Dilandau's eardrums were about to burst. The damn music was just way too loud. He looked around the nightclub, taking in the sight of dozens of bodies swaying to the rhythm of the DJ's whims on the dance floor. 666 was packed that night, full of women wearing close to nothing and men who looked like they had just arrived straight from hell.
He grimaced. That club sure had nothing to do with the refined environments he had grown accustomed to ever since he'd started working as a host some years ago. He wondered why his companion had chosen that particular place to chill-out.
His disapproval must have been evident, because he soon heard a low chuckle coming from the other side of the table. Van was laughing at him. "Relax, D." The other man said, gulping down the rest of his scotch in one go. "No one's going to attack you."
It was an odd thing, really. With his dark hair and icy stare his best-friend seemed to fit right in with the dark crowd of 666 and yet, just a few hours ago, in the VIP room of Aya, the most prestigious five star restaurant in Tokyo, he had also seemed perfectly at ease; all smiles and attentiveness among the bright lights and fine china, while they were both entertaining their assigned 'dates' for the evening. He truly was a man of a thousand faces.
Dilandau looked around the smoky room one more time, shaking his head. "You're a strange man, Fanel."
Van glanced across the shallow table and smirked. "Yeah, perhaps I am." He lifted his hand to get their waitress's attention and pointed at his and Dilandau's empty glasses. "Merle's coming back home tomorrow." He said then; the sudden revelation surprising his companion.
"No kidding? Little Merle? Hey man, that's great!"
Van snickered. "Is it?"
The dark-haired man's irony didn't exactly surprise his friend. Dilandau could guess why Van had mixed feelings about the situation. And it's not like he could really blame him for them. Their lifestyle environment wasn't exactly suitable for a fifteen-year-old to hang around, after all.
"Huh, what I meant to say was…" He quickly corrected himself. "Well, if she's coming home already that's good news, right? That means the treatment has worked…right?"
For the first time that night Van smiled genuinely. Dilandau could tell because of the glint in his eyes; Van's eyes never lied. "Like a charm." The latter said. "The doctors say she'll soon be ready for the second phase of the treatment… They're very optimistic."
"That's awesome, man. She must be really stoked to see you again. Has it been what… three months?"
"Four... Four months." As soon as the words left his mouth, his cheerful expression was gone. He pulled a hand through his hair and sighed discontent. "Four whole months! Am I the world's worst older brother or what?"
"Don't hit yourself in the head over that. You're a great brother, Van. I mean, you practically raised that kid yourself... I envy you're strength, man. I really do! And if it wasn't for you she would never had gotten the chance to go to that hospital in Hirosaki… Although to be honest, I have no idea how an ugly bastard like you has such a cute little sister. Did you fall on your face when you were a kid or something?"
Van shot him a dry look. "You want to end the night with a black eye, Albatou?" He threatened, albeit in obvious jest. "That wouldn't be too good for business, now would it?"
A woman wearing a way too revealing miniskirt suddenly appeared beside their table. They both leaned back in silence as the waitress refilled their empty glasses. From the dazed looks she kept giving them, Dilandau got the feeling the brunette was secretly hoping that one of them (or both) would ask her to join them for a drink.
But hey, no wonder she was dazed. Clad in their upscale Armani suits, he and Van looked like kings compared to the rest of the club's shabby clientele. 'Well, tough luck lady.' He thought amused. 'We're still on duty call tonight.'
"I have some news you might enjoy hearing." He told Van as soon as the waitress was gone.
"Oh, really?" The other man asked absentminded.
Dilandau leaned forward and even though hardcore punk music was pumping all around them, he whispered secretively. "The Kanzaki Enterprises are in turmoil."
His little comment did its trick. Van's full attention was on him instantly. "What? What do you mean 'in turmoil'?"
Dilandau suppressed a grin. He knew his best-friend so well. "Well, bear with me this is more a rumour than anything else," He continued in a low voice. "but yesterday, while I was dining with Narya… you know her, she's a CEO for the Crusade Company. Well, she kind of got a little… drunk by the end of the meal and sort of dropped a bomb."
"Get to the point, D."
"Alright, alright. Here goes. Apparently the Crusade President's son, Allen Schezur or Schezar, or something like that, was caught cheating on his fiancée. She broke off the engagement immediately and sent the whole company into complete mayhem."
"How tragic." Van said sarcastically. "What the hell does that have to do with the Kanzaki Enterprises?"
His friend couldn't suppress his grin any longer. "That's the best part. It turns out his fiancée is none other than old man Kanzaki's own daughter. Narya told me the two companies were planning to merge together in order to fight off the growing competition. The marriage between the Allen dude and the Kanzaki girl was to be used as guarantee, I guess." He let out a laugh. "Well, not anymore. Apparently the only way the little heiress will take Allen back is if his chopped into pieces. Her old man is furious. Both companies are trying very hard for the story not to get leaked to the press, but Narya said it will only be a matter of time before some newspaper finds out and their stock market values come plummeting down."
