"A mission to get rid of a supply trader?"

Farely nodded, taking a sip from his glass of wine.

"This trader if very important to Burrows.  Without this man and his ships, Burrows will have no one to restock his firepower or food."

Corvo hummed in understanding.

"So the plan is to make Burrows a sitting duck."

Farely smiled and nodded.

"Exactly."

Cry was leaning against the wall on the side; his eyes were narrowed at Farely.

Noticing the brunet's presence, Farely jumped slightly before barking with laughter.

"Good gracious!  You nearly gave me a heart attack, Sir Cry.  Are you an assassin or something of the sort?"

Cry inclined his head; his cold expression was hidden under his mask, but his voice was happy and cheerful.

"Haha, I don't know~and sorry for scaring you!" 'I wish you could've died from a heart attack, you son of a b****.'

Farely smiled before putting a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Hm....Sir Corvo.  This time, I would want you to go with Sir Cry and maybe another....?  Sir Cry, who would you suggest to go on this mission with you?"

Cry was a bit surprised at the sudden direct question; the brunet paused and cocked his head slightly.

"....I would like to bring Snake with me."

Farely furrowed his eyebrows.

"Which fellow is that...?"

"The one with the green headband."

"Ah~!  That one!" Farely frowned. "But he seems to be more of the raucous type, no?"

Cry's fingers twitched, but he kept his voice cheerful.

"Snake's one of my best friends, so I know him the best.  He's perfect for this next mission."

Farely looked doubtful--Cry wanted to punch the man for thinking that Snake was incompetent--before slowly nodding his head.

"Very well.  Go at night, Sir Corvo--to the docks a few blocks from here.  Go to Samuel the moment dusk falls."

~~
<<(At the Docks)>>

"This is where I stop.  Be safe, Corvo, Cry, Snake."

Corvo bowed his head in thanks as Cry and Snake did the same.

"Thank you Samuel."

The boatman smiled slightly.

"I'll be waiting in a cave not to far from this spot.  Good luck you three."

With that, Corvo quickly led Cry and Snake further into the docks; they stuck to the shadows.

Corvo glanced back at the two, raising an eyebrow beneath his mask, whispering softly to them.

"I'm quite curious.  Have you two done this before--along with your other friends--an assassination."

Snake and Cry shared a look.

*Does Assassin's Creed count?*

*I dunno.  Maybe~!*

Cry looked back over at Corvo.

"Maybe..."

The ravenet huffed before pulling his hood on.

"I see...let's go.  We need to finish this before dawn."

~~
<<(Inside a Warehouse)>>

Corvo, Cry and Snake stood on the balcony.

Snake was using Peeping Tom, much to Corvo's curiosity.

"That does not look like the powers of the Outsider...what is it?"

Cry explained.

"Certain tonics that we found on an earlier journey gave us these powers."

Corvo nodded his head in understanding.

It wasn't unbelievable when there was already supernatural powers that existed.

Corvo then perked up when he heard voices; he crouched down as Cry and Snake did the same.

It was their target and a few of his crew members.

Corvo looked over at Cry and Snake.

"I shall take care of our target--if you'd allow me to--and you shall take care of his lackies."

Cry gave a silent thumbs-up; Snake did the same with a poker face.

Corvo then noticed the symbol on the back of Cry's right hand.

"So you have...met the Outsider..."

"Hm?  Oh. Yeah, I met him."

Corvo gazed at Cry with curiosity before snapping his attention to what they came for in the first place.

Corvo glanced at his own Outsider tattoo; it glowed brightly.

The ravenet quickly used Blink to flash over to the other side of the warehouse.

Cry glanced over at Snake and made hand signs.

*Go northeast of Corvo.  I'll go down to the second floor.  I'll give you back up if you need it.*

*Gotcha.  Stay safe.*

The two silently dashed away from each other.

Once they were in position, Cry started first.

The brunet sent a controlled stream of lightning into the ground, stunning the group that was in the center of the warehouse.

But one of the men were able to shout in alarm before being paralyzed completely.

Then there were voices outside; Cry sighed exasperatedly when more people came in.

But the brunet smirked and glanced up at Snake, who met his gaze with curious eyes.

*....I know that aura around you, Cry.  You always have that aura when you're planning something.*

*What are you talking about?  I have the face of an angel.  I haven't been thinking sh**.*

*Cry...*

*Okay, okay. I just thought that now would be a good time to show off your close-combat skills, Snake.*

*................I question my sanity sometimes when I hang around you, Cry.*

*So you accept my offer, amigo?*

*.....Sure.  Why the he** not.*

As the last of the trader crew came into the warehouse, Snake jumped from the balcony.

He landed on two people, knocking them out instantly.

Snake raised his head and his silver eyes glinted ominously.

The dark-haired brunet reached into his cargo-pant's pocket and pulled out two, fingerless gloves.

Snake tugged them on and flexed his fingers.

The men stayed silent before the leader shouted.

"I-Intruder!  K-Kill him!"

Snake got into a fighting stance as men came rushing at him with swords and guns.

The brunet sighed exasperatedly, glancing over at Cry, who was hiding in the shadows.

