Chapter 1: The confession
Chapter Text
Loid had fainted after Anya told him about the tontrius bolt and continued to toss and turn around on the sofa. Curious as to what was happening, Anya decided to take a peek at what he was dreaming about.
She regretted her choice instantly, and yet, she couldn't help but watch. The rubbles of what used to be the town of Luwen.
The remains of war.
Anya decided then that she would make the decision her father had made. The decision that she supposed, was the point of her life, the point of her existence. The reason she was part of Project Apple. But she wanted to help, but how? Was there a way she could keep her secret? Moreso, Loid had to wait until he was at least 16 to become a spy. And even then, he had to spend a while training. As daft as she was, Anya looked around the room for some hint for the answer.
Her eyes landed on Yor.
True, she was an assassin but Anya didn't know at what age she became one but it was an idea. If she trained hard, could she become an assassin too? Nobody would suspect a kid of being an assassin. Anya stared at Yor and then ran to her room.
"Anya!!! Where are you going!"
"I'm gonna study mom! Byee!!!"
'Honestly, that girl is full of surprises...'
***
DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG!
Anya sat curled up on her bed, waiting for this moment. She knew Yor was still awake because she could hear her thoughts echoing in her head. She knew now was the time, while Loid was asleep. She carefully got out of bed and tip-toed over to her mother's room. her heart was pounding loudly in her chest as she slowly reached her hand to the door.
'knock knock'
'click.'
'creeeaaaakkkkk'
"Anya! Why are you still awake at this hour?"
"Mom..." Anya looked down as she shifted her feet nervously.
"Can we talk?"
***
"Hmmm..." Yor sat on the bed next to Anya as she thought. "I can see with the master but I'm not sure... at your age? But I guess I can't talk, I was still a little girl when I became an assassin and your power to read minds is extraordinary. I guess... hmm. Are you sure about this? Once you start, there is no backing out."
"I'm one hundred billion trillion sure per cent about this choice mama! Don't worry about me!" Anya looked up at Yor, determination sparkling in her eyes.
Yor sighed "I'll see about it with the master, but please don't tell your father about this."
"Don't worry, I won't!"
The next day Anya was left alone with Franky as Yor and Loid went to work. The day seemed to last forever as she watched her spy wars show. As it ended she picked up the remote to flick through the channels to watch something else. As she flicked through the channels something caught her eye. She became intrigued as A fight broke out between a huge muscled man and a small, seemingly helpless lady. Just as the guy's fist smashed into the lady's face, something stopped it. As Anya looked closer, she realised the lady had caught the guy's fist and crunched it.
***
"I'm home!!! Anya, I have a few stuff to sort out in my room, can you help me?" Yor walked in with a few bags in her hands. Anya broke into a cold sweat as she followed knowing what was coming. As soon as the door closed behind Yor, her face became serious. She pulled out some black clothes and 2 small axes.
"Anya, you have been accepted. your training will commence in two weeks. Your code name will now be 'The Shadow. You need to try these out to see if they fit
Anya stared at the clothes and the weapons.
She managed a small smirk.
Chapter 2: The disappearence and return
Chapter Text
Anya went outside with Yor that one fateful day two weeks later. The garden was surprisingly beautiful and an old man was at the back, tending to a tree. He turned to face them as they approached.
"So this is the potential recruit you told me about?" He deadpanned, staring at Anya and giving her a frosty look. "Prove your powers to me by telling me what I am thinking."
Anya couldn't help but feel nervous as she stared at the man. She tried not to let it show due to the advice Yor had given her as she read his mind.
"Training her would most likely take around seven to eight years, and that's only if she's lucky."
Anya stared at the man and he stared back. Then realisation occurred.
"SEVEN TO EIGHT YEARS!!!"
The man managed a smile. "Yes, and that's only if you're lucky. We have already provided reasons for your absence and nobody will know the reason we have given apart from your father, the headmaster of Eden academy and your housemaster. During your training, you won't have any contact with anyone except for me, the director and your teachers. Your training will finish once you are able to touch me with a finger."
Anya turned to face Yor and was surprised to see tears in her eyes. Suddenly she was crushed as Yor hugged her. "Please be careful and look after yourself! Don't challenge the master until you are four years into training. Good luck."
Anya watched as the doors shut behind her mother. She knew that was the last time she was going to see her.
But as soon as the doors clicked shut, she was knocked unconscious.
