The Ghost of Roanapur Chapter 5: Hunters Become the Hunted

Gretel titled her head to one side as she looked up at Revy, "Even though I'm offering you a hundred and fifty thousand?"

"Doesn't fucking matter!" Revy grinned before looking at Eda "And don't forget to pick up the cash on the ground."

"I see, it seems negotiations have failed." Gretel said plainly before swinging around her giant gun and aiming it at Revy.

Revy fired first, missing Gretel by a few centimeters as the girl ran to the side, returning her fire. Revy then hooked her feet onto one of the steel bars she was standing on and fell backwards, now hanging upside down as she shot a Gretel.

Hänsel unsheathed his battle axe and ran at Eda, much to the woman's chagrin when she shot at him, only for the boy to avoid each one.

Just as Hänsel was about to close the distance between himself and Eda, Amara jumped out of the shadows, blocking Hänsel's strike with one of her trench knives. Quickly, Amara brought her foot up and kicked Hänsel across the face, sending the boy flying backwards.

Hänsel giggled as he sat up and saw the blank expression that was on Amara's face. His smile then shifted into a fierce grin as he slowly stood up.

Is she like me and my sister? Hänsel thought, holding his axe close to his body, watching Amara critically, looking for any weak spots.

Amara's form gave away a few openings at first glance, but Hänsel was sure that this was done intentionally. A way to lull her opponents into a false sense of security and confidence before she made them realize their error with astonishing speed.

Amara moved first, rushing at Hänsel with a quickness he was not used to, using her left hand to swing her blade at his neck.

Hänsel leaned his head back, narrowing avoiding his throat being slit open, and when he was going to swing at Amara, was forced at the last second to change his momentum, using the face of his axe to block an oncoming bullet from hitting his head curtesy of Eda.

"Damn!" Eda growled, sure that the boy would have been distracted enough by Amara for her to land a killing shot.

Suddenly the screeching of wheels behind the group was heard as a jeep filled with Russian soldiers braked hard, blocking the group inside the alley.

"There they are!" One of the men shouted, before they all used the machine guns in the back of the jeep to start raining bullets down in the alleyway.

The five were forced to dive for cover as the soldiers did not view Revy, Eda, and Amara as objects in their path but colterol damage they were fine with taking out along with the twins.

"You pricks!" Eda screamed, pointing her gun at the jeep full of soldiers when she was almost hit.

"Stop, Eda!" Revy shouted at the woman from her place on the scaffolding, having pulled herself back onto it when the soldiers arrived. "It's Hotel Moscow!"

No shit. Amara thought from a few feet away, having thrown herself behind a dumpster.

"She's finally come out, sora mae!" Hänsel cheered with a grin, unbothered by the intense gunfire, standing behind Gretel as she returned fire. "It's the Russian!"

"Yes, she has!" Gretel said, just as cheerily.

Hänsel looked at the men before looking back at Gretel, "Hey, sora mae, let's confuse the Russians. If we throw them off the trail by eliminating a few of them, they'll return to base for sure."

"Very well, fratele meu." Gretel agreed, "Let's take separate routes and corner the Russian!"

Hänsel lifted Gretel's chin and drew her into a sensual kiss before pulling away, "Best of luck to you, sora mae. I love you."

Gretel sighed wistfully, "Yes, fratele meu. And I love you too."

Gretel split away while Hänsel jumped out from the corner they were hiding behind and drew the Russians' fire. Hänsel then picked up a full garbage can and threw it in the direction of the Russians, temporarily blinding their vision of him as he turned and ran.

Amara noticed this with a scowl, looking back at Revy and Eda, "The girl is going northeast! You guys follow her, I go after the boy!"

Before either woman could respond, Amara jumped up and ran after Hänsel, disappearing into the darkness of the night.

"Damn, kid!" Revy growled as she jumped down from the scaffolding, "C'mon, Eda! The bitch is getting away!"

Eda nodded her head as she and Revy followed Amara's directions and ran northeast, leaving the soldiers behind as they too disappeared.

Corporal Jodorowsky, the driver of the jeep and leader of this particular unit, scowled as he picked up his radio. "We have lost sight of all of them, Segreant. We don't know where they are going."

~X~

Twenty Minutes Later

"Fuck. Can't believe we lost her." Revy mumbled

Hopefully the kid's having better luck than us, but I doubt it. Revy thought, "No chance in hell we're going to see her again."

