• 'Journey far beyond the atmosphere.
    Watch the world behind you disappear.
    Float inside a microscopic cell.
    Is this dream a heaven or a hell?'


    He stood there calmly, the cold wind ruffling his long violet hair, tanned skin dry, but smooth. Green eyes searched calmly athe mist, but he didn't look placid. He looked as a bomb, that was ticking, waiting till the countdown would end. He still stood, his eyes had closed, and if one paid close attention they would see the eyebrows slightly twitching. He got one hand out of the pocket, and reached out in the air in front of him. A scythe formed, long and black in its color and he took it.

    Footsteps resonated around in the air. It was always like this, whenever came to this place, to Acheron, he heard it before they began to make the real noise. The mists cleared and he saw the intruder. His eyes narrowed, the intruder didn't look like someone from around here. A long black cloak of a smooth material and long robes. Black straight hair fell to his back smoothly in waves, unlike his own spiky white hair. Dark green eyes shone with something he couldn't quite pinpoint.

    "You are trespassing into the realm of Hades!" said the man with the scythe calmly taking one step forwards, his long black cloak swishing as he did so. The black-haired one didn't say a thing, but he smirked, and shivers went down the white-haired's spine. He never heard something like that. High-pitched, it didn't promise anything good.

    "What does it matter, guardian? Hades won't exist anymore. Souls will never gain admittance to the Realm of Dead, and Mangard shall be overflowed with the dead…" he didn't speak, his lips didn't move, but the words echoed around this area of Hades. The white-haired guardian looked around, the souls of those, who were not accepted to go across the river started appearing. In the background Cerberus howled in despair and then it shook.

    The guardian of Acheron, and the ferryman shuddered. But then a flame lit up in his eyes, as he glared at the one responsible for it. Dark eyes flashed cold silver and he whispered an incantation and lashed with his scythe, driving the blade into the ground. The scythe glowed, and a crack with light coming from it went straight at the black-haired man, it burst out in a wall of light from beneath him. Destructive. Tearing apart… it tore him apart from inside.

    He fell, but he laughed. He laughed maniacally. And this time opening his mouth. His voice low and raspy. "Foolish Charon. Hades is falling apart. I shall join our creator, great Ymir soon, but you Charon won't have a place to go!! You shall fall along with Hades!" The laughter turned more insane and finally it died out. Lavender eyes stared emotionlessly down at the one, who lied on the ground lifeless. Ymir…

    The floor shook and he leaned onto the handle of his scythe, in an attempt to keep his balance. He had to get out. And get out quick! He cast a glance at the one dead and said then, "Fool, and my name is Erin." He pulled out a deck of tarot cards and up were they thrown, the same moment that rocky stones fell from above. They cards landed in a circle around him, and other cards formed a star. Bakura cast a glance around. It was true. Hades was falling apart.

    "Leap…" he whispered crossing his arms on his chest, as the circle of cards glowed and a wall of violet light appeared around him. And he disappeared, into thin air, just the same moment the Realm of Hades had disappeared. Burst apart and disappeared, like data disappears once erased. And Erin was warped to another world, where he would be safe, as long as the fates didn't mind him abandoning his duties.

    He groaned and spit out the ground from his mouth. He had fallen from the sky, literally, he had no time to make up a decision about the destination, so here he was in the middle of nowhere. He rolled over onto his back and looked up. It was night here. That was… wherever he did end up. The ground was sandy, in fact, he lied on sand. Erin sat up slowly, trying to ignore the dull pain in his head. Of course, he, Charon, broke the rules and exited Hades, but if he had stayed he would have died. Torn apart along with the realm of Hades.

    Finally his eyesight got clear and his head didn't hurt. As he guessed, the fates had other things to do that punish a servant. Erin looked around, he was in a desert. It was slightly chilly, but if he was right it would be literally as in the Phlegethon. It could be even worse. But first, he would have to find out where he was, and when he was. The tarot cards, which always appeared in the small leather bag after being used, attached to the belt holding his robes, were once again pulled out and Erin whispered, "North."

    The cards formed an arrow in the air, pointing in the North, but Erin didn't go there, he looked at the sky. Trying to remember, the constellations that could point to North. He searched the sky and finally found it. "Draco constellation, I guess, I'm around three-thousand years before Christ," he muttered to himself and then sniffed the air. There was a faint scent of spices in the air, and he followed his nose. He couldn't do anything else. Well, as long as he didn't find the Gate of this world.

    A string of curses broke from his mouth, as once he started climbing a dune, the sand started moving beneath his feet. The white-haired man fell back onto his rear end and growled in annoyance. Oh no, he wouldn't walk anymore. He, Erin, could use magic to fly. Of course he was sure that he would have one terrible headache later, maybe even a migraine, but he didn't have another choice. That is if he wanted to move and not sit on one place, waiting for the day heat.

