The Return.

[Zeke]

The man in the dark cloak wandered through the city of New York. He didn't wonder what the people though of him wearing it, he did not notice the dark looks he was given. None of his face was visible and the only time he stopped was in front of a TV in a window. It had been re-capping the action of the last few months. Wing City...Luxembourg... both in ruins. He didn't care much about either.

The last two years he had spent in the Appellation Mountains learning from the monks. The only possessions he had were upon his back. The only thing he needed was his mind. Zeke had become enlightened.

An odd composition for a man. Part assassin and part monk. Most would call him a dangerous man, not anymore. His beliefs in pacifism held strong even with dull colts hanging from his chest. Now, he wouldn't take a life without a reason. A reason other than money.

These days he was playing the protagonist. Not his usual cold self. He had a love now. Though, even a world class assassin couldn't track her down these days. Svetlana... the name rung sweetly in his ears. He wondered if she had forgotten about him after all this time.

Though with a wandering mind, even a monk can't concentrate. He bumped heavily into someone. His mind dropped back from the sky.
"My apologize Sir."
The words felt so forced. It had been a long time since he had spoken. Almost a month. His entire journey back to civilization he had not said a word. No need. Words were so trivial outside of the cities.

[iDakk]

[align=center]"You mean ma'am.I'm a 'ma'am' not a 'sir',"she said a little coldly.Her face was enshrouded in a hood,a shadow being cast about upon her pale complexion.The sun did not flatter her,which was why she was glad the clouds had decided to turn gray and open with rain.

The dark haired woman looked into the sky,her hood falling a little off her head.Rain fell upon her face,and began to smear the dark makeup she had on her eyelids.This woman was named Sarin.She lowered her head and adjusted her hood,then wiped away the remains of the silvery-black eyeshadow.She rubbed the two stained fingers together,the clumped liquid seeming to melt from her fingers.

Sarin slid black fingerless gloves over her hands,that reached to her wrists.She shoved them in her pocket and continued to walk along,completely disregarding the man she had bumped into.[/align]

[Zeke]

His ears rung with the sweet voice of the young woman he had just bumped into. She also shrouded herself. As she began to walk away he threw off the hood of his cloak exposing the new ink of the Chinese Tribal Dragon upon the left side of his neck as well as ear piercings.

His red eyes still burned with the same intensity as before, but containing more compassion. He gently looked over her before shaking it off and continuing back upon his way.

A short time later Zeke arrived at his old doorstep. A run down place on the New Jersey side of the river. He just pushed the door open. There was nothing to steal, therefore no need to lock it.

He and Virgil had hidden here a great many times when they were on jobs in the States. Who would look for world class assassins in a run down shack in Jersey? No one.

He let out a sigh before removing the cloak and tossing it over their beaten up couch. Springs were protruding and it had no legs. Zeke smiled as he thought about the last time that he sat upon it.

Virgil was right next to them as the two had a few beers together and smoked. That was one of two things that Zeke had missed being up in the mountains. Smoking. He bent over and pulled the scrubby rug from it's place upon the flooring and looked for the board with the cross hair carved into it.

When his eyes found it, he gently brushed his left hand over it before digging his fingers in beside it and fidgeting it forward so that it popped off. A smile couldn't help but take over his lips as he looked at the large pile of cash and six cartons of cigarettes. One of them was only half full. Zeke removed a pack from that one and once the wrapper was off he had one in his mouth and had it lit. The first inhale was always the sweetest. He took another pack before covering it up again.

When the carpet was back in place he removed his black T-shirt reveling the cross hair upon his heart, the eyes of Buddha upon his back, the Pa Kua on his left forearm and the Tomoe inside his left palm as he placed himself upon the floor in a full lotus for his daily meditation. The cigarette still hanging out the left side of his mouth.

[iDakk]

[align=center]Sarin smiled as she walked away,and turned her head a bit so she could see from the corner of her eye.She gasped as she saw him reveal himself,with a sort of dragon tattoo upon his neck.He had ear piercings as well.

