-[don'tmockmyspeech]-

                   Not this time, though. 

        This time, he was silent. His face held vague signs of frustration, but not pure anger. Just petty frustration. Most of his face read confusion though. Confusion, and maybe a bit of guilt. It’s normal of him to be selfish, for him to forget he’s not the only one who deals with things similar, and as he realizes that, guilt rises. Not enough for him to stop and think, though. He just didn’t understand. 

       Why was a stranger, out of all people, concerned about him? This wasn’t any of her business. She didn’t have to burden herself with his issues. She shouldn’t even know about his issues. He just didn’t get it. 

What was it...? Even she couldn’t exactly pinpoint it.

“.....Iguessit’sjustthatIkindofhateit.”

“Don’tyouhateittoo?Livinglikethis?MaybenothingIsaymattersatall,but...Ican’tstandit.Livinglikethis... itfeelslikeabadjokethatI’llneverhearthepunchlineto.”

With a swish of his cloak, he stepped in front of her, face frowning.

“Stop it.”

And who was this? Konoe looked him over with dull yellow eyes, her gaze firmly fixed in an uninterested expression. Interrupting her work...to tell her that she’d done enough? Slowly, her eyes moved back down to the knife.

It was sharp. Brittle, but sharp. She could slide this between someone’s ribs and it would meet absolutely no resistance. This was the kind of combat she had truly trained for -- nothing intrusive, but rather, subtle. Quick. Simple.

“........................”

Name: Konoe Kikyo

Age: 21

Job: Thief and Assassin

Resume: Acting leader of the Eternian Black Blades’ Covert Forces. Expert grade ninja who is dedicated purely to her work. Master of assassination and disguise, unrecognizable when dressed up. Dislikes conversation and works in a concise, direct manner. Does not allow emotions to get in her way.

Weapons of Choice: Knives/Daggers

Notes: Does not converse out loud, prepare to work with someone who is silent at all times when out of disguise. Delivers written reports regularly.

There shouldn’t be any need for her to sing, her normal armor alone should be enough for a normal battle. Besides, she can only use Infinite†Crime three times and the time limit for her armor was running out. She had to finish this battle in less than nine minutes - max.

Seeing how the first strike was given, Maria quickly blocked the kunai with her dagger, knocking it aside and slamming her armored fist into the other’s stomach, backing away as soon as her attack was made. She needed to study this girl before she made any other decisions - her time limit was annoying her though.

Leaping back, the ninja gracefully spun through the air, landing on both feet in a neat, straight stance. Her eyes bored into those of her opponent, watching for any sign of attack. The two were now locked in similar positions. Hmm. Just a moment ago, this girl had seemed head-strong, like a certain baby bird Konoe knew. Now, however...

“.............Utsusemi.”

The air around Konoe seemed to tighten for a moment, then everything was back to normal. She wasn’t a fan of using something she only had a limited amount of, but in this case, it was best to be safe. Besides, no doubt this girl had some sort of trick up her sleeve as well.

Without a single word in response, the ninja raised her wooden weapons, exuding a clear challenge with her body. For a moment, there was stillness. The cool air blew through the street, sending an elegant ripple through Konoe’s cascading hair. She took a short breath in...then let it out. 

At the final second of her exhale, she vanished.

No, that wasn’t right. She simply wasn’t where she’d been a second before. The distance between her and the other girl had closed by more than half in that instant, the black-haired ninja staring straight at her target, kunai in hand. This was a mockery of a battle, but she mustn’t treat it as such. 

Still, until today, she’d never actually had anyone try to swipe her things. 

A stroll was just what she needed today, on her way to pick up some things for the house. With the holidays around the corner, she was gearing up to do some decorating and planning for presents for people. It was pretty crowded, but she finds herself pleased all the same as she says hello to people as they pass by. 

To her side all of a sudden, movement is detected, and she feels a faint presence in her pocket before she nearly stumbles at whoever fell before her. So much was happening at once that, had she not placed all of her weight on her feet at that last second, she would of easily fell upon the stranger. 

“Are you alright? I should of been paying more attention–”

The weight in her pocket was gone now, but.. for some reason, it was lighter than she imagines. As her eyes flicker down to the girl, she sees why. In her grasp was her wallet, held onto rather tightly. It takes her a moment to process, and she wants to feel upset that this girl had just attempted to steal her wallet. Really, she tried. 

