Welp it was official, I am bored, I was tired of waiting to end his life. I wanted this foolish man to come walking through the door already. My stomach was letting me know just how much it wanted food, and I was growing tired of telling it to shut up and wait. I had kept my hunger at bay for hours with promises of the delicacies that awaited it once this stupid mission was done and over. However, now those promises were no longer working, instead it seemed to be making me even hungrier. I was kicking myself for not taking up the offer for some kind of food before I left. “He will be at his apartment at 7:00 o'clock tonight.” My mothers words seemed like nothing more than lies at this point. I glanced up at his digital clock for the 100th time that night. It was now 10:45 in the evening, and most of the restaurants I wanted to dine at would be closing at 11, much to the dismay of my tummy. Finally I heard the click of the automatic lock and the door swung open.
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Jonathan Manson was nothing more than a low time drug dealer. One that had few friends in my hometown, but what friends he did have were as loyal as hounds. However, his enemies were as dangerous as wolves, all wanting him dead for the same reason. He had stolen a lot of money from his higher ups, and used that money to take over the small community of dealers. Now I was being paid to kill him, do it cleanly, leave no trace of my existence in his room. The pale moonlight was replaced with a bright yellow light exposing the entire suite to me. It was pretty decent but in comparison to my room back home it was nothing to brag about. I peaked my head from the closet I had practically made my home for the last 5 hours. He was not a tall man but he was pretty well built, trips to the local gym were doing him nicely. He had a shaggy mess of hair a top of his square head, his short beard in the same state. He was scared about something. I knew why he was scared as soon as he started to throw items of clothing into his suitcase. “A fucking Oren! That is what they sick on me!” He snapped to himself as he pulled out a simple pistol and began to put a new clip inside. “After all my hard fucking work, this is how they treat me!”
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“Someone had tipped me off, and he has a gun,” I told myself, my entire body starting to grow from anger. I had told myself I wasn’t gonna use her today but looks like that plan had gone out the window. I reached under my shirt, and retrieved a pink gemstone that hung there from a simple silver chain. “Come out and dine, Aiko.” A thick cloud of smoke began to seep from the gemstone as a long pink viper began to take shape. She curled up below me, her tail rattling along as she stared up at me with dark pink voids for eyes.
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“You told me that it was my day off, you liar.” Her annoyance was followed by a sharp bite to my exposed thigh, not enough to hurt but enough to make me silently wince.
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“None of that now, Aiko.” I whispered, while the man would not hear her voice, he could hear mine. I was what some would call a jepei user or someone that can type into nature energy. With that jepei I could unlock a different part of my soul, my animal spirit and could gain qualities of my animal spirit in the process. “Aiko, take the gun from him, do not let it shoot, do that and tomorrow I will let you have fun with any one of the maid staff.”
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“Do you promise?”272Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0RaiiZQE7
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“I do,” I patted her scaly head before pointing towards the man. “Now go my dear so we can leave already, and I can get something to eat.”
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Aiko gave me a small nod as she slithered out of the cracked door. I watched her carefully slide over the long black couch and over to the unsuspecting man. He was panicking trying to figure out what he needed, he had thrown his gun onto his bed, still within arm reach if needed. Aiko sat on his bed staring at him, and like most of the human race he could not see animal spirits. Her tail shot out and slapped the gun off the bed sending it clattering across the floor to the other side of the room. As soon as she did that I opened the door and stepped out into the light. His fearful eyes looked towards his gun and then towards me. “Mr. Manson, it is a pleasure to be the one taking your life today.” I greeted with a small cutesy, and a fake smile. “Now we can do this one of two ways, either I poison you and you lay down and die in your sleep. Or….” I held my hand out as a sickle like weapon appeared in my hand, the curved blade looking sharper in the yellow light of his room. “Or you do what most foolish people do and attempt to fight a losing battle.”