"How do you expect me to return to the Church empty handed?" Eda exclaimed.

Revy growled, "You're the one who wanted this damn job in the first place!"

"And you're the one who got too greedy and tried to take those brats and their money!" Eda fired back.

Revy stopped walking, spinning around to face Eda angerly, "And who was the one who saved your ass from getting your balls blown off by those guys from Hotel Moscow?! Huh?!"

Eda moved closer to Revy, their foreheads now pushing against the other's as they glared at each other. "You want to go, Revy?! Cause I'll tear you a new asshole before I ever thank you for something like that!"

Revy growled as she pushed back, "You think I'm sacred of you, you worthless nun?! I'll break you before you even lift a finger!"

The two women growled and shoved each other for a few moments, before they anger suddenly left them, realizing that this was pointless.

Revy sighed as she scratched her head, turning away from Eda as she began to walk away, "I'm going back to base. Call me if anything happens."

"Huh?!" Eda exclaimed, "What about me?!"

Revy raised an eyebrow as she turned her head and tiredly looked back, "What about you?"

"It's fucking brutal out here, I can't go back and get my car by myself with all these Russians shooting up the place! C'mon can't you come with me, we're friends, aren't we, Revy?!" Eda pleaded.

Revy looked at Eda for a few seconds silently before turning around and walking away. "You can go on your own, you're not a kid."

Amara better be back at the base when I get there, or I'm going kick her ass for wasting time.

Eda's mouth dropped open in shock before she glared at Revy's retreating figure, flipping her off with her middle finger as she left her behind. "How could you be so cruel?! Heartless bitch!"

Eda groaned when she put her hand back down, "Fuck. I'm not going to forget this, asshole."

But the blonde woman did not have time to properly turn around before she felt the barrel of a gun gently press itself against the back of her head, causing Eda to freeze in panic.

"Hi miss." Eda recognized the voice, realizing that Gretel was the one behind her.

Eda gulped, slowly raising her hands up, "How long have you've been standing there?"

"I was waiting until you were alone, I didn't want to face you two all by myself." Gretel answered, "I really do need your help, miss. After my brother and I kill the Russian lady, we'll have to escape, but we killed our benefactors, the Verrocchio Family, and they were supposed to arrange that for us."

Eda sneered, "Dumbass. You intentionally offed Verrocchio? Besides, now that you whacked your boss, you no longer have an obligation to kill Balalaika, so why are you still trying to kill her? For what reason?"

Gretel started to laugh, and laughed so hard that massive gun in her hands stared to shake, "Why? Why you ask? You're joking, right? You're an odd one, miss!" Gretel then stopped laughing and grinned so widely that most of her teeth were visible to Eda. "Because we want to. There's no other reason; we're doing it because we want to."

Gretel then stepped forward, moving her weapon to the side and reaching across Eda's chest, pulling the woman's gun out of its shoulder holster, and dropping it onto the ground. "But that doesn't matter, I want you to introduce me to a professional who can do the job right, who takes their job seriously. How about it, miss?"

Eda tensed when she felt the young girl lift her tube top up slightly, before grabbing and squeezing her breasts, feeling disgusted by the actions.

Fuck my life! Eda thought angrliy.

~X~

An Hour Later

She's relentless. Hänsel thought as he narrowly avoided another slash to the throat, continuing to run from his peruser.

Hänsel was covered in various cuts and slashes all curtesy of Amara Chaisai, the young boy had not felt this tired in a long time, and it was only due to his instincts that Amara had not been able to land a killing blow against him.

But it was not his injuries or his growing exhaustion that was bothering him, but the fact that the woman chasing him was not only a capable fighter but was also getting in his way when it came to killing the Russian soldiers who would appear.

Amara had kept him from killing most of them, but even the few she was not able to beat him to, were skilled in their own right, keeping Hänsel on the backfoot and forcing him to run away to prevent being killed by them or Amara.

Now the sun was slowly starting to rise over Roanapur, showing just how long this song and dance had been going on for. But Hänsel smiled to himself, confident that he would soon reach Balalaika and kill the woman before properly dealing with Amara.

As Hänsel was temporarily distracted, Amara quickly caught up to him, kicking Hänsel across the face, sending him flying off to the side. But Amara noticed that at the last second, Hänsel raised his arm up and blocked her foot from hitting his face.