***
Damian stared at Anya's empty seat. It had been 7 years since he last saw her and wondered what happened to her. On the second week of Anya's disappearance, Becky faced him off and accused him of killing her. Then when she was half convinced that wasn't the case they went to prof. Henderson to question him about the case. However, he didn't say a single word about the case and they left when he threatened to give them tontrius bolts. He didn't want to admit it but he... missed her. The will to deny his feelings had faded over time and he now treasured that feeling, all the while keeping that feeling a secret.
So, of course, it was a surprise when she just... appeared again. He was walking to class with Emile and Ewen when he saw something in the corner of his eye. When he turned to look, he was surprised to see Anya and Becky hugging each other. He froze and watched, transfixed and they stopped hugging and finally started to make their way to class.
"So she's back... Hey Bossman, should we make our way to class?" Ewen said from his right. Damian broke out of his trance and struggled to gain his composure again.
"Uhhh.... yeah, sure."
That day rumours flew around the school and whispers followed Anya and Becky as they made their way to the cafeteria.
"So she's decided to come back?"
"I heard she got embarrassed because she's a commoner and tried to make herself cool by disappearing and then coming back"
"People say she got caught selling information by the SSS and had to leave the school, what's she doing here?"
"No way!"
"Yes, way! I think we should avoid her for now."
Despite all the rumours, no one was brave enough to approach her. Until the next class, at least. Anya was sitting next to Becky and talking to her when a girl with short, straight hair approached her. Damian watched from the side, wanting to see how it ended.
"Umm... Anya. I heard how you got caught selling information to a spy from the SSS. Why would you do such a thing!"
The room went so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"Caught? By the SSS?" Anya's eyes went so frosty the girl took 2 steps back. "Have you ever met any of them or at least had a decent conversation with one? Because if I did get caught delivering information to a spy, I would be tortured and then executed on the spot. You know what, forget the punishments, where would I even get the information from? If you ask me, whoever told you that is the most mind-numbingly piece of trash you have ever met in your entire life. You also shouldn't believe everything you hear unless you have proof of it. Now leave me alone."
The girl backed away in shock as Anya faced her off and then ran to her seat. Anya sighed and then sat down with her arms crossed. Damian thought about what he should do as the teacher walked in.
"Alright alright, everyone sit down now and listen up. We have a dodgeball match coming up next week. You will need to......"
The voice of the teacher faded into white noise as Damian stared at the back of Anya's head. She had certainly changed during the four years and became cleverer. He wondered why Anya had burst out in rage when the girl had approached her but he couldn't blame Anya after hearing some of the rumours that had spread about her.
He would just have to get closer to her and eventually squeeze it out of her.
Chapter Text
While Damian's mind wondered, Anya was thinking about what had happened a few days ago. That certain Friday that she had completed her course.
She was meant to fight the director that day in the garden. The master was tending to the trees behind the director and she couldn't help but eye that opening he had carelessly left. And so, when she manage d to get behind the director she jamp and tapped him on the shoulder. He slowly turned as Anya landed next to him, keeping her hand on his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow as Anya smiled.
"I believe my training is over now?"
He managed a smile, "I guess so, I didn't specifically say when you have to so..."
Anya jamp up with excitement, "Yessssss!!!"
The next day Yor came to pick her up and hugged her. As soon as they left, Anya realised how tired she was and ended up falling asleep on the way back home. Of course, Loid was glad as Yor returned with Anya and carried her to her bed. Then midnight struck again.
"Anya, wake up, we have preperations to make." Yor gently woke Anya up and gave her some training clothes. Anya sat up and stared at the 2-part clothes.
"I thought I just finished training." She said bluntly.
Yor laughed, "Of course you have, we just need to get you your new uniform and your first contract. On the way you can tell me how training was." With that, Yor left the room to change into her own uniform.
Anya stared at herself in the mirror with Yor behind her. She certainly had changed and it had been a while since she last saw herself in the mirror. Her now-combed hair reached to her waist and her fringe was neatly parted. Her emerald eyes had a small glint of frost in it, and her cheeks had a small matching blush as Yors. Then she looked at her clothes.
"Why exactly do I have to expose so much skin?" She deadpanned. The clothes were a matching light gray and included a short sleeved crop top and shorts, exposing her belly and legs. However, a small, barley visible bump was on her back where she hid her axes. Yor put her hands on her shoulders.
"We need to get the perfect fit. Now come on, we need to leave, we'll be travelling by roof and on the way you can tell me how your training was."
