She had killed a man. A human being. An innocent worker. He probably had family, had children... a life. A life she had destroyed, that she had mercilessly ended in less than a second. She fell to her knees, looking at her hands. Was it just her or were they covered with blood? Blood. Guilt. She had done it. On purpose. It was her fault. She had killed. She had finished a life. "No... No... No. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO..." Her scream pierced the air, as she started crying. She embraced herself, trying to steady the shaking she was suffering, but it was pointless. She no longer controlled her body, as it was overloaded with emotions.

Hiroshi heard her scream, and immediately turned around. He saw her kneeling on the floor, crying, and a cop lying a few meters away from her, and judging by the knife that was shining directly over his heart, dead. He understood what had happened and finished quickly. "No time for playing now," he told the men in front of him, as he punched them strongly right on their noses, putting them unconscious. When he made sure none of the men were awake, he ran to his partner. He kneeled by her side, and looked at her. She clearly hadn't even felt him, so deeply entranced she was supporting her anguish. Her hands covered her ears, and her eyes were deeply shut, as she moved her head in a denying motion, and her lips formed one single word, whispering it over and over again: "No. No. No. No..."

She was clearly in shock. Hiroshi tried to calm her. "Reiko-san, it wasn't your fault. You did it in self-defense. It was him or you. Reiko, please look at me." He was being gentle, so gentle that it even surprised himself. When he had made his first kill, his teacher had scolded him deeply for being so sentimental. He had being punished, yelled at, hit and even threatened to be killed before he had calmed down. But he couldn't bring himself to yell at her. He knew she was young and still carried a bit of childhood innocence, and he didn't want to break what little was left of it. "Reiko-san, calm down. Listen to me. You did what was needed, nothing wrong. No one is going to punish you. Look at me, please."

She still had her eyes shut, and refused to open them. But now at least, she had stopped covering her ears, and was listening to what Hiroshi was saying. He then understood that if he said wrong things, it would obviously mean the end for his student. She was in shock, in a state where the mind doesn't answer, and you act only for instinct. She could easily jump off the building now, if he said only one guilty word to her. So, he talked slowly. "Reiko, I know how you're feeling now. I felt the same when I killed someone for the first time. It's Ok, please, open your eyes. Look at me."

He had placed a hand over her shoulder trying to soothe her, but with no result. "Reiko, I understand you're feeling very troubled now, but you need to wake up. This is something that happens in life. People die everyday, and that man's turn had arrived, that's all. Please, open your eyes." He was starting to worry deeply. Maybe she wasn't made for this, he thought. After all, she's just a kid. She killed someone when she was 15, what will she do when she's 16? He put his other hand on her other shoulder, gently shaking her a bit. "Reiko, please. You need to overcome this. Reiko, wake up for me. I don't wanna leave you here. Please Reiko, do it for me."

This time, his words seemed to record on her brain, because she stopped muttering things to herself, and her eyes slowly fluttered open. They were glassy, and full of tears. "Hi... Hiroshi... I'm... I'm scared" was what she said, sobbing. She was such an spectacle of beauty, even though she was crying, that he couldn't help himself. He slowly pulled her towards him, and made her rest against his chest. "Shhh. It's Ok now. Everything's gonna be alright. Just forget now Reiko, forget this thing ever happened." Reiko was still depressed, but the feeling of Hiroshi's strong chest against her cheeks was making her very comfortable, and his fingers caressing her hair were somehow washing her worries away. Her hands were pressed on his chest too, supporting her there. She closed her eyes, and let his perfume envelope her. It was so calming... so peaceful... it was like a balm. Hiroshi was hugging her, as if trying to protect her from the terrible feelings she was getting.

She then knew she must shake all this off. For him. He was so worried about her... she couldn't stand seen him troubled about something. A sense of guilt washed over her, almost making the other one disappear. Hiroshi felt as her crying and sobbing subsided, and everything was silent again. But, he didn't let her go. He felt so good with her inside his arms... it was as if she belonged there. Only then did he realize what he was doing. He had just broken two of the basic rules of their job: one, never let your feelings take over you, and two, never care too much about your partner. But... he couldn't just push her away, now that he himself had been the one who had embraced her. He didn't know what to do, until Reiko finished her worries herself. She raised again, and they ended looking at each other. Her eyes were clear now, and her voice quivered only a little, as she spoke: "Thank... thank you, Hiroshi-san." And then, she bent over, and gave him a light kiss on his cheek.