A kid his age and size shouldn't be able to keep fighting like this. Although, a kid like him also shouldn't be such a well-trained killer. If he manages to reach adulthood, he'll be a fucking monster. Amara thought as she watched Hänsel twist his body, allowing him to land on his feet and take off running again.

This is fun. Amara smirked before pulling her hood over her head and slinking into the shadows.

Hänsel's grinned when he saw this, and his smile grew wider when he came to the entrance to one of Roanapur's nicer parks, knowing that Balalaika was inside of it once she came across three of her men, standing before him, clearly waiting for him.

Hänsel ran towards the group, but they noticed his presence, and instead of shooting him, ran into the trees, disappearing from sight.

Hänsel did not run after the men, instead ignoring them as he walked self-assuredly down the brick ladened path. After a few minutes, the Romanian boy arrived at the center of the park, and he hid amongst the trees and bushes.

On a large white fountain, sat the woman that Hänsel was looking, the head of Hotel Moscow's Roanapur branch. Balalaika had one leg crossed over the other, her eyes closed, and with a lit cigar in her mouth as she waited patiently.

Balalaika slowly opened her eyes, looking forward with a bored expression, "You can't hide from me, so don't bother. Show yourself."

Hänsel stepped out from the tree he was hiding behind, smiling as he walked out into the clearing. "You could tell I was here? You're amazing, old lady, no wonder your subordinates are so skilled. I chased them all over the city, but I couldn't kill any of them. But even then, my own injuries came from a nasty ghost rather than them. Now, what do you suggest we do, old woman? I came all the way here; don't you have anything to say?"

Balalaika did not respond to the boy's words, only continuing to smoke as she looked at him coldly, as if she was bored by the whole affair.

Hänsel continued to speak as he walked closer before stopping a couple feet away. "Perhaps we can talk about that man we killed? Anyone else would've died a lot sooner... but that man lasted for quite some time. He kept yelling 'Captain, Captain', over and over while spitting out blood. Well, until he finally died."

"Hmph. Is that so?" Balalaika asked rhetorically before taking a long drag of her cigar.

"Wow, you're one icy old woman. But you know what? You'll be like that old geezer we killed soon enough." Hänsel said as he pulled out one of his axes, "Sorry, but I'm pressed for time, so I won't be able to play with."

"That really is a shame. I'm sorry to say this, little boy, but this is the end of the road for you." Balalaika said, removing the cigar from her lips and sitting up, "But first, you'll have to apologize mocking me, alright, boy? I want you to kneel before me."

Hänsel scoffed at this with a smile, "You can't be serious-"

"Kneel!" Balalaika roared just as a bullet ripped through the side of Hänsel's right kneecap.

A look of shock appeared on Hänsel's face at the surprising pain and accidentally dropping his axe as he fell to the ground. His shock soon turned to fear as he slowly sat up and looked down, seeing the bloody and mangled mess that was now his right leg.

Hänsel reached into his holster and pulled out his second axe, but the second he raised and tried to swing it, another gunshot ripped through the air and the hand holding the axe was blown off.

"You're as good as dead, boy. If you were truly thinking rationally, you'd have noticed... that you were being led into a feeding ground."

Hänsel breathed heavily as he looked from the corner of his eye and saw the glint of an eye scope on the top of a building nearby. And as he looked around, he finally noticed that he was surrounded by armed men standing near the edges of the clearing, all with their weapons pointed at him.

Balalaika put her cigar back on the edge of her lips, "And so now you are going to die here as nothing but a helpless, injured little brat."

Hänsel looked at Balalaika and his frown turned into a twisted grin as he began to laugh manically. "What are you talking about, you senile old woman? I will not die. I'm not going to die. We've killed so many people, many, many, many, many people. Therefore, we can live forever, we can add their lives to our own. We'll never die; you hear me? Yes, we'll live on eternally."

Balalaika was unbothered by the tears now falling down the boy's face and was slightly amused by Hänsel's words. "Is that what you believe? What an interesting way of thinking. But the correct answer, as the song goes, 'no one lives forever'." Balalaika then looked above Hänsel's head, "Isn't that right, mалышка?"

From the same place that Hänsel had walked out from, Amara Chaisai entered the clearing. Unlike the last time Balalaika called her that term of endearment, Amara did not stutter, gasp, or blush, instead looked at the older woman expressionlessly.

Amara was not surprised that Balalaika had noticed her, given that the woman had also noticed Hänsel, and Balalaika would not have been a very affective VDV captain if she was not aware of her surroundings.