***
"... I've also managed to manipulate my body!"
Yor turned to look at her,a confused look on her face, "What do you mean by that?"
They were on their way to a certain shop where Anya would get her uniform and were currently running in an alley.Anya held up her hand. Suddenly her nails went longer and sharper. Yor almost lost her balance.
"Oh! I see! We're almost here, it's just around the corner..."
They ended up at a house.
A VERY old house.
Despite all the dust, Yor took the knocker and knocked 3, evenly spaced knocks, followed by a 3 second silence and then 2 knocks. They waited by the door and it didn't take long for an old woman to open the door. She quietly led them inside, which was surprisingly big and clean. On the table laid a sowing machine, carefully laid fabrics, various rows of thread and lines of measuring tape.
Anya, however, turned her attention to the lady. She wore a long orange dress that reached to her feet and green high-heels. She looked around 80 years old and held a cane that she didn't use. She was surprisingly healthy for a woman around her age and another woman was standing by the table. They had similar looks and Anya realised the woman was the older ladies daughter. Once she set eyes upon Anya, she took a measuring tape and beckoned for Anya to come.
"Mother, I shall begin with the measuring." The old woman nodded her approval and sat at a chair by the table and turned to look at Anya. Yor stayed in the doorway.
30 minutes passed in silence. The lady was the first to break it. "Congratulations." It was the first time the old lady had spoken. Anya looked up at her with an arched eyebrow.
"Huh?"
"You are the subject aren't you? Test Subject 007?"
Anya let out a tiny gasp. It had been years since she had heard her former name.
"I- How did you know that was my name?!" The old woman chuckled.
"Me and the Master did some digging in to some old files we have when we came to know of your powers. Then we came across some information of a human experimentation lab and eventually found you. I'm glad that you are safe and sound here, God knows what could happen if you were to fall into the hands of some person who wants to start war!"
Anya gulped, reminded of Donovan Desmond. Was she really going to waltz calmly into the house of someone who wanted war and not think about what could happen if Donovan were to find out about her powers? Her thoughts were interrupted by the other woman, who was writing down one last thing.
"Okay, thats everything, mother."
Without further ado, the old lady began with her sowing.
***
(Sorry for all the time skips)
"Won't you look at that, it's the perfect fit!" Yor was behind Anya (again) with her hands on her shoulders in front of a mirror. If Anya was going to be honest with herself, it looked really nice. The black dress hung over her dress beautifully and exposed her back. It reached to her knees with the back bit going a little more lower. To accessorise a bit and to distract eyes from most of her scars, she wore a gold necklace that reached to her chest and black gold tipped gloves with the fingers cut of. Her hair clips were cleaned and polished so much you could see your reflection in them. To match the dress, Anya was also wearing high heels that matched the ones her mother had. There were also little pockets on the back of her waist that were meant for her weapons.
At last, she was ready.
Notes:
Tell me what you think of this chapter in the comments!
I really didn't want to move the plot that fast so I decided to write this. I'll also try to illustrate how Anya looks.
Hope you enjoyed!
Chapter 4: The dodgeball match
Notes:
Sorry about Anya in the last chapter, I felt the need to do that. Feel free to comment and thanks for the kudos.
Also sorry I haven't updated in a while.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Anya stared at her opponents from the other side of the hall. Most of them were just average sized but one person caught her eye.
Bill.
Anya sighed. They'd be facing Class 4 again. In the time Anya was gone, he had grown 4 times his size and was taller and more muscular than anyone. Becky tracked where she was looking and saw Bill as well. She shifted over to whisper in Anya's ear, "You'd better not try to catch one of his balls, the last time someone tried that, they ended up going to the hospital with a broken wrist and 3 broken fingers."
Nevertheless, Anya kept staring and grinned,
"We'll see about that."
"START!"
Damian got the ball first, of course. He aimed at Bills head, who caught it effortlessly and hit 7 players out with one throw, all the while eying Anya. She couldn't blame him, she was the smallest person on the team. Then the most random idea hit her. She put on a scared face and ran to the back, behind Damian. Bill grinned.
'She must be easy to take out. But all these people are in the way. I'll leave her until last.'
Anya allowed herself a small smile.
***
At last, Anya was the last one. 4 people had been taken out by Damian and 1 by Becky. Anya eyed Bill, her pretence now gone. Bill got ready for his shot and aimed at Anya's head.