Interesting man....I shall follow him for a bit,she thought to herself slyly,and turned around to follow him,keeping a fair distance from his prescence.She saw him enter a house,a beaten up one,and peered into the grimy,cracked windows.She saw him take off his shirt,light a smoke,and sit in the classic lotus position that so many people used for meditation.

"Daily meditation,hmmm?"she asked,mostly to herself,but said it loudly,to the extent that she thought she might have made herself heard by the man inside the house.

Sarin decided to stay and watch this interesting person in his meditation,maybe get to meet him.[/align]

[Zeke]

He began to count his breaths inside his mind. Each inhale and exhale was one, until he got to ten before he would start over again. He gently repeated this for a few minutes before his hand quickly broke from the inward seeing eye to pull a colt from his chest holster a few feet away and without opening his eyes he squeezed the trigger.

A bullet was discharged from the chamber and softly exploded through the old glass of the window and barely missed Sarin's right cheek. He then set down the colt and replaced his hand in the eye.
"The door is open. Please come in, and I do not miss twice."
He said in a cool confident tone before breaking the meditation to get to his feet and wander over to the small kitchen separated only by a right angle of plywood. He put a pot of water upon the stove while he awaited this girl from the street to come in.

He looked down at his right hand and flexed it open and closed a few times. He could still feel the warm gunpowder that had been expelled on his fingers. It had been a few years since he fired a weapon, but apparently it was like riding a bike.

Zeke shook his head before turning around and pulling out a pot and a bag of gunpowder green tea.

[iDakk]

[align=center]Sarin had turned her head to look at where the bullet had protruded from the window.Her eyes were wide.The cloaked woman turned her head slowly,still surprised,to look at the fairly-handsome man that stood barechested in the kitchen of the beaten down home.She opened the door and hesitantly stepped inside,perching herself on the very edge of the broken sofa.

Sarin placed her hand on her cheek,as though checking if a part of the bullet was lodged in her cheekbone.

"I wouldn't want to get on your bad side,"she retorted sarcastically.[/align]

[Zeke]

Zeke turned around and smiled at her as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter. He had decided to ignore her comment. He dropped his head to chuckle.
"There is no one on my bad side. They've all met with unfortunate accidents."
As he finished the kettle let out a shrill whistle until he removed it from the element. Zeke turned his back to her once again in order to pour the steaming tea into his cracked tea pot and with his other hand he reached into a cupboard with no door and pulled out two cups.

Zeke turned around and headed back into the room setting the set down upon a table on the opposite side of the couch from Sarin. He softly poured out two glasses of the tea and handed on her way with his right while taking his own in the left.

When he felt her hand grasp it firmly he let go rising back to his full height. He wandered over to the wall on the opposite side of the room and picked up another cigarette, lighting it with his black zippo on the floor next to the cartons.
"Now,"
He spoke before exhaling. He took a sip of his tea before continuing.
"What can I do for you Miss?"
He ran a hand through his newly cut red hair. It was much shorter than before. He no longer had bangs dripping off his forehead. He shaved it when he got to the palace and continued to do so until he left. It was only about an inch long on the top and the sides were buzzed short, all pushed forward so his bangs stood up.

He took another sip of his tea before speaking again.
"If you're looking for an assassin, I don't do that anymore."

[iDakk]

Sarin had been sipping her tea when he suggested he wasn't an assasin anymore.She nearly sprayed him with the hot liquid,but resisted the urge in the back of her head.

Swallowing hard,she gasped quickly,her eyes wide."Erm,no,I wasn't.Well,I bumped into you outside the TV display window,and I saw all of your tattoos.Curious,I followed you.But as soon as you fired at me,I seemed to have lost all curiousity,"she spoke softly,her cold eyes averting his gaze."So...what's your name?"she asked,trying desperately not to prod him until he kicked her out.

This house wasn't much,but at least it was shelter.And it had tea.She looked at the short haired redhead,and felt a pang of guilt.Her best friend had been a redhead.But he left her.For another woman.She had given up love.She sacrificed that emotion from her soul.

"That's pretty much it,"she explained,going back to her conversation from earlier.She sighed,and ran a few fingers through her long,dark hair.She tossed her hood away from her face,which allowed the knotted braid to trail down her back.She set down her teacup and took out the ribbon that held in place.Sarin shook the hair from the braid,and it spilled over her shoulders.After being in a braid so long,it was very wavy and curly.She may have even looked pretty,if it wasn't for her cold,steely eyes.