So, this is the Ghost of Roanapur, I've heard so much about. Balalaika smirked, looking over Amara.

She had never paid much attention to the rumors that circulated about a young woman who moved as silently and as deadly as specter, killing her enemies with swift precision, whether it was because they crossed her or simply for money.

But after hearing reports from her men throughout the night, Balalaika could see that most of the tales about Amara's skill were no exaggeration. She noted the difference between how Amara usually carried herself and the killer that now stood before her.

The scared woman turned back to Hänsel, "Now, I could terminate you with extreme prejudice, it's the least I could do after you used my subordinates as bait. But unfortunately, I'm not as vulgar as you are, I have no taste for the macabre. No, I'm only interested in watching you."

Hänsel tried to push himself up, but he could not muster the strength, falling flat on his face as his breathing grew shallow.

"Judging from your injuries, you have about ten minutes at most. So why don't you spend your last few minutes in this world praying for Saharov and Menshov to rest in peace?" Balalaika then pressed her forehead against the palm of her hand, "You... You don't even understand, do you?"

Hänsel's body was shaking as he began to bawl his eyes out, tears falling furiously down his cheeks as he felt nothing but hopelessness and despair.

Balalaika clicked her teeth, "Don't cry, you fool."

And as Balalaika had said, after a few more minutes, Hänsel's tears had stopped falling along with his breathing, and soon the young boy was dead.

"Kapitan!" Balalaika heard Borris addressing her from the other end of the receiver.

"Sergeant... Tell the Triad that I've taken care of everything on my end." She told him.

"That wasn't good, captain." Borris said softly, "I was chilled to the bone."

"I'm sorry," Balalaika said as she moved her hand from her head, "I had you stick with me through all this selfishness."

Borris looked at the scene below him from his binoculars with displeasure and discomfort, along with several other men. While Hänsel was a killer and had taken some of their own, he was still a child, so seeing him sobbing so strongly as he bled to death unnerved some of the hardened ex-soldiers, but Borris pushed past this as he gave his report. "The Triad went AWOL on us, captain. With their fingers on the trigger the whole time."

Balalaika blew out a puff of smoke, "What a shame. I guess I have to finish the job myself then. The other one is still alive, continue the search."

"Roger. What are your plans captain?" Borris asked.

Balalaika paused for a moment, staring into Hänsel's still open eyes, "I'm getting too old for this. I'm feeling a bit tired; I can't believe it... That's life I suppose."

Borris did not respond to his boss, he did not know what to say, and he knew that any answer he tried to muster would not satisfy the woman. Instead, he chose to end the conversation, leading his men to carry out the final part of the mission.

Amara felt the wind blowing through the park, and it was strong enough to knock the hood off her head. Amara sighed as she walked forward, kneeling next to Hänsel's corpse and gently closing his eyelids with two fingers.

"How kind of you." Balalaika voiced as she watched the action.

"It's not kindness, the kid's eyes were just freaking me out a bit." Amara said softly.

Balalaika smiled, seeing through the lie, "Of course."

"Aren't you the one who's oh so tired, Miss Balalaika? Who thinks she's getting too old?"

Balalaika hummed, "Giving into your instincts and impulses has made you snippier and more brash than I thought you were. No more stuttering and blushing around me?"

Amara ignored the taunts and turned away, leaving Balalaika alone after taking one last glance at Hänsel's body.

While she could never say it aloud, Amara could inwardly admit that despite the excitement she initially had over fighting two strong opponents, she pitied the twins.

Hänsel and Gretel, from their appearances were only a handful of years younger than her, and Amara could not help but think that if her circumstances were just a bit different then she would have ended up like them; a broken dog in need of being put down.

Would I have ended up like them if I didn't have... Despite her best efforts, Amara could not stop the image of her mother and brother's face from popping up in her mind.

Okay, that's enough of that. Let me just put this all behind me and get back to the office. Amara then groaned as another thought emerged.

Revy's going to kill me when I get there.

~X~

A Few Hours Later

In the cabin of the Black Lagoon, Gretel was singing beautifully in Romanian, her angelic voce traveling through the ship.

"What a nice singing voice, with such a voice you wouldn't think it's from a crazy cutthroat killer." Dutch said.

"Yeah, her voice alone is that of an angel." Benny agreed, "But this has all taken a weird turn."

Dutch let out a snort as he steered the ship, "You can say that again."

