15 V. I Chapter 13: Again? God, I Hope Not

The next morning, the three got ready and left the hotel together, heading to the same building from last time.

Ciel just put on a slightly embarrassed smile as the people who passed complimented him. He knew he did a fairly poor job acting, from the way Laksa and Jaeyline were looking at him, but he really didn't care for once.

"Are you okay?" Jaeyline asked, worry etched in her face. "I'm sorry for telling you to sing without consulting you first. If I hurt you in any way, please let me make it up to you..."

Ciel's eyes widened just a bit. Then he smiled and rubbed Jaeyline's head, softly laughing. "It's nothing. I'm just a bit tired. You are my boss. If I couldn't do that much, at least, then what kind of LEO Corp. employee would I be?"

Jaeyline smiled back. "Of course."

Laksa just chuckled to himself. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself. He was happy Ciel had someone to care about again.

The double doors opened, and the three were blown back a step from the rapturous applause that burst from inside.

"W-what is all this for?" Jaeyline asked.

"This is for the performance last night. It was spectacular!" the woman who hosted the event cried. She was clapping the loudest by far.

"There's no need for that, President Olivia. We were simply doing our job," said Laksa.

"Very impressive, Miss Jaeyline," agreed another president.

"And don't forget the assistant and bodyguard. Is that really all you are?"

Laksa and Ciel glanced at each other. "Assuredly," they said.

Jaeyline took her seat, Ciel sitting next to her, with Laksa back against the wall once again. "Now, you all enjoyed our spectacle?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Lovely. That hurdle is cleared then. What is the next step in our procedures?"

Ciel said, "I believe it's the signing."

"Of course! Natalie, get the papers!" President Tom said.

The proper papers were placed in front of everyone, the steps explained. Ciel peeked at the papers. "May I?" he asked, gesturing to them.

Jaeyline nodded, handing him the small stack of files.

Ciel scanned through them quickly, signing his signature where required, circling parts in the text. He left a few signing places blank, looking through once again before handing the pile back to Jaeyline. "I'd like you to read the circled parts. I filled in the rest of the paperwork, but I don't have the knowledge to sign for these ones."

Jaeyline nodded. "Understood." She hid a smile. Had he done that for her to watch for any traps? Any loopholes or cages in the text she might not have caught.

Ciel glanced at the president that had stolen his attention the last meeting, the one that looked like a haunted rabbit about to bolt. His eyes narrowed lightly. Was he planning something?

"Can you explain this part to me?" Jaeyline asked, pointing out a circled part.

Just as Ciel leaned over to look at the documents, he heard a light click, the slight hissing noise of a bullet locking into the chamber. He had a split second. Ciel's hand reached into his suit, hand grasping his Desert Eagle. Then he shoved Jaeyline's chair back, the wheels carrying straight to Laksa, as he whirled around, pulling the slide back, and fired.

Ciel barely noticed the bullet that sailed right past his arm, landing where Jaeyline had just been, his eyes full of fury as he watched President Marco slump into his chair, two bulletholes in his forehead. Ciel's eyes went to the twitchy man, who held a semi-automatic pistol.

"You have very good reflexes, Mr. Michaelis," the man said, a thick German accent coating his words. "Better than I would think, for an assistant president."

Ciel drew back the slide again, this time with his teeth, backing in front of Jaeyline. "Same to you. You put on quite the impressive act. Why did you want to be part of this meeting, if you had no intention of signing?" Ciel asked.

"Simply to get rid of a thorn in our sides. Though, I do have intention of signing. I was just waiting for this bastard to make his first move."

Ciel nodded. He didn't put his gun away, but lightly pushed Jaeyline's chair back up to the table. "You called everyone here to get rid of one opponent?" he asked.

"Yes," Olivia replied. "He's been a real pain in the ass to all of us. So when we proposed putting Miss Jaeyline Cordelia into the mix, we expected something like this to happen." She put away her own handgun. "We were all prepared. While we did want to get rid of him, we didn't want Jaeyline in any danger."

"That's why all of us were armed. But we knew Fitz had the greatest reaction speed. However, we also wanted to test you in particular, so we placed a little bet on Jaeyline's head. If you could block or get her out of the way in time, she would get away safe. However, if you failed, she would die," said President Tom.

"I must say, you have spectacular reflexes. You got her out of the way and managed to hit the target more accurately and faster than even me, with the fact that you were much further away," said Fitz.

Ciel's fingers twitched. At least Jaeyline hadn't been hurt, but for these people to bet her life on it...

"I'm fine, Ciel," Jaeyline said softly, placing a hand on his arm. Her hand was shaking, sending small vibrations over Ciel's sleeve.

He calmed at her slight fear. A fear not at him, no, but at yet another attempt on her life. Ciel took a breath and sighed deeply. "Fine. I won't let this affect our partnership. But the next time you put my President's life at risk, I won't settle for just putting a bullet through your head."

They laughed good-naturedly. "Very well."

Ciel didn't take his place by Jaeyline, choosing instead to stand by Laksa.

As the Presidents started discussing business, Ciel grinned, glancing at Laksa out of the corner of his eye. "Was that you who fired the third bullet?"

