Episode 12: Assassin, Part 2 TV Announcer: Previously, on “Open Circle”: *This broken, disgusting slummer was once one of the greatest assassins in the business. Now, he hasn't had a job in months, he’s an alcoholic, and he isn't half what he used to be.* Nightstorm: *shakes head* You seem to know a lot about me... S.F.: I make it my job. Ye're needed once again. We've got to get you cleaned up, though... Kanoe: I've got enough savings to fall back on for now... Satsuki: *cranky voice* E-chan, you're supposed to SAVE your savings. Not live off them. Sakura: Well, you Bounty Hunters aren't doing much hunting lately... You're just staying around the house and eating. Messenger 1: *arrives in front of a restaurant* Hmm... This looks like the place. M 1: *enters and looks around, trying to find a waitress* *Meanwhile, across town a ways...* Messenger 2: *arrives in front of an apartment building* Hmm... This looks like the place. M 1: *gives Joker a sheet of paper* Here... Just read this. *then exits as quickly as possible* Paper: *assuming Joker has looked at it* "Dear Tetsuya: It has come to our attention that you have... hindered some of our recent endeavors. We are just giving you fair warning. Next time this comes up, you will pay. IPR" Paper: *As it lands in the trashcan, a marking can be seen on the back... One that hasn't appeared on anything for years* Symbol: *It appears, in all due respects, to be a simple shurriken. But, written in Japanese is the word "Nightstorm" and the word "Death."* Kanoe: ?.? *picks up the note and begins to read* Kanoe: *reads it aloud, of course* Note: "Dear Associates: It has come to our attention that, even though we have sent much against you, you have managed to survive. That will not persist for long. We have something very special planned for you in the near future. Be on guard. IPR." Object: *sits there, begging to be opened* Kanoe: *picks up the little thing that's wrapped up and slowly opens it* Object: *is an actual black ninja star, with the silver Japanese lettering "Nightstorm" and "Death" printed on it* Shonkoe: Ken... Shonkoe: He's coming... to kill us... Nightstorm: *making his way steadily towards the restaurant, using the rooftops* Tetsuya: *is in the dining room, casually overseeing operations* Nightstorm: But enough talk. I came here for a reason. Your death. Any particular way you'd like it? Tetsuya: *bows slightly* However you feel you could accomplish it. Tetsuya: *finally, slams his fist against Nightstorm's head, knocking him into a nearby rack* Nightstorm: *Shakes his head, then spots something on the rack that might come in handy. He grabs a knife and, in one smooth motion, sends it straight into Tetsuya's arm.* Tetsuya: *unable to dodge, holds his arm, blood seeping through his fingers* Tetsuya: *looks incredibly cold* Nightstorm: Now... We'll see what happens next. *the tone of his voice matches Tetsuya’s look* Announcer: And now… Tetsuya: *takes a step back from Nightstorm, preparing a more defensive stance* Joker: *just coming in from the back of the restaurant, sees Tetsuya+blood and freaks* Nightstorm: *looks up in anger at Joker's arrival* Who are you? Joker: Outta here! Joker: *grabs Tetsuya by the uninjured arm and drags him out of the kitchen at lightspeed* Nightstorm: *glowers angrily* There goes my first mark... Tetsuya: Joker! What are you DOING?! Joker: *still high-tailing it away* I've HAD it with these jerks! We're taking a break! Tetsuya: 9.9 *makes no further protest* Nightstorm: *disappears, using the stealthy ways of the Ninja* Shonkoe: *is being quiet and housewife-ish, bustling around Sailor Bob and Kai as they snuggle* Satsuki: *working and tapping on Val, as usual* Kai: *snuggles Sailor Bob contentedly* Sakura: *being her usual self, messing around in the kitchen* Sailor Bob: *is snuggled, snuggles back* Sakura: *really nervous, trying not to show it* Kanoe: *hangs out in kitchen, flirting with Sakura and getting in her way* Sakura: *flustered at Kanoe* K-chan! I need to get into the cupboard... Kanoe: *purrs* Rrrrreally? Suzuki: *off work today, lounges around, alternately watching Satsuki and Shonkoe* Sakura: *looks at Kanoe, turning red a little* K-chan... Shonkoe: *occasionally smiles at Suzuki* Kanoe: *gives her an