But, instead… the expression on her face softens and, a few moments later, she gets on her knees, making sure she was on eye level with the girl. She doesn’t reach for her wallet yet, waiting to make sure she was okay. Was she new to the city? Why did she try to pickpocket her? Only one way to find out, but first things first. 

This wasn’t Konoe’s first time in this accursed city, so she should have expected something weird. The people here acted strange, behaving in ways the ninja simply wasn’t used to, but at least she could anticipate such strangeness. No matter what, these were humans, and, in the end, every human thought the same way. So she knew what she had to anticipate at this point.

Should she throw the wallet down and make her escape while the girl fumbled for it? Should she hold on and do her best to outrun her target? She’d probably be able to do it, but the crowds were thick, they would hinder her and make that choice risky. Before she could make her decision, however, the young woman she had stolen from knelt down, and...

.....and what? Konoe didn’t get it.

“.........................”

She wouldn’t have spoken even if she’d wanted to, but right now, she was truly at a loss for words. This girl had just had her wallet stolen (or, well, snagged), so shouldn’t she be angry at the assailant? Her eyes lidded under heavy mascara, Konoe’s fact was expressionless. Painted lips parted ever so slightly in the tiniest grimace to show her discomfort and disappointment.

Should she respond? She certainly wasn’t hurt, she’d taken worse beatings, it was part of the job. Slowly, the ninja edged herself backwards, away from the girl. Her eyes bored into those of her opponent, checking for a single glimmer of deceit. She wasn’t going to attack her, was she?

Looking into those eyes was a mistake. 

“...............!”

What the hell...? How could eyes like that possibly exist in this kind of situation? She hadn’t seen eyes like that since...

It’s ok, sweetie. Nobody’s going to laugh.

Out of her control, the corners of her eyes brimmed with moisture. No, you can’t look at me like that, her mind screamed out. Her lips were silent. Her hands were trembling. All of a sudden, she was frightened, anxious, and so many other things...and above all, she was filled with a disgusting self-loathing which was ever present, and now screamed out at her like a foghorn calling out into the mist.

She simply sat there, frozen, looking at her counterpart. Then, slowly, she reached forward, extending the hand that held the wallet. Here. Take it. Take it back and leave me alone. Leave me here on this street to rot.

Training, something she should have done when she first got here. She needed to be ready for when she returned to her world, ready to face the Alca-Noise again. Now that she was 100% sure Tsubasa had returned to her world, only Chris and herself were left.

Admittedly, the ninja had just been passing through (or over, considering she was leaping between balconies and rooftops), but a certain sight had distracted her. The image of a girl, swinging a wooden sword with the precision of a practiced master. It brought images of a certain old man and his student, back home in Eternia...

Looking down, Konoe found herself staring at the two wooden kunai in her own posession. Cheap replacements for proper weapons....it was irritating.

Taking the slightest of breaths, the ninja leaped down from her perch, landing smoothly behind the girl. Drawing the kunai, she waited for the other to turn. Practice was good -- but it was best with a moving target.

She was always direct about that fact. Konoe Kikyo did not leave behind loose threads -- nobody was able to track her, no matter who they were. It was part of the job, and even if she wasn’t technically working, she wasn’t about to slip up. 

Slipups were something she couldn’t allow herself.

“Spyingismyjob.Iobtaininformationonalotofpeople,muchofituseless.Isimplytookaninterestinyouinparticular.YouandIareveryalike.Wedowhatwemustbecausewehavenootherchoice.Soyoumustn’tforgetthat,nomatterwhat,there’ssomeoneinthesameboat.Andthatsomeonehasyourback.”

Wait, was he....serious? Was there actually someone who was telling him these things? Who was keeping him down, oppressing him in such a manner? Konoe couldn’t help but feel her nails dig into her palms. There wasn’t anyone else she’d ever known who’d suffered in such a manner, forced to wear a face that wasn’t theirs, stuck in a cycle of self-loathing that just wouldn’t break...

“.......Iapologiseforspyingonyou,Leon.Ihaven’teventoldyoumyname.ButIguessIjustwantyoutoknow...there’snothingwrongwithwhoyouare.Ihaven’tmettherealyou,orevenseenhim,butIknowamaskwhenIseeone.Idon’tknowwhokeepsyoudown,butthey’rewrong.Giveyourselfachance.”

Hypocrite. You’re only saying what you want someone to tell you.

Deep breath, Konoe. This was starting to get too personal.