[Zeke]

He kept his eyes locked upon hers as she talked. Their frightening lack of feeling reminded him too much of himself after Virgil. He dropped his head thinking of the old friend.

When he raised it again it was chased by the tea cup. He took another inhale of the cigarette as he lowered the cup again. Zeke began to speak as he exhaled.
"The Wisdom Eyes of Buddha upon my back,"
As he turned around.
"Symbolize religious awakening. The squiggle for the nose means unity of all things."
He turned to his right so she could see his left bicep as he took another sip.
"The Pa Kua represents the ever fluctuating elemental forces of the universe. Each trigram represents a direction, and element, an animal, etc. These trigrams are combined to form the sixty-four hexagrams; the combined meanings constitute a detailed system of divination."
He then raised his left palm open to her face as he took another drag.
"The Tomoe, meaning turning or circular, referring to the motion of the earth. It reflects the threefold division of Shinto cosmology, and is said to represent the earth, the heavens, and humankind."
He turned to her again so she could see the cross hair upon his chest, but he turned his head to the right so the dragon on the left of his neck was exposed.
"This, is a personal symbol of dedication of Eastern religion and lifestyle."
Then he used a lingering finger to point to the one upon his chest as he dropped his head.
"This...this crosshair is a matching symbol my "brother" and I got when we first became assassins. It's directly over the heart."
Zeke finished his tea and placed the cup in the sink. As he poured a slow trickle of water into the plastic he put out his cigarette with the other hand on the counter top. As he turned back to the woman he left it lodged there, standing on it's end.

"So...what's your name?"

She asked. He smiled and ran his hand again through his hair as he leaned upon the wall again. Where he had come from he didn't have a name, and even he didn't remember his birth name. Just the name he had given himself.
"I'm...Zeke."

[iDakk]

Sarin listened intently as the man informed her of all the history and cultural meanings of the many tattoos he had engraved on his body.

Though barechested,this did not faze her.She didn't really find him all that attractive,even though she was positive he caught a few girls' eyes.She was too busy paying attention to him anyway.The girl already seemed to be not that friendly with him.

"Zeke,huh?"she asked."Short and Simple.That's...pretty cool,"she said,choosing her words carefully as not to offend him."You spoke of your brother.What happened to him?Is he still around?Do you still maintain contact?"she asked.

[Zeke]

He smiled weakly as she asked about Virgil. He bent over and picked up another cigarette lighting it quickly before snapping the lighter closed with the flick of his wrist. He laid the lighter down with his first exhale.

He looked back up at her before speaking. The cold eyes still bothering him.
"That's a story for another day."
He picked up his tight black T-shirt and slipped it carefully over his body, making sure he didn't hit the smoke.
"So it was curiosity that let you here hmm?"
He raised an eyebrow as he questioned her. Zeke still didn't believe her.

[iDakk]

"You really should quit smoking,"she said as he lit another cigarrette and took a drag.She looked away as he met her gaze once more after lighting the cigarette.She watched out of the corner of his eye as he slid the t-shirt back over his somewhat slim build.

He had begun talking again and wondered if it was only curiosity.She could only nod."Yeah,I guess it that was it,"she said.

Or was it?

[Zeke]

He raised an eyebrow as he looked her over yet again. He took another drag of the cigarette.
"There are a lot of things that I should be doing."
He finished the cigarette before speaking yet again.
"Quitting isn't exactly on the top of my list."

[iDakk]

"What do you mean?"she asked curiously,matching his expression.She rose her own single eyebrow,and smiled a sly smile.


Quitting isn't exactly on the top of my list.

I should use that advice,she thought.

"Alright.I suppose I'll be leaving now,"she said and stood.She nodded her thanks for the tea and threw open the door.

[Zeke]

He looked her over once again before nodding and finishing the cigarette. He picked up her tea cup and wandered into the makeshift kitchen as he replied to her odd question.
"I mean I have more important things to do with my life than quit smoking."
He called back over his shoulder as he filled the cup with water and returned to the living room.

