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Snip. Snip.
“Shopkeeper? Did you call for me?” A man spoke. He found himself standing behind a tall man wearing gardening clothes with a brown hat who was busy tending to the rose in front of him.
“It’s been a while. How was your last customer?” Shopkeeper said, scanning the grass in front of him.
“Yes, he’s been served well. I’m pleased to meet such a man.” The other man said. He then smirked darkly as he remembered their encounter. “It was quite a sight.” The other man had a striking facial features with dark purple to black hair and a red eyes. He stood graciously, emitting a cool but mysterious vibe around him.
“That’s good to know.” Shopkeeper smiled. He then turned, swiftly throwing his secateurs in light speed, aiming at the other man’s head. The other man calmly shifted his head and caught the secateurs, spinning it around his fingers.
“You should really refrain yourself from doing that, Shopkeeper. You’re going to give your assassins a heart attack.”
“Ha ha, pardon me. It’s one of my ways of welcoming you back. I also welcomed Thorn Princess back then.”
“Speaking of thorn princess, she’s got family now, doesn’t she?” The man said sadly. “It’s a shame. She’s a very outstanding woman. Seeing her in action back then, made me caught my breath at how mesmerizing she was. She was and still my light that shines in the darkness.”
“I’m happy that you spoke of her that way. She’s my masterpiece.” Shopkeeper said as he took the secateurs from the man, walking back to tending the unkempt grass behind him. Before he could proceed, he suddenly remembered his previous interaction with Yor about her husband.
“Now that we’re on the topic, let me give you your next assignment.” He gestured the other man onto the nearby table and asked the butler to prepare some tea.
“So, who’s the new client?” The dark purpled hair man asked, sipping through his cup.
“You see…I believe that our very own thorn princess has been compromised.”
“Compromised? How so?”
“It looks like family life had dulled her. Her thorns were not as sharp as before.”
“So the next client would be THE thorn princess?”
“No.”
The man became confused.
“As a matter of fact, the client would be her husband.”
He became more confused.
“Apparently, I gave a mission to some of the juniors to trail him. During the first few days of trailing, everything was normal. His usual paths were only home and hospital, bakeries and groceries aside. However on the interim, they would report to me saying he disappeared, then eventually would show up at their house’s doorstep.”
“How about the seniors? Isn’t it you always require the juniors to have someone who’s rank is higher than them accompany them. Didn’t they report anything?”
“That’s what been troubling me. The juniors stated that their seniors would leave them in the middle of the mission, disapppearing without a trace.”
“Oh? That’s interesting. Surely the seniors knew of the consenquences when abandoning their mission.” He said intriguely.
“Of course. And that was only the beginning.”
“What do you mean?”
“The same juniors and their seniors that I have sent on the very same mission have yet to report back to me since last month.”
The man widened his eyes. Intriguing. Very intriguing. He thought.
“You know that I am a very cautious man. Every minute, I worry about the safety of the people living here in Ostania, hence working harder with my outstanding flowers behind the scenes even if Garden’s deeds would never come to light. Which led me to a conclusion.” He continued.
“Conclusion?”
“I would hate to say this but these chain of events made me very suspicious of him.”
“Of what?”
“Of him being either a spy or an assassin of Westalis, our enemy.” Shopkeeper had a darkened expression. The other man sharply inhaled while quietly listening to the man in front of him.
“Of course, if he were to be an assassin, Thorn Princess would immediately know through his actions as she herself grew in such an environment where talented assassins were nurtured.” He then sipped onto his tea, calming whatever tensed nerve he had.
“Did you, by any chance, asked Thorn princess regarding this case?”
“No, I haven’t. Since she loves her new family very much, I doubt I could extract useful informations directly from her. And that is why I’m asking you to take on this next client as I deemed her unfit for this case.”
“I gladly accept this case, Shopkeeper. I’m honored to be offered with such an interesting case, much more that my Thorn Princess is involved.” He nodded placing down his finished cup of tea.