affectionate pat and moves* ^____^ Suzuki: ^-^ *smiles often* Sakura: *blushblush* Thanks... *opens it and rustles around inside* Shonkoe: o^-^o Satsuki: *rolls her eyes at Shonkoe and Suzuki frequently* Val: *beeps reprovingly at Satsuki* Kanoe: *munches an apple* Sakura: *is cooking brownies, seeing as how chocolate helps her when nervous* Kanoe: Hey, Shonkoe, catch! *throws an apple at her, out of the blue* Shonkoe: *without looking up, catches it* Danke, Kanoe-san. Kanoe: ^___^ No problem. Sakura: *pulls out some semi-sweet chocolate and moves back to the bowl* Kai: e.e *starts falling asleep* *knockknock* Shonkoe: ?.? Kai: e.e? Satsuki: *doesn't look up, too busy* Sailor Bob: *cradles half-asleep Kai* ^_______# Suzuki: ?.? *knockknock* Kanoe: *exits kitchen, opens door* Hello? Kai: e.e? *There's no one at the door.* Kanoe: What the...?! Suzuki: ?.? Shonkoe: ?.? Sakura: *sticks her head out of the kitchen* ?.? Sailor Bob: *too happy with Kai to care* ^_________# Kanoe: *closes the door and turns back towards the kitchen* Man... Satsuki: *not looking up* No one there? Kai: *tries to pay attention but is too tired* Kanoe: Nope. Kanoe: Strangest thing... Shonkoe: *is more than a little nervous herself, now* Nightstorm: *grabs Kanoe from behind, his katana at her throat* That's because I let myself in... Shonkoe: !.! Kanoe: !.! Kanoe: *does not move one inch* Shonkoe: !!.!! Satsuki: *finally looks up* !.! Shonkoe: N... Nightstorm... Suzuki: !.! Kanoe-san! Nightstorm: Allow me to introduce myself... I'm Nightstorm, and I was... *abrupt stop* Satsuki: E-chan! Kai: e.e? *sits up and looks at what is going on* Nightstorm: Sh- Shonkoe? Sailor Bob: Schwester...? Suzuki: Shonkoe? Shonkoe: K... Ken... Nightstorm: *this new mood is broken at that* No... Not KEN! Nightstorm! *moves his katana, but throws Kanoe to the side* Satsuki: !.! Kanoe: *is thrown, is more than happy to be out of the way of the katana* Satsuki: *has one hand at her knife* Shonkoe: *backs up slightly* But... Ken... Nightstorm: *thrown into a rage* No! NO! No one can call me that! *Begins advancing on her...* Suzuki: !.! Shonkoe, be careful! Shonkoe: *backing up, scared out of her mind* But... Sakura: *races out of the kitchen, and grabs Shonkoe* Bedroom, now! *drags her* Suzuki: !.! SAKURA-SAN, THIS ISN'T THE TIME -!!! Shonkoe: *is dragged* EEP! Satsuki: Shut up, 'niichan, that's not what Sakura-san's doing! Kanoe: I should certainly hope not! Nightstorm: *twitchtwitch* WHAT!! I'll kill you all! Suzuki: @.@ Kanoe: *has rose in hand, backing away from Nightstorm* Easy, buddy... Satsuki: *shifts her knife so it will be easier to throw* Nightstorm: *slides his hand into his top, pulling out a shurriken* Sailor Bob: *drags Kai behind the couch* !.# Kai: @.@;;;;;;; *is dragged behind couch* Suzuki: *tries to stand in front of Satsuki* Whoever you are, you're not touching my sister! Satsuki: 9.9 *tries to indicate, via telepathy, that he's blocking her aim* Nightstorm: I don't want your sister... I want Shonkoe! *sends the shurriken flying at Suzuki* Kanoe: EEP! Kanoe: SUZUKI! Satsuki: *pushes Suzuki out of the way and throws her knife, which intersects with the shurriken* Satsuki: BAKA ONIICHAN! Shonkoe: *in bedroom* Sakura-san...? Sakura: Shh... this is the last stand. If he makes it here, then I'm the only one left to stop him... Shonkoe: *whispers, terrified* He really wants to kill me... Mein Gott... Nightstorm: What did you do with Shonkoe?! Give her to me, and I won't kill all of you... Satsuki: Fat chance, whoever the hell you are! Kanoe: *still brandishing roses, which are almost as good as a knife, except against a shurriken* Satsuki: We do NOT hand over people to die! Satsuki: *magically has another knife in hand* Suzuki: @.