The ball went so fast most people didn't realise as Bill let go of the ball. Anya just cocked her head to one side and the ball whizzed past. Becky stared, her mouth agape, for she had been one of the first ones to realise when he had let go of the ball. Damian got the ball and threw it to Anya. She grinned.
The next shot got almost everyone out. Bill was now alone. It was a 1v1.
Bill caught the ball with a shocked expression on his face. Gone was the scared girl he thought she was, replaced with a ruthless monster. Now he new what he was in for. Then again, noon had been able to hit him or catch one of his throws. The only thing left was for Anya to dodge.
How wrong he was.
He gave one of his confident throws, as hard as he could, heading straight for Anya.
.
..
...
She caught it.
With one hand.
He was so paralyzed with a shock that he didn't even register as she threw the ball. It hit him in the stomach, causing him to feel immense pain as it made contact and made him lose his balance. He didn't understand. She was the smallest on the team and looked so scared. How could she be so strong?
Meanwhile Anya was having trouble breathing as Becky squeezed all the air out of her.
"OMG Anya! That was absolutely AWESOME!! You are the first one to catch any of his throws. I bet you'll be so popular for that!!"
"B-Becky that's all good but c-can you please let me breathe?"
"Oh- I'm so sorry!" As Becky let go Anya breathed a huge sigh of relief. Everybody, however, didn't take notice as they crowded around her, asking her questions or simply admiring her.
The story of Anya catching the ball single-handedly had spread all over the school as quick as one hour and now everyone was talking about it. When it was lunch, Anya was approached by an elder boy, an imperial scholar. Anya sort of thought he recognized him and resembled Damian. He stuck out his hand for her to shake,
Good afternoon, Anya. My name is Demetrius Desmond, I am pleased to finally meet you."
Notes:
I'm going to leave this as a cliffhanger! I hope you enjoyed reading. I really don't know where I'm going with this. Feel free to comment any suggestions! This will be uploaded to other fanfiction websites as well as wattpad.
Chapter Text
Anya shook the hand and smiled, despite the nervousness exploding in her veins. The older boy returned the smile, though it seemed fake.
This was it.
Damian's older brother.
Tread carefully.
"I heard about your dodgeball match. congratulations."
She is far too small to have been able to catch it, she definitely has some sort of secret.
"Thank you." Anya struggled to think of what to say, though that was partly because Becky was looking from Demetrius to Anya, smiling with glee. Silence fell between the two (three) and Demetrius was the first one to fill it.
"Say, would you like to-"
Before he could finish, he was cut off by a teacher who came rushing toward him.
"Mr Desmond, we need your assistance immediately at the art block, do hurry!"
Demetrius spared one last glance at Anya before leaving. As he walked away, he dropped a piece of paper which Anya picked up.
"Hey!-"
But it was already too late, he had disappeared. She put the paper in her pocket, intending to hand it back to him as soon as she could, and sighed. Becky then struck up a conversation and Anya and she went back to the boring life of an almost-ordinary school girl. All too soon, school was over and she began to make her way home. It didn't take long, really, and as she unlocked the front door, she thought she'd look through her contracts. As she picked one, she remembered the note and took it out. Curiosity took over as Anya began to open unconsciously it and read it;
Meet me at 22, Hauptstraat Alley to settle some terms
Demetrius
There isn't a time, thought Anya, staring at the piece of paper like if she stared at it hard enough, there would somehow be a hint to solve her problem. But no. So she decided she would just go there and see what would happen. She threw open her closet, and on instinct, put on her assassin's uniform, carefully putting her axes away. After yelling some random excuse to Loid from the living room, Anya left the house and began to walk to the nearest bus stop. She climbed in and, 15 minutes later, climbed out to finish the 5-minute walk to her destination.
It was a very discreet place, crammed between a restaurant and a bakery. It was barely even noticeable. Anya took a deep breath before walking in.
There was a strong smell of alcohol and smashed bottles of wine and alcohol lay scattered on the ground. Although it was still light out, the place made it seem like it was in the middle of the night. The walls were extremely battered and at some parts had blood or rotten stuff Anya tried hard not to think about. But something put her on edge. Why would Demetrius send her to a place like this and then not show up? Although to be fair, she could feel the presence of someone.
Multiple people.
It was around midnight before it happened.
All of a sudden there was a bullet heading straight for Anya and she just barely dodged it by an inch. She looked around for the person who shot it.
She's good.
She dodged it?!
Her reflexes are superhuman!