It could be surprising how these kinds of situations happened, especially to them, but that was simply how life was for people like them.

"A bloodthirsty murderer that started a night of terror in Roanapur is now our client." Benny sighed.

"Hmm." Dutch smirked, "A job is a job, who she is won't change that. Wait, where's Revy?"

"She was complaining a lot about the kid, but right now she's keeping watch outside of the cabin, just in case something happens to Rock."

Before Dutch could say anything else, a call came through on the ship's radio. "It's me... Is that you Balalaika?"

"I presume you know why I'm calling." Balalaika said, her voice smooth and cold.

"Yeah." Dutch said, "In fact I expected this call sooner."

A moment passed before the woman spoke again, "Do you realize what you're doing, Dutch?"

"Of course, we're being paid extra for the additional risks involved."

"You're not doing this for some obligation or sympathy, are you?"

Dutch scoffed, "Do I look like a philanthropist to you?"

"Just checking. It allows me to know to determine the position I should be taking."

"We both just got to do what we got to do, am I wrong, Balalaika?"

"Uh, Dutch, we're swaying right." Benny said as he watched Dutch beginning to change directions.

Dutch ignored him as Balalaika spoke, "You're right, Dutch and I've already taken the necessary steps."

Dutch looked up at the radar, "Yeah, I've just noticed some guys who may have something to do with that."

"No regrets and no grudges. Good Luck."

"Roger that, Captain." With that, the call ended.

Hotel Moscow... Not surprising that she already made her move. Dutch thought, "Benny, we got to find a new route."

Inside the cabin, Rock complemented Gretel once she was done singing, clapping his hands, "That was a beautiful song. Where did you learn it?"

"I heard it on TV once; it's one of my favorites." Gretel giggled, clasping her hands behind her back, before walking towards Rock, "But you know what? You're the first person besides my brother... that I've sung to."

Before Rock knew it, Gretel threw herself into his lap, pressing her back against his chest, "H-hey!"

"You seem different than everyone else." Gretel said as she looked up at him, "It's like you're in a different place, a different world."

Rock scratched the back of his head, "I've been told that before, I guess I'm still not used to the job and how things are around here."

Gretel giggled, "You're a good person, you know, I'm good at figuring out who's good and who's not."

Rock laughed awkwardly before lifting the girl up and making her sit across from him, ignoring the pout she gave him at the act.

Gretel did not focus on that disappointment for long as she had something else to be upset by, kicking her legs back and forth. "We're out on the sea but I can't see any of it, how upsetting."

"Sorry about that." Rock told her.

"It's okay, I'm used to it."

Rock furrowed his brow, "Have you never seen the sea?"

The thought of never seeing the ocean was a strange one for him, especially in the modern day, where people had modes of transportation to traverse large areas in a short amount of time.

Gretel's smile left her face at Rock's question, "Back when we were in Sicily and at the orphanage... all we saw were gray walls. I was born in the rocky Carpathian Mountain range, and it was a lonely place, always cloudy and dreary. The country's dictator prohibited his citizens from having an abortion, the purpose was to create more workers, but the fact was if these parents were poor then they couldn't take care of their children. Massive numbers of abandoned children were taken in by state run orphanages, and those children would become prime candidates for the secret police."

Rock frowned, his hands clenched as they rested on his lap, staring at the girl in front of him, having an inkling as to where the story was going, and being hit by just how young she was.

"The dictator was killed... and what remained were the countless orphans that no one cared for. Once we were handed over to Sicily, we were surrounded by blood and darkness. We were kicked until we could no longer move, and night where I could not stop peeing blood. Fratele mai and I used to ask why God was so cruel to us. But you know what?"

Gretel slowly stood up, walking back towards Rock, "Fratele mai and I realized something, other children would be brought before us, and then as they cried, they'd be beaten with bats. You know what then? The adults all laughed, and fratele mai and I laughed too, we laughed because we knew how the world works, that this was our purpose."

Rock was devastated as Gretel said this, not reacting as she sat on his lap again, processing what he just heard.

Gretel trailed a finger along the collar of Rock's shirt, "If this was what the world was created for, then that is the only reason we exist. We kill, are killed and kill again, that is how the world goes around."

"But aren't you sad that your Onii-chan got killed because of that? Don't you feel any grief?" Rock sadly asked.

"What are you talking about?" Gretel asked before grabbing the back of her head and pulling, revealing that she had been wearing a wig.

