It was midnight, and the weather was calm and cool.

It was midnight, and although there were guards somewhere around the Vatican, Hugue knew no one would see him. Even if someone did, they would not think to interfere. It was quite unlikely that someone would see him in the first place anyway, unless the guards needed to check the roofs for some reason.

No one would see him here.

He removed his shoes, and then slowly took off most of his clothes and dropped them in his feet. Slowly, very slowly, as if he had been trying to seduce the moon. The thought amused him, though it was not the moon he would have liked to seduce.

Once half naked and barefooted, he stepped forward and slowly unsheathed his sword. The blade glittered in the moonlight, and he admired it for a moment before closing his eyes.

He quickly drew the sword through the air a couple of times before taking another step. He then froze for a few seconds, and then repeated the movement - except this time, it was painfully slow, so slow that he had to use all his power to control the move. Another strike, so slow that he didn't dare to breathe during it, before he again stepped forward and let go of the control.

His heart was beating fast as he moved. It was a simple set of moves he had been taught, although his master said that only he could make it look so beautiful. Maybe he was just more graceful than the other man, but Hugue did consider it as a compliment. He knew he would never have the control his master had over his body.

The control his master had... over whose body, Hugue mused as he repeated the set, again freezing still before going for the slow-motion version of the moves. It required control, but that control was exactly what he needed to feel; needed to get a hold of, to be one with the blade.

He spun around, and the sword cut through the air again as he went for another set of moves, as fast as he just could, before he slowly repeated them.

His heart was racing, and he knew someone was watching. He froze again before the next set, and then repeated the moves before he went for the target, faster than any human could ever have.

He then opened his eyes, the tip of the blade only an inch from his victim's throat, and William was smiling at him.