@ Kanoe: Damn right we don't. Nightstorm: Then I shall take her over your dead bodies... Or perhaps, just unconscious... Nightstorm: It depends on my mood... *smiles wickedly under the mask* Satsuki: Ooh, I have another idea! Satsuki: GO AWAY! Sailor Bob: *still hiding behind couch, stands up suddenly, angry* You can't have my sister! Nightstorm: Sister? Who might you be, little man? Kai: *pulls Sailor Bob back down* We outnumber you and we aren't exactly helpless! Nightstorm: Numbers do not matter... Not to me. Nightstorm: I had no problems with your friend, the Boss. I don't expect problems here. Sailor Bob: *stands back up again, cold fury in his eyes* I am Tenshi Lichtvogel. You cannot have my sister. Satsuki: Yeah! Kai: *stands up also* Yeah. =p Nightstorm: Pity... Perhaps we should ask her if she wants to come with me... *begins to advance again* Sailor Bob: What are you talking about? Why would she want to come with you? Nightstorm: Ask her about me... she'll tell you. Nightstorm: *laughs slightly* Hell, I'll even wait on you to do it. Suzuki: @.@? Sailor Bob: Fine. Kai: =p She obviously doesn't want to go with you... Sailor Bob: *heads for the bedroom door* Kai: ;;;; *follows* Kanoe: BOB!!!! Satsuki: *keeps knife at the ready* Kai: *keeps watching Nightstorm* Suzuki: *stays on floor, figuring it's safest there* Nightstorm: *walks forward and sits down in one of the chairs, very nonchalant* Satsuki: -.- Sailor Bob: *knocks on the door* Sakura-san, let me in, please. Shonkoe: Tenshi? Sakura: Tenshi? Sure... *walks over and opens the door* Sailor Bob: *walks into the room and shuts the door behind him* Schwester... Who is that man? Kai: *goes in behind him* Sakura: I think I'll leave you two alone... *drags Kai out with her* C'mon, you. Kai: -.-! Shonkoe: Tenshi... Sakura: *shuts the door behind her and stands in front of it* Kai: *stands outside the door* Shonkoe: *sits down on the bed* I met him months ago... when I first came to Tokyo... Sakura: *lets Kai stand beside her, looking a bit fearfully at the masked man* Shonkoe: We became friends... then lovers... Satsuki: *continues glaring at Nightstorm* -.-!!! Nightstorm: *glares back, although it can't be told from his mask* Sailor Bob: *sits down next to Shonkoe, listening* Kai: *fingers the gun in his sleeve* Shonkoe: *closes her eyes* One day, I found out there was someone who knew of you. Tetsuya-san. Shonkoe: I went to see him, and left Ken... Nightstorm... a note. Shonkoe: He never found it, for some reason... Shonkoe: When I came back, all of my things were outside his door, and there was a note... Suzuki: *crawls under a table for extra protection* Shonkoe: *buries her face in her hands* It was an awful note... Shonkoe: He told me if he ever saw me again, he'd kill me... He said he'd trusted me, loved me... Shonkoe: And I betrayed him... Shonkoe: *looks up again, tears running down her cheeks* I left him a note... I really did...! Sailor Bob: *hugs her* Daijoubu... Shonkoe: *voice breaks* And now he's trying to kill me... Sailor Bob: It's okay, Schwester. Sailor Bob: Stay here. Nightstorm: *plays with his katana as he waits* Satsuki: -.- Kai: *to Nightstorm* You killed the Boss? Nightstorm: Nah... Some guy saved him before I could finish him off. I will, though. Satsuki: !.! DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!! Suzuki: *from under table* I second that! Sailor Bob: *gets up and opens the door, cold fury in his features* Kanoe: I third. Kai: *turns* ?.? Satsuki: YOU TOUCH HIM AGAIN AND YOU ARE THE DEADEST DEAD MAN WALKING EVER!! Nightstorm: Aww... Somebody got a crush on him? Well, I'll make sure to let him know... Oh, here's our friend. Satsuki: *turns bright red* I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON HIM!!!!! Nightstorm: What'd she have to say, little man? Sailor Bob: She says you treated her like shit when it wasn't her fault. Sailor Bob: She says she left you a note, and you apparently never found it. Suzuki: *still under table* So bugger off! =p Nightstorm: Never found it? NEVER FOUND IT! Nightstorm: She didn't leave me any FUCKING NOTE! SHE DISAPPEARED ON ME!! I'm surprised she even came back and found MY note! Suzuki: So she left for five frickin' minutes, is that so wrong? Suzuki: *is resolutely on Shonkoe's side* Sailor Bob: How do you know she didn't leave a note? She says she did, you say she didn't. Maybe it's hidden somewhere in your apartment. Nightstorm: *Underneath his mask, emotions are mixing. He begins to think.