*You better come over to my house to fix my fire alarm when we get back home.*

*Haha!  I'm not keeping promises!  Plus, that fire alarm is what makes you, you.*

Snake sighed once more before turning his gaze to his opponents.

Bang, bang, bang!

Snake activated Peeping Tom.

The bullets seemed to move in slow motion.

The brunet quickly went past them and dashed up to his enemies.

One of the traders helped in surprise when Snake suddenly appeared in front of him.

Snake gripped the man by the front of his shirt and swung his in a circle with one arm, hitting the surrounding traders.

Click, click.

Snake perked up at hearing the familiar sound of guns cocking.

The brunet crouched forwards as two bullets flew overhead.

Snake still had one of the poor traders in his hand; he threw the man at the two that tried to shoot him.

Snake then dashed and jumped into the air, kicking two men in the face before landing on the ground with a crouch.

The brunet then whipped his body around and backhanded a pother man in the face.

Snake then flipped through the air before drop-kicking yet another trader in the back.

A burly man with a sword then came charging at Snake from behind.

The sword swung down.

But it stopped.

The trader blinked in surprise and shock.

Snake simply raised his hand behind his head and caught the blade between his index and middle finger.

The brunet whirled around and back-kicked the trader, sending the man across the warehouse floor.

Cry grinned and looked over at Corvo.

The ravenet got the message and aimed his crossbow--it had poison darts loaded--at the leader.

All it took was a simple tug of the finger.

The mission was finished in an instant.

Snake knocked out any other traders that tried to attack.

Mission: accomplished.

~~

"Thanks for coming Snake."

"No prob."

The darker-haired brunet had his legs crossed as he leaned against the side of the boat, eyes closed in content.

Cry--his hood was up at the moment--sighed as he propped his elbows on the other side of the boat, legs crossed and propped next to the seat by Snake.  Corvo was observing the two, and Samuel kept his eyes on the water in front of the boat.

"Cry."

The said brunet glanced over at his friend across from him; Snake was frowning.

"You've been distressed lately.....and....pale..."

Cry's shoulders rose by a single millimeter, yet Snake saw it and narrowed his eyes.

".....You're hiding something."

It wasn't a question.

It was a statement.

Corvo could feel the building tension between the two.

Cry glanced off to the side and looked at the murky water they passed by.

"....You were always...the sharpest one out of the group, Snake...."

A breeze blew by, knocking Cry's hood off of his head.

Snake widened his eyes when he caught sight of Cry's neck.

Sea-green veins, glowed softly underneath his skin.

It was abnormal--the veins were straight, with tiny circles ending at a few tips of the lines.

Corvo couldn't see so he looked between the two warily.

Cry looked back at Snake, whose eyes were still wide open.

"What...is that...?"

The masked brunet sighed.

"...When we get back to HQ...I'll tell you."

Grab.

Corvo jumped slightly when he saw Snake suddenly stand up and grip the front of Cry's jacket, hoisting the shorter brunet off of his feet and half a foot in the air.

The boat swayed slightly from the sudden movement, causing Samuel to glance back and widen his eyes slightly.

Snake's eyes were narrowed into slits; his jaw was tensed.

"Tell.  Me.  Now."

Cry had an air of calmness around him, causing Snake to furrow his brow slightly.

Looking closely, Snake could see sea-blue eyes within the mask eye-holes.

There was a hint of guilt and sadness within them.

"Snake........fine.  I'll tell you....just...please don't tell the others...yet."

Snake slowly lowered Cry to the floor of the boat; Samuel quickly directed his gaze back to the front while Corvo looked to the side to give the two some privacy to speak.

Cry lowered his head and smiled bitterly at the floor of the boat.

'Geez....Snake just had to be s sharp b*****d....' "How can I say this?  You're not the type that likes to beat around the bush, Snake, so....."

Snake held his breath.

Cry's voice.

Snake could read so much from it.

It held sadness, guilt, pain, bitterness.  The list went on--the voice was filled with so many negative emotions.

"Cry...?"

The shorter brunet slowly lifted his head.

Despite his mask, Snake could tell that Cry was smiling sadly--the shorter's aura and posture said it all.

"I'm dying, Snake."

~~
<<(At the Loyalists' Conspiracy HQ)>>

Snake sat on the roof, arm propped on his knee as his other leg swung limply over the edge of the building.

"I'm dying, Snake."

The dark-haired brunet clenched his teeth and slammed his fisted hand onto the roof.

"...D*** it......why?"

Snake gripped his headband as it slipped off of his forehead, and a memory came back to him.

::(Flashback)::

Fists came from left and right.

A teen Snake was thrown harshly against a wall.

Blood dripped heavily from his head and chin.

He coughed as he held his stomach, looking up at his bullies.

One of them was tapping a bat on their shoulder.  Another was wearing knuckle gloves.

The leader sneered as he kicked Snake in the jaw.

"This is what you get for getting in our way."

The other teen turned to his companions.

"Oi, finish him up."

Snake coughed again and struggled to stay awake.

The one with the bat smirked and raised his weapon over his head.