The thoughts echoed in her head from at least 5 different people. Anya thought about what to do in her current situation. There was nobody around at this time and she could sense something bad was going to happen. As she was thinking, another bullet came at her and she dodged it again, jumping in the process to get a proper footing on the ground again.
That was her worst mistake.
Chains were shot out from all sides with cuffs on the ends. They clamped on her hands, legs and neck. before pulling her down and pulling her back to her captor, her back facing him. The man must have shot them out from one hand because another hand clamped around her waist, preventing her from moving. Another man came from behind and wrapped a rag around her mouth to minimise sound.
Unable to move, all Anya could do was look forwards to where a tall man was approaching her. He looked strangely familiar and Anya dropped all useless attempts of escaping as his face came into focus.
Demetrius.
He chuckled lightly when he saw her. He bent down and held her chin to make her look him in the eye. A smirk was on his face.
"Why hello there Test Subject 007."
Notes:
Another cliffhanger!
Chapter 6: The target
Notes:
Warning!!!
This chapter contains torture!!!
Chapter Text
Anya woke up in a dark room with her whole body aching. Mostly her arms.
Incidentally, she was chained to a ceiling, hanging down from her wrists and the hard, metal cuffs were clamped tightly around her wrists. Further exploration with her senses led to her finding out her legs were also chained tightly together by her ankles. A few seconds passed, and as her eyes adjusted to the dark she thought about how she got here.
Ah yes... that.
Demetrius had somehow known she was, as he called it, Project 007.
Just the mention of the name aroused many memories, most of which were...
Unpleasant
Suddenly, a fresh wave of anger and violence rushed over her, resulting in hatred towards Demetrius, The scientists and just the world in general. Why, why, why was she the one who always suffered, the one who had to bring about world peace, why was she the one who had to have such bad memories, such a bad childhood, just because some people couldn't just live a normal life and just go to war with each other? Before she knew it, tears were rolling down her cheeks, she was silently crying. They were all humans, right? Why did people have to kill other people just because they had different thoughts and ideas? The was a whole world for lord's sake, couldn't they just share it?
The fact that totally innocent people like her had to suffer because of it made her hatred grow even more. Hot tears were spilling down her cheeks, Hot tears of hatred and anger. Then something else popped into her head, just as sudden as her anger. A memory...
'Sometimes it is necessary for people to suffer, innocent people like you...
A door opened from somewhere in front of her but she didn't hear it.
For people who have nothing to do with it...
The footsteps that echoed on stone didn't reach her ears.
To get peace and save...
A conversation between two men, one older and one younger.
Even more innocent people...
"Anya?" She wasn't aware of the boy who stood in the doorway.
So control your feelings and your power when it really counts...
The anger and hatred ceased for a moment
And save the lives of many more!
That's right. If she was the only one who suffered, no more people would suffer. She could save many more people's lives, generations even. She just had to be the only one who suffered.
When the whip made contact with her sting and ripped open her skin across her torso, she looked up, her eyes empty of her sparkle and emotion. She didn't even feel the pain, just the warm blood as it trickled down to her legs.
She had to make sure no more people would suffer as she did.
Even if she had to cast off her humanity.
***
'Remember, you must be able to manipulate your body when it really matters, cast off your humanity if needs be. In the unlikely case you are put through torture, you must be able to close down your nervous system.'
The whip made contact with her skin, across her torso, ripping open her skin as she screamed. She knew she had to endure this, to be able to not feel pain-
For the people.
No more innocent people could suffer as she did, have the childhood that she did.
Funnily enough, no more pain came to her as the whip made contact with her flesh, landing in the exact same spot as it had two seconds ago.
The only difference was that she had not felt pain as she had before.
She was empty.
Anya finally took notice as the boy in the doorway spoke again.
"Anya? Your project 007?" There was shock in Damian's voice as he stared at her in disbelief. Donovan, who had been watching Anya with an unreadable face looked back at him.
"You know this girl? Where is she from? How do you know her?"
"I- She- She's in my class, don't you remember her father? You guys met when we were talking to each other."
Donovan, unpredictable as he was, smiled. "How could I forget? That's when I first suspected he was the infamous 'Twilight'. And then of course that she was Project 007. I was going to kidnap her but she went and disappeared for 7 years." Damian was silent, trying to comprehend the information that he was given. Once he had regained his composure, he quietly left as Donovan turned back to Anya.
"Father, shall I move on with the torture?"
"You may"
That night was the longest Anya had to face.
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