arriving in the world where RaXi was being held. He arrived just in time to see a storm of ice needles pierce through the guards outside of her room. He quickly dodged out of the way, his stray thoughts of Rexikat far removed from his mind.
"Stop! RAXI!" He heard a girl shout out. He looked towards the hole where a door once stood.
"Shut up, you," the one known as RaXi shouted back. "I can kill you in an instant! My first attack...remember? You should feel the crystals in your bloodstream...don't press your luck or...."
Pashnirix was beginning to wonder what he should do in the event RaXi killed everyone there, if Rexikat would even still want to bring her back. He shrugged, thinking it wasn’t his problem. His part of the deal was to make sure she was in either his hands or Organization Oblivion’s; he could care less about collateral damage.
"THAT'S, ENOUGH RAXI!" A man's voice boomed. "CALM YOURSELF, NOW!"
Pashnirix looked sharply at the sound of Marlex’s voice. The one whom Verex had not wanted catching RaXi…and with reasonable worry.
"No! Impossible…you're DEAD!" RaXi screamed. "Master...Marluxia...." She grabbed her head in agony, falling to the floor as she said softly, "I'm....sorry....." before falling completely unconscious.
There was a brief silence before Marlex called out, "Why didn't you fight her?! I told you, if you don't fight...you'll be KILLED NYX!"
"Marlex..." Nyx muttered. Apparently, the two were acquainted. He watched with lazy interest as he spoke to her.
"Stay there!" Marlex shouted. "I'm sorry Nyx...but I'm afraid RaXi will be coming with me. Don't try and stop me...or I'll have to fight you."
Pashnirix sighed quietly, hiding in the shadows. This would either take a while, else be over in an instant. His thoughts strayed once again to Rexikat as he waited. When she had told him that she was under order not to go after RaXi, it had made him want to cringe. Whether it was in displeasure that his potential mate would allow herself to be repressed in such a way, or in anger that someone would dare order the Tigress around, he couldn’t tell. But what he did know was that he personally was hoping Nyx would lose to Marlex. It had been too long since he last fought with the Tigress, and he was eager to feel again.
-----------------------
KitKat: Aw...Pashi...
Pashnirix: What? I don't think it would be wise of me to pick a mate who could die as easily as my last one...
KitKat: Oh, yeah, right. Just disregard the hearts and squees and kawaii's that were going off at your little episode of overprotective-ness there. :3