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His face grew pale as he took the third option that most people added. He dropped to his knees and clasped his hands together. “Look, I don’t know what you want with me little girl but, perhaps we can come to an arrangement. What are they paying you, I will pay you more.” I took a few steps towards him and the man fell onto his backside and began to scoot back towards the wall. “Please I have done nothing wrong!”
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I allowed a soft smile to grow across my face once I reached the man. I slammed my sickle into the wall right beside his head before reaching into my jacket pocket and pulled out a small vial of purple liquid. “Jonathan, I have the most potent poison right here in my little hand, one sip, climb into bed and you wake up in hell. Or I make you suffer and you wake up in hell.”
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His face that was once filled with panic became defeated and accepting. “I’m not going to hell.” I allowed the man to snatch the vile from my hand and in one gulp he swallowed it. His face twisted as the sour taste filled his mouth. “You are.” He added before pushing me to the ground and climbing into his bed.
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I stood up and dusted myself off, I should have beat him senseless for attacking me but it was pointless. He was already gonna die.. “Thank you for choosing the right choice, and enjoy the sea of fire.” I made sure my gloves were on before I pulled out a chair to watch him. The poison would take minutes to kill him but if he was smart he would have spit it out and ran outside. The more you move and the colder it is, the better chance you have to live.
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I drove in complete silence, my motorcycle only letting off a small hum from the engine. It was all black with small streaks of purple on the sides. My anger was starting to overtake me as my stomach desperately cried out for something to eat. “Shut up already,” I snapped at myself before hitting a small button in my pocket. The large black gates that seperated my home from the rest of the city sprung to life, and I slipped in before they could fully open. I pulled into our massive underground garage where cars of luxury and other bikes of war were waiting for me. The motion lights turned on as soon as I entered, fully illuminating the room in a bright white light. I pulled into my favorite parking spot before jumping off and making my way towards our small elevator. It was a short trip to the main floor of my home, and aside from the fire that lit up the hallways, it was the same dark and mysterious hallways that used to make me afraid to walk them without a maid. The only steps that filled dimmed hallways were my own. I quickly made my way to the kitchens. My eyes scanned around for any sign of movement, hopefully someone would be awake. I couldn’t cook and I didn’t want to have a simple sandwich.
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As I pushed open the double doors I was furious to find that the kitchen was empty. No signs of any of the staff, Madam Dutchess our cook had gone to sleep for the evening earlier than usual. “Damn it.” I snapped as I walked over the many cabinets and pulled out a loaf of bread.
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“Watch your language, little sister.” I nearly jumped out of my skin as the silhouette of a girl took shape in the darkness. The lights to the kitchen were turned on revealing the youngest of my older sisters. Poppy appeared out of the shadows clad in silk pajama pants and a tank top, not as glamorous as she usually looked in the day. Her long deep purple almost black hair now pulled back into a ponytail, exposing the large forehead I enjoyed teasing her about. “Mother would have a field day if she heard you swearing.”
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“Mother should see that her information network is correct.” I opened the fridge and began to pull out the condiments most of our basic staff used to make sandwiches. Fleshly cut ham and turkey, lettuce and tomatoes, habanero peppers for the spice I loved. They joined my pile of food on the counter, I looked over to Poppy who was just watching me. “I wouldn’t have had to make a sandwich if I would have known he was gonna show up nearly five hours later than I was told.”
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“So you were successful,” I nodded my head earning a small smirk from the 17 year old. “You are a skilled killer but you still need a step stool to reach the counter?”
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I felt my cheeks blush as my eyes wandered towards the small step stool nearby. “I do not need something as childish as that. Is there a reason why you are here, dear sister?”
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“I wanted something to drink, and now I have something to provide me with entertainment.” Cursing my short height, and the stupidly tall counters in our kitchen. I stood on my tip toes like a toddler and began to construct my dinner for the night. “Don’t force yourself on my behalf, Ivy, just pretend I am not here and get that stool that you clearly need.”