Snake closed one eye as blood nearly dribbled into it.

'.....Am I....going to die here....?'

The bat came down.

Crack!

The bat was broken into two pieces.

The part held in the bully's shaky hands clattered to the floor along with the other half.

Snake weakly turned his head to see who was there.

'......This guy.....'

There stood a slightly short brunet, who had a white mask present on his face.

Snake absently noted the green cloth tied around the teen's arm.

A deadly aura was leaking from the short brunet.

The bullies gasped.

"I-It's the Freak!"

The brunet huffed as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"My name's Cry, dumba**.  Remember it."

The leader sneered.

"Hah.  Here to save that piece of sh**?" He gestured over to Snake who merely made a stoic expression. "We'll just beat you up too.  You son of a b**--!"

"Finish that sentence and we'll make your life a billion times more worse than he**."

The leader whipped his head around and saw a brunet and redhead who wore glasses.

The bullies smirked.

"If it isn't the nerds~!  Why don't you f***kers go off to read your d*** boo--!"

Bam!

The brunet held the leader by the throat and smashed him against the wall.

The bespeckled teen smiled coldly.

"My, my~someone needs to be taught some manners~!"

The teen glanced over to the redhead girl.

"Hey~Red.  You got any soap to wash this b*****d's mouth?"

The girl sighed exasperatedly, smiling wryly to the other.

"You're one to talk, Russ."

Russ pouted.

"You're no fun~!"

The other two bullies cowered.

"Y-You freaks have nothing to do with this!"

Cry turned his head to the bullies and let out a dark aura.

"None of our business, eh?"

The brunet walked up to the teen with the knuckle gloves.

"You're a d**k.  And you know what we do to typical d**ks?" Cry smirked underneath his mask and glanced at Russ and Red. "We kill them."

The bullies shook under the bloodlust that was directed at them; one of them peed their pants.

Quickly, the trio of bullies scrambled out of the alley.

Snake blinked in surprise at how fast the bullies bolted.

"Hey, you alright?"

The darker-haired brunet lifted his gaze and saw Red looking at him with concern.

She crouched down and unslung her back pack.

"Give me a sec.  I know I have a first-aid kit in here..."

Russ ran a hand through his hair and pushed his glasses up slightly.

"D***.  Those b*****ds did quite a number on ya'."

Snake blinked blearily before opening his mouth to speak.

"Why?"

But Red placed a hand on his mouth.

"Shush.  Let's get you to Cry's house so we can patch you up."

"Oh.  So it's okay to crash at my house.  Ya' little freeloaders!"

"Aw, we know you'd be fine with it. Plus, your house is the closest..

"Fine, fine..."

Snake watched as his arms were hoisted over Russ's and Cry's shoulders.

"Geez!  You're heavy!"

~~
<<(Cry's House)>>

"You're tough guy.  I know certain people who would yelp every time I treat their wounds."

Red glanced away from her work on Snake and gave a bemused look to Russ and Cry; the two shouted simultaneously at her.

"It hurts, ya' know!"

Snake couldn't quite hold back a small smile; Cry pumped his fists into the air.

"Oooooh!  We have an accomplishment, Captain Russ!"

"Why yes indeed, Sir Trooper!"

The two brunets high-fives each other.

Snake raised an eyebrow before turning to Red

"....Why are you helping me?"

Red wrapped the last of the bandages around Snakes arm.

"Well....our dear, fearless leader told us to."

Russ ruffled Cry's head.

"It's~this guy~!"

"Russ!  Stop messing up my hair!"

Snake blinked before gazing directly at Cry.

"....Why did you help me?"

Cry inclined his head.

"'Why'?  Well, that's easy!  You're a good guy, Snake!"

The taller brunet blinked in confusion as the shorter continued.

"I saw you protect other victims of those bullies that we scared off today.  So you're a good guy, Snake."

The stoic expression gained a dust of pink on the cheeks; Russ laughed hard and held his stomach.

"Oh, d***!  He's blushing!"

Snake scowled at Russ.

Cry laughed too before stopping abruptly, causing everyone to look at him.

The masked brunet got up from his seat and stood in front of Snake, apparently scrutinizing something on Snake.

Snake blinked in confusion.

"....Is there something wrong?"

"Yes.  Yes there is."

Cry hummed and placed a hand beneath his chin, stroking an imaginary beard.

"I feel like you're missing something, good-guy-Snake."

The masked brunet brushed his arm to the cloth that was around his arm; Cry then seemed to brighten up.

"Oh!  Now I know!"

Cry untied the cloth on his arm and tied it around Snake's head.

With one last tug, the cloth turned into a headband; Snake blinked owlishly as he raised his hand to brush the cloth around his head.

Cry grinned underneath his mask and gave a thumbs up to Snake.

"Cool!  Now you look like the character in the video games!"

Snake blinked again before a blush rose to his cheeks once more.

"AHAHAHAHAHA!  He's blushing again!"

"Shut your trap."

And...Snake joined Cry's crew.

::(End of Flashback)::

Snake gripped the cloth in his hand tightly, gritting his teeth.

"....D*** it all....."