Van's lips curled up into a perfect smile. That little piece of information had just improved his night substantially. "Serves the old bastard right."
"Yeah, I thought you would like to hear it first hand…considering everything, that is." Dilandau paused to take a good look at his best-friend's sudden devious expression. "So as you can see, fate is already dealing with him…" He was very careful in choosing his next few words. "So maybe it would be for the best if you just dropped your plans against him."
The cold stare Van gave him as their eyes met, although expected, still caused an extremely uncomfortable feeling to arise in Dilandau. He should have known better than to bring up such a touchy subject, but he couldn't help it. Van's disdain toward Katsuo Kanzaki was starting to get a little out of hand. Dilandau was beginning to fear he would do something harsh.
"Hey man, you know you're my best-friend and I totally support you. And the lousy old bastard sure deserves to burn in hell, but he's not worth you going to jail or anything like that... Come on Van, you got to think of Merle. You're the only family she has left."
"I know that, D." He retorted in agreement; although the same devious smile that had been on his face just a minute ago made yet another appearance. "But I am not going to jail…"
"Huh? What the heck is that supposed to mean?"
He didn't get the chance to hear Van's reply. His friend's cell phone suddenly sprung to life besides the half-empty glasses; its catchy ring tone audible despite the ear piercing noise around them.
It didn't take Dilandau too long to realise the call was 'work' related. Van's voice had dropped a few octaves as soon has he'd picked it up; he was using his 'professional' voice now, as they both used to call it for laughs.
He took the chance to lean back in his chair and finish his own drink. Van was always the first one to be called back to duty. And that night was no exception, it seemed. But don't get him wrong; it was not like he was jealous of his best-friend or anything. Dilandau was perfectly alright with Van being the star of host club Knights. Heck, he was even sure a lot of the extra gigs he was appointed to, were due to Van's influence on the clients. He had to thank him for that. And it was not like they had a lot of work calls that late at night, but each of them had one or two special clients who demanded their attention from time to time. Van's attention was however quite sought after.
The call hadn't even finished yet and Van was already getting up from his seat. "Sorry to leave you behind buddy, but duty calls." He finished his scotch and without another word to his friend started to walk away.
As he moved toward the nightclub's exit it was easy to notice how the women he walked by would immediately stop dancing and quickly whisper in each other's ears while pointing at him. The damn bastard would probably only need to snap his fingers to have any woman in that club at his beck and call and yet as he walked by them, not once did he give any of them a second look. Like always. What a strange, strange man he was indeed!
Dilandau watched his back until he disappeared behind the sea of people on the dance floor. He glanced at his wristwatch. 2 a.m. Well, one thing was for sure. Van hadn't been called to any dinner party.
To say that Millerna Aston was concerned about her friend's odd behaviour was an understatement. Actually she had been debating with herself for some time now whether or not it would be prudent to call an emergency medical team to try to restrain her. Needless to say, the atmosphere she'd encountered at Hitomi Kanzaki's home was far from the one she'd expected to find.
When Yukari had called her on her cell phone, begging her, between sobs, to come to their friend's house at once and try to put some sense into Hitomi's head, she had to confess she'd assumed the worst. With her heart racing, she'd practically yelled at her driver to break every traffic rule known to man just to get her there as quickly as possible.
A thousand grim scenarios crossed her mind during those everlasting minutes. The woman had found her fiancé in bed with his secretary just a week before their wedding, after all. That would be enough to crush any woman beyond repair; even stubborn-headed Hitomi Kanzaki. Millerna could only cling to the hope that her friend hadn't tried anything foolish.
But it was when her limo pulled into her friend's driveway that she noticed that something was definitely off. The pavement bellow Hitomi's bedroom balcony was covered in what looked like… broken furniture?
She quickly spotted Mrs. Watanabe, Hitomi's housekeeper, and a couple of housemaids close by, frantically trying to clean up the mess. Millerna got out of her limo in a very confused state. What could possibly have been happening there?
She was about to call out to the elder woman when an angry yell was heard from above and two seconds later a large flower vase came flying down from the balcony only to shatter into pieces just a few feet in front of her.
Collective hysteria ensued. The maids started screaming like madwomen and an exasperated Mrs. Watanabe quickly came to stand beside a very shocked Millerna. "Oh, Miss Millerna. Thank goodness you've arrived! This has been going on all morning." She cried out, pointing to the growing pile of debris in the pavement. "I don't know what to do anymore! Not even Miss Yukari was able to stop her. I've never seen her like this, Miss Millerna. Oh, no, never! There is evil in her eyes, I tell you. Evil!"
Millerna stared at the concerned old lady, baffled. "What? Evil? What are you talking about?" She looked at the mess in the driveway. "What exactly is going on h-"
"Look out bellow." Came the sudden warning.