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My face felt like it was on fire as I quickly finished assembling my dinner and without another word I took it into our large dining room. The lights nearly blinded me as I turned them on and took a seat at the end of our large dining table. Much to my annoyance, Poppy decided to join me, carrying two glasses as well as a pitcher of her favorite drink. “I do not like your flavored water.” I didn’t like seeing the chucks of berries and melon that bopped up and down in the pitcher.
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Poppy poured us glasses and placed one in front of me. “You whine too much, Ivy.” She took a few sips of her drink before saying. “Mother believes you are ready for your first true mission, your recent successes in the underground of the city has earned you a chance.”
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I stopped mid bite and looked at my sister in disbelief. “Do you mean it!” I said nearly choking on my food. She gave me a small nod of her head, I quickly swallowed the remains in my mouth. “When is she going to inform me?!”
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“She was gonna tell you tonight but she suspected that you might have gone to dinner with your friends or something.” I couldn’t hide the grin spreading across my face. “Don’t look so happy little sister, remember failure will have you banished from the city for at least two years.”
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“I am not gonna fail like you and Zinnie did.” I heard the cracking of glass and quickly changed my tone not wanting to set the monster inside of Poppy off. “I meant no harm from that, Poppy.”
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“Listen to me you spoiled little brat.” Poppy drank the rest of her drink before standing up, her chair violently squeaking across the floor in the process. “Do not joke about a stain on my record when you have no idea the challenges that come from the outside. You are skilled like we were at your age but there are those that will fight tooth and nail, bite and claw for their escape. Those who are stronger and faster than you could ever imagine!”
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“Poppy wait,” I said standing up to grab her hand. “I am sorry for my choice of words, please stay with me for a few more minutes at least. We haven’t spoken since you returned from your recent success.”
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As quickly as her anger came with one sigh it vanished like the wind. I had to remind myself that unlike Zinnie's more playful attitude, Poppy never could control her anger. It took so little to set her off that she often felt like a dormant volcano to me. “As you wish little sister, but one more word out of line and I will make you suffer.” For a moment her eyes flicked into snakelike slits as she had me sit beside her. “Also you should know, Wisteria is home as well, arriving a few hours before you did.”
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My oldest sister of 21 years. I hadn’t seen her since she left on a mission nearly a year ago. “Is she looking well?” I couldn’t quite hid the slight quiver that came from my voice.
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Poppy’s gentle smile returned. “How about we take a journey to her room to see if she is awake. I am sure she will enjoy seeing us both, but now tell me how did you finish your mission judging from your outfit you didn’t get into any conflict.”
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I spent a good twenty minutes speaking with my sister, mostly her telling stories of her journey to Thailand. How it took her three months to hunt down her target and bring him to death's door, she had only one serious scratch and that was a small bullet that hit her in the stomach when her guard was down. I could only imagine the fury that sparked from that one injury. She received 500,000 thousand dollars for her success and an extra hundred thousand for bringing them his head. Those totals made my pay day of only 15 thousand dollars look small in comparison. After I had finished my sandwich and (was forced) washed my dish, we made our way out up the grand staircase. It didn’t look as grand in the dim moonlight but the gems that made up each ralling now shined like faint snowflakes. The second floor was quiet, with two hallways splitting off from the stairs, this is where lesser members of my family lived. It always made me feel so powerful to know that I am a part of the elite of my family, my aunts and uncles and cousins stayed on the second floor. The head family stayed on the top.
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We made our way down the corridor past paintings hidden in shadows, past my sister Zinnie’s room who had faint clarinet music spilling from the cracks. Poppy didn’t bother knocking on door, a pleasantry that she only saved for our mother and father. Zinnie’s room was clouded in a white light that made her pale skin look even paler. She was Poppy’s twin but they couldn’t be more different. Her hair was out of it’s usually braids being held in place with a mix of bobby pins and curlers. Her room was a mix of dark colors such as blacks and chromes. the bookcase near her bed filled with cheesy romance novels that she loved to laugh at. Slowly swaying in front of her spirit animal a large king cobra much bigger than any snack currently alive, a small show of her unreal amount of jepei energy that resided in her. It’s form slowly returning to gray smoke that was being sucked towards her gemstone that was laying on her desk. Once her prized spirit animal was asleep, she put her clarinet down and the layers of calm skin began to fall off as the real serpent revealed herself.
