You're Not Invited [Isamu/Natsumi]

Natsumi couldn't see him approaching. The sun began to rise, lighting up the valley she was laying in. It seemed he wasn't exiting the trees, yet. Was he waiting? Maybe he had a sniper rifle leveled above her and wanted her to raise her head. Natsumi looked back toward the City of Light and tried crawling. If she could get behind something, a boulder or a hill, maybe she could carry herself off.

Then she heard the cocking of his gun and looked back over her shoulder. As the sun made it much easier to see, Natsumi's eyes widened at the large, scarred man standing not far from her. Her body trembled, both of fear and pain. As she stared at him, her eyes held strong, expecting the death that so many other fights could have brough to her. Unfortunately, that strength faded, her eyes started tearing up.

Natsumi wiped her tears away, watching him. "Let me guess," she sniffled. "Stupid Duvalier still want me back? Or is it okay to finally kill me?"

"The latter."

Intent number one - failed. Killing her did not involve speaking to her, but here he was, observing that tearful expression as she feebly dragged her body along the ground. It was always easier to convince himself that this was a job, a means to an end. The solution that brought money to the table. Convincing himself of that was never entirely easy. He had created a pile of plenty of bodies, so what made her any different? The youthful appearance? The age? A life that still had potential? Complicated. Far too complicated for his tastes. His gun didn't leave the trigger, but he continued speaking to her as he turned his gaze toward her own.

"There are no hard feelings on my end. I'm just a hired hand. Still, you would have been safer in the City of Lights. There was more security there. Less of a likelihood to end up in a situation like this."

Natsumi stared straight in the man's eyes. If he was going to kill her, he was going to look at her whlie he did it. However, the pain was a lot, and she was struggling to keep her head up. It was in that moment that she knew how pathetic she looked, but mostly felt. She should never have let her guard down. It was stupid to sleep out in the open. She should have hidden away. Then he couldn't have found her.

"I don't understand that," Natsumi said, wiping tears away again. "There are lots more jobs to get. Even I had one... in... the city..." Natsumi's head dropped and she just laid there. Her mind went to Natasha and Kenichi. They would never even know what happened to her; she was just going to be gone. Her body tensed and she moved into a fetal position, hiding her face in her jacket, and crying.

"I wanna go home..." The muffled, pathetic whimper came out like a child missing their Mom. Natsumi grabbed at her own hair, her grip threatening to pull it from he scalp. She felt stupid... and lost... and scared... and most of all... alone. Natasha wasn't coming. Kenichi wasn't coming. Everything hurt. She was going to die...

"I told myself that same thing once. Unfortunately, this is the only job I'm good at. I can't imagine applying for some nice job in a grand city like that one."

To be certain, gazing into her feeble expression was not the first thing that fazed him. He had grown accustomed to murdering others face to face, after all. Whether from the shadows or in broad daylight, he specialized in tempering his spirit for murder. Again, she shouldn't have been any different. He should be pulling the trigger right now, finishing what he started when he came here. It was simply a matter of emptying a single shot into her head. No one was here to witness it.

He could excuse his sins to enjoy his own life for a little while longer, right? He always told himself that he could dance with the devil once he died, that everyone whose life he had claimed for a quick buck could ridicule him for eternity. That was the type of fate he deserved. She could not be the exception. To spare her life would invalidate the lives of those he had claimed, and yet... his finger did not move. A bullet did not pass through the chamber.

Damn. Look at you gettin' soft idiot. I thought you had grown accustomed to this. Guess I still have a conscious, after all, huh? Tsk... It almost feels like I'm murdering a child.

Isamu sighed defeatedly as he rolled his eyes, returning the gun to his coat pocket. Maybe the cynical man would have claimed it was all an act on Natsumi's part, but Isamu was no fool. He knew genuine tears when he saw them. That's right. She needed to go home. Somewhere safe from all of this. Moving forward, he slowly lifted her injured body into his arms, turning in the direction of the clearing in the forest. She needed to go to a hospital first before she returned home.

"I'm taking you to a hospital. No questions asked."

