…

DATE: SATURDAY APRIL 26, 2014

TIME: 2300

LOCATION: UNKNOWN

TARGET: SABACHI HIRITO

…

There was a promising young man by the name of Sabachi Hirito. He was the ideal husband for many women-and men, if the rumors were true.

He was young and ripe at the age of twenty-four, was almost certainly guaranteed to land his dream job and become the successor of the recently deceased president of the big shot CEO Company he worked for.

His sandy blonde hair and dark brown eyes of endless chocolate combined with his cockiness born from being raised in a wealthy family made him even more irresistible to all around him. His smooth talking and charismatic personality, along a few bribes thrown out here and there, never failed to give him an advantage.

All in all, he was powerful-untouchable. And that was what made him dangerous.

It made him dangerous to every other company in the area, and they stood no chance against somebody like him sitting on the throne. And there was no doubt he would enjoy crushing all of them one by one with a false smile on his flawless face as he fed the public lies.

However, there was one company that had no threats and only saw people like Sabachi as pawns in a chess game. And yet…it was better to be safe than sorry.

Easter played dirty; everybody knew that and yet they had no proof whatsoever. They had no proof to link the number one international company to all of the mysterious disappearances from all of their would-be competitors. Their hands were always clean.

For the head of the company, a wicked old man by the name of Kazuomi, never bothered to do the dirty work himself. He had someone else do it, obviously. Who, people ask?

Why, none other than the world's greatest assassin-Tsukiyomi Ikuto.

What made this boy so special, greater than all of the other professionals in the business?

A man like Sabachi was dangerous and yet Tsukiyomi Ikuto was nearly a carbon copy, at first glance at least.

Raised by a rich heiress and a famous musician, Tsukiyomi Ikuto grew to be a charming but sly young man. He was smooth with his words that were like sugar and honey with his deep blue hair and mesmerizing sapphire eyes. At the mere age seventeen, he was desired by women of all ages.

Yet how did such a promising young man fall into his current career? It was quite simple if one knew his tragic back-story.

Seventeen years before, a young heiress who was known by the name of Hoshina Souko went against her family's wishes and married her one true love, a very talented violinist named Tsukiyomi Aruto. Together, they had a son and agreed to manage the company her family left for her.

However, working in that environment did not suit him whatsoever and he left. Ikuto was barely two. She was not discouraged nor was she heartbroken. She listened as her family boasted about how right they were about a sketchy man like Aruto. She remained silent as they gave her a new husband who gladly took on her last name to become the head of the company.

At age seven, however, Ikuto's father returned and Souko was overcome with joy. She planned to run away with her true family-just her and her two boys. Hoshina Kazuomi was less than pleased when he found out about her plan and seethed with rage at the thought of losing everything. Without Souko at his side, her family would have no use for him and he would drop like a fly.

Though there was no proof, there were rumors of Kazuomi sabotaging their plans by drugging the couple and sending them on an auto-piloted plane that was rigged with a bomb all while spending the day with his "precious" stepson-the key to his plans.

The boy, barely eight now, was left with the old man and was immediately sent to various schools to achieve becoming the legend he eventually became. With natural cat-like agility, good looks, and charming words that he had all inherited from his father, he learned quickly and killed his first target at age eleven.

The first three times led to violent puking and endless tears. By the fourth one, nearly a year after his parents' deaths, he learned it was better to block out all of his emotions-especially if he was on a mission.

Speaking of which, the young man in question strode into his father's office and handed him a crisp white envelope. A cold smile crossed the man's face as he took it and opened it.

His greedy eyes skimmed over the letter's contents and each line caused his smile to become larger and larger. Finally, he put it down and gave his stepson an approving look.

"Excellent work, Ikuto," rumbled Kazuomi. "I see you've made tremendous progress over the years. It was a pain, you know, to clean up the mess you carelessly left behind the first few times."

Ikuto remained silent, waiting for the old man to continue.

"Ah, waiting for the story, are you?" Kazuomi let out a harsh bark. "Those always amuse you, don't they? Fine, I'll tell you. Sabachi is the ideal politician-very easy to manipulate despite being a near master manipulator himself. He was to become the president of a rival of ours, a name that is irrelevant, and I knew that they actually had a chance to take us down if that happened. The simple answer was to just kill him and have one of our spies there take his place."

Kazuomi leaned forward on his desk, a smirk crossing his wrinkled lips as he continued, almost smugly, "It's simple business, Ikuto. Oh, and don't worry. He had no friends and no family left if he ever had any. The suicide letter you made him write…I assume it was left near his body?"

Ikuto gave him a blank stare; the answer was obvious, but he was obligated to answer any questions. "Yes."

"And the body positioned to make it look like a suicide?"

"Yes."

"And this last will and testament was 'found' in our mailbox shortly after his death was announced?"

"Yes."

Kazuomi sat back, satisfaction plastered on his face. "Well, it's not a failure so far; let's see if it remains that way. I have no current assignments for you now." He glanced at the clock. "Be prepared for one in the morning, however. Go clean up and dispose of any evidence you have on you."

