Never betray.
©, “Gungrave”
... It was a warm autumn day. Witch Kuroshiro was sitting on her balcony with a pen and her note-pad. She was looking into the setting sun. Red, yellow and orange shafts sparkling along the horizon made her feel a great inspiration.
She was writing again – and again it was all about love, strange, sorrowful, painful. Witch did not know how to write about joyful love. May be because she had never known it.
Suddenly her mobile phone rang. The girl slowly took it out of her pocket and pushed the green button.
- Kuroshiro is speaking, - she said calmly. She knew it was Kanzaki Urumi, her business partner and best friend at the same time.
- My beloved, - Kanzaki was as cheeky as usually, - I have some work for you. It’s pretty interesting. You’ll enjoy it, I know. And it will be paid threefold.
Kuroshiro never hesitated. Her only thought was: “What’s the work like if it is paid threefold? It must be really complicated... Fine!”
She loved doing complicated work. But she hardly ever managed to be given it and most often she had to do something quite ordinary. The girl was missing something hard.
- Kan, I do hope it will be really interesting, - Kuroshiro smiled. – You know me.
- Yeah, I know you, my little girl. - Kanzaki began laughing. - Well, see you tomorrow at ten at our usual place! Sound sleep to you, my dear Witch!
Kuroshiro put her phone in its place and began thinking about the next day. Something strange was about to happen, she felt it with every cell of her skin. The pen in her fingers was twisting on the paper making queer flourishes.
Witch Kuroshiro, simply Kuroshiro by codename, was a skilled and well-trained killer. Nobody could be compared with her in the art of killing perfectly. She was quiet, always laconic and never showed her feelings. Nobody was able to say anything about her inner world. She was an enigma. A strange, but attractive enigma.
Merely one person could say she knew Witch a little – her partner Kanzaki Urumi, who found suitable clients. They were to give the fullest possible information about the mark and pay fifty percent of the price, in advance the rest Witch did herself. Every murder committed by Kuroshiro was a masterpiece. Frankly speaking, nobody knew if she was a good or bad creature. Her surname, taken from Japanese, meant “black whiteness”. That was a perfect exact definition for the girl. Her name, Witch, was also chosen by herself. Her real name was known to nobody except Kanzaki.
Witch sighed and went to her bedroom. It was time to go to bed. Tomorrow would be a hard day.
***
... The partners’ usual meeting place was the restaurant “Red Circle”. Both Kanzaki and Witch loved it because of its Japanese cuisine. They were extremely hooked on Japan.
- Good morning, Kan, - Kuroshiro sat down and looked at her partner, - now what about my work? I’m looking forward to it!
- You’re always looking forward to it! – Kanzaki laughed. – So, here’s the information. You are to begin today. Here’s the money, - she gave her an envelope, - the client was willing to pay even more! I said that 20 000 $ would be quite enough.
Witch was so surprised that she could not say a word.
- Hey, come on! There’s only 10 000 $ here, the rest will be given after you do your work. What’s the matter? – Kan was puzzled. – Do you know your target?
- No, no, of course not! – Kuroshiro sniffed scornfully, - I do not know anyone by that name!
- Really? – Kanzaki smiled. – All right, then you can begin. Good luck!
- I suppose I’ll need it very much, - Kuroshiro whispered leaving the restaurant.
***
... Witch was sitting on a park bench looking at people through her favorite glasses. They were grey as steel, and people also seemed to be a little grey. It amused the girl greatly. People were as they really were – grey and uncolored.
She turned over the pages looking for the motive of obliterating her target. There was only one word written there – detestation.
The girl smiled. Somebody did not like him either. Funny.
Then she saw him...
A tall man with dark hair was straddling a motorcycle . “Harley Davidson”, the coolest one. Witch knew it as she was hooked on bikes and heavy metal. She loved freedom. And being a killer she was at long last able to become independent of her family.
But the main purpose of her profession was to free the world from bastards. That’s why she killed only real scoundrels, and Kuroshiro always did her work perfectly.
The man she was to obliterate was Xelard Orsill. The first man in the world whom she had really loved with all her heart. She loved him even now, after six years had passed and everything had changed completely. But she also hated him – because he had betrayed her. Betrayal was the only thing she could not forgive. To err is human, to forgive - divine, but even God does not forgive traitors.
“I wonder if he remembers me...” – Witch thought suddenly.
At that very moment Xelard took a look at the girl, and something stirred in her heart making her fingers tremble.
“What if he remembers?..”
She had hardly ever managed to complete her thought when Xelard was already near her bench.
- Hi, it seems you’re bored, - he said looking into her eyes. Kuroshiro felt a strong urge to take off her glasses, but she restrained it.
- Just a little. – The girl tried to remain as calm as usual. – A hard day.
It was becoming more and more interesting with every second.
- I see. Would you mind if I take you for a drive?
She was jumping into an abyss. No way out.
- I’d love it.
***
... They rode around the city the whole day. They did not speak to each other, there was no need. Kuroshiro realized he did not remember her. It was great. Because she remembered him extremely well. And his betrayal too.
- It’s late. – They were sitting on his bike near a little lake. – And you did not even tell me your name, beautiful stranger. – Xelard’s hand covered Witch’s hand.
- Kuroshiro. – He did not know this name.
- What does it mean?
- Black whiteness.
- Sounds enigmatic. You’re an enigma, aren’t you? – He did not ask, he merely affirmed.
- Who knows. – Witch smiled. – May be.
“It’s excellent. He does not really remember me! I’ll manage to kill him quickly.”
Xelard stroked her hand. She flinched. A wave of vivid and painful recollections washed over her. There was no alternative, Witch had to act quickly. Finally, she had been paid 10 000 $!
- Let’s go to your flat, - Kuroshiro suggested smiling.
It seemed to her that she saw sly sparks in Xelard’s grey eyes.
- OK. As you wish.
Yes, Witch was really running risks. But it was worth doing it.
***
... There is no need to explain what happened then. A deep night, hot kisses, tight embraces, soft touchings, gentle strokings, tender and crazy whispers... No painful remembrances. No pain at all. Only love – if it could be love. No tears, no regrets. Only something enigmatic for which humanity will never find a name.
... – Witch, you haven’t changed even after six years passed. – Xelard was stroking her back and shoulders. – You’re still you.
Kuroshiro was shocked.
- Do you remember me?! – she whispered looking at him with a whirl of different feelings: love, hate, surprise, happiness, anger...
- How could I forget you? You’re the best I ever had in my life.
“Best?! I am the best?! But why did you betray me then?!” – Witch wanted to cry, but using all her will-power she made herself stay calm and silent. She only smiled.
She could tell Xelard everything. She could take 10 000 $ she had been paid, leave everything and run away with him. And she could finally be happy at last. For ever.
But Xelard must had never betrayed her in the first place.
Kuroshiro took her bag and put her lipstick out of there. Her special lipstick. Then the girl applied it to her lips and put it back.
- I know I’m the best, - Witch said embracing Xelard. – I know it.
She kissed Xelard softly, then looked at him smiling again. A few seconds passed – and his breath stopped. The poison was really efficacious. And Witch, as a completely killer, had an immunity to many different slow and quick poisons.
Kuroshiro looked at Xelard the last time.
- I know I am the best, and I have never betrayed you, - the girl whispered. – But you forgot the main thing – betrayal is unforgivable.
Leaving the quiet flat, Kuroshiro did not cry or feel any regrets. There was nothing to regret. Because the thing she had done was a real masterpiece.
It was the most perfect murder in her life.