“Thank you. I’m counting on you…Nightshade.” The so-called Nightshade smiled, placing his hand on his chest and bowed graciously.
He lifted his head, eyes strolling through the garden, admiring the mesmerizing scene enveloping around them. “As usual, your garden’s so tidy and mesmerizing, Shopkeeper.”
“I’m honored to hear that. After all…” Shopkeeper chuckled. He then stood and approached one of the roses near him.
“…I have no use to flowers that already have withered.” He said, cutting one of the withered rose with his secateur, allowing it to fall to the ground.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
It was a rainy evening when Yor came home early from work, with groceries on both of her hands. She had her usual red sweater and pulled her hair in a bun, as she started to wipe their dining table. Thunder roared across the Forger residence, causing Yor to jolt in surprise.
“It’s raining quite hard. I hope Loid and Anya are okay.” She looked at the window with worried look. “It’s kinda gloomy.” She added. She proceeded to pat the walls warding off dusts whilst frowning as she remembered the unexpected encounter she had before she went home.
~~~~~~
2 hours earlier …
Right after her work was done, she rushed off the building’s entrance. Looking at her watch, ‘3:30pm’ , she smiled. She then proceeded, hoping she could still avail the grocery sales. As soon as she stepped foot outside, she sensed someone…or rather, two of them, probing her from afar. Minimal bloodlust , she thought. If she wasn’t an excellent assassin to begin with, she wouldn’t have noticed it and possibly get injured or worst, died due to either lack of experience or letting her guard down. She took her hankerchief and executed her plan in attempt to draw the probing individual out of his/her hiding spot.
“Oh m-! There’s a gum on my shoe! It certainly is not my day.” She exaggerated, sitting lady-like, naturally acting as if there was really a gum sticking on to her shoe. As she rubbed the imaginary gum off of her shoe, she swiftly picked up the small rock near her, aiming at where she could sense the little to almost nonsensible bloodlust. She flicked the small rock which then disappeared at the mercy of her fingers. The rock flew as fast as a bullet, piercing thru the thick wall that blocked its way.
‘Tsk. How troublesome.’ She thought, knowing that the rock didn’t hit the one she was aiming for. ‘ Fast, I see. Whoever they are, they’re good.’ She squinted dangerously, carefully not emitting any signs of bloodlust. She then stood up and walked naturally, keeping her guard up at all times. Sensing the other individual shift from one place to another while the other one had a really faint presence, Yor stopped. She scanned her environment, making sure that no one is looking at her before she does something.
‘Perfect. Now then…’
She stood still and closed her eyes. She sharpened her senses like any assassin would. Like how she was taught. She took hold of the small knife she hid inside her sleeves.
‘ Fiiiiii….” She whistled. The sound resonated around her. It made wavelengths on her mind as if it creating a blueprint of her surrounding. Wind blew slightly, as if responding to her call.
‘ There you are.’ She smirked. Yor had a blank stare as she opened her eyes, switching from a bubbly persona to a deadly assassin Yor. She then disappeared in a blink of an eye.
The other assassin gasped and sweated profusely. He held his breath, hoping that Yor hadn’t caught him. He felt his heart could jump out of his system at any time. He had his back leaning on the tree as he attempted to calm his nerves and his loud pounding heartbeat.
“ If you’re an assassin of Garden…” He felt his soul leave his body. He was now drenched in sweat, gulping more than usual. A woman’s voice whispered above him. It was cold, mysterious, and deadly.
“…You should know by heart that hiding your pulses is a must. ”
Yor was sitting gracefully with her legs crossed on a tree branch behind the other poor assassin. She was smiling however that smile was dangerous. Very. Dark. And Eerily.
“Tho-thorn prin—!!”
“ Shh! Shh! Shhh…” Yor closed in swiftly, placing her index finger 1cm away from the assassin’s mouth.
“Not. A. Word.” She said in a low voice, tracing the assassin’s neck with her small knife. “One word, and you’ll see red.” The other man nodded.
“You see, red is my favorite color. I could make red appear in an instant if I want to. That is, If you know what I mean.” She said in a toxic, seductive voice.