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Zinnie looked towards us and her famed smirk began to form across her face. The sharp points of her teeth showed and sparkling from how clean she kept them. “Well what do we have here?” Her voice almost sounded like a mocking sing song voice, it pissed most people off but for those that knew her it was always good to hear. She swung her legs off her bed and stood up much taller than Poppy and much more developed than her as well. A charm she used to get most of her male targets to lower their guards so she could slip a poison on her lips for a fatal kiss. She walked towards us with her arms outstretched. “Good evening my dear sisters, what brings you to my domain so late at night?” Her eyes locked onto me and before I could react she lifted me up into the air swinging me around like I was a little girl again. “Welcome back baby sister, and not a scratch on you through you are much later than we originally planned.”
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I let a small giggle escape my lips and once Zinnie set me on the ground I said. “Well my target didn’t come back home when he was supposed to. So I had to wait nearly four hours in a closet until he finally came back. However he is dead, I have my money and now I am hearing that mother thinks I am ready for a mission away from home.”
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Zinnie’s grin spread a bit happier as she began to ruffle my hair a bit. “I am happy to hear that, Ivy, I remember our first mission from home…” Zinnie trailed off for a moment, her grin growing a bit smaller and a look of sadness appearing in her eyes. “Anyway let’s forget what lies in the past and focus on the joy in our future. Now what brings to my room no one has seemed to answer that.”
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“Well I was gonna invite you to see if Wisteria was awake.” Poppy spoke up, now fully stepping into her twin’s room. “Have you spoken to her today, Zinnie?”
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“I saw her in passing but she only gave me a wave of acknowledgement before going to speak with momma.” Zinnie walked over to a nearby hook and pulled off a silk robe and threw it over her shoulders like a cap. “If you are going to speak with Wisteria then I will gladly go as well, she has been away for a year with little to no contact. I am curious what had her full attention.”
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We walked down the hallway passing my room as well as Poppy’s that was slightly cracked open. Wisteria’s room was located near the bathroom, a right she claimed she earned from being the oldest. Zinnie knocked on her door a few times and a few tense moments passed before the door was opened. Wisteria’s spirit animal, a large boa constrictor named Shikyo appeared before us. “Wisteria, your sisters are standing outside, do you want them to come inside or would you rather me send them away.”
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“Shikyo no being mean to my sisters.” Wisteria’s voice flew at me like a welcomed breeze, not waiting for her to allow us to enter her room. I rushed past her serpent and sitting on her large bed her jet black hair looking wet was my oldest sister. The room cladded in a dull light coming from her lamp in the corner of the room. She was just pulling on a sleeping gown that most would think might be a long shirt as it barely covered her backside. She had long slender legs and an old scar near her knee from the only fight she had ever lost. She closely resembled our mother, her japanese blood ran thick in her veins, her stern eyes having a familiar warmth I had missed. Wisteria saw me and opened her arms to me, “come to me baby sister.”
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I jumped a distance of maybe five feet landing in her arms and nuzzling my head against her bosom. “I missed you,” I whispered, trying to contain the tears of joy that threatened to fall. Her arms wrapped around me pulling me deeper into her, her rose scent lotion filling my nostril with a scent I had grown so used to.
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“I missed you as well, precious one.” One of her arms released me as she said. “Poppy and Zinnie get over here my foolish sisters, one of you lock the door behind you.”
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Poppy joined us on the bed, her head rested against Wisteria’s shoulder, while Zinnie chose to stand storical nearby. “How long has it been? Since we have all been in the same room like this. A year, maybe two?” Zinnie asked.
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Wisteria repositioned me so I was now sitting on her lap. “It has been two years since we all stood in the same room. Last time Zinnie was away and I was at home waiting for my next mission.”