"Of course."

Ciel chuckled darkly. Everyone had seen the two bullets in his forehead, but they missed the one going through the back of his mouth through his throat.

"I think it's a bit strange to be talking about a business deal with a corpse sitting in the chair next to you," said Laksa conversationally.

"I agree. Though, if they want to talk about something more serious, we should toss the body though the window."

"Why? I'm sure everyone here would be quieter than the dead," Laksa said, a small smile on his face from the irony.

"Yes, but even the dead talk to those who listen. It's best to be even more quiet than them," Ciel warned lightly.

"Well, as much as we enjoyed your company, I believe it's about time your return to your own home," Fitz said.

"Agreed," Ciel replied.

He smiled. "I believe we'll see each other soon, Mr. Michaelis."

"Again? With all due respect, no way in hell," Ciel replied with a laugh.

.

"Oh, it's good to be back," Laksa said, stretching as they walked down the streets of London, heading toward the LEO Corp. building.

"Yes," agreed Ciel.

"Oh, I have something to run by you guys for a sec," Jaeyline said, glancing over her shoulder at the two. "Ciel, I know you deal with a lot of work as my assistant, so I was wondering if you'd like a bit of help. Having your own assistant sounds good, right?"

"An assistant having an assistant?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, my CEO having an assistant," corrected Jaeyline. She smiled, something about the way the corner of her lips curled looking mischievous. "Laksa, how would you like to join LEO Corp?"

Ciel tripped over a crack in the sidewalk, mirroring the reaction Laksa had. They both regained their balance, gaping at her.

"Are you suggesting..." they both said.

"He's (I'm) going to be my (his) assistant?!" they said together, words overlapping.

Jaeyline nodded, a smile on her face. "What do you think?"

Ciel looked at her like she was crazy. "This guy doing serious work? Are you dreaming? All he does is freeload at my house and lay around like a sunbathing cat!"

"What he said," agreed Laksa. "But me working with my step-brother? Are you asking for the building to explode?"

"What?" Jaeyline asked, startled where the conversation had headed.

"That was one time," Ciel hissed at Laksa.

"What?" Jaeyline repeated, this time surprised that Laksa was telling the truth.

The two shut their mouths, glancing at each other once again, before saying. "We accept your offer, President Jaeyline!"

Jaeyline just laughed. "Call me by my name. Please. I have enough of Miss Jaeyline and President Cordelia during work hours. It's nice to hear my name said like a friend would say it."

.

After setting up Laksa's desk on the right of the door into what was previously Ciel's office, opposite Ciel's, the three of them went out to lunch.

"Why don't you show me your shooting range," Laksa said. "I should practice a bit. Maybe I'll get as good as you."

Ciel agreed. "Do you want me to drop you off first?" he asked Jaeyline.

"No. I want to see, too," she said. "Maybe I'll learn how to shoot."

"You want to learn?" Ciel asked, interested.

"Why not? It's not a bad skill to have, in my job line. Maybe you could take a vacation from saving my life, if I learn how to save it myself."

They laughed together.

"Shooting range it is," Ciel relented. "Just be aware we don't get many female visitors. So if you get a lot of stares and you start feeling uncomfortable, let me know." Ciel was prepared to beat whoever dared stare at her too long until his own mother wouldn't recognize him.

"Understood," Jaeyline replied.

It was a short drive to the range. Once Ciel parked, the three walked into the large, open lobby.

"Good to see you're better," a familiar voice said.

"Denis... right?" Jaeyline asked,

He nodded, a rather bland expression on his face.

Ciel could tell he was slightly surprised at Jaeyline remembering his name, because his eyes widened a millimeter. However, to anyone else's untrained eyes, Denis was like a robot.

"Pleasure, Miss Jaeyline Cordelia," he replied. "What are you here for? Today we have martial arts classes in Range 1."

"Do you want to head there for the class? Then get to the shooting range?" Ciel asked.

Jaeyline's eyes brightened slightly as she heard martial arts. "What kind of martial arts?"

"I'm fairly sure it's mixed. Though, I think they're focusing on jujitsu, maybe. And Taekwondo." He glanced at Ciel.

"Let's go, then," said Ciel, interested. "Do you want me to help out?"

"If you want. The instructor wouldn't stop you if you wanted to. In fact, he said that if any of the Great Four wanted to come, they were more than welcome to."

Ciel nodded. "Lovely. Let's go, yes?" he asked the others.

"I'll never say no to a fighting match," Laksa said.

"Maybe I can actually do something. Why not," Jaeyline agreed.

Ciel was interested about what Jaeyline had said, but he just turned and lead them to Range 1. He opened the door after knocking, holding it open for his brother and Jaeyline. "Hello. Do you mind if I join?" he asked.

Everyone inside gaped at him. "Is that..."

"I'm Ciel Michaelis. This is Jaeyline Cordelia, and this is my brother, Laksa... Michaelis," he explained. He didn't even try to call Laksa by his real last name. It would be a pain if people started asking about their family.

The instructor turned around to look at them.

