Work Text:
Rui stared down at the picture set upon the table in front of her.
A striking knight with sharp features and long, blonde hair with orange-red at the ends. Rui looked up to the man adorned in shadows standing before her, and tilted her head in confusion.
“This is who I’ve been sent to take care of?” She asked, tapping the photo with a pen. “She’s quite pretty, I don’t see how she could be a threat.” Rui chuckled.
Though she couldn’t see his eyes, Rui felt her senior staring down at her. He spoke, voice dull and unmoving. “Yes. Tsukasa Tenma, knight of the Momoi kingdom.” Rui looked up at the man- she knew only his surname, Asahina. He had short, dark purple hair and a stony expression.
“This Tenma girl knows something she shouldn’t, is this correct to assume?” Asahina nodded, crossing his arms.
“You’re being sent to kill her,” he replied grimly, “because she knows we use magic.”
Rui acknowledged this with a small ‘ah’, leaning back against her chair. “And if I fail this mission? I’m certainly sure I won’t, though it’s always nice to hear the repercussions.” She smiled.
“Execution.”
The sorcerer nodded, closing her eyes and thinking with a hum. “I’ll do it. How hard can one pretty little knight be?”
—-----—
Rui arrived at the Momoi kingdom in the afternoon the next day, wearing a dark purple floor-length dress that fit her frame quite nicely. She had been informed the current event was a ball that Tsukasa Tenma would be attending. Her instructions were to get the knight alone, perhaps chat a bit, then take her out.
Simple.
However, Rui’s mind was clouded with the beauty of this knight. She couldn’t help but wonder what sort of dress she would be wearing, how her hair would be done.
The sorcerer shook her head and stepped forward into the gates, being welcomed with a bow from two knights guarding the door- one blonde with pink at the edges. Rui noted he looked somewhat similar to the knight she’d been sent to slay. The other was unremarkable, with short, somewhat bluish black hair. She bowed slightly to them and entered the courtyard.
Tsukasa Tenma was not hard to spot, laughing boisterously with her hands on her hips at a joke a ginger girl had made. This ginger glared at Tsukasa Tenma, though a split-blue haired girl shot a glance at the ginger and she stopped glaring. So this Tsukasa Tenma had a small crowd of friends.
Rui smiled, walking over to Tsukasa Tenma and her friends, clapping her hands together. “Ah, Tsukasa Tenma.” The girl in question blinked at her before grinning widely.
“Another fan, I see! Toya, you wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve been approached by a fan this afternoon alone.” The split-blue haired girl smiled politely. So that one was Toya. I’ll keep that in mind, Rui thought.
“Tsukasa Tenma-san, might I join this lovely conversation? I’d certainly love to hear more about you.” The knight beamed before striking a pose, causing the ginger to groan.
“Certainly! Of course, who wouldn’t want to hear more about me?” She laughed. Rui felt her heart do a funny sort of dance, though she quickly pushed it down and smiled. Focus on the mission, Kamishiro. Asahina’s words reverberated through her head.
As Tsukasa Tenma began to speak, Rui held her hand up. “Ah, I haven’t introduced myself. How rude of me. My name is Kamishiro Rui, though you can simply call me Rui.” She bowed.
“Aoyagi Toya. It’s very nice to meet you, Rui-san.” Toya smiled warmly.
There was silence for a moment- awkward, stiff. Toya cleared her throat and nudged the ginger girl, who glared at her [though it had no bite behind it] and coughed into her fist.
“Shinonome Akito. Pleasure to meet you, Rui.”
Rui clapped her hands together once. “Well then! Lovely to meet you three. Tsukasa Tenma-kun, why don’t you continue talking? It’s wonderful to hear your voice.” She smiled.
Tsukasa placed one hand on her chest and one on her hip, grinning widely. “But of course! You see, Rui, I come from a long line of knights. Basically my destiny to become one! I’ve always loved the idea of being a knight, and two years ago, I was able to.” she proclaimed, laughing. Tsukasa continued to speak, but Rui wasn’t exactly listening. She was simply looking at the blonde’s face, taking in every detail.
She found herself dreading when she would have to put a knife to Tsukasa’s throat.
As the night went on, music began to fill the courtyard. Tsukasa finished speaking- “after two hours,” Akito remarked. Rui swayed gently to the soft tunes the band played, closing her eyes, forgetting why she came. This was truly odd for the sorcerer- she had always stayed true to her mission, not once had she strayed from her goal.