When she took it off, Rock saw that Gretel had a boyish haircut, and he deduced that Hänsel must have had the same hair style.

"I'm always with sora mae." Gretel said, making her voice sound exactly like Hänsel's and smiling at Rock, "Because we will live eternally, above this world that continues forever. We will continue killing, and the world, the people, and the two of us will always exist so we can kill. That's why we're no longer sad."

Gretel stood up and put the wig back on her head, giving Rock a closed eyed smile, "We've learned to love the smell of blood, the sound of screaming, and the warmth of bowels.

Distraught, Rock wrapped his arms around the child, tears falling down his face, "You're wrong, the world exists to make you happy. Listen, blood and darkness are only very small fragments of this world, it's far from everything it has to offer!"

Gretel was momentarily affected by his earnestness and became saddened that she upset him. "Don't cry, Onii-san. Hey, Onii-san, this is the first time I've met such a kind guy like you." Gretel pulled back and wanted to cheer him up by giving Rock a gift, "So, let me show you my gratitude."

She lifted the bottom of her dress and showed Rock her genitals.

Rock's eyes widened, and completely horrified, Rock ran out of the cabin, the feeling of bile rising in his throat as he moved.

Gretel watched him leave confused, wondering what she had done that could have upset him so much. Every other adult that she had done that for had always been happy, so should Rock not have been the same?

"Was that Rock?" Benny asked as he watched the other man walk past him and Dutch."

"Yeah, go check on him." Revy called out from bellow, "I'll take care of the kid."

The second Revy entered the cabin; she pulled her fist back and punched Gretel in the face, knocking the young girl to the floor and causing blood to pour out of her nose.

Revy sneered at the fallen girl, "You appear like a monster, but your blood is still red, huh, you mangy brat. The woman then grabbed a folding chair, opened it and sat backwards on it as she looked at Gretel, beginning to smoke a cigarette. "Not just your older brother, I'm also disappointed that you're not already dead."

Gretel glared at Revy as she sat up, wiping the blood from her face before giving Revy a vicious and sadistic grin. ""You know, you have the same smell, the smell of blood, gunpowder smoke, and death. You and I are alike."

"What are you going on about? I don't care about that, you little shit. You make fun of him one more time and I'll kill you." Revy said as she gave Gretel a cold glare, "And the same thing goes for it you say anything stupid; I'll kill you, got it?"

Gretel sneered at Revy, but said nothing in response, knowing that the woman was serious about killing her or at least hurting her.

~X~

On the deck, Benny stepped outside to see Rock hitting the side of the ship repeatedly, crying in anger, "Damn it! What the fuck?! It's... so unfair. Everyone ganged up on her and they turned her into a fucking animal!"

"Rock." Benny sighed, "Don't try to take this kind of thing too personally. In the world we live in, it's for the best, it can't be helped."

Rock snarled before grabbing Benny by the collar and slamming him into a wall, "I'll...I'll..."

Benny was unfazed by the action, "What? Adopt her? It's no use, that kid can never stop killing."

Rock squeezed his eyes shut, his grip on Benny's shirt tightening, "If someone was just a little kinder to them...they might have gone to school, made friends, and lived happily."

"But those things didn't happen, Rock. So, the story ends here."

Rock felt nothing but despair as he released Benny, keeping his eyes closed to keep more of his tears from falling. He hated how helpless he felt in this situation because of how much he wanted to help Gretel despite everything she had done.

He wanted to be that person that believed in the girl and did not use her for his own sick and twisted desires like every other adult in her life had.

In due time, the Black Lagoon arrived at Pangkalpinang, and when reached the docks, an elderly man was waiting for them there.

He was a Caucasian man with a skinny build, pale skin, short gray hair, and a mustache, and he wore tinted sunglasses, a white Panama hat, and a swamp green Hawaiian shirt with a ultramarine-colored compound leaf pattern.

"Dutch, long time no see." The man greeted.

"Yeah, it's been a while, Elroy." Dutch said as he was mooring the boat.

Elroy tilted his head as he looked at the the young girl who emerged from the ship's hull, "So that's the cargo this time?"

Dutch nodded his head, "Yep."

"I hate to rush you, but were you able to get her a passport?"

"I gathered everything she'll need, as usual."

"Onii-san!" Gretel called out as she jumped off the boat, "Let's meet again someday. Next time, the two of us should have lunch together!"