He was so surprised he kept staring at her when she retreated, a strange look in her eyes. He felt a burning sensation creep from where she had kissed him, up to his head, down through his neck and nestled on his thunder-beating heart. "Hiroshi-san, are you alright?" sounded her voice inside his ears, making him wake up. "Yes... just a little... tired" he muttered, not sure if it was a lame excuse or not. Reiko watched him in wonder, but said nothing. Then, he put on the mask of seriousness again. "We must go. Now. Who knows if these guys called for backup? I don't wanna fight again, not today at least." She nodded. They both stood up, and walked out of the roof-top, Hiroshi taking special care that Reiko didn't look the way that dead police man was. They went down the stairs, quick as lightning, running out of the building and into the night, as some police sirens broke the night's peacefulness with it's insistent ringing...

His worries were swept away, as Usagi talked again: "Poor Reiko-chan. It must have been terribly hard for her to bear. No wonder that look of terror always crossed her eyes when we attacked those human-changed-into-monsters youmas a long ago. Now I know why." Hiroshi then understood that the friendship between Reiko and the girls and guy sitting in front of him was true, no matter how much she had tried to deny it. Makoto had her eyes full of tears too, and was biting her lip to avoid crying. Rei had a sad look, but wasn't crying. Minako was already by Reiko's side, looking strangely at her sleeping face, and putting a comforting hand over her own. "Poor Reiko-chan. Who would've had imagined she carried such a heavy weight within her?"

Mamoru was sad too, but was the most stable of them all. "Hiroshi-san, was that when it all ended?" he asked, not daring to speak too loud for some unspoken rule. "No. I already told you. She couldn't leave. Everything went on as it used to. When time passed, she got used to killing people, though she tried to avoid it at any cost. But, there are some times when people don't understand reasons, and if I remember well, she has killed over 25 people by now. I know it hurt her every time she did so, but she had learnt to hide her emotions pretty well, and put on a mask every time a life was taken. We were partners for over a year and a half. We passed through glamorous parties, where she disguised herself as an important countess of Europe; meetings of important companies, where she changed into a very efficient secretary: night-clubs, where with only a bit of make-up and high-heels she passed as a grown-up, and the list goes on and on.

You'll never know how many things we did. She called me the Red Lightning, for what she said was my hair and my shining. She was nicknamed by everyone as the Blue Thunder of the agency, for her quick thinking and acting, and her beauty. She had half the agents enchanted by just looking at them, and the other half drooled every time they saw her. It was quite an spectacle, you know. But, she kept oblivious to those demonstrations of inordinate love, and continued being my partner and friend throughout all that time. She barely talked to any of the other agents. She was congratulated more than a hundred times by our chief, and was even offered to entire the elite group, a group to whom only the special and very delicate missions were assigned, and obviously had privileges, but she put the offer down. She said she was very comfortable where she was and didn't want to change. I bet our bosses had never been so happy at deciding to accept her as one of them. I knew about her intentions of quitting since the first day, it was plainly obvious, especially when she thought no one was looking. But, as time passed, that idea seemed to be shaken out of her head. She appeared to be happy with what she was doing and shadows no longer clouded her eyes," he finished, out of breath.

"Well, then, if you two were so happy, why did she quit? 'Cause I'm sure she isn't a secret spy right now!" said Makoto, questioningly looking at Hiroshi. Immediately, a cloud crossed through his eyes, and answered: "It happened quite later. When the second anniversary of our meeting was approaching, we were assigned a very delicate mission, the one which would be the last for the Red Lightning and the Blue Thunder...

