Chapter Text
Whenever there was need for a cleanup, White was called for the job.
White was fast. White was efficient. White was skilled. White was deadly. And most importantly, White preferred to hunt alone. White took over jobs, that would otherwise require a dozen men to complete.
For her, it was routine, natural as breathing. Get inside, eliminate everyone. Prioritize the more imminent dangers. Strike quick and don’t hold back. Waste no time.
White considered herself a professional but she genuinely enjoyed what she was doing, although there wasn’t much she knew aside from her bloodstained line of work – and she didn’t need to know more. Wielding a blade in either hand made her feel complete. She lived for the rush of battle and the satisfaction, when she felled an opponent.
Today’s target for a cleanup had been a casino. As White had emerged from the shadows, taking out her first opponent, all of the customers fled on sight, while the mafioso themselves had gathered in an attempt to take White out. Now their bodies were scattered all around her, their black and expensive suits torn apart and drenched in blood, now utterly worthless.
The dark cloth of her dress was stained by blood too, but barely visible from afar. She liked this dress a lot despite how dirty it would get during work. It was elegant and went well with her long, untamed, white hair and her bleak skin, while she wasn’t sacrificing any of her mobility for wearing it.
White tasted iron. Due to the bloodshed she had caused, some of the blood had found its way into her mouth. She loved this taste.
For White the sight of a dead body was appealing, especially if she was the one who had slain them. Her tail flicked from one side to the other, the tips of her long blades clanking against the marble floor in a monotone rhythm. Her ears poked up, as a familiar face showed herself before.
The final enemy had arrived – her favorite opponent.
The woman in front of White wore a white coat and a red shirt. Her hands were clad in red gloves and she wielded a red originum blade in either of them. From the way she dressed alone she stood out among her peers and such was the intent. She stood at the top of her family, ranked among their leaders. The weight of her words was enough to crush lives, if she so wished for. Many of her peers would kill for what she had.
“It’s a pleasure meeting the Texas family once more,” White said and greeted her with a wide smile, dropping a curtsy in the process. “It makes me glad to see you alive and well, Red.”
Facing White with a stern, unshaken look on her face, Red spit out the sugar stick, that had been resting between her lips. White had always wondered if she used to be a heavy smoker. Maybe the sugar sticks were meant to keep her fingers and lips busy.
“I’m not surprised to see you,” Red said coldly.
White laughed. Yes, they had met often already. The Texas family had their fair share of enemies. Unfortunately, White’s family, and as such her boss as well, were among of them.
“Neither am I, Signora.” White revealed her fangs. “Show me a good time, will you?”
Red’s reply was a quick strike of her sword. She closed the distance with a single attack, her weapon aiming straight for White’s neck. Having expected the attack, White parried the blades with her own weapon, locking them at point blank distance. They stared at one another, Red with fierce determination, White with a cheerful smile and her tail waggling from one side to the other, as they were wrestling over control. Finally they knocked each other back, freeing themselves from the stalemate, before Red went for White once more.
Red came at White with fast strikes, each strike more relentless than the last one, with no sign to slow down. Her switches between offense and defense were seamless and whenever White decided to strike back at her, Red easily evaded the counters and maintained the pressure.
White however kept a defensive stance, calmly watching each of Red’s moves and parrying, countering and dodging in just a blink of an eye with no wasted movement.
While they fought for control, the casino became their playing field. Red used the inventory, chucking stools, decks of playing cards, ashtrays and even glasses of champagne at White in an attempt of breaking through White’s defenses and forcing a reaction out of her. Meanwhile White would answer by using the furniture as cover to keep Red from hitting her mark. More than once Red’s blade got stuck in the wooden gambling tables, allowing for White to strike back at her. Red to broke free at the last second to avoid a lethal blow.
It was like a dance, Red and White dashing around one another, their strikes deflected, mere inches from dealing a deadly blow, time and time again. In the past their blades had clashed so often, predicting the next strike had become as natural as breathing. Evading, parrying, striking – their maneuvers had become habits at this point. There was an unbreakable equilibrium between them – and it drove White insane.
White believed themselves to be stronger. All she had to do was prove it.
She spotted an opening in Red’s defenses. The path was clear, but not without sacrifice. She knew the attack would harm her as well – but she decided to take the risk.
White saw Red approaching with another overwhelmingly fast attack. Getting in herself, White parried the strike, cutting her o f f from her path of escape, before striking at Red’s eye with her second blade. At the same moment, White noticed Red’s blade coming at her own eyes as well. She grinned widely, accepting they were of the same mind once more.
Their blades cut through their temples, barely missing their marks. While blood dripped down Red’s face, the hot nature of the originum blade had burned White’s cut, smoke evaporating from the wound.
Their gazes met. They panted from the exhaustion, their blades still right next to the others’ temple.
White was the first to raise her voice bursting into laughter.
“You are unbelievable!” She cried.
Red’s blade came at White once more. White parried and their blades locked. They struggled for control, but the missing force behind their blades made them both realize they had run out of steam. Unable to keep up the pressure, they released each others’ blades, both of them taking a few steps back.
White was breathing heavily. Still agitated her lust for fighting was not satiated, but her body would refuse to act past its limits. Pushing herself further would not make this any more enjoyable and any less of a pain. As she looked into Red’s eyes, she knew her enemy felt the same.
“And you are insufferable.” Red remarked.
White let out a soft laugh and lowered her voice.
“You drive me insane, Signora. I’ll to cut you down for real.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll put you back into place soon enough, dog.” Red said, her expression unshaken. White showed a wide grin, revealing her fangs.
“I’d love to see it.”
“Next time.” Red replied. “Today’s a draw.”
“Another draw. Some things never change.” White chuckled. “Whatever, the small fries are dealt with. Sad to say the Texas’ family’s leader escaped me once more. A shame. At this rate we will never be allowed to meet again, if they send someone else for you.”
A new sugar stick found its way to Red’s lips.
“I’ll make sure this won’t happen. No one can take me on but you.”
White smiled, her ears standing up and her tail wagging a little. It felt like a promise. She didn’t have a lot to look forward to, except their fights. Red was by far her favorite target.
Knowing they would meet again, White turned around, leaving a battlefield of needless bloodshed behind. She couldn’t care less. There had been no winner today, but White was looking forward to whatever the next round might bring.