Gulped.
“Now…enough talking. Answer me by nodding if its a yes or shaking if its otherwise.” She pointed her small knife at his jugular vein while covering the other’s mouth.
Nod.
“Good boy. Now, just to confirm, are you a junior from Garden?”
Nod.
“A grade 4 Junior?”
Shake.
“Oh! Per chance, grade 5?”
Nod.
“Oh goodness gracious! I remembered when I was at your grade, I had been tasked to raid and eliminate a mafia boss before I could graduate and proceed to senior level! Time flies really fast!” She beamed.
“Now…” her smile disappeared, immediately changed by a frown. She grabbed his head in an instant.
“Were you given a mission by Shopkeeper?”
…..
“Silence, I see.”
In a mere second, a splash of blood was heard. An arm suddenly floated in the air in a blink of an eye. The junior assassin couldn’t process what had happened at first. It was as if his nerves were having a hard time keeping up of what had happened. Seconds later, he screamed in pain, but was muffled by Yor’s hand.
“Just so you know, I despise clients who doesn’t answer to my query. I always ask them questions like ‘how should I take his/her life’ or ‘in what way does she/he want to end his life’ and such since I value my clients’ wishes so as to satisfy their needs and wants. Some even played hide and seek with me before. Ah, those were the days.” She smirked dangerously then glared at the junior. “And I don’t care if you’re my junior at Garden. A client’s a client.” She added.
“I’m waiting.”
Nod.
“Haa…if only you answered to my question earlier, you wouldn’t be missing an arm right now.” She sighed. The other whimpered.
“To continue….” From a normal tone of voice, she suddenly shifted it to a low, chilling and dangerous voice. “…Were you task to eliminate Loid Forger?”
The junior widened his eyes.
“Oh? Looks like a bull’s eye.”
He then sweated under Yor’s mercy as he watched emitted ominous aura around her.
“Your eyes’ asking me how did I know.”
Whimper.
“To fill you up, you’re the tenth person targetting him within a span of 2 months.”
Silence.
“Shall I show you a proof?” Yor then shuffled through her coat and took out bunch of accessories. The junior felt his heart stopped as he realized what she was holding beside his face.
On her hands were accessories with different pendants consisting of different flowers, dangling like trophies on Yor’s hand. It may look just like normal, fancy accessories to a normal, civilian individual but a garden assassin knew what they were.
Flower accessories representing each assassin’s identity from Garden. Poison Ivy. Lily. Foxglove. Mandrake.
The junior felt numb. He also felt his soul left his body. His body grew colder and colder as time passes by. He knew he was going to die.
“I must admit, Garden’s really efficient in creating such talented assassins. They were quite hard to handle.” She placed back the accessories on a hidden pocket inside her coat.
“Anyways, I believe there’s still a question within you that I haven’t answered yet. Such as…”
“…How did I know about Loid Forger?”
Another bull’s eye.
“ Looks like Garden’s still hiding one important detail from you.” She giggled. She then leaned in near the junior’s ear and whispered.
“Right now, my name is…Yor Forger.”
Then it hit him. A Forger.
“Yes, that’s right. The one you’re tasked to eliminate. The one you’re targetting. Loid Forger. He’s my husband.”
He-hel—!!
Splash!
“And those who tried laying a hand on my husband or even our child shall die by my own hands.” She said blankly, watching her junior bathed on his own blood. “No matter who they are.”
She then pulled back the knife and threw it horizontally without looking at where she’s aiming. A loud thunk was heard as the knife burrowed on the tree, barely hitting the head of the unknown spectator.
“Did you enjoy the show?” She said with an uninterested look.
“Pretty much.” The man clapped slowly as if taunting Yor. He started walking, closing the gap between them.
“As expected of the Thorn Princess. No mercy.” He stopped in front of Yor and swiftly pulled up her hand to his lips to plant a kiss on her knuckles.
