Daiyu's eighteenth birthday finally approached. Fingerless black gloves covered her hands as she cracked her knuckles. The young woman had grown taller over the years. Although she wasn't as tall as Itzal, she stood at an average of five foot four. The assassin's shoulder-length black hair was tied back into a bun to keep it off her face while she was doing gymnastics. Her round face was carved with plain features, and her child-like, dark brown eyes had narrowed throughout the years. Behind such harmless countenance dwelled a custom killer.
Perched lazily on top of a bricked wall, an older Charna watched as Daiyu kicked her toned long legs back into a front handspring. The young woman landed back on her feet and savored the momentum. She smiled up at Charna whom was now eight years old. The feline got over the fright of stepping on the training ground and explored the woods by herself every so often. Charna, in fact, preferred to stay outdoors.
Daiyu fixed her black tank top and deeply massaged the muscles in her arms. She had been doing flips, cartwheels, and other stunts for almost an hour now. Stretching her arms, she headed back inside the cabin to get a drink of water. Spring this year was warmer than usual, but at least it was no longer cold.
Itzal was sitting by the table. The almost fifty year old man had aged. He stopped dying his goatee blond, and there were creases developing on his forehead and face. The retired assassin still looked like the same however. On top of the table was a cardboard container that was the size of a shoebox.
"This is for you," he said tapping the box.
Is that a birthday present? Daiyu wondered curiously. Itzal had never given her birthday gifts before.
Taking the lid off gingerly, Daiyu stared at a larger Glock gun that peered back at her.
Where did I see this before? Reaching her hand toward the gun, Daiyu froze as memories sped through her mind.
The black-clothed man and jeering hazel eyes. The gun was the Glock 19 she used to shoot her mother's murderer, his body she refused to see.
Noticing Daiyu's mixed feelings, Itzal said quietly, "I figured the Glock 19 should belong to you."
Daiyu's lips remained seal for a moment. She didn't know how to feel. This gun she had used once was so long ago.
"I guess I should use this instead of my Glock 26…" she murmured. Picking up the gun, it was much bigger than her current small firearm. It appeared sharper and more professional for killing. In fact, the grip fitted her hands quite nicely.
Itzal grinned wryly. The girl he had taken care of was now a grown adult. Daiyu was standing before him taking back the gun she shot her mother's murderer with. He had planned on this moment giving back the Glock 19 to Daiyu. Although she had also become one of the skilled assassins of Corrigere, it would be beneficial if she looked aesthetic. She would gain advantages in the missions assigned by her new employer. Nevertheless, Itzal was still satisfied with the girl he picked out and trained.
Heading outside, Daiyu loaded the Glock 19 with a magazine of fifteen rounds. Charna's jade green eyes dilated at the loud click from the gun. She swooped down from the wall alerting the young woman. Daiyu had almost forgotten that Charna was still outside.
Daiyu apologized to Charna as the feline scampered back inside the house. Luckily, the door was half-open allowing Charna to slip back inside.
I won't forget next time, Daiyu noted mentally. Once she forgot that Charna was sunbathing out on the porch when she was plinking soda cans. The cat was still shaking after the gunfire died, and the young woman felt guilty afterwards.
Pushing the memory away, Daiyu focused her aim on an empty water bottle sitting alone on one of the stool chairs. Right when she was about to pull the trigger, her cell phone vibrated in her shorts' pocket.
Daiyu lowered her gun and picked up the cell phone. The caller's phone number belonged to her employer.
"Anything new for me, Clove?" the assassin asked. Red Scarf recommended Daiyu to Clove when she was sixteen years old which caused her to split up with Indigo. Daiyu was actually surprised at first that Clove was a female employer since she was more accustomed to working with males.
"Yes," the deep, husky, feminine voice replied, "meet me at the alleyway in three hours." The line disconnected.
Daiyu turned off her cell phone. She was used to Clove hanging up after telling her where to meet up; the woman always got to the point. Glancing back at the distant water bottle, Daiyu aimed at it with one hand. She grinned as the empty water bottle flew off several feet away. Shooting with the Glock 19 was just as smooth as her Glock 26.
The young woman returned inside the cabin. She found Itzal reading a book in the living room, and he looked up at her.
"Clove just called me," Daiyu said.
Itzal nodded and waved his hand for her to go and borrow his car.
~~~
Clove was an attractive tall woman lingering in the narrow alleyway. A black headscarf wrapped her golden hair as her sharp blue eyes met Daiyu's gaze several feet away. Around the woman's arm was a black handbag which disguised the important documents inside. She nodded at the young assassin for arriving on time.
"The assignment was supposed to be handled by a Canadian assassin," Clove began quietly avoiding her voice to be echoed in the deserted alleyway. "But she had some issues and dropped it off. We are giving you the assignment instead." Her slender hands reached for the contents inside her bag.
