Disclaimer: None of the things mentioned here belong to me.

Author's Notes: I should be preparing for chemistry at the time of this writing, but I suppose you can't really stop once your juice flows even if it shouldn't. Originally, this would've been a part of a much longer one, and would've been an entry for another contest had I made the word count (this is currently an entry for Poirot Cafe's Super Short Contest #9. Kindly stop by if you can). I kind of played around with a bunch of other prompts together with the contest's, so...

This piece also marks the first time I foray into SherRye during their organization days. Thank you for viewing!

"This was a big mistake..."

If the ego actually role-played angel and devil whenever the reality of a decision finally dawned a person, that would be the angel being a nag, reiterating that which lingered at the back of her head all along.

She was supposed to be at her lab around this time, picking up after her aides – new recruits who couldn't do anything right without her steadying their hands more than half the time. On her own, she probably would've been more productive, but it wasn't as if she had a say upon the matter, orders from upstairs and all that.

The day wasn't unsalvageable, nothing the usual vigil over an ample supply of caffeine and sugar couldn't fix... But then this insane man came along almost as soon as everyone was gone, his ebony locks and leather coat flowing behind him like a velvet shadow, rambled on about how lousy his most recent caper had been before he went off the tangent, got into her head somehow and talked her into "taking a break".

And here she was, being his... object of amusement, for the lack of a better word. What's worse? It wasn't the first time she got conned to it...

"Relax...," his rasping voice whispered, breathing cool air onto her seared skin. The sensation only worsened the tension already stirring her body.

"Hmph… Easy for you to say...," she grumbled. It was all she could do to maintain her grip both literally and otherwise, her hands sweltering like ice cream during the summer and her shoulders squirming against her will, grazing his rock hard chest over and over.

"Now, now... Don't lose heart. Everyone goes through this on their first rodeo." His firm hands loomed over her shoulders, quelling their defiance before gliding over to her hands and shifting it to place. "Just try not to get too excited and wait for absolute zero... That split-second where everything grinds into a halt. The trickle of your sweat... The thoughts playing in your head… Your breathing... Your heartbeat... Everything."

His mere touch stiffened her, but he seemed to take it as a sign that she had found her comfort zone at last and pried his hands off her, leaving her to her devices. Her mind put in a daze, she could hardly focus on the moment, let alone fathom why in the world he persists to assume he could invade her space the way he does and what she had done to deserve it.

She to admit though… That some part of her feels relieved when he reaches out to her like this… A part she doesn't know much about yet.

Battling her nerves was like trying to walk numbed legs off, but she had to do it. She was already a harlequin in his eyes either way, but at least she wouldn't come across as a milksop, to him and more importantly to herself. "Here goes nothing…." She shook her head slightly, letting her mind reset and deciding to finally let it go after three deep breaths. "One…. Two…. Three…." She closed her eyes at the moment of truth and...

Bang!

"That was terrible," the one called Rye remarked, lauding the fact that out of two dozen possible targets, she hit the backdrop. "Would've gotten second prize though if you let it fly a bit earlier."

"I was trying not to hit the bear," Sherry scoffed, putting the rifle down.

"Whatever you say..." As soon as the gallery attendant reminded them that they still had two more shots left, he stepped in for his companion and took up the firearm. "But you can't hold back like that if the bear isn't made of cardboard and is about to pounce at you. The same goes for every predator out there, especially the worst kind..."

"Oh yeah?" she grunted, crossing her arms and leaning against the wooden counter. While the logical side of her agreed with him, she kind of wanted to be a little flippant for once and pick his brain. They were already at the circus anyway. "Still… There's always the possibility that he's only protecting his cubs and territory, and walking away would be the smarter thing to do."

"In a perfect world, maybe," he said while taking aim, centering his mind and steeling his stance in a fraction of the time she took with her horrific display. "But in the jungle we're in, that's hardly ever the case…."

Sherry studied Rye's form and, as much as she hated the feeling, couldn't help but be awed by it. She had seen Gin and the others wield that cold lump of steel before, but she always thought of it as crude, reeking of nothing but ill intent. Rye's, while he wasn't all that different from the rest of the pack, was like fine art, a potential not taken lightly and nurtured through time and ceaseless effort, perfected in order to complete his mission as flawlessly as fate permits.

The way he was behind that trigger, he'd probably still make the shot even if she did the unthinkable and blurted out a compliment. Of course, Hell will have to freeze over first before that happens.

"If you remain vigilant, you get to see the light of day… Clam up," Rye fell silent as he fired his round at last. "You lose your one chance..."

"….And it's absolute zero for you," Sherry compounded, looking straight at him. She didn't have to peer over at the range to determine the result.

Rye simply met her with a knowing glance.

"Congratulations! You've won second prize!" the attendant proclaimed, handing Sherry a medium-sized stuffed panda. "And you still have one more shot to go." She'll probably have to pass it on to the next little girl who'd be taken in by it's fluffiness though.

"So…," he began, offering her the final attempt. "You ready to nail the jackpot now?"

"I honestly wonder if this place is actually your natural habitat."

The End.

written by suga47

Additional Notes: I considered putting them in a shooting range fitting for the organization instead of a circus gallery, but the idea of them having a conversation while one is wearing ear muffs didn't seem very practical to me.