Reiko knocked twice, and a man's voice answered from the other side: "Come in." Hiroshi opened the door, and they both entered the office, which by now knew by heart. Sitting behind a desk, was a man. He was in his middle forties, and smiled as they appeared on the door frame. "Come, come. Sit" he said, motioning for the two chairs in front of him. They walked in, and sat down. Although it looked like a completely natural movement, what they did next was one of the basic rules of survival for them. They both, at the same time, moved their chairs a bit, so that they could look at the boss and the door at the same time. You never know what dangers can come through a closed door, specially if your back is to it.

"What is it now, boss?" "Ahhhh, youth. Impatient up to the last, aren't we?" answered the Chief, a big grin on his face. Reiko and Hiroshi nodded, their lips barely twitching in a half-heartedly smile. "Well, what I've got for you now, is something very important. Since Reiko here refuses to enter our elite group, and our Council believes it's because of you, Hiroshi, (at this point, Reiko had a pale pink coloring her cheeks. If she hadn't learnt how to control her own emotions, by now she would've been as red as a tomato), they've decided to test you both one final time. If you pass, you'll both enter the elite. What do you think?" he said, finished in a tone anyone would use when teaching a child he has to behave in order to get a new toy.

"We're honored!" said Reiko, not daring to look at Hiroshi. How could her boss be so rude? Reveal her feelings in from of him!! The Chief handed them a folder, and said: "Here. These is all the data you'll need." Hiroshi picked it up, and skimmed through some of the pages, getting all the important points. Then, he handed it to Reiko, who flipped through several pages too, understanding most of the written. She kept the folder on her lap. "Now that you're familiarized with what this is all about, I'll explain some things to you. You see, we think we've discovered the hiding place of one of the biggest top-secret-info dealers organization of all time. We need you both to check on it, and if necessary, try to confuse them. What we're asking you is to enter the place, break through security and retrieve the papers that will give us all the proof we need to send those bastards straight to where they belong. It's a very difficult mission. It would've generally be assigned to the elite group, but since you're the best down here... I'm telling you to be very careful, 'cause this ain't like anything you've ever faced before. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," they said in unison. "Good. You may leave now." They both stood up, and left the room with no further talking. The were ready again. A mission was set, and they were going for it. In an unspoken agreement, they gave each other an hour to prepare everything they needed. That meant dressing up in a suitable way and not just with clothing, but with special weapons under it, picking up all the implements needed such as field glasses, and running to the agency's garage, to grab a car, and wait for the bomb revision everyone had to go through before leaving the complex. They were accepted, and they speeded into the street, making their tires shriek as Hiroshi drove as fast as the laws allowed him to.

They arrived after half an hour or so. To avoid being caught, they left the car some blocks away, and walked carefully the rest of the way. They knew that the organization they were spying, known as The Claw, would surely have snipers and watchmen checking at every hour all the streets close to the factory. Yes, their hiding place was an old abandoned food-canning factory.

They walked side by side, as if they were a happy couple in-love. They talked loudly about nothing, just as a couple of teenagers do on a date. She giggled several times, as if he had just told her one of the best jokes in the world, and to make everything picture perfect, he even put an arm over her shoulders, and pressed her to him. As he did so, Reiko looked away, feeling warm all over. She was having some serious problem focusing on the mission, with him so close to her... and even though everything that they were doing was fake, she felt so good with it... as if that was right, and set since the beginning of time. But her responsibility was bigger, and managed to push those feelings to the back of her mind.

She returned to the real world, and discovered Hiroshi was pressing his hand harder on her shoulder, the signal she was waiting for. "Darling, please, let me check my make-up. I think it's all messed up." Hiroshi answered as she expected. "Sure honey. Go ahead." Reiko took her hand to her back-pocket, and picked from it a small hand-mirror. Which she opened and looked at herself into it. She moved it from side to side, as if trying to get the best view of her face. She then fixed her hair, though there was nothing wrong with it, and even pinched her cheeks a bit. With that, Hiroshi understood she had seen something. "So, darling, how are your cats? Still home-sick?" She answered, never taking her eyes off the mirror, and playing the perfect role of a young girl fixing herself. "Oh, you mean Miko, Rawa and Ayako? Oh, they're fine by now. Just a little disturbed." Hiroshi felt a little worried at this. So the snipers were looking down on them, and were three? That was a lot, and if they weren't calm, it was because they suspected something.

