A throwing knife, decorated with a red ribbon was circled between Usagi's fingers. This was the place. No doubt. Her latest contract. Her target was inside and most likely already asleep. She looked up at the moon. Midnight. She sighed slowly as she pulled the demonic mask infront of her face, completely unrecognisable now with the thick brown coat.
It was time.
Agile like a cat, Usagi started to scale the walls and make her way to the roof, before hanging off by the side and making her way inside an unlocked window. With a soft thud, she landed inside her target's room.
It is going to be a very interesting reunion, won't it, dear Jynx?
The ribbonned dagger slid from her sleeve and she grabbed the hilt, holding it up. Interesting and short
Jynx, sound asleep, barely stirred at the intruder.
The two headed hellhound guarding the foot of her bed, however, bolted awake and snarled. Loudly. Jynx shot upright, hand flying to the dagger under her pillow and tossing it in the direction where she could barely make out a shadow in the darkness without pausing to think.
"Janus, attack," she ordered, voice and eyes still blurry with sleep. The hellhound gave a bark that more of a roar and launched himself off the bed.
The dagger slashed into the figure, pinning the empty brown cloak to the wall. Wherever the hellhound and dagger went, it was a mere decoy.
"I would've wanted to do this while you were still sleeping." Usagi rose from Jynx' shadow with a sigh, flicking the knife in her hand.
She recognized the voice.
Eyes widening, Jynx shot off the bed and fell back, Janus growling and snapping and barking- all at the same time- at her side.
"You," she murmured, drawing the blade at her hip and falling instinctively into a defensive stance.
"You pleasantly surprise me. I thought you'd forget after the second day." She flicked the knife in her hand once more. "It seems you didn't." Usagi giggled slowly, sat on the edge of the bed, her legs kicking idly. She seemed to be completely unimpressed by the demon's raving. "Now. It seems you didn't only backstab me.." She chuckled slowly. "There have been a lot of other people.. And someone offered a reward."
Not dropping her guard for a second, Jynx felt her heart lurch with an unfamiliar emotion: guilt.
"I didn't backstab you, Spitfire," she murmured, wishing Usagi would lose the mask so she could meet her eyes. "I was trying to protect you..."
A slow laughter came from Usagi as she twirled the knife between her fingers. "Protect me from what exactly? Being killed by your doing? Losing you?" She shook her head. "You taught me one thing, Jynx. Don't trust the people that are close to you. They're the ones to destroy your life." Her hand closed around the knife, a trickle of blood running down her palm.
"Because my life right now? I'm being hunted by a demon and a myriad of people who are stealthier and more dangerous than myself." A wicked chuckle, "I'm having fun."
"Usagi..." She gritted her teeth, shoving emotion away and locking them up inside her heart.
"If you're going to try to kill me just do it," she spat.
"Before I kill you. I want answers." She threw the knife next to Jynx, it slammed into the wall. "Why did you leave? Why did you want to 'protect' me? You yourself did the worst thing I could imagine back then. I lost you."
Resisting the urge to flinch at the knife hitting the wall, Jynx held her ground. "You barely knew me," she said icily. It was easier to go on the defensive. "You were infatuated. I did you a favor- if I'd stayed, you would have lost me anyway, but then you would have actually lo-"
She cut herself off, clenching her jaw.
"Then I would've actually what?" Usagi chuckled slowly. "I indeed didn't know you. Else I might've seen the backstab coming. And yet I laid out my emotions to you.. I trusted you." She smirked slowly and stood up, pulling the mask from her face, discarding it on the bed. "Remember the last time I took it off? I was under the illusion I couldn't live on with you."
She chuckled slowly. "And I was correct." Usagi looked Jynx in the eyes, devoid of emotions. Dead. Distant. Her eyes faint. As if she was drained from any emotion.
Jynx shook her head. "I don't know what happened to you," she said softly, "but believe me. If I had stayed, it would've been worse."
"I strongly argue against that, Jynx." She looked at the thief with those exhausted eyes of hers. "You meant everything to me.. You had my heart. Still have it. I can't even remember the last time I slept."
She shook her head again, smiling sadly. "You can't give your heart away, Spitfire," she murmured. "I should know better than most. But gods I never wanted to hurt you. Truly. I was trying to save you."
But it seemed she'd left too late.
Usagi grit her teeth and stepped forward, putting her hands on either side of Jynx' face. Now that she was up close, properly lit by the moonlight, her face was littered with scars. The left corner of her lips was stitched of with two cross patterns, to prevent it from ripping further. "What fate.. Is possibly worse than this. Say it. Perhaps I can understand. And at least have some peace of mind."
Janus growled threateningly, but Jynx put her hand out to tell him to stand down. She met Usagi's eyes, steely.
"You could have fallen in love with me," she said, tone flat and expressionless. "For half a year, we could have been happy. And then I would have died. There's no way out of this, Spitfire. I just... I didn't want to put you through that."
"It would've been better than you leaving me. When you died.. I might've been able to find the closure I never found now." She snickered slowly. "You're real stupid, aren't you?" She chuckled dryly. "And here we are.. Me coming to kill you. Scarred and battered."
Again, the hellhound growled. Jynx jerked away from the younger woman, falling back and raising her dagger into a defensive position. "Try it then," she said, tone and eyes flinty.
Usagi sighed slowly. "So be it." She flung the kama from her back, circling them in her hands. "This'll be over quick. I'm way more powerful than I used to, Jynx."