“I’m so honored to have your presence with me this afternoon. I’m such a lucky man.” But before her knuckles could reach his lips, Yor swatted his hand.
“Please refrain from touching me. As you can see, I’m a married woman. No one is allowed to touch me except my husband, daughter, and our dog.” She raised her hand showing her wedding ring.
“That’s a shame. I would have loved to take you myself.” He sighed in defeat.
“Who are you?” Yor asked. She cautiously created a safe distance between him and her as she felt an ominous aura surrounding him.
“I’m hurt. How could you forget your one and only outstanding senpai?” He acted, covering his face as if wiping his fake tears.
“Senpai?” Yor squinted. She threw her hidden knife faster than a sound to which the man easily dodged however it hit his necklace, breaking the chain into pieces. What grabbed Yor’s attention was the pendant that flew together with the broken chain.
“That pendant…”
The man swiftly caught the pendant and smirked. He raised it and placed the pendant inbetween his index and middle finger, allowing Yor to have a clear vision on it.
“Does this ring a bell now?” He smiled.
“…Nightshade.” Her muscle tensed.
“Ping pong! I’ll give you a perfect score!” He beamed.
‘This is bad.’ Yor thought.
“I take it that you being here means that you have the same mission as the other juniors and their seniors?” She cautiously reached for her hidden knife.
“I’ll leave it to your imagination.” He shrugged. “But…really, I just came here to exchange pleasantries with the famous and gorgeous Thorn Princess.” He placed his hand on his chest and bowed like a gentleman.
‘ My Thorn Princess.’ He added in his thought.
“Is that so…?” She replied.
“Yes. Now then, I should get going. It looks like its going to rain. I don’t want to see you drenched and get stricken with flu.” He straightened his posture and smiled. He then started walking towards Yor whereas the latter stood still, keeping her guard up at all times. As he reached her side, he then whispered.
“I’ll save you...Thorn Princess.”
Yor widened her eyes and turned around to which was in vain as he quickly disappeared.
“Save…? What does he mean by that..?” She burrowed her eyebrows.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Creak!
The sound of an opening door broke Yor from her thoughts. The sudden appearance of Nightshade made her tensed up even in the slightest sound that led to her agitation, swiftly reaching out to her hidden knife and almost throwing it to whoever was on the door.
“Mama! We’re home!” The small voice made Yor stopped.
“We’re home, Yor.” A blonde man greeted. As he took a clear look on Yor, he frowned.
“What’s wrong, Yor?” He asked.
“Eh?” Yor inhaled sharply.
“You’re all tensed up. Did something happen?” He added.
“A-ah..N-nothing happened..I-I’m okay!” She forced a smile and loosened her grip on her hidden knife. The pink haired girl ran to her mother and hugged her.
“Welcome back, Anya.” She hugged her back. Anya then kissed her on the cheek.
“Mama, you’re sweating but your body’s so cold.” She looked at Yor with worried look. “Are you sick?” She added.
“I-is that so? Don’t worry, dear. I’m really okay!” She palpitated. “A-ah that reminds me, Bond’s at your room sleeping. He should be waking up anytime now. Go change your clothes while I prepare the table for dinner.”
“I want to help Mama!”
“As you wish. I’ll wait for you then.” Yor smiled, kissing the top of Anya’s head.
“M’kay!!” Anya then rushed to her room, leaving Yor and Loid on the living room.
Loid then approached Yor and kissed her forehead lightly.
“Yor, you know you can’t deceive me. What happened? You looked really pale a while ago.” He brushed his knuckles on Yor’s cheeks and caressed it gently, successfully calming Yor’s tensed nerves.
“I’m fine. Really. Just another tiring day at work.” She smiled faintly. They had few minutes of eye contact before Loid broke it.
“Sigh…if you say so. But do tell me if something comes up. Okay?” He patted Yor’s head gently.
“M…hmm…” she nodded hesitantly.
“Good.” He smiled sweetly. He then slid his hand from her cheeks to her arms and squeezed it tightly but gently. “Now then, I’ll just change my clothes very quick and help with dinner. Just relax for now.” He added before proceeding to his room.