"Good day, Ciel," Jerry said.

Ciel blinked. "Hello, Jerry. Are you teaching the class?" he asked.

Jerry nodded, a smaller figure jumping out of the crowd of people watching the demonstration. "Hello, Ciel!"

"Enda," Ciel greeted. "So, do you mind if I help?"

"Of course not," Jerry said. "Come on. Do you want to practice flipping with me?"

Ciel was about to agree when Jaeyline tapped his shoulder lightly. "May I?" she asked quietly, voice quivering in what seemed to be excitement.

Ciel cocked an eyebrow. "Sure. Be careful, though."

Jaeyline stepped forward, the students looking at her slightly incredulously as she faced off against Jerry, who was just about twice her size both height and width.

Jerry glanced at Ciel before facing the young woman. "I'm going to charge you, and you're going to have to flip me. You're going to want to turn so your back to so me, grab an outstretched arm, and heave, using the opponent's momentum to flip them onto their back, following up with a knockout blow."

Jaeyline nodded.

Jerry backed up to the far corner before he started running toward her, arms outstretched as if to trap her in a hug.

Jaeyline waited until he was practically on top of her before spinning, grabbing his arm, and hauling with her strength. But instead of throwing him far, like he expected of an amateur, she slammed him vertically into the padded floor, pressing her heeled shoe against his throat. "Was that good?" she asked, not even a bit winded.

Jerry coughed, but nodded. "Very. Are you a beginner?" he asked.

Jaeyline's lips pulled up as she looked up to meet Ciel's eyes. "No. I studied Judo and Jujitsu. The problem with that is, these days, everyone tries to kill you with a gun."

Ciel's lips twitched. He knew she had some kind of training, but to think she learned Jujitsu... her father was a whole other realm of protective.

"Very good," Enda said. "If facing a larger opponent, that is just how you want to do it. But if you don't have the strength do to a throw or don't think that will put the attacker down, sometimes Taekwondo is useful. For example, if you are naturally small, like me, taller opponents will mistake you for weak and not being able to hit their vitals, like their neck and temple. However..." His eyes turned to Ciel.

Ciel sighed. He walked over to Jerry, who'd stood up and brushed off the blow. He widened his legs, one in front of the other, and bent his knees only slightly. He wanted to be grounded, but also light and springy. His eyes tracked Jerry's movements as he moved back once again, beginning to charge.

"You'll want to take advantage of openings. If you can reach it, aim for the neck or head. If you can't, settle for either kicking with your heel to their chest or their legs to try to get them to fall," Enda explained as Jerry neared.

Ciel moved quickly, ducking under Jerry's arms and whirling around in a spin, hooking Jerry's neck with his leg, using both his momentum and his opponent's to throw Jerry to the side. As Jerry got up on all fours, a shadow passed over his head, and Ciel's heel came down. The blow would have been enough to render him unconscious, if not fatally wounded, had Ciel not stopped it barely before touching Jerry's neck. He jumped back, helping his partner stand, though avoiding skin.

"That was a bit advanced for beginners, but the hooking kick I'm sure you can all complete," Enda instructed.

"What was the last blow?" a younger student asked, peeking from behind who seemed to be his older sister.

"That was an ax kick. Brutal. If Ciel had landed that kick, Jerry could have had his neck broken," Enda explained. "You extend your leg all the way up, until it's parallel with your body, then drive it straight down."

"Naturally, a real attacker isn't going to be as easy to take down as a partner in a spar," Jerry said, standing. "But if you know where the spots that will incapacitate an opponent are, and can analyze your attacker's weak points, there will be almost zero chance of failure."

"Will you five help us?" a young man asked.

"Yes. If you want to practice with any of us, we will help, and if you need any advice, you need only ask," assured Ciel. "In our professions, we need well-rounded skills. However, depending on the way you want to fight, that will determine who you ask to help you train. Personally, I go for speed. Jerry obviously goes for strength. Enda goes for the surprise and undercover attacks. My brother most likely is an observant type, to gain an advantage with the opponent based on weaknesses. And Jaeyline fights as if to settle it in one blow. Brutal, but efficient."

The class of about forty nodded. There were ten girls and forty males, and they all split into the four groups. Jaeyline got about seven girls and also four men. Ciel had the other girls and about sixteen of the smaller and younger participants. Four went to Enda, probably soon-to-be assassins. Jerry got eight of the larger men, and Laksa had the remaining eight with different sizes and builds.

"Now why are you all here?" Ciel asked, looking kindly at his students. They were all younger than twenty, the youngest looking to be eight.

The youngest said, "I came here because I want to know how to defend myself, should I need to."

"I'm here because my interest is in the military," the oldest said, a few of the older ones nodding in agreement.

Ciel listened to all of their reasons with rapt attention. Some where there because they wanted to be. Some where there because their parents forced them. Some where there because their future plans, such as military and assassination and the such. "Alright. Because you chose to be faster rather than stronger we have some tests I want you to take, then the lessons will begin."

Ciel watched very carefully as his students ran the laps he'd ordered, stretched, and even jumped. He hid a wince. This... was going to take some effort.