* Is it possible? Could she have left... Nightstorm: No... No, she couldn't have... *has begun babbling to himself* Suzuki: *aside to Satsuki* I think Shonkoe has better taste than to date a lunatic... Shonkoe: *appears at the open doorway, behind Sakura and therefore out of view* Satsuki: *whispering back* Now is NOT the time to discuss that. Kai: ;;;; Satsuki: Besides, you're loony, too. Suzuki: ;.; Ijiwaru na imouto... Nightstorm: Shut up, you! *another shurriken is lodged in the floor in front of Suzuki's face before he can react* Suzuki: !.! Suzuki: *shuts up* Satsuki: I'm going to have to try that. Nightstorm: *stands to his feet and pulls off his mask* I'm no lunatic! I'm... I'm just... Satsuki: 0.0 Cute... wow... Suzuki: 9.9 *stays quiet* Shonkoe: *softly* You're a kind, loving person who thought he had been betrayed by the only person he ever loved... Kai: ... Nightstorm: What? .... who... who said that? Sailor Bob: *is silent* Satsuki: *puts her tongue back in her mouth* Shonkoe-san did. Shonkoe: *steps out from behind the silent Sakura* I did leave a note. It said that I went to look for my brother. Kanoe: *has been silent this entire time* Nightstorm: Shonkoe... I... never found a note. And, you were the first person I'd ever let into my life. Nightstorm: When... when you disappeared, I was crushed. I didn't know what to do... Shonkoe: I really did leave a note... I'm so sorry... Nightstorm: *hangs his head, then clenches his fist* I shouldn't be here... Shonkoe, all of you... I'm sorry. Satsuki: ?.? Nightstorm: *leaves his mask on the floor, then heads for the nearest window* Don't let me bother you... Shonkoe: Ken... Suzuki: ?.? Satsuki: Oi! You're going to pull a Tetsuya on us, aren't you? Satsuki: I can tell these things! YOU HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! Shonkoe: *dashes forward* No! Nightstorm: *pushes the window open, then turns* Shonkoe... I love you... *falls out of it backwards* Satsuki: !.! Shonkoe: KEN! Suzuki: !.! Shonkoe: *runs to the window* Nightstorm: *is nowhere in sight* Satsuki: *at the window right beside her* Gust of Wind: *rushes in through the window, blowing Shonkoe and Satsuki's hair out behind them* Satsuki: Oh, my GOD! Even Tetsuya never went for the window! Satsuki: *eeps* Shonkoe: KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!!!!!!!! Shonkoe: *collapses, face in her hands* Kai: ;;;; *A few stories down, another window is open and Ken has slipped into the room.* Ken: I can't disrupt her life anymore... *leaves the room, and the building* Suzuki: *feels very very awful and somehow guilty; sits next to her and hugs her* Gomen nasai... Sailor Bob: *absolutely speechless, snuggles into Kai* Kai: *snuggles back* Satsuki: 6.6 Kanoe: *sits and fiddles with her roses* 6.6 *Perhaps, if anyone is still at the window, a lone figure can be seen walking down the road...* Satsuki: *dismisses the glimpse as a figment of her imagination, sits down by her brother and Shonkoe* Shonkoe: *just sobs* Sakura: *walks back over and sits next to Kanoe* ... Kanoe: *lays her head on Sakura's shoulder, a tear escaping her closed eyes* Sakura: *strokes Kanoe's hair* It's all right, K-chan... It's all right... *A few weeks later, at Shonkoe's apartment...* Shonkoe: *is sitting inside, being dejected and lonely, since Sailor Bob and Kai are hanging at the other apartment, like always* *knockknock* Shonkoe: *gets up and goes over to the door, opens it* Yes...? Delivery Person: *wearing a wide brimmed hat that shadows his entire face, making him indescribable* Delivery... Delivery Person: *holding a package* Shonkoe: *looks very tired and sad* From who? Delivery Person: Unknown... You gonna take it? Shonkoe: Sure, okay... Shonkoe: Nothing better to do... Delivery Person: *hands it to her* Have a nice day... *then whispers* Shonkoe... *walks away* Shonkoe: *stands in the door and opens it* Shonkoe: *didn't hear the whisper* Package: *contains a small knick-knack, wrapped in newspaper* Shonkoe: *unwraps the solitary object inside* Object: *is a small angel, with a rose clasped in its hand* Shonkoe: *gasps* Shonkoe: *clasps it to her chest, tears leaking out of her eyes, and smiles even as she cries* Shonkoe: Ken... *One word drifts down the hall* Shonkoe... *Fade out.* Credits: Kanoe: MokonaChiirushia Satsuki: Hokuto Kuzuki Kai: Ryuujin Tatsu Sakura: XvGigavX Sailor Bob: MokonaChiirushia Suzuki: Hokuto Kuzuki Nightstorm: XvGigavX Shonkoe: MokonaChiirushia Tetsuya: Hokuto Kuzuki Joker: Hokuto Kuzuki TV Announcer: Hokuto Kuzuki Val: Hokuto Kuzuki