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“Speaking of which,” Zinnie leaned a bit closer to stare into my sister's eyes. “What happened to you, you have been away for over a year. What challenge caused the famed red boa to be gone for so long, what caused your mind of all things to be distracted for so long.”
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“You tongues is still very annoying little sister.” Wisteria reached out and grabbed Zinnie’s jaw in a firm grip. “It something I greatly missed on my travels.” Wisteria pulled Zinnie closer and planted a kiss on her forehead. She pulled Zinnie onto her large bed to sit beside us. “As for what I have been doing and what has happened. My mission was very successful but also the hardest I had gone through in my life. My target was very smart and also was a jepei user, a skilled fighter, nearly killed me twice before I cracked his style.”
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“You are just joking right.” I looked over at Poppy who had a look of surprise on her usually calm face. “Someone gave you of all people a challenge and it wasn’t one of us?”
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“Since when were any of you a challenge to me?” Wisteria answered with a small laugh. “However, yes someone gave me a challenge and it was fun, I now understand what father means when he enjoys fighting against stronger people. It gives you a rush better than any drug. I also learned that the world is changing and pieces are moving.”
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“What kind of changes?” I asked.
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Wisteria placed a hand on my head, her nails gently scratching at my scalp. “Let’s just say that legends are starting to return and great beasts are starting to awaken once again. Now enough about me, tell me what has been going on with you all.”
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We each took turns in telling Wisteria about how things have been going. Poppy had completed three missions in the year she had been gone, Zinnie had taken care of 3 as well through in a shorter amount of time. All I had was taking care of missions around the city, taking down small frys and Jonathan was the biggest target I had taken care of. None of them had jepei energy, they rarely fought back and I had only a few swift kills under my belt. We must have been laughing a bit too loudly as the door swung open. Standing in the doorway was a beautiful half Japanese woman, she was wearing an elegant silver nightgown looking almost like a queen. Her eyes were tired but a joyful smile was on her face, beside her was a large serpent, her silver mamba. My mother Aconitum Oren, the queen of the serpents of Georgia.
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Her gaze went from us to the clock on the wall. “It's 12:35 in the morning, my children.” Her voice was as smooth as the silks she wore but there was a stern undertone spilling from it. “Ivy I believe we agreed that you are to be in bed by 12:00 at night at the most?”
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“Sorry, Momma.” I said nuzzling back against Wisteria. “I lost track of time, Wisteria is home and we wanted to talk.”
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My mother stepped into the room. The grace in every step that she took made even models look like toddlers taking their first steps. “I understand that, however I believe we can save these talks for tomorrow at breakfast. Wisteria needs rest, as do you Poppy, both of you just returned from jobs well done.” She tossed a file towards Zinnie who caught it between two of her fingers. “I suppose this is good timing. Zinnie one of your favorites, has requested you for an assignment, nothing that you cannot handle within a week. If you do not want it I will have one of your cousins handle it, an easy job for you is a challenge for them.” Her tired eyes locked onto me and she beckoned me over with a finger. “Come with me, Ivy, I will tell you of your task while I take you to bed.”
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My heart lit up as the thought of receiving my first actual mission brought new found energy in my heart. I gave my sister a brief hug with a promise to come see her tomorrow morning whether she was awake or not. I wished Poppy and Zinnie a good night as well and went to follow my mother to my bedroom.
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As soon as I stepped into my bedroom my cheeks flushed as my mother stated. “I see you still haven’t cleaned the room like I requested last week.”
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My room was small in comparison to my sister’s but to anyone else it would be a room fit for a princess. Shades of purples and pinks made up the colors on my un-made bed and my normally lovely violet carpet couldn’t be seen over the clothes that covered my floor. My mother bent down slightly and hooked a pair of shorts from the ground in one of her long fingers. She turned towards me with a small look of annoyance appearing on her face. I quickly snatched them from her fingers and hid them behind my back with a nervous chuckle. “Momma, we have maids for this job, there is no reason for me to clean.”
