The Assassin and the ESPer - The Sequel
Part 02 - Ending One
By Amidala

Notes: okay, so I lied. I said a week or so, but I think it’s been a month *grins sheepishly* Gomen nasai! Anyway … here’s chapter two, as well as the ending of this “series”. You have successfully reached the conclusion; you win two million … er … socks?

STOP!!! If you’ve already read chapter one, stop right here and go right back. I’ve changed some things around there so it’s a little more detailed and makes a bit more sense.

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Makoto had just reached the front door when it happened. Blinding, gut-twisting, searing pain, exploding throughout her entire body, causing her to fall to her knees, grabbing for the closest thing to keep her balance. Pressed against the wall, curled in a fetal position, she fought for breath even as the pain that had spread throughout her entire body now concentrated itself in her abdomen.

“What the … hell … is happening?” she gasped to herself.

It took a few minutes for her to realize that, like an idiot, she had left her mental blocks down in the hope to receive some sort of contact with her foster family. Well, she’d gotten her contact all right, in the most painful way. Which meant that whatever she was feeling, one of the others was feeling.

//Schu-ani … Answer me, damn it! … I know you … can hear … me, Schu- ani! … What the hell … just happened? … It hurts// Makoto thought frantically.

//Mako-chan? What are you – close your shields!//

//Can’t … hurts …//

//Baka shoujo! I told you not to worry! Give me two seconds … //

Suddenly the pain was … gone. Makoto sat up and leaned against the wall, sighing heavily. There was nothing but the shock of the accidental contact with …

//Schu-ani! Who got hurt?! I know it wasn’t Farfie … what happened?//

//Shhh, shhh Mako-chan. It’s all right. We just a bit of a run-in with our friends the White Hunters. Abyssinian had a slight skirmish with Nagi and nicked him in the side. He’s fine.//

“Don’t give me that bullshit! The pain was too great for it to be a “slight” wound! Now what really happened?”

Makoto stood up gingerly and began pacing while she waited for a response from her German “brother”. It was a while in coming.

//Look, Mako-chan … this should wait until we get home. I’ll be able to explain it better then.//

The distressed girl stopped her pacing and fell back onto the couch, sighing heavily and growling slightly.

“All right, fine. But I will not let this go. I’ve got the medical kits out.”

// … Smart girl. You’re suspicious, and fairly close to the mark. Not even Bradley was able to predict that you’d figure us out this quickly. We’ll be back in an hour. And close your shields!//

“I’m waiting,” Makoto whispered, feeling Schuldich cut off all connection between her and them.

She closed off her own mental shields to make sure that she wouldn’t be affected by their pain and stood. The trip to the bathroom to get all the medical kits was fairly short and she was back by the main guest bedroom on the first floor in only a few minutes. Then it was an hour’s wait until they were back, so she spent it by making the room ready for use. First the sheets had to be turned down, than towels brought in to catch and blood, and all the bandages and disinfectants and other supplies set out for instant usage. After that there were the blankets, ice packs, pain killers, and clean clothes and sheets that needed to be set out. Makoto placed a basket at the foot of the bed in preparation for the laundry that would need to be done, and selected the spare clothes for Nagi that resided in the closet and dropped those on the chair. Finally everything was set up.

There were still fifteen minutes to go.

“Kamisama … watashi no innochi ga kirai yo,” Makoto muttered, annoyed and worried and restless.

Ten minutes. She found herself in the living room looking at the pictures that lined the walls, coming frequently back to the one of her and Nagi.

“I swear, Nagi, if you’re dead, I’m going to kill you myself,” she muttered.

Five minutes. She could hear the car driving down the long and winding driveway that was meant to keep out prying eyes. The sound of the wheels was hurried but paced, as only Brad could do while driving.

Two minutes. Makoto heard the door bang open, winced, and made a mental note to call the repairman in the morning. She heard footsteps hurriedly clomp their way into the guestroom.

“You’re thirty seconds late,” the girl said in greeting.

“Gomen, Mako-chan,” Schuldich said, coming to stand behind her.

Makoto turned so she could look at the German over her shoulder. He was half-standing half-leaning on the sofa and looked worried.

“Brad and Farfie are with him?” she asked.

“Ja.”

“I left everything out in the open for them.”

“I know.”

Silence reigned for a few moments before Schuldich turned to look at Makoto. She had settled herself in the big chair that she had claimed for herself, one leg slung over the arm, looking rather like a princess on her throne, waiting for the news her page was about to deliver. Schuldich smiled to himself.

“You’re not far off the mark, you know.”

“Nani?” the orange haired man asked, thankful for the couch.

“The princess thing. Sorry, I was eves-dropping,” Makoto grinned. “I figure you’re going to tell me a secret, so I may as well tell you. But, please, you first.”

