Elle's hands moved to Vlalan's chest lightly trying to push him away as he felt one of the warm hands fall onto his neck. He felt the fingers tickling him for a few seconds before Vlalan let go of the simple soft kiss.

Elle backed up, opening his door and got out with his plushie, quickly walking into the house.

He ran up to the upstairs bathroom and washed off his face with hot water. After a few more minutes of staring at his red face in the mirror, Elle hurried to his room and got a pair of dry clothes and went back into the bathroom to change. Before he did change he took a quick warm shower.

-------

Vlalan sat quietly for a few moments in the car looking at his right hand, a silver chain coming from the hidding place his fist made. He studied his hand and opened it after a second. In his palm rested the pendant he had been sent to get; Memento.

Vlalan got out of the car with the pendant in hand and looked to the door to the main part of the house.

"He'll be mad when he finds out I took it," Vlalan said softly.

He turned around and walked to the side door and exited the garage. In the backyard he stopped when he saw a man almost double his age with red hair in a tan business suit and glasses. The man took off his glasses and put them away.

"I thought it'd be one of you lackies from the Organization who'd show up," the man said.

Vlalan shrugged, "Oooh, look, it's tall-dark- and ugly." The man glared at Vlalan. "What do you want?"

"Shouldn't missions be shared?"

"Back off, Nine-Nine-Two," Vlalan said in a low voice. "This is my victory."

"And let you get all the glory for my hard work?"

"You're the one who betrayed us."

"Betrayed?" the man laughed. "I got rid of an unslightly branch."

"Nine-Nine-Seven was better than you in many ways including dressing," Vlalan answered as he closed the door behind him.

"He was weak." the other replied. "He thought he could get the pendant and never even found it so I killed him off."

"So who ordered you to betray the Organization?"

"I'm sorry, that's confidental information," the man answered smirking. "Now hand over the pendant and I won't have to kill you."

"Screw you." Vlalan answered sharply.

The man shook his head, "You young people think you can solve everything with words."

"And old dogs like you think your bite is worse than your bark!"

------

Elle was downstairs then eating some peanut buttered toast quietly when he heard a loud crash out in the backyard.

"Huh?" He got up and walked to the backdoor and opened it, looking out into the rainy darkness lit by the small lamps in his garden. He could make out a dark figure laying face-first on the ground and watched as a silver Toyata car drove away. Elle jogged over to the one laying on the ground, who was starting to sit up.

He must have been thrown against the barrells, Elle figured seeing his once nicely stacked barrells rolling around a bit.

On his hands and knees the figure chuckled a bit, "His bite is worse than his bark..."

"Vlalan?"

Vlalan looked up, seeing the lime green hair blur and he knew it was Elle. He chuckled. "Sorry.. I lost your mother's pendant..."

Elle wanted to shout and scream at Vlalan, but he felt it was better to do that out of the rain. He yanked the young man up by his left arm and forced him to lean on him. Elle grabbed Vlalan's belt on his opposite hip and helped him walk-hobble to the door and then to the sofa in the living room. The living room was lit by the top light and it was easy to see how covered in mud and rain Vlalan was.

Elle let Vlalan relax with a cup of warm tea. Elle was pacing in front of the sofa.

"Okay," Elle said finally, "You owe me an explaination for a few things!"