Hunters X and X Heroes

The X First X Kill

"Wow, that blonde kid is a really bad driver."

Shichi watched the car almost swerve off into one of the adjacent cliffs upon Marron's comment, "Something's probably going on in there." She silently cursed tinted windows, she almost cursed aloud but she remembered that she was sitting next to Crimson.

Things seemed to settle down as the car continued to travel on in a steady line but that was no longer her main concern as Shichi looked a little further back at the new glimmer of light that had joined the two cars.

The redhead spared Shichi a glance before turning her eyes back on the road, "Is it the Phantom Troupe?"

"Looks like it."

Crimson grinned excitedly, tightening her grip on the wheel like a kid having his high score in the arcade challenged, "Should we intercept them?"

Marron however, was not as enthusiastic as Crimson was. "Please reconsider. I am fifteen and have a long life ahead of me."

"She's joking," Shichi brushed off his fears, as she loaded up the firearm in her arms. It was an elaborate and pretty thing in an unnecessary way. Bestowed on her by the Zakuya when she had reached the rank of co-captain, Tenjū remained by her side all the way up to the Alliance and now.

Shichi really wasn't as simple as Crimson was, who kept her butterfly swords simply because they worked. Shichi kept Tenjū to spite the Zakuya. What could be better than crushing them with their own tools?

Both of human and steel.

"Still, that kid seems kinda familiar somehow," Shichi mumbled almost as a distraction to herself to push the other thoughts aside.

Marron piped up from the back in curiosity, "Who? The blonde kid?"

"You don't remember?" Crimson demanded, sparing the girl a shocked look, "He's one of the rookies that passed the last Hunter Exam. Rukei-chan's friend! C'mon, get it together!"

Her eyes drifted to the ceiling as she tried to remember. Now that she thought about it, there was a guy like that, wasn't there? "He's the guy with the weird name, right?"

"You shouldn't be talking..."

"It was Pikachu or something like that..."

The redhead sighed and hung her head in a sign of surrender, "Just forget it."

"Speaking of Rukei," Marron put in a bit more seriously, "Recently, has she been...," the boy trailed off as if he was debating on telling them. If Rukei hadn't, then he would be giving up information he didn't want to give up but if she had, he had to know.

Crimson finished his question darkly, "Attacked? Sure, she has. Did they come after you?"

Marron exhaled deeply and leaned back against the seat at the thought, "They did. During a heist, no less. It was pretty rough, y'know? They really wanted their precious Subject 8 to come back with them."

"Oh? Who did they send after you?" Shichi questioned as she rolled down the window, making everyone else have to raise their voice over the howling wind.

"Knight."

Crimson shot the boy a look of disbelief through the rearview mirror, "Knight?! But he was experimented on too, wasn't he? Why would he help out those freaks?!"

After the boy's shrug, Shichi sighed and shook her head, "Whatever the reason, we should focus on the current mission. We can chat later."

The cold air whipped her cheeks as she stuck her head out to get a better view of the last vehicle in the trail of cars. She propped up the end of the gun against her shoulder, focusing in on the spinning tires of the black car.