“H..hm. Take your time.” Yor forced a smile back. Once Loid was out of her sight, her smile turned into a frown.
‘ This is quite a problem. ’ Yor thought. ‘ Sending Nightshade, one of the top 10 elite ranks of Garden and a rank higher than me, means that Garden is becoming serious. I need to step up my game.’ She added as she bit her thumb nail unconsciously while having a darkened expression.
‘ Judging from his stance, it would be quite troublesome. As far as I can remember, Nightshade uses special poisons far more different than what Poison Ivy was using. He could have brought his poisons to another level, a level to which I possibly do not know of.’ She frowned as she crossed her arms.
‘ I probably shouldn’t leave my family’s side for now. I could file for a leave for the mean time to accomodate this sudden turn of events. Surely, Director McMahon would understand. But I should refrain from telling him the nature of filing my absence. I may be questioned but I’ll just come up of any excuse. That should do it.’ She mentally checked one bullet on her plans then proceeded to another matter at hand.
‘ Next. How could I protect the two of them if one is going to school and the other one is going to the hospital? This is very tough.’ She gritted.
‘If ever they really did something to my family, I swear….’ Her expression darkened more than she had.
‘…I would tear Garden down. So much that they wouldn’t rise again. And I don’t care if they were the ones who raised me. Nobody hurts my family while I’m still breathing.’
She was so immersed deeply in her thoughts that she didn’t realize Anya and Loid staring worriedly at her face.
•••••••••••••
Loid went to his room and quickly changed his clothes as he doesn’t want to leave an unstable Yor for a long time. He knew something was bothering her and it sure wasn’t just a tiny issue.
As he took one final glance from his room before leaving, he felt a chill run down his spine. He reflexively grabbed his gun pointed it to where he thought was the source of his chill came. However, he found nothing.
‘ Again with this pattern?’ He thought. For the past few months, he knew someone was tailing him from the hospital to his home and elsewhere. However surprisingly after the next few days, it had died down until it wasn’t a bother to him anymore.
“But this feels different than before.” He muttered, slowly lowering his gun. “How do I say this…yes…much more sinister.” He said cautiously as he returned the gun on his pants. He took a mental note to be wary of his surroundings next time, especially after fulfilling his mission. He then sighed, releasing the tension he built up a while ago before twisting his doorknob. He saw Yor sitting still as if she was disguising as an ornament on the sofa.
“Yo—!” He stopped when he suddenly saw the state Yor was in.
•••••••••••••
‘ What a face she’s making.’ Loid thought, a pained look on his face as he stood in a distant not far from his family.
“Mama, you’re making a scary face.” Anya said worriedly. Yor then snapped out of her trance and had her eyes focused on Anya.
“Eh? Wha-what do you mean, Anya?” She once again forced a smile.
“Mama, can’t you see you’re sweating a lot? Your breathing’s also weird.” She burrowed her eyebrows.
Ah. Now that she had a clear view, both Anya and Loid were looking at her with a troubled, worried look. ‘ I’m making them worried. Snap out of it, Yor.’ She then looked back at them apologetically.
“I’m sorry. I’ve just had a rough time at work earlier. Don’t worry, it will pass.” She then grabbed both of Anya’s hand and faced her directly.
“Now then, let’s set up the table so we could eat early and you can watch your favorite spy anime as soon as possible, Anya.” She smiled.
“Okay!” Anya beamed and ran towards the kitchen. Yor followed her but stopped when she noticed Loid standing still on the corner of her eyes.
“Loid?”
“Yor, really, if something is bothering you, whatever it may be, you can tell me. I will help you and support you as best as I can.” Loid said with a pleading look, hoping Yor would give in. However, instead of giving in, she gave a reassuring look.
“I’m okay. Really. Don’t worry about me.” She said, resting her hand on Loid’s cheeks. The latter then leaned on her hand as if savoring the gentle warmth of her hand. “Then, If ever it’s becoming too troublesome, then I would come to you. For now, allow me to tend to my own affairs. This will help me grow as a person, as a mother, and as your wife.” She then smiled sweetly and gently, reminding Loid that he has a strong-willed wife.