Reiko spoke again. "I'm gonna turn around. The sun doesn't let me see much in here." Casually, she turned to the other side, and continued looking at her. The mirror moved again, and to avoid being so obvious, she said, a triumphant tone in her voice: "At last!! I know what's wrong now!" She stopped looking at the glass, and from a pocket on her pants, grabbed a lip outliner, and started fixing her lips. "Honey, did I tell you my family wants to meet you? My uncle Akagi, my aunt Haruko, and specially my dad's grandparents can't wait to meet you in person." Four? Man, these guys really take the word security seriously. That makes seven of them. Tougher that I thought, but not impossible

With her watching complete, Reiko closed the mirror, and put it in her pocket. Although her exterior was smiling and calm, on her insides, she was absolutely worried. Seven snipers? How are we going to distract them? It's almost impossible!. She giggled a bit, and danced a bit, as if she was a totally happy girl, making a private show for her fiancé. But, as she turned around several times, and moved gracefully, she was also scanning their surroundings, searching for a possible help.

And then, she saw it. It was an old building, which had a huge ad that read: "Soon to be updated." That's perfect! Her eyes glittered in relief, as an idea was forming on her head. She stopped spinning, and faced Hiroshi again, who was looking at her as if he was the happiest man on the world, and thinking about how lovely she was, instead of a man feeling the cold hands of fear clutching his heart. Well, he actually was thinking about how lovely she as, but that she would never knew. "Honey, what about if we go and check the apartment you told me about?" Reiko's words startled him.

"Apartment?" asked Hiroshi, not quite understanding what she meant. Was that a new password he didn't know? If he didn't act quick, they were going to be discovered. "Yes, darling," the strain on Reiko's voice was so evident, he wondered if those snipers were fools to not see what was happening. "Remember we wanted to buy an apartment before we got married, so that we don't have to worry about it later?" said Reiko, as her eyes flared daggers to her partner. If you don't get it now, I'm gonna kill you before those snipers do, Hiroshi!!. He felt cold sweat on his back. Behind him, he could feel the gaze of about five men, who had powerful guns on their hands, and were preparing them and aiming them to his back. I must understand. THINK Hiroshi, THINK!! What does she mean? Getting a house? What's that supposed to be? Work... time... PROBLEM! We have a pretty good problem here. So, half the thing done. Now, she mentioned something about solving the problem... that should mean taking care of the snipers!

Time kept going, and Reiko was about to burst. Hiroshi was an airhead right now, and she couldn't handle it. But, almost two years of working on the same job had taught her to be patient. Come on! COME ON!. Her hands were sweaty, but a grin still stood on her lips, her body unconsciously still playing the role of a loving girl. "Sure darling. Let's go!" Reiko had to master a lot of her willpower not to let a sigh leave her throat. Thank God Hiroshi! Remind me to kill you when we're safe. They clasped hands, and walked to the building, still giggling and making jokes to each other, though there was a little bit of stiffness on them right now.

As soon as they entered, they run to the inside, and hid behind door. Reiko smacked Hiroshi on the back of his head, and whispered sharply: "You're one sort of idiot, you know?" Hiroshi grinned sheepishly, and answered: "I'm sorry. You caught me distracted. But we managed to get through, didn't we?" "Not with your help," was the answer he got. Even though her tone was sharp and angry, Reiko was grateful that she had such a good partner, one that she could trust completely, that wouldn't let her down, no matter what. She had learnt to trust him fully, in a world where she could trust no one, and knew he was the perfect partner and friend for her. "So, what's your plan?" he asked, looking outside and seeing that two or three men were walking up and down the roofs, and clearly looking for them. "Have you got any grenades?" "One. But it's small." "Should be enough. Give it to me," said Reiko, while getting her own hand-grenade out.