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“The reason you have to clean is because I told you to do it. It seems that you have mistaken me asking you to do something as a suggestion rather than the order it is.” She let out a weary sigh and turned to leave my room. “We shall try this again in 25 minutes and I better be able to see the floor the next time I step into your room.”
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I jumped as my door slammed shut, out of frustration I threw my shorts against the wall, a small pout forming across my face. I quickly got to work throwing my clothes into the three laundry harpers I have. Leaving them near the door for our maids to come and collect in the morning. As soon as I finished I removed my necklace around my neck and took the purple gemstone off. I carried over to my desk that was also cluttered with books, most of which stories I had started but never finished. On the corner of my desk was a candle stand, I held my finger out allowing a bit of my purple jepei energy to flow across it. I like the two small candles allowing a calming aroma to begin filling my room and where another candle sat in the middle. I placed my netrix gemstone on top and planted a small kiss on it. “Good night Aiko, I will see you tomorrow.”
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I glanced over to the clock and sure enough as soon as the clock reached 25 minutes, my door was opened once again. My mother stepped into the room with a folder in one hand and a hairbrush in the other. Memorizes of terrible trips with that horrible brush made my stomach tighten up from anxiety. “It seems I will have no use for this hairbrush tonight.” I let out a sigh of relief as she tossed it over to me and sat down on my bed.
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“Mother, I am 14 years old, I am much too old for childish punishments.” I took my jacket off rolling out the tension forming in my shoulders.
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“Keep behaving like a small child and I will discipline you like a small child.” One I was in grabbing distance, she took me by the shoulder, sitting me beside her one arm wrapping me in a side hug and her other hand rubbing at my cheek. “Earn my respect and things will change, and now you have the chance to do that. I have been impressed with your recent success around the city, you are growing better with each day. So I believe it is time you prove yourself to me and the elders, it is time for the pink viper to be released.”
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“Where am I going?” I asked not wanting to wait even a second longer.
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“New York City, there is someone requesting our assastence.” My mother opened the file on her lap and inside were a few papers but clipped onto them was a picture of a girl. She looked to be around 10 years old, her left eye was covered by her long black hair. Her admitably cute face was covered in blood and resting on her shoulders was a long blade. “Her name is Oikawa Ori, she is causing trouble to one of our clients. It is your job to find her and kill her, the pay is quite high and will be discussed once you arrive in the city.”
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Upon a closer look at the photo I could see her netrix gemstone and it had the head of an animal I had never seen before. I was growing excited by just seeing that gemstone, though to save face I put a disgusted look on my face. “I have to hunt down a little girl, is my hirer so weak that she cannot handle a child?”272Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0kylar52C
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“Never underestimate your opponent, what is strong to us is overwhelming for most people.” My mother closed the file and in a move motion she tossed it towards my desk. It was gracefully carried across the air and landed without a sound. That same hand came to rest on the back of my head and momma pulled me closer so she could rest her forehead against mine. “I have faith that you will be able to handle this simple task, make a name for yourself with this woman so she hires you more and spreads your name. The Oren’s name will forever stand amongst those that slither underground. What are the rules of our people?”
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“Never try against a weak opponent. Kill cleanly and if not clean your mess, and finally show your skills and spread the name that he tried to erase.” My momma planted a firm kiss on my temple before bringing my head to rest against her lap. I couldn’t help but curl up on her lap like a little child again.
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Her hand suddenly became as firm as iron as her nails rubbed against my scalp making me wince a bit. “Now what will happen if you fail me?”
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“I could be banished from the home I love for however long you deem fit.” I reached up and grabbed her hand moving towards the side. I turned my head to stare up into her soft eyes. “Momma, have a little faith in me, I am not gonna fail and I will bring glory and honor to our name.”
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“A lot of people make that vow little one.” My mother began to rub my back in a comforting manner slowly starting to lull my tired body to sleep. The last words she spoke to me before sleep overtook me sent a brief tingle of fear down my spine. “A lot of people promise that and even more fail me in the end. Do not fail me my successor, for the consequences will be more severe than you can handle.”
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