“Fine. I understand.” He sighed, placing a hand on top of her hand on his cheek.
“Oh? You give up that easy?” She said in an amused tone.
“Well, first, I knew you were stubborn. You would always tend to matters at hand prior to telling me. And second, if indeed you were trapped on a corner, then you would finally seek my advice. But only my advice. My role has always been your support. But it’s fine. After all, I am your husband.” He said playfully.
“Oh, Loid. What did I ever do to deserve you?” She giggled.
“Ahem, I beg to differ. You deserve someone who would make you feel special everyday.” He stood proudly.
“Oh? And might I ask, that certain someone is you, Mr. Forger?”
“Of course, Mrs. Forger. You found the right man.” He said with confidence as he snaked his arms around Yor’s waist and pulled her closer to his chest. Yor then tiptoed, reaching in Loid’s face, specifically his lips and closed her eyes as she understood what Loid had wanted at the moment.
“Papa and Mama are flirting.”
Their romantic atmosphere was then cut short after a little girl’s voice interrupted them.
“Ah! I’m sorry—“
“Yes, we are.”
“Loid!”
“I’m hungry.” Anya said with a deadpanned look.
“Okay okay, go sit in the couch or play with bond. I’ll prepare the foods.” Loid said, pecking Yor quickly on the cheek before disappearing on to the kitchen. Yor was left on the same spot and stared at them with a loving, caring look.
“I’ll protect you. I promise.” She said with a determined look, before walking towards the dining area.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s 6 o’ clock in the morning and Loid woke up early to prepare for their breakfast. He organized the ingredients he would need and proceeded to chop the vegetables.
Ding dong!
“This early? Who could it be?” Loid muttered, putting down his kitchen knife and washed his hands on the sink. He then grabbed the nearest towel and wiped his hands dry. As he reached the door entrance, he peeked through the small hole revealing a dark purple to black haired man with red eyes standing in front of his door smiling. Confused, he opened the door cautiously.
“Hello, how may I help you?” He greeted politely.
“Good morning! Is this the Forger residence?” The other man asked in a bubbly manner.
“Yes, may I ask your name?” Loid asked warily.
“Ah, where are my manners.” He then offered his hand for a shake with Loid. “I’m an acquaintance of Yor-kun. She took care of me back then at work. I’m—“
Loid was about to return the hand shake when suddenly a voice interrupted them.
“Why…are you here?” A quiet voice was heard behind Loid. He then turned around and was faced with a pale faced Yor.
Yor had intended to help Loid with preparing breakfast which was why she also woke up early. As her toes reached the floor, she heard the bell rang waking her sleepy soul.
“This early?” She then immediately comb her hair quick and rushed to her door, unknowingly Loid had just taken care of it. As soon as she turned around the corner and caught glimpse of seeing her husband talk to the unexpected guest, she felt her soul left her body as she was met with the man she wanted to see the least.
“Yor?” Loid blurted out, breaking Yor from her trance. He then frowned when he saw Yor pale once again, remembering the state Yor had last night.
“Ah. Yor-kun! Long time no see!” The other man waved. Yor stood still, trying to process the sudden turn of events and possibly thinking of a solution to the worst case scenario she could think of.
“Yor, are you okay?” Loid then approached the slightly trembling Yor, whether due to surprise or anger, he doesn’t know. What’s more important right now is to calm his shakened wife from an unknown source.
‘ She’s shaking.’ Loid thought as he grabbed one of Yor’s arms to support her.
“Y-yes.” Yor inhaled sharply, attempting to calm her tensed nerves. After her trembling stopped, she then stood straight and faced the man with a dangerous, deadly look she could offer.
“Akira-senpai. It’s been a while.”
The so-called Akira then gave a meaningful smile. A smile only Yor could understand what was behind of it.
‘ Nightshade.’ She growled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~