    Erin closed his eyes and his left eyebrow twitched, he stood quietly concentrating on his energy. And then, he felt it, a lump formed on his back. The lump grew and divided and burst out of the robes and the skin, showering the sand behind him with tatters and blood. Two black wings, like by a bat, unfolded and blood still dripped down from them, as Bakura stretched them out. It's been a while since he used his wings.

    Quite a while actually. It hurt, it was as if something burning hot was dragged across his back, through the bones. He was burning up. But then again, he was not going to show it. 'As if I ever did it…' he thought gloomily and with one powerful flap from the raven black wings he was raised from the desert ground, the sand flying up in the whirlwind of his wings flaps, creating a small sandstorm.

    And he ascended, and ascended. There was less air the higher he flew, but he wanted to see the landscape. To know where he was. Higher and higher. If he smelt spices, spices so rare, it meant that civilization was near? But where was he anyways? China? Mesopotamia? Egypt? He couldn't remind any other old civilizations and he continued. Now not only his bones and skin were burning from pain, his throat was getting dryer. He didn't have much time left floating so high up. One quick glance was cast around. He wanted to float down, that was until he saw one lone pyramid, it was far, but he saw it. He wasn't exactly human after all.

    But what most puzzled him was the complete lack of living beings around here, just that pyramid and the scent of spices coming from there. He floated lower to catch his breath and think about finding ways to Olympia, or any place, where gods were. He had to talk about the Children if Ymir, who destroyed Hades. That plagued him as well, how exactly did they manage to do it? After all, it wasn't that simple to destroy a realm, which wasn't even for living beings.

    ---

    The school bell rang, and everyone stood up and began hurrying off. The last bell for a long while. The summer holidays had finally started. Then the students would have to last out till winter holidays, and then till spring holidays. But either way, Fir Kanis and Ren Kanis were gleeful that the school year finally ended. Ren laughed and ran outside, his mischievous violet eyes were bright, and he looked up at the sun, squinting in a way that a pleased cat does.

    Fir smirked watching the younger boy. There was one good thing about the holidays, they had more time to themselves and their friends. Now of course one might wonder, why would two teenagers not have time for themselves? After all, school was at morning and took a bit of the day, the rest of those 24 hours one called a day, were free. But of course you couldn't say Fir Kanis and Ren Kanis were normal.

    "So, what do we have for tonight?" asked Ren. They had been walking for quite a while, and everyone of their friends were ahead of them, or gone home. Which gave them the opportunity to speak uninterrupted and not listened. But, even though, Fir was Ren's partners for two years now, he still couldn't get used to the fact that someone this innocent could be that deadly.

    Now of course, when one didn't look into Ren's eyes, he or she would call him a punk, or something similar. Leather, buckles, belts, metal. This all was nicely fit into Ren's uniform, not making it too flashy for teacher to scold him for breaking the school dressing code, but not too regular as well. And his hair, despite his attempts to explain that it was natural, few believed him. Long black hair ended with red-pink tips and violet streaks ran through his hair. Now of course anyone would get the impression, that Ren, despite his small height, wasn't the best person to mess with. That was until one looked into his eyes. Wide and innocent.

    And that was always bothering Fir. Ren was the complete opposite of him, kind and nice, innocent in a way, but he killed much more calmly than he himself did. Yes, he killed. They were assassins. After all, how could they survive otherwise? Netjeru – that was their codename. The best assassin team, or assassin as known to most.

    "I believe we have to assassinate the CEO of Serenity Corp. Serenity Elistor. The client wishes him to be dead. Which is actually quite ironic, as the client is from the military, and Elistor provides them the weapons. But I guess the old mad got too greedy."

    Ren nodded at Fir's words and then said, "And Vinyan is interested in producing computer software. He would sell the weapons Serenity Corp. has without any second thoughts, for much lower price." Fir nodded, they turned around the corner and he slowed his pace down to marvel their house. He always did it. He was proud of their house. Ok, a modest mansion. Not as the Serenitys had it, but large enough. But then again, they never failed a mission. Well, he didn't fail any mission, once he met Ren. The boy was kind and nice, but he could shut off his mind and emotions for the time he was on a mission. He just turned on the autopilot and worked.

    "How much more time do we have?" asked Ren once he opened the gate with an ID-card. Fir cast a glance at a piece of paper, "At 6PM Elistor leaves his office, that would be the best time to catch him off-guard."

    Ren nodded and they walked silently to the entrance. Once inside Ren went upside to prepare his weaponry, and change outfits. Fir cast a side-glance into the mirror. He sighed; the mask was dropped, shattering into a thousand pieces. Tired lavender eyes without pupils, dirty brown hair hanging loosely to his waist and tired blue eyes.

    Finally after casting another glance into the mirror and after hearing soft footsteps – Ren was coming down the stairs – he opened the top drawer of the mirror-stand and got out a gun and a dagger. And a bandanna to tie around his head just below his eyes.