Ikuto turned on his heel and left the room. He had always had the strong urge to shower and rid himself of the invisible grime on him after a mission. It beat puking in a bucket, at least.

…

DATE: SUNDAY APRIL 27, 2014

TIME: 900

LOCATION: EASTER HEADQUARTERS-BOSS'S OFFICE

"Here's your next assignment," said Kazuomi, not bothering to greet his stepson as he entered the gray office.

Ikuto picked up the bulky, yellow envelope and raised an eyebrow. No assignment had contained this much information. It was always the general info. He looked up and used his people-reading skills to examine his stepfather. The day before, the old man had been smug and cocky as ever. Today, only people who knew him well enough or was a legendary people-reader would be able to tell how nervous the man was. Something had shaken the old man and that was a very rare feat. Ikuto wasn't sure he should be concerned or amused. He chose the latter.

"I want you to read all of that by the next hour," continued Kazuomi. "I will tell you the details when you return exactly in sixty minutes."

Ikuto couldn't help his next comment. "Details? What else could you tell me that isn't in this thing? It might as well be an autobiography about the target."

"Watch your tongue," warned his stepfather. "And this situation is far more complex. It requires all of the knowledge that can be obtained."

"Well, I'm not a fan of reading," quipped the blue-haired teenager, seating himself in the chair across from the old man's desk. "So why don't we imagine the target already dead and we get to the point where you tell me the facts?"

Kazuomi glared at him but merely nodded. "Very well, boy." He sighed and stood up, hands behind his back as he stared out at the early morning sky through his glass wall.

"As you are aware, Easter is notoriously known as the most powerful corporation the world. Only the best of the best can work here-and only the best that are loyal to me alone. There was never a single question about our power. I admit the path to success was not clean, but it is impossible to survive this world without getting our hands dirty. It was always amusing-and still is-to see people attempt to remain pure only to be stepped on."

"People were aware of that and were correct in their assumptions that this company was guilty of foul play but, of course, they could never find evidence of it. The last decade was quite successful and I had hoped to die a very wealthy man. However, that plan became doubtful shortly after Sabachi was announced dead this morning."

Ikuto, if he showed any emotion, would have looked offended just then. His work was revolting, but he executed it perfectly. Never was it connected back to him or Easter, he made sure.

Kazuomi sensed his stepson's disgust and smirked slightly before turning back to the teenager. "As I am sure you remember, the plan for Sabachi was for him to be declared as a suicide and a spy at the company was to become the next president in order for us to remain control of it. However, a report came in early this morning that changed everything. Evidently, another man was selected for the position rather than our own employee."

Ah, so that was what was bothering him. Ikuto didn't understand what the big deal was though. It sounded like another simple job to take out this new boss, despite the questions it would raise and all the risks that it contained.

"And?" He drawled.

Kazuomi snarled, though it was not directed at his stepson for once.

"There is…another company. As painful as it is to admit it, they are just as powerful, if not more, than Easter. However, they are nothing like us. They remain clean, pure, and everything innocent even after being in this business for so long. They have their fair share of struggles, however, and not many companies believe them to be threats-and that is a dire mistake. The last thing a man wants to do is face the wrath of people like them. They do not believe in bribes, lies, or anything deceitful; but they do believe in fairness and justice. No matter the situation, it is to be played by the books."

"They have stuck low and stayed out of Easter's affairs so the company never bothered to deal with them. It would be suicide to do so anyways. However, that has changed literally overnight. An employee of theirs also works for Sabachi's company and it was that employee that landed the job we anticipated our spy to obtain."

Kazuomi took a long, deep breath. "And they are not afraid to fight back if we do plan an attack on this employee, especially so soon after Sabachi's death."

"So why did you call me in then?" Ikuto asked. "If there's no one to assassinate, I have no purpose here." He began to stand. "It sounds like a done deal for now."

"Ah," began Kazuomi, making the young assassin stop in his tracks as he glanced over his shoulder curiously. "It would be a done deal if we decided to take the simple, clean way out." He smirked. "I think we both know that is not how Easter operates-how I operate."

Ikuto slowly sank back into his seat.

"It's too dangerous even for us to make a move on their employee now, but that won't be a concern if his employer is no longer able to look out for him, right?" Kazuomi remarked.

"Old man, are you going to risk your neck to try and take down this super corporation that is evidently more powerful than you can imagine?" Ikuto asked skeptically.

His stepfather smiled coldly. "I do not believe in getting my hands dirty personally, Ikuto; you know that. That's why I have you, remember?" He shook his head. "No, no; I have a new plan. And it involves you…but you'll be doing something a bit different." He gestured towards the yellow envelope as Ikuto raised an eyebrow. "Read it."

Keeping an eye on his old man, Ikuto slowly reached over and opened the envelope, taking out its contents. Documents. Of course.

