1 Before the Rebirth

"Ha~ Some chocolate milk will be very befitting after being couped up in the house all this while," a short blonde girl said, stretching as she entered the cafe. "I need to exercise more," she muttered under her breath as she headed to the counter to place her order.

"Hiya! One choco milk please." She smiled at the waiter and he paused, looking her over for a second.

The blonde girl wore a light pink sweater coupled with a white skirt and wedges (probably to make her look taller though it didn't work). Her blond hair was at her shoulder level with a braid to add some beauty to it and a brown brunette with a little pink ribbon on top. Her short figure and blue eyes sparkling with amusement gave her a child-like deposition and the waiter couldn't help but look behind her as if expecting to see her parents coming in after her.

"..."

"I am sixteen," she said after a brief silence and the waiter laughed nervously before taking her order.

"Here you go," the young waiter said as he brought her order. She smiled at him before taking her drink.

"Can I have this in a takeaway cup please?" she asked politely with a slight smile on her face.

'She seems to always have a smile on her face. Does she have a resting smiling face perhaps?' the waiter thought before collecting her drink and shooting her a wink. "Just a moment, sweetheart."

He left to arrange her takeaway cup and she leaned on the counter, playing with some coins she had on her to pass the time. He came back shortly with it and she thanked him as she collected it.

Her smile brightened like a little kid's as she took a sip of the drink and she happily paid for the drink, even giving the waiter the coins she was playing with earlier as a tip.

"Thanks for the tip," he said as he placed the pay bills in the register and kept the tip in his pocket.

"No problem at all. I should thank you for this delicious cup of coco milk instead," she said appreciatively before leaving the cafe with her drink.

She walked some distance away from the cafe before pausing as she took out the small thing that was hidden under her takeaway cup.

It was a mini bomb.

"Ah... are these people doubting my skills? It's pathetically sad how clumsily they hid the bomb." The previously polite and sweet facade seemed to have vanished as a sinister smile appeared on her face. A sickenly tense and malicious aura surrounded her and it felt like just a little more tilt of emotions would make her explode when it all suddenly vanished. "Oh, they still had a plan B huh?"

She suddenly turned around with a grin on her face. "No need to hide, I had felt your presence even with how slow you kept following me. Come on, you shouldn't lack the confidence to confront me after coming all this way? I would appreciate it if you just came out right now~" she said in a singsong voice and a moment of silence reigned before a masked man in a black jumpsuit came out from the shadows of a nearby building.

"I see you found me. As expected of the top assassin, Mystic S," the assassin said with a cocky tone as he came out calmly but his nervous and alert eyes betrayed his calm and arrogant deposition.

"Yes, I know I am awesome and all but..." she looked him over and sighed, "Were you the best they could find?" she asked with a warm smile as if she didn't just insult him. His face twisted in anger at her words and all signs of nervousness and alertness left him.

He's scowl turned to a smirk when he noticed she was still holding onto the takeaway cup. He sneered as he looked at her with a haughty gaze, "You are the top assassin and didn't even notice the bomb attached to your cup. Ha! That bomb will explode in 15 seconds, you stand no chance against me now."

"I know, which is why I put it on you," she said, innocently batting her eyes.

"Yes, which is-" he paused as her words sank in, "You what?! When?! How?! Where is it?!" He panicked as he patted his body down, trying to find the bomb but couldn't feel anything unusual on him probably due to how small it was.

"I can't tell you or it won't be fun~," she said with a cute giggle that sounded anything but cute to the man.

"By the way, you have 8 seconds left," she reminded him as she smiled sweetly.

The assassin stopped his frantic search as the impending doom dawned on him. "They warned me to be careful with you... why didn't I listen?" He lamented but suddenly stopped as he looked at her with a crazed look.

"If I'm going down, then I will at least take you with me!" he said as he crazily started running towards her, "Even if I die, I will still be known as the greatest assassin for taking you down!"

Her smile grew wider as she saw his crazed self gradually but quickly get closer. She dodged just as he reached her and jumped up to the roof with little effort. She looked down at the man to see him looking at her with a surprised expression that amused her, though that lasted less than a second before he exploded.

At the same time, the waiter in the cafe also exploded and screams burst out.

She looked over in the direction of the cafe, watching the commotion. "He wasn't so bright, was he? He wasn't even on alert with me and didn't suspect those coins were bombs yet he was put in charge of planting a bomb." she sat on the roof lazily as she yawned.

"That was more boring than I expected." She yawned once more before taking out her phone and typing in her password: "Starfire". Her real name.

She went to her call log and saw her number one contact information, the organisation she worked for. ITY organisation.

"No calls yet, huh?" She stared at her phone for a while and her lips curled up into yet another smile.

"Oh well, at least I can keep enjoying my break. I haven't had this much time to relax since I joined that organization anyway," she stretched before scoffing. "Geez, imagine not letting someone since they were twelve. I should make the most of it before they decide to do that..." she trailed off as she stared into the distance.

'That presence is still watching me, huh?' she thought before shrugging and heading home.

[Somewhere far away]

"The Head gave me quite an interesting job. I wonder what else you have in store for me, Star." A voice was heard by a stranger whose face was shrouded in darkness.

A gorgeous lady appeared beside the stranger. Her very appearance was enchanting and could easily capture a mere man's heart with a simple glimpse of her beauty.

The lady had long silky azure hair carefully tied back in a ponytail, leaving only the short bangs to roam free as it shaped her face perfectly. She wore a traditional-looking outfit that made her look like a fairy in human form and only served to enhance her pure-like grace. She elegantly walked closer to the stranger and the hem of her gown and sleeves seemed to float along as she did so. She looked so surreal that she appeared as though she came out of an ancient painting- which might not be that far from the truth given how unusual her sudden appearance was.

"Master," she greeted the stranger with her equally enchanting voice. " I know the Head said you should watch over her but that doesn't mean you should watch her like you are watching a movie," she scolded, not exactly comfortable with what the stranger was doing.

"Head said I should watch her but never specified how I should watch her," the stranger glanced at her, "I can watch her however way I like," The stranger added in an amused tone.

"But if Head knows you aren't even looking after her safety properly and are leaving it all to Miss Starfire, you might get in trouble," the lady said, clearly worried for her master.

"I know, but Head can't do anything to me since I am a competitor for that thing," the stranger chuckled. "Head wouldn't dare do anything major before a winner is announced."

"Yes but Miss Starfire is also-" The stranger cut the lady off.

"Don't complete that sentence and annoy me. You wouldn't want me to punish you again." The threat was calm but ominous.

The lady's face paled as she remembered the last time her master got annoyed with her and punished her.

"Of course master," the lady apologized, bowing her head. "I apologise for having uttered such a vile thing."

"Good. Now go, I have an interesting show coming up and I don't want you to disturb me with your rambling," The stranger said with a more lighthearted tone.

"Of course." The lady bowed her head once more before she disappeared.

The stranger was left alone once again and watched Starfire with a smirk.