The two paused in silence for a moment before she suggested leaving. Zeke was weary to let her go, he still was not sure if she had an ulterior motive than someone looking interesting. That didn't seem like a reason to tail someone to him.

He nodded as he opened the door for her. He'll let her go now, but keep his eyes open from here on in. It wasn't a good idea to stay here.

[iDakk]

[align=center]"Well,Zeke.It was nice meeting you,"she said politely with a slight nod of her head.She left the house.The sun was setting and it was getting rather frigid.She rubbed her hands together and shoved them in her pockets for warmth.

Hm...an assasin?she asked.

Sarin was nearly a hundred yards away from the house when she stopped in her tracks,wheeled around,and went back to the house.She hoped Zeke would open the door.[/align]

[Zeke]

What an odd girl, Zeke thought to himself as she left. Once he shut the door he leaned up against the wall next to it and lit another smoke. He slipped the lighter back in his pocket and moved over to the middle of the floor to pick up his guns. He slung the chest strap over the back of a chair near the kitchen.

Once he made sure the safety was on there was a knock at the door. Zeke immediately pulled one of the pistols out and cautiously made his way to the door. His steps were extremely quiet. It was almost as if he was floating.

He pressed his back up against the wall to the right of the door with the safety off and the gun raised. He reachced over with his left hand and openned the door. Zeke jumped out and pointed the pistol at Sarin's forehead.

When it clicked in that it was her he lowered the weapon.
"Back so soon eh?"

[iDakk]

Sarin's eyes widened once more as she was nearly fired upon.She put her unsteady hands up in a surrendering position."Um,yeah.But why am I looking down the barrel of a gun?"she asked."Ok,well not technically looking DOWN the barrel,but I shouldn't have one by my forehead either!"she cried in anguish.

Finally she lowered her hands and her shoulders sagged from their frozen,rigged position."Anyway,I just came back,because really,I have no where to go.My friend,well,more than a friend,recently died and I was so used to going back to his house every night,so..."she rambled.She hoped he wouldn't permeantly silence her.

Sarin looked at Zeke.Her expression softened,and she looked away."I really miss him,and he was my life.My home,my family,everything,"she said slower this time."So I was wondering if I could stay here.I wouldn't be a nuisance.I would clean dishes,go out and buy you cigarretes,all that junk,"she said,silently pleading him to say yes.

[Zeke]

He pulled his finger away from the trigger after lowering the weapon and fell so that he was leaning against the doorframe. Zeke heaved a sigh as he rubbed his eyes. He slowly nodded. Buddhism taught him to treat anyone in distress with conviction.

Zeke backed away from the door and motioned for her to come in. He didn't bother asking whether it was permanent, or how long she would be staying. He didn't exactly care. Perhaps the company would be nice.
"I must warn you that I'm not exactly...a "people" person, and I don't eat much, so there won't be many dishes to clean, but you are more than welcome to help yourself to the food thats in the house."
He then slipped his Colt back into the chest holster on the back of the chair before making his way back over to the rotting couch and setting himself down upon it.
"I fully expect you to live like you would anywhere else, just to a... lower quality. My home is yours. When you feel like sleep, the bedroom is the only door in the house. You can have it. Do with it as you will."
He dropped his head and ran another hand through his hair. Why did this girl remind him so much of Svetlana? His mind suddenly shot back to those days in Florence. Waking up to her in the kitchen. Wrapping his arms around her waist and placing a kiss upon her cheek. The woman who had thawed him, and he couldn't even find her.

Zeke suddenly snapped back to reality before looking back up at her and adding one last thing.
"I do still have some enemies out there, so be prepaired to move to another building at any moment, and please, do not ask questions."

[iDakk]

Sarin nodded with everything Zeke said,making mental notes.

Perhaps this will work...I'm surprised he believed me.NO one else did.I miss you,Christian...she thought,and looked to the sky for a few brief moments.Her own thoughts brought her back to Earth,where she saw Zeke with his head down.

He seemed a bit troubled,disturbed,upset.She wondered if he had lost a lover as well...

Don't ask questions.He had said."I won't,"she replied softly,and stood,bowing her head in great appreciation.