She? Taking the yellow envelope from Clove, Daiyu wondered curiously about the female assassin. She knew she shouldn't be surprised that there were other female assassins although they were rare. "Who's my target?"
"Brandon Hayward, a sixty year old wealthy businessman. He works for a large company, and the client has some competition with him. The client is offering $60,000 to see Hayward dead."
Daiyu whistled at the large sum of money. Why did the other assassin give up such an assignment? Opening the yellow envelope, Daiyu examined the old man. Hayward was on the plump side, and he was bald. His long crooked nose, that resembled that of a greedy pirate, stood out in the rest of the picture.
"He's currently residing in his mansion in upstate New York," Clove continued as Daiyu skimmed the profile sheet.
Hayward's home was located in Saint Regis Falls, New York. That was going to take several days to travel there by car. However, it was not the first time Daiyu was assigned to assassinate someone far away.
"Take the extra copy of the photo and profile sheet after you're done," her employer added.
Daiyu finished examining the contents and returned them to Clove. She slipped the copies in her messenger bag, and they departed separately on their own ways.
While Daiyu headed out of the alleyway, she was already formulating a plan in her head for the assignment. From experience, Daiyu knew that wealthy businessmen always had a bodyguard of two or three in their mansions. That made the assignment more challenging, but it didn't mean it was impossible.
~~~
Daiyu packed her things when she returned home. While she picked out appropriate clothes for her suitcase, Charna was watching her from the bed. Folding up a pair of shorts, Daiyu smiled sadly at her feline. She was not going to see Charna for a week.
"Are you going to miss me?" the young woman asked softly. She placed the folded shorts in the suitcase and rubbed Charna's forehead. The soft black fur soothed the assassin's fingers.
The feline blinked at Daiyu. Daiyu's lips cracked into a smile, and she chuckled. No one else could make her smile as much as her cat. According to what she read years ago, a cat blinking slowly at you was equivalent to a kiss. The young woman leaned forward to kiss Charna's forehead, and she returned filling things in her suitcase while the feline drifted to sleep.
Itzal was helping Daiyu pack necessary things such as water, medical supplies, and ammunition downstairs. He and Daiyu both knew the risks of taking up any of the assignments. One mistake in the mission, and it could cost her life. Fortunately, Daiyu had never gotten shot before, but she received injuries and broken bones from fights. If she was to die in this assignment by a good fight, an accident, or a suicide to avoid revealing information of Corrigere, the young woman wanted Itzal to give up Charna to a better caretaker. The cat was all that mattered to the assassin; the only living being she had only cared about. It saddened Daiyu to think about giving Charna away, but it was the best unselfish decision to do.
After Daiyu was done packing her things, she carried her suitcase downstairs to put it in Itzal's car. She decided to leave tomorrow in the morning, and Itzal calculated she would arrive in Saint Regis Falls in a little more than two days if she decided not to do the full eight hour ride in one day.
The packing was done within an hour, and Daiyu headed upstairs to borrow maps from Itzal's bedroom. The bedroom was now left opened ever since the young woman had grown older. Her mentor had shown trust in her, but the drawers were always locked which contained the retired assassin's important firearms.
Daiyu removed a travel book about upstate New York from the bookshelf. Patting the dust away, she scanned the table of contents until she found the Adirondacks. The book was mostly filled with tourist pictures, but it would give her enough idea about the area. Bending certain pages of the book, she heard Itzal come inside the room.
"Bring that book along with you," he said, "and remember to bring your rifle."
Daiyu turned her head. "I know," she replied and continued to flip pages in the book. Although Itzal had never told her that he hoped she would return safely, the assassin knew that her mentor worried at times about her. However, they were mostly practical reasons rather than personal ones. If Daiyu died, Itzal would lose the important assassin he trained. He barely considered the girl as his 'daughter' although there were times the young woman felt he was like a father to her.
Daiyu took out several books from the shelf until she was satisfied. A soft meow broke her concentration by the doorway.
Charna had probably been spying on Daiyu for several minutes. The young woman had to chuckle and approached her cat. The black feline didn't protest as she was lifted off from the ground.
"I'm going to miss you a lot, Charna," the young woman cooed.
Charna gazed at Daiyu's small dark brown eyes, and she touched the human's cheek with her paw. Perhaps the feline would miss her too.
~~~
The folds of a white nightgown made of fine nylon blew gently in the wind. The moonlight illuminated a slim tall figure of a young woman that stood alone on a wide balcony. Her dark hair almost the color of obsidian blended in with the night. She contemplated deeply while looking up at the night sky. Unfortunately, there were no stars tonight that would aid her in finalizing her decision.
I will see tomorrow... she thought and headed out of the balcony.
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