Rock gave her a small, pained smile, "Yeah, that sounds wonderful, that would be really wonder-"

Before either of them knew it, Elroy pulled out a gun and immediately shot Gretel in the back of the head.

Blood gushed everywhere, bathing Gretel in it as she fell to her knees and leaned her head back, his eyes wide as she looked upwards. "...H-how...beautiful, the sky... w-why..."

Rock watched horrified as Gretel fell back, her body hitting the dock with a heavy thud, seeing the life leave her eyes.

"Hotel Moscow, what are you going to do?" Elroy said aloud as he stared at Gretel's body.

"You know you just trashed your career as a getaway man, right?" Dutch asked in a bored tone, knowing what was going to happen but not expecting it to be carried out by the other man.

"Yeah, I'm done." Elroy said as he turned around, "I have a son in South Africa, I got a letter from his wife, he's only thirty-four and has been diagnosed with cancer. In any case, I've grown tired of walking the tightrope. This was my last job, and Hotel Moscow is paying me a pretty attractive amount for it. Well, see ya."

The crew of the Black Lagoon watched Elroy start to walk away, continuing until the man disappeared from view.

Revy looked down from where she was sitting, resting her head on her forearms as she stared at Gretel's body. "Her last words were 'how beautiful, the sky'? How stupid."

"Rock!" Dutch called out, "Bring a tarp, we better cover up the body."

"That won't be necessary, Dutch." Rock said, causing everyone to look at him and see the resigned expression on his face as he continued to stare at Gretel. "Like this, she can look up at the sky and gaze at the ocean one last time."

It was strange in a way, how in her last moments, Gretel's face had become serene and peaceful in the face of her death. But at the same time, Rock saw it as a mercy for a girl who had lived such a terrible life to be able to smile when she met her end.

~X~

A Few Hours Later

Amara leaned her head back on the couch as she watched the others enter the office, "So I'm guessing Balalaika finished up with you guys?"

Dutch hummed as he walked past, disappearing deeper into the office, "Job went off without a hitch."

"Good to see that your twin didn't kill you, Amara." Benny said before disappearing as well.

"He certainly tried to." Amara said with a snort.

Revy smacked the back of Amara, "You should have called dumbass! Instead of making us wonder if you really did go out like a little bitch."

"Were you worried about me?" Amara asked.

This earned Amara another smack and Revy calling her an idiot before she turned around and went to her bedroom, complaining about being tired after a long night.

This left Rock and Amara in the lounge, and Rock sat down on the couch, sighing as he rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

"How are you holding up?" Amara asked as she watched Rock.

"Do you really care?" Rock asked, looking as if he had aged twenty years since the last time Amara had since him. "No one else cared about... about Gretel."

"I wouldn't imagine they would. Why care about someone with a foot in the ground already?"

"So that just means they deserved it?!" Rock exclaimed, "They were children!"

"Rock, you're right; they were children, those two weren't born evil, they were taught evil, gutted of everything human, then wound back up like toys until they broke. All they knew was pain, so they gave it back to the world tenfold, because that's what they thought power was. But when you know people like that, you start to understand whatever they innocence once held isn't a shield; and can't be used to excuse their terrible actions, especially when they are actively doing onto others what was done to them."

Rock looked down at his lap, "I saw something in her, the girl, Gretel. At the end, she almost looked... free."

Amara shrugged, "Maybe she was, and maybe she wanted out, deep down. But freedom comes too late for people like them. You can't live that kind of life and expect to walk away whole, no child walks through hell and makes it out clean."

In that moment, Rock wondered if Amara was speaking from personal experience, being reminded of how young she was. Amara was nineteen and to his knowledge had grown up in Roanapur, she lived in this wretched city and certainly did not act like other girls her age.

"And I'm sure you're think that the true tragedy of it all was not that the twins are dead, but that the world made them that way in the first place and no one ever did anything to stop it." Amara said knowingly.

Rock clenched his fists, "Yeah, and by the time I tried... it was already over."

"But you tried, that's more than most people ever will, so that should count for something."

Rock allowed Amara's words to wash over him, wondering if he would ever get to point where he could think like Amara and Benny; shutting away his feelings and killing his empathy towards others for the sake of his own peace, if he could rationalize horrific acts because of who committed those acts and who they were committed against.

It worried him that he could not definitively say yes or no to the thought, and Rock was beginning to think that he was getting used to his new lifestyle.