Schuldich sighed and walked around so he could sit on the couch, wondering how he was going to explain his occupation to the girl in front of him, making sure his shields were closed. After a few sighs and several possible opening lines, the German decided to be frank with her.

“Mako-chan. What do you think we do?”

“ … I’m not sure. When we last communicated I was thinking that you were some kind of special organization like America’s C.I.A or something. That maybe you were spies and you’d gotten caught during your mission.”

“You’re close. As I said, you’re a smart girl. Not even Brad figured that you’d figure us out this quickly. … Mako-chan … Brad, Nagi, Farfello and myself are a special organization, but we’re not spies. We were interrupted during our mission, but it wasn’t the kind of mission you thought it was. … Mako-chan … you’re living with Schwartz. You’re living with assassins.”

Once again silence reigned between the two. Schuldich waited anxiously for Makoto’s response, a feeling that was new to him. If she tried to run away, they’d have to kill her. He couldn’t bear that thought; he’d become too attached to her. Silently he cursed himself for allowing that one weakness.

“Oh, do lighten up Schu-ani,” she said suddenly. “Honestly, you’re not going to have to kill me. For one, you wouldn’t be able to because I’m immortal, and for another, I’m not going anywhere. You’re still my older brother, Brad is still the guardian who I get to constantly annoy, and Farfie is still the knife-loving psycho who likes to hurt God. All in all, you’re the same people; you’ve just got one hell of a cool and dangerous job. You do realize I expect to be included on missions now, don’t you? There’s no way in hell I’m letting you go out there alone.”

Schuldich was stunned into silence that he could not break until Brand and Farfello walked into the room.

“We’ve got him patched up and awake, and he wants to see Makoto,” the American said.

Makoto nodded quickly and walked to the guestroom as quickly as she could without running. Behind her she could hear Schuldich sputtering as he tried to relate to the others what she had just said.

//Nagi … be okay … // she ordered silently before entering the room.

“Mako-chan?” Nagi asked.

She smiled and walked over so she could sit on the bed, a bold gesture that she didn’t often make. He quickly moved his legs so she could sit comfortably.

“How are you feeling?” Makoto asked.

Nagi winced, “Like I got a sword through my side. Which is exactly what happened. Believe me, it’s not fun. I take it Schuldich explained everything and you took it rather well from the mental babbling I’m Hearing.”

Makoto grinned, “Yep, that’s about it. So who is Abyssinian?”

“Another assassin. He works for the agency that Takatori is trying to take out. They’d actually be good allies to have if they didn’t hate us so much. That might be because Takatori has done something to make their lives miserable and haunted but you know how it is … “

“Yeah, sounds familiar. I take it they don’t realize you hate Takatori as well?”

“Pretty much.”

“You know that I’m going to start coming on missions now, right? You’re going to have to train me.”

“Yes, Schu did babble something about that. He also mentioned something about you being immortal? An immortal princess?”

Makoto blushed and nodded. “Well, remember that painting that I could read from?”

“Hai.”

“Well, the reason that I could read it is because I was alive back then. I’m Sailor Jupiter, princess and guardian of the planet Jupiter. That’s what I meant way back when, when I told you that I’d been too busy dying to notice my powers. The Senshi are immortal until the death of our Princess.”

Nagi nodded slowly, trying to digest everything with the same ease Makoto had when their secret had been revealed. His leg started to itch and he unconsciously reached down to scratch it, but hissed when he pulled his wound the wrong way. Immediately Makoto had scooted up and was gently holding him, as if trying to make sure that he wasn’t going to disappear.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Aa. I’ll be up and running before you know it. It’s just a flesh wound.”

“It’s a pretty deep and painful looking flesh wound. Especially if it hurts just to scratch your leg.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“But I do worry, Nagi!” Makoto burst out. “I’m an orphan, remember. You’re the closest thing I have to a family! I don’t want to see you hurt, I can’t stand the thought of you being hurt!”

“Didn’t know you cared so much,” Nagi said with a crooked grin.

“Well I do care! I care a lot!” The girl wrapped her arms around Nagi’s bare torso as gently as possible. “Damn it, Nagi, don’t make me spell it out. I don’t want to face rejection but if it’ll get to not to act like this about death than I’ll risk it.”

“N - nani? Mako-chan … daijobu ka? Doushita no?”

Makoto fought the instincts to run as fast and as far away as she could, mentally kicking herself. She had just figured it out herself, and she hadn’t wanted to simply drop the bomb on him, but now she realized that it was too late.

“Gomen, Nagi. I just figured it out tonight, and you’re probably never gonna talk to me again … “

//Oh God she’s gonna tell me she’s in love with Schuldich, isn’t she?// Nagi thought to himself, desperately hoping that he was wrong.

But he was wrong. Makoto didn’t tell him that she was in love with Schuldich, in fact, she didn’t tell him anything. Rather, she simply lifted her head, grinned awkwardly, and kissed him.