    "It's four AM, come on Fir, we have to make it inside unnoticed. And be as quiet as possible, meaning no witnesses and no unnecessary victims," spoke Ren calmly and he pulled his hair into a tight pony and a pair of sunglasses on. Fir smirked at his reflection. As always, Ren was correct. It wasn't good to barge in without strategy. Strategy and games – those were the areas were Ren topped everyone.

    And as always, it would be him the noisy one and Ren the quiet one. He threw the dagger up and down a couple times and caught it again. "Well? Let's go."

    That said the youth pulled his hair into a ponytail as well, grabbed his coat and exited the front door. They would drive, as always – safety precautions. He plopped down into the black Mercedes behind the driver's seat and Ren plopped down on the other front seat.

    "Sometimes, I feel like I am in a dream," said Fir getting a cigarette out. Ren, who opened the window on his side – he hated cigarettes, nodded and replied, "True, in a dream. Like something's amiss, right?" Fir smiled bitterly and nodded.

    Amiss

    Missing

    We are missing something

    We are missing someone?


    He started the car and drove out of the driveway; their destination was the Serenity Corp. Tower towering over all the other building in Domino City. Fir watched absentmindedly the road. Ren was quiet, as usual. He had shut off his emotional and kind side. It wasn't his choice to be an assassin. In a way it was Fir's fault, and he regretted that, but then again some order in his insane life was nice for a change.

    Fir wasn't exactly someone that normal. Someone, whom you would call to a party. He had a sadistic side. Very sadistic side. The way he trained Ren to be one of the top-class assassins showed his true self. Relentless and cruel. Ren, Ren Kanis. He wondered, whether he would one of the most hired assassins, if he never met Ren. Probably not.

    He failed assignments before. He was too rushed. Ren brought order once he made a plan. He was calm and quiet. Somehow… he managed to keep his love for the world and kindness intact. Something that Fir didn't remember having. In fact, he doubted he even knew how it felt before Ren. He pulled up two block before the Serenity Corp. building and both got out. Fir threw the cigarette away and both walked in silence to the skyscraper.

    Even now as he noted to himself dryly, his thoughts weren't at order, collected and calm.

    Mild insanity…

    ---

    Icy-blue eyes watched with interest as two definitely male figures approached the building. One was wearing sunglasses, familiar black-red hair tied into a tight ponytail. The other one, with a bandanna over his face, dirty brown hair in a ponytail. As the cloak of the one with bandanna flapped open after a burst of wind, the observer noted the cold glint of silvery-gray metal. Who would have thought, that the one who defeated him at chess, the only one, was an assassin. Netjeru at that. And the other one.

    But then again it made sense. How could Fir and Ren have a mansion at their age? Pay for it? Get the best things? Of course he suspected other things, but then again, they didn't look like prostitutes. He smirked with amusement, and watched a gray haired man do his job at a large table near the bookshelves.

    Vinyan barely withheld himself from sneering at the fool. He looked so gullible in this old-fashioned office, while all of his workers had modern offices. He didn't even have a personal computer, not mentioning even a laptop. The man, his stepfather, such a rotten man, he would deserve death. The b*****d had destroyed his childhood, constantly making him learn, and now that he was a very successful businessman, he wouldn't accept his ideas about computer and virtual technologies.

    The blond-haired teenager smirked to himself and exited the office. After all, his father clearly showed him with all means possible, that the discussion was over. He closed the door, casting one last glance at the man. He was not in a hurry. Slowly he walked down ignoring everyone. In front of the gates to the garage he paused. And the he heard shots. One glance was cast at the watch. His father was dead. He was the new CEO. And the assassins would get a nice payment for that. Finally he would do what he wished to do. He would remove the Big Five from their positions, sell the remaining weaponry and build a new empire.

    Vinyan Serenity's empire.

    He walked slowly to the exit and looked up the skyscraper at the glinting in sunlight glasses. Then one window shattered, and another one. He only had that much time to dive beneath the safe roof of the garage, the next moment glass shard fell onto the ground. And two forms dropped. Not affected by gravity, seemingly at all. Vinyan stared. Fir and Ren jumped down from tenth floor (or even higher) and landed not even flinching, crunching up, bending their knees. On straight feet. Somehow that reminded him of Underworld, a movie he watched. The vampires jumped down from high building, on straight feet and continued walking not fazed by the jump. But they were not vampires. They didn't notice him and he stood, watching in awe, as bullets shot past them, embedding into the asphalt. But none hit. Their coats swished as they dodged the assault gracefully.

    Impossible.

    And then they ran off. And he was left standing. No wonder they were the est. They could jump from the tenth floor and dodge bullets. Almost invincible. But then again, they killed Elistor, and that fact alone brought his mind away from Ren and Fir. He was back in his mind, thinking about plans.