115 You Really Are A Jerk

These hushing came from three voices, Amber, Ashton and Devon.

"Am I with Blake right now?" Amber frowned as she commented.

"Oh please, the way you were being called, anyone could come up with the name," Aldger rolled his eyes as he once again kicked another gang member.

Ashton was already moving as well, he separated from them searching for the leader and found him within the group where Kent and the others are fighting.

He was holding a gun and was ready to shoot anyone.

Ashton pulled out his own gun and shot him in the arm, it was only a graze but it was enough for the leader to drop his gun.

Ashton didn't let his guard down as his aim remained towards the leader.

And just as he thought, the leader pulled another gun using his other hand, raised it to point at Ashton.

"AAARRGGGHHHH!!" he suddenly shouted in pain as he dropped to the ground rolling on the floor in the middle of the other fighting people.

Ashton instantly looked to the direction where the gunshot came from.

This time it was not only a graze but he was actually shot in the arm.

"Don't praise me too much," Amber's voice was happy as she raised a V sign towards the warehouse as if Ashton could see it.

"Don't waste more bullets," was all he said.

Amber pouted as she once again positioned the gun towards where the sniper was.

And to her shock he actually had another lens and was ready to shoot.

"Oh no you don't."

The three of them and Kent heard her say before hearing another gunshot.

Among their group the ones connected to Amber was the three of them and Kent.

"Sorry guys, I think I gravely injured one," after a few seconds of silence they once again heard her say.

"I told you to focus didn't I?" Ashton reprimanded.

"Well I did, I just didn't know that he has another lens. The moment I returned my attention to him, he was prepared and was already focusing on me."

Her voice was not nervous at all.

"So I could only shoot through his lens, but he was good for he was able to move his head to the side."

Another shot was heard.

"What happened this time?" he could feel a headache coming.

He's starting to regret bringing her with them.

"Don't speak like that, I just destroyed his sniping gun, I didn't hurt him more," as she replied she once again positioned herself facing towards the warehouse.

Ashton shook his head, the fight ended within just ten minutes.

*****

"Should I still bring you the next time?" Ashton asked as all of them walked towards where they all parked their cars.

"Oh please, whether you like it or not, you already have me on board, plus I haven't had this much enjoyment in a while," she beamed at him.

"You can never judge a book by its cover," she replied.

"Uhmmm Young Miss, is it possible to ask for a request?" Kent finally had the courage to speak.

He had been trying since they group up a while ago.

"What is it?"

"Are you accepting apprentices?" he asked while bowing his head.

He was in his late twenties but he was speaking so respectfully.

"Amber was first shocked before looking up at Ashton.

"You showed your capabilities, obviously my men would be amazed by it," he replied nonchalantly as he leaned on his car.

Amber thought for a second, "I can but I can only tell you how I do it, as for the results mostly it was an innate capability."

"That is more than enough, young miss," Kent raised his head with a smile.

He had always been wanting to use a sniper gun, since he started becoming a body guard but most snipers within them was unwilling to teach others.

Being bodyguards there are after all those who wants to be superior.

"Go back now and rest, I'll contact you all for the next operation. Go and train more diligently," Ashton finally commanded after seeing that the talk was over.

As they drive back home.

"Is Kent the youngest among the team leaders?" Amber asked upon remembering how young Kent look.

"Yes, most are already in their late thirties and early forties."

"And they have no families?"

"The moment they decided to become bodyguards of the royals, they already threw away their names and their freedom to have their own families."

Amber listened attentively as Ashton started explaining.

"The moment that their families are found and are used to threaten them for the royal family's secret they serve, they are to have suicide."

"And everyone does?" Amber asked.

"Well it was also the duty of the royal family to completely clean the past of the bodyguards, no records, nothing at all."

"And those bodyguards really no longer meet their families?" she had met a lot of bodyguards in the past.

"They swore so it is already part of their duty to follow through."

Amber nodded understanding the underlying meaning behind his words.

In the end, it was still up to each person whether they will follow through with what they swore or not.

"But it seems that the Wright Empire's bodyguards are quite loyal ones," she commented afterwards.

"They are."

Was his only reply as the car fell silent, a comfortable silence.

It was not until they got home did Amber started speaking again.

"Ash, have you lost any of your guards? Those that became close to you?"

"I haven't, since we mostly stayed within Celestial country, we really didn't meet with any heavy fights at all."

He didn't include Carl, who was also raised as a bodyguard, for he treats him as his brother instead.

He looked back at her who suddenly turned silent once again, she sip from her cup contemplating.

He decided to wait as he too drank from his own, it was already past midnight but both of them still don't feel sleepy.

"It's a good thing, you haven't lost them yet. I actually lost quite a lot and a lot of times I have told myself that I will no longer get close to anyone."

She gave a low chuckle.

"Yet I always find myself befriending them. I suppose it's because I miss my brothers?"

"You cope up well," was all he could say.

"I have lost them physically but all of them are still in my memory, no matter what they were there at some point of my life. They took care of me and even threw their lives away for me."

She looked up at him with a smile, "Did you know that I actually created my very own ritual for them?"

She thought for a bit before continuing, "I treat Carl as a brother but I felt back then that the ritual would suit him as well, the way he acts like a guard to us."

"Hmmm, and what would that be? Care to share?"

She grinned, "A gun firing ritual, when I did so for Carl's death, I did it at the sea shore near my parents grave. It was not long after that news came in and it was said that a gunfight happened there."

She started giggling as she remembered the news she have read.

Ashton just nodded his head and smiled.

"Somehow, it is not that I don't feel sad remembering it but instead I felt loved by so many people. That all I could do was promise never to be sad but instead happy whenever I remember the times I spent with them."

"Yet you were unable to touch the coffee maker when you just arrived," Ashton teased.

"Hey, of course at the beginning it would still be painful but we really can't keep being sad over them. They will never return after all, all we could do is keep them in our memories."

She even rolled her eyes at him as she replied.

Ashton smiled once again and flicked a finger on her forehead.

"I know, you are just that kind of person. You intend to stay positive no matter what happens to you. But it also didn't mean that you didn't care for them at all."

Amber touched her forhead as she look back at his smiling face that was even filled with warmth.

"Stop speaking so much positive things about me, my head might become bigger."

Ashton raised an eyebrow, "Positive? Didn't you know that that is the only positive thing about you?"

"Wha-"

"You hate being disturbed in your sleep, you love to eat so much but be lazy after that. You tend to focus so much on one matter and leave the other things for later."

"You-"

"Do you want me to list more?"

"You really are a jerk, aren't you?" she complained before stomping back to her room.

Ashton had a smile on his face as he watch her retreating figure.

'It was all those randomness that made you capable of saving so many people.'