Natsumi's body tensed when he touched her, the fear of what he would do holding back her breath. The pain she felt as he picked her up aided tightening of every muscle. With a face soaked in dirt and blood, she looked up to him. Natsumi was stunned, frozen like a declawed cat cornered by a vicious dog. She didn't know what to do and being too hurt to really fight made things much worse.

"B-But why?" Natsumi muttered. She tensed, her body still trying to fight the pain that this guy put her through. "I thought... you were gonna kill me. Ain't that y'er job?" It wasn't just the pain though. Sure, she was hurt, but the scariest part of it was the loss of blood. He had severely injured her, cut or shot her open in multiple areas. The moment he picked her up, he ended up covered in her blood.

"Good question."

Why was he doing this exactly? What did he stand to gain from it? Empty pockets? A troubled conscience waxing philosophy on the importance of human life? It would have been simple to be done with it, he recognized that yet his body told a different tale. His finger never pressed the trigger when it mattered, never coming close to firing a bullet in reality. What brought this on then? Even as blood pooled from her wounds, Isamu sardonically wrestled with that one thought.

Ah, what a bothersome question. Wasn't it his style to carry out the task without a hitch? Clean and efficient - that had always been the strategy, effortless and fluid. It never failed him. And yet, when it came to eliminating her, a vision of his mother flashed through his mind. He was doing all this for her. To keep her here a little longer, he was staining his hands with the blood of those with a bounty on their heads.

After all, killing was the only thing he specialized in. He'd long since dishonored using his blade for a noble cause. Perhaps that was the cause of his current action. How childish. Did he truly think she'd look at him any different for taking the lives of others compared to what amounted to a child? A delusional fantasy, to be sure, one he found almost humorous, drawing his gaze to the sun.

"You're a child. Pretty young at that. Sure, you talked a good game back there, but you're not... really suited to the dangers of this world, ill-prepared for those who could kill you in the blink of an eye. For example, when I first attacked you, your ideal option should have been to seek refuge in the City of Lights. That was, after all, something you already had, no?"

Natsumi's vision began to blur and it became harder to stay awake as this man carried her toward the City. It was his job to kill her, so she couldn't help but wonder whether this was a game he was playing. Would he carry her a while, just to let her bleed out? Or would he leave her in some ditch along the road once he got board? No other Duvalier minion had left her alone; she always had to run or fight. Why would this be any different? She fully expected death at this point...

"I... don't know... what you're talking about..." Natsumi's eyes went dull, the life slowly fading from them as her head fell into him. "I... don't... feel so..." While her heart didn't yet stop beating, she didn't have enough in her to stay conscious anymore. Natsumi's eyes closed and she was barely breathing, barely alive.

"And just like that, she's out cold. Well, that's to be expected. I did a pretty mean number on her."

Isamu didn't display the remotest sense of panic at the now unconscious woman in his arms. This wasn't his first rodeo. Well, actually, that was incorrect. Bringing a childlike girl who was bleeding out to a place where she could get medical attention was a first. Did he want that to become a habit?

No, probably not. He had bills to pay and a mouth to feed. Going soft and relenting on too many of his targets kind of went against what he was building here, but he was alright with this one exception. From what he observed of her prior to all of this, she was a good girl. She really oughta keep her head out of this Duvalier business. What awaited her was only danger like she experienced today. She has people who love her, a warm home to come home to, and good friends. To lose her life here is out of the question. He wonders about her progress moving forward.

"Stay out of trouble, kid. You'll live longer that way."

Will she listen? Who knows. They probably won't be crossing paths again. For now, as he nears a clearing, a bench where he can swiftly lay her on, Isamu looses a soft sigh of relief. Placing her against the bench before the public eyes could notice him entirely, he turned his back and retreated back to where he came. There was always something sour about leaving a job half finished, but Isamu couldn't work with something like murdering that young lass.

It didn't really sit right with his mood. Soft? Perhaps. Not many would openly claim they'd murder a child, or something close to it, in cold blood. For now, he's glad he won't be in that realm of the select few. Fortunately, he has enough cash to last him to the end of this month. Once he cleans up, he'll probably spend some later today... did this place have a good nightclub around? He sure hoped so.