The demonlord just stared her down. "Janus," she said quietly.
The hellhound roared and leaped forward, lunging for Usagi's throat.
Usagi's eyes widened as she stepped back. Doubt seen on her face. The hellhound closed it's maw around her throat and practically ripped it out whilst the woman slumped to the ground. Dead.
And only after a few seconds, Usagi's corpse dissipated in some kind of black fog. "You're only afraid of hurting yourself,"she reformed behind Jynx. She raised her left kama to slash it down in her neck.
Jynx moved on reflex more than anything else, her mind momentarily occupied with the horror of seeing the girl die. She ducked and dropped to the ground, rolling away before she sprang back up behind Janus, the hellhound crouched protectively in front of her.
"It doesn't have to be like this, Spitfire," she said quickly. She'd thought she could do this, could defend herself, kill Usagi if it came to that. But it seemed she couldn't.
"You destroyed my life!" Usagi grit her teeth as she charged forward, momentarily blinking from sight, the same dark mist manifesting around her. She dissappeared from sight right before Jynx and Janus. Only to reappear with a dry huff in mid-air, a veil of shadows surrounding her.
She twisted in the air, aiming for Jynx' head with a downwards heelkick.
Dodging the kick, Jynx went on the defensive, throwing out a hand to stop Janus from attacking. "I don't want to fight you!" she spat, whirling away.
She immediatly followed Jynx in her movements, one of the kama dropping with a dry crack of wood. She pushed frwards, gripping the hand she held the knife in in an attempt to disarm it while smacking Jynx to the wall, holding her forearm against Jynx throat as she attempted to pin the redheaded thief to the wall. A rough treatment. But not any move that would be detrimental for either's physical condition.
"And I don't want to fight you," she proceeded if she had pinned Jynx to the wall sucesfully, her head slumping against the arm that was pressed to Jynx' throat, soft sobbing resounded. "Why didn't you just talk.."
Janus snarled, lunging for the younger woman, but Jynx barked, "No!" and allowed Usagi to press her back. She could break out of the hold easily enough, but she couldn't seem to make herself do it.
"What did you want me to say?" she asked quietly. "Nothing would have made it better."
"I wanted you to explain.. I wanted you to trust me." She looked up at Jynx again. Tears rolling down her cheeks. "The way I trusted you. We could've talked about it, find a solution. Or just accept it and enjoy the time we still had. Together."
She grit her teeth again, baring them slightly. "But you left me.. Abandoned me.."
Jynx shook her head in denial, though she was starting to realize that from the other woman's perspective it must have seemed that way. "I didn't abandon you," she protested. "I left you with those healers- I wanted you to get better, I was protecting you!"
"Yet.. What you did was the opposite of protecting.." She pressed herself closer to Jynx, "every night was a nightmare. Alone. Scared. And I knew I was to be cast from the place I once called home." She let out a slow and tired sigh. "You only made it worse." She loosened the grip on Jynx' hand subconciously. "These scars.. The pain.. I always blamed you. I wanted to kill you and take revenge. Brooding on it each day." She chuckled sadly.
"And now I can't even hurt you.."
Jynx's heart lurched. "Why didn't you just stay in La'marri?" she whispered, voice pained. "Start over there. You could have built a life for yourself..."
"Staying anywhere for longer than three days is a death sentence.. They're still hunting me.
, " she nuzzled Jynx' neck, closing her eyes slowly. "Even if I wanted.. I couldn't."
Jynx held very still, not pushing her away but not really returning the affectionate gesture either. "Who's hunting you?" she asked in a whisper.
"Ah.. Yes. You don't know where I had my training.. Or who used to assign my missions. But they are hunting me.. And they are faster, smarter and stronger than me. And they know me. They can predict everything." She chuckled slowly. "How else did I get these scars.."
"You're right." She let out a sharp breath. "I don't know you, not really. And you don't know me." She looked at her, gaze steady. "But I'd like to help, if you'd let me."
"Humour me.. How possibly could you help me?" Usagi asked, before looking up at Jynx. Cold, unimpressed. Having returned to her cold and distant guise.
She returned the cool stare. "Cut the head off of the snake. If we get rid of whoever's in charge, you're free."
Usagi chuckled slowly. "If it only were that simple. There is numerous others who would take up right where their commander was murdered. And believe me. We couldn't even face him.. Let alone find him."
Damn. "Then what do you want from me?" Jynx asked. At her side, Janus pressed closer protectively, one of his heads giving Usagi a threatening glare while the other whimpered and nudged his nose into Jynx's hand.
She nuzzled closer in Jynx' neck. "I want to kill you.. An eye for an eye," she whispered softly, "but I can't." Usagi pressed a soft kiss against her neck before stepping away from her. She the kama from the floor and sheathing it on her back. "I'll make sure our paths will never cross again." A thick veil of shadows slowly started to surround her. "If anyone comes asking you about me, cooperate. They won't hurt you and you don't know enough to put them any closer to me." She chuckled bitterly. "And keep the knife. Luck isn't a factor where I'm headed."
The thief stood stock still, practically vibrating with tension. She stared at Usagi, wanting to say something but not sure what.
She settled for a murmured, "I wish you well," gold eyes shining with a tinge of sincerity they normally didn't show.
"Do you?" Usagi let out a slow snicker as she glanced over her shoulder, then back forward as she slowly dissipated, fading from existence. After a while, the lingering veil also dissappeared, leaving Jynx alone in the room.