"Embryo?" He remarked, amused. Was there an egg theme going on in the world or was everybody drunk when they decided to start these corporations? "Head of company…a fair, powerful CEO…" He looked up, having finished reading. "I still fail to see what the plan is if I'm not to kill their employee or them."

Kazuomi still had that cold, sinister look. Though, Ikuto was able to tell the old man was slightly amused as well. "I want you to get involved with Embryo. Learn their secrets and destroy the company from the inside."

"And how do I do that?" Ikuto asked, though he already knew as he continued to look through the envelope's contents. His stepfather stood.

"I don't care how," he replied. "Just do your job."

Ikuto looked up at him. He remained silent.

…

He watched his target for several days, trying to understand and memorize everything about them. His target, he admitted, was not how he had expected them to be.

He expected that anyone from such a pure, innocent, goody-goody company like Embryo would be just that: pure, innocent, a goody-goody. A person who embraced their feelings and won over people's hearts with a simple, little smile…what other expectation was there in that situation?

He expected to find the target's weaknesses and use them to his advantage, maybe just trying to smooth talk his way into the building like a similar job he had done a few years prior. It was another simple job, though with a few extra risks than the usual.

That was he had expected. That was not what he had received.

His target was complex and yet also simple. He couldn't place his finger on it, but it seemed familiar. Perhaps it was a disadvantage of being so closely associated with such a powerful company. He understood that.

However, the target had allies; friends, enemies, admirers. The target did not always seek them out but they always found the target. However, the target showed little to no interest to them…at first glance. It was easy to see that the target craved the attention brought upon them. It was also easy to see that the target was displeased with the kind of attention brought upon them.

Again, the target was complex but also simple at the same time. It was intriguing, Ikuto thought, but he had no use in finding everything about the target. He only needed what was necessary.

After a few more days of stalking, Ikuto decided on the next phase of his plan.

…

DATE: MONDAY MAY 12, 2014

TIME: 900

LOCATION: SEIYO HIGH SCHOOL

TARGET: ?

Not being able to wear his comfortable jeans and jacket was irritating but work was work; he had no choice in this kind of situation. He doubted anyone was a fan of the stuffy uniform that was required for everybody. Though they could also not care less since they were as equally stuffy and uptight.

"Class," began the teacher, a clumsy old fool who Ikuto easily identified as Nikaidou Yuu. He was no threat. "Please welcome our newest student, Tsukiyomi Ikuto. He will be joining us from now on."

Many boys gave him disgusted looks that were heavily laced with jealousy and envy. It was easy to see, even for the dumbest of the dumb, that this new student would easily snatch any of their female classmates who they happened to have eyes on. They would not stand a chance with him around, all of them mentally agreed.

Many girls sat up in their seats with raised eyebrows that went along with their greedy expressions and lustful eyes. It was easy to see, even for the dumbest of the dumb, that this new student originated from a wealthy family if his posture and attitude were of any indication. In other words, their families would be pleased if they managed to snatch up this boy and make them their future husband. The other girls don't stand a chance, they all thought.

Ikuto noticed their change and mentally rolled his eyes even as a small smirk crossed his lips. They were all so easy to manipulate and fool. However, even he agreed that being ogled at by girls his own age was far better than women old enough to be his grandmother-that was a mission he chose to forget.

"Ah, Tsukiyomi-san," began Nikaidou. "Would you like to say anything to the class?"

"Where's my seat?" Ikuto asked bluntly.

His voice was deep, rich-it made all the girls sigh and all the boys seethe. Well, a majority of them anyways.

Nikaidou looked taken aback. "Uh, over there in the back next to that person, I suppose, since it's the only available seat here…" He gestured towards the back of the classroom.

Ikuto's smirk grew slightly. Right next to the target. Perfect.

He did not acknowledge the older man as he strode to his seat, ignoring the eyes on him. There was only one pair that mattered and, interestingly enough, they were not anywhere near him. The target was staring out the window with a bored expression.

The target looked fragile, far too breakable…like an embryo. It would be an easy mission, though Ikuto was aware it would take time. He had time.

However, as simple as it all seemed, the young assassin couldn't help but think that this mission would end differently than his stepfather had anticipated. And it would be because of this simple but complex person sitting right next to him.

TARGET: HINAMORI AMU

…

I do not own Shugo Chara!

Hello people of the Internet!

Thank you for reading my story, first of all! I am not sure where the idea came from but it just blew up at me and…here we are! This is just a prologue though so don't worry; it becomes more exciting soon enough. Also, the title has little meaning to the actual story so don't ask about that. I just needed a title…

Secondly, I apologize if you read my other stories and are anticipating a new chapter. I shall get to that soon enough, I promise! There are not enough hours in a day and not enough days in a year!

Nothing to say as of right now so please drop a review if you have any comments, which could either be your opinions and advice, or corrections on any mistakes you may have spotted here! Personally, since it's the first chapter of a new story, I would appreciate it if you told me how it seems so far!

Thanks, until the next chapter!