Hiroshi took his out, and handed it to his partner. "What are you planning to do?" he asked, intrigued by her behavior. "Look. Those guys up there need a HUGE distraction to get their minds off their job. A car crash, a help cry or those ordinary tricks won't work, so we need to make something fantastic. Like for example, a building coming down with a big explosion." "Excellent idea. I wonder where you get those out-of-this-world plans that don't stop to amaze me." Reiko thanked she was kneeling, so he couldn't see her light blushing. To avoid him noticing this, she stood up, and said: "Stop complimenting me and help me find the weak spot of this monster." He did so, and searched around for a couple of minutes. Lucky for them, the building didn't had an underground floor, so the weak spot was on the first floor, just where they were. It was easy to find, with all the training they had both received. A weak spot of something is a place where with very little incentive, the object could easily be destroyed. Hiroshi located it quickly and whispered to Reiko: "Hey! It's here."

Reiko turned around, and ran to him. "Let's get it loaded then," she said, taking out a scotch tape, and gluing both bombs to the spot Hiroshi had signaled. When she finished, she looked at him, and said: "You wanna pull the trigger or shall I do it myself?" "I'll do it. Just tell me where are we going next." Reiko seemed thoughtful for some seconds, and answered him, though the answer looked more as if she was talking to herself: "Hmm. The hiding place is behind us, about four blocks in that direction. If we go out that door, we'll have enough time to run meters away before they go off. The snipers will come here, and we'll have all the way free. Ok?" "Excellent. Hey, Reiko-san, let me tell you I'm so happy to have you as a partner, that I sometimes think it's a dream. I... I just wanted you to know it before we start this seriously." Reiko stiffened, and one of the grenades almost fell off her hands. "Hi... Hiroshi-san... thank... thank you." Her voice was trembling, a fact which didn't pass unnoticed to Hiroshi, but he let it slip away.

Reiko finished setting the grenades, and she stood up. "All done. Now, it's your turn." He nodded, and kneeled by the artifacts. "On the count of three," he said, putting his hand on both triggers. "One," his voice echoed on the empty building. "Two," it entered Reiko's ears, and made her prepare her body to run fast and good. "Three!" As soon as this single word left Hiroshi's throat, he pulled back both of her hands quickly, and a low click! was heard, as two little metal straws flew in the air: the triggers. They flew for a couple of centimeters, and then fell when a low ting, and the countdown started. But, nothing of this registered on their brains, as they ran for their lives, as fast and as hard as their legs allowed them. Their training became really useful at that time. They moved their legs swiftly, literally cutting the air around them. They left the building as quick as the wind, ran through the open street, under the bewildered view of the shooters. They kept moving, ran through two of the four blocks that separated them from the factory, before a loud sound was heard and the ground under them shook with the force of the explosion. A wave of heat hit them, and the air pushed them some meters, separating them more and more from the origin. Behind them, the building was literally falling on itself, crumpling to the ground as a dead bird. Smoke and pieces of metal fell all over the place, and the air still carried the thundering sound of the explosion. They were running so fast now, their breathing was becoming ragged, but they never stopped. Suddenly, they saw in front of them, and coming closer with every second, the gray walls of the factory, with it's broken windows and doors *supposedly* closed for years. They were headed to an empty space though. Hiroshi waved his hand frantically, and motioned for a corner of the factory, a place which would allow them to hide and prepare their plans. They turned in middle ran, literally making the pavement smoke. They thanked the agency had given them special shoes, which had very thick soles. As soon as they were covered with darkness, they stopped, and hid behind some trash-cans.

Their breathing was heavy, though to their running and to the fear of having been seen while they moved. They stood still for a while, only the sound of their breaths interrupting the silence. That part of the city wasn't a very crowded one; as a matter of fact, they hadn't seen a single soul during all the time they had been there. Time passed, and it seemed no one was coming for them. "Looks like we lost them," muttered Reiko, still spying to see if anyone approached them. "We did. Now, let's go," said Hiroshi, preparing to really start the mission. Now they were on their territory. All they had to do was climb some stairs and find a good hiding spot to look at the headquarters carefully, and gather the data they needed. Then, they would be free again, to fulfill their next mission.