However, something about the girl she had to slay made her reluctant to complete her job. She was beautiful, truly, but this hadn’t stopped Rui from getting rid of other knights and princesses. No, this was different.
Lost in thought, Rui hummed quietly. Tsukasa turned to her, extending a hand as if asking her to dance.
“Ah, Tsukasa Tenma-kun.” The sorcerer smiled, leaning down to kiss Tsukasa’s gloved hand, as was customary for a dance such as this. A light blush found home on the blonde’s face, causing Rui to grin in an almost cat-like manner. “Are you nervous, star? I don’t bite.”
The knight glanced towards Akito and Toya, who were dancing as well- Toya took the lead, occasionally stepping on Akito’s feet, but she didn’t appear to mind. She was too focused staring at Toya’s hand placed gently on her waist, face practically glowing in blush.
“I’m fine. Just dance, will you?” Tsukasa says, looking at the ground. She paused, looking up at Rui for a moment. “...Did you call me ‘star’?”
Rui’s grin only widens. “I did. What of it, star?” Tsukasa huffs, taking Rui’s hand in hers. The sorcerer plants her hand on the other’s hip, leading the dance. Slowly, Rui takes the dance out of the courtyard, into the back gardens. She leads Tsukasa to a gazebo, with a perfect view of the stars. Her hands release her dance partner. Rui crosses her arms, leaning against a post.
“How’s the view?” The sorcerer asks. Tsukasa is positively awestruck, back turned to Rui and staring up at the night sky.
Perfect.
Rui places a hand on her sheathed dagger, imbuing it with some magical energy. If she played her cards right, this would look like an accident.
“It’s beautiful.” Tsukasa speaks, voice softer than Rui had ever heard from her. Her hand shakes on the sheath.
She shakes her head and steps forward.
In one swift motion, the dagger is at Tsukasa’s throat. The knight’s breath hitches, attempting to turn her head- Rui presses down slightly. Tsukasa winces.
“What are you doing, Rui…?”
Akito’s voice rings out from behind the pair. She crosses her arms. Toya is not far behind, glaring at Rui, who drops the dagger and raises her hands, turning slowly to the two knights.
“I suppose you’ve caught me.” Rui smiles. “Don’t be afraid, I’m unarmed.” She steps forward. Akito tenses, placing her hands on her sword, ready to unsheath it. Toya puts a hand on Akito’s shoulder, giving her a look and a nod.
Very suddenly, a sharp pain spreads through Rui’s abdomen. She coughs, tasting something metallic.
The sorcerer looks down to see a sword pierced through her stomach from behind.
She turns her head to see Tsukasa. The knight removes the sword and wipes it clean on her dress, staining the sheer blue fabric.
Rui chuckles humorlessly, gently poking the stab wound with her finger. The blood spreads to her gloves quickly. “Ah. I’ve been stabbed.” She begins walking towards the river.
Akito tenses again. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Rui laughs. “Allow me to die in peace by a flowing stream.” The group of knights exchange looks. Tsukasa looks pitifully at Rui.
“I suppose…”
Toya leaves to return to the ball first, followed shortly by Akito. Tsukasa stays behind.
“Ah, so you’ve come to watch my demise?” The sorcerer is now clutching her wound, slumped against the base of a tree. Tsukasa narrows her eyes, turning her back to Rui.
Rui slowly raises her hand, wincing as she does. A stream of magical energy flows into her hand.
In a flick of her hand, there’s a blade directly planted in Tsukasa’s vertebral artery. The knight chokes on blood, though that’s the only sound she makes before dropping to the floor with a thud. Rui heals her own wound, the strange twisting feeling of her flesh melding back together, the softness of her skin remolding itself. She’s used to it by now. She tsks, seeing her dress ripped and bloody where the stab wound was. She’ll ask Mafuyu to fix it later.
Rui brushes herself off, hoisting the corpse of Tsukasa over her shoulder and into the river. She casts a concealment spell, keeping the waters clear. The body quickly moves down the stream.
The sorcerer looks wistfully towards the palace of Momoi. For the first time, she… she felt she regretted killing her victim. As soon as this thought enters her head, she shakes it off and steels her expression.
Rui begins her return to her kingdom, vowing to forget about this mission.