As if on cue, an over packed suitcase came flying down through the air, hitting the ground with a big thud and scattering the clothes in it all over the place. Millerna looked reflexively at its point of origin. This time there was a person standing in the balcony.
"Hitomi Kanzaki, just what the hell do you think you're doing?" She yelled.
"Oh, hey Millerna!" The sandy-blonde woman greeted her with a big smile. "What does it look like I'm doing?" She shrugged, as if the answer was plainly evident. "Getting rid of him, of course. Hey, come on up! You can help me shred his clothes. It's so much fun!"
Her subsequent diabolical laughter made both Millerna and Mrs. Watanabe shudder. Hitomi certainly didn't seem to be in the depressed state, Millerna had expected to find her in. "She's possessed I tell you!" Whispered the old housekeeper, grimly. "Be careful, Miss Millerna. She might attack you. Who knows what evil spirits are clinging on to her right now?"
So for the last hour, Millerna Aston, heiress to the Aston Cosmetic Empire, the woman who used to brag that nothing and no one could ever surprise her, had been staring completely dumbfounded as her friend, the calmest person she'd ever met, kept destroying every piece of furniture in her bedroom, courtesy of the fury tantrum of the century.
As for Yukari, she had left the room as soon as Millerna had arrived. In a state of agitation herself, she decided to at least have a go at calming down the maids outside (the collective screaming had somehow only increased), since all her attempts to reason with Hitomi had failed miserably.
"So tell me again," Millerna started, somewhat still apprehensive of her friend's odd behaviour. "why exactly are you destroying your furniture?"
Hitomi dropped the hammer she was using to batter her nightstand and looked at her with the same wild, evil grin she had been sporting all morning... Yep, she had definitely gone mad. "Because that prick gave it to me as a wedding present." She retorted and then turned with a thoughtful expression to her bed, the last piece of furniture to remain unharmed. "I think I need a saw."
Millerna huffed. "What you need is a distraction."
"What I need is a gun."
"Oh, stop saying nonsense, Hitomi."
"You're right. Shooting him would be too kind. What I need is a knife. A long, sharp knife!... Yes, yes, that will definitely do more damage."
Millerna threw her hands in the air. "Oh, for crying out loud!" She quickly grabbed Hitomi by the shoulders and shook her. "Listen to me. Allen is an idiot. If anything, you should see it as a blessing that you were able to find his true abhorrent character before walking down the aisle. Don't forget that you could be marrying that prick in a few days... Let it go. It's over."
The sudden 'slap' of reality seemed to serve its purpose. Hitomi's evil grin disappeared immediately and she slumped on the bed defeated. "Yeah, I know… Do you think I don't know? Believe me. I'm glad it's all over. It's just that every time I remember… How could he? On our anniversary. I hate him! I really, really hate him, Millerna. I never thought I could hate someone so much." She squeezed her hands tight so that the tears she had been holding back wouldn't escape. She refused to cry. That man didn't deserve her tears.
Millerna sighed, glad that her friend was apparently back to her normal self. "So what you need now (before you tear the whole house apart) is someone to get that good-for-nothing, poor-excuse-of-a-man out of your mind."
She didn't really have to elaborate her comment any further. Her gleeful smile gave Hitomi a very good idea of what was on her mind. She looked at her outraged. "Oh, forget it! I'm done with relationships. To hell with men! As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of joining a monastery in the mountains and devote the rest of my life to prayer."
The blonde woman rolled her eyes. "Oh, what a drama-queen! Who's talking about 'relationships'?... I was thinking more on the lines of hooking you up with one of my…'acquaintances'." She emphasized the last word (as she always did when she referred to that particular group of men), so that her friend would get the idea straight away.
Hitomi looked at her wide-eyed. Had she gone mad? "What? Do you mean a…"
"Host? Yes." Millerna answered with a big grin.
"No way! Out of the question… No! How can you even suggest that?"
Millerna couldn't help but laugh at her appalled expression. "Oh relax, I'm just talking about a group dinner. It's tonnes of fun, believe me. They're great conversationalists. And it will at least get your mind to stop thinking all men are rotten apples... Not to mention they are all incredibly fit and good-looking! It's a feast for the eyes, I tell you."
Nope, it was very clear by Hitomi's expression that she still found the idea absolutely appalling. "That is just…too…weird."
The blonde woman shrugged. "Why? Because we're the ones paying to be entertained? Look, for centuries men in this country have paid women as geishas to entertain them during social gatherings and no one ever thought ill of them. Don't you think it's about time the situation got turned around? Why shouldn't we, successful women as we are, have the same right?... And it's not like they'll try anything improper." She paused, and then suddenly grinned mischievously. "Although I'm certain some of them would, if they were well paid… Oh, I sure wouldn't mind having Dilandau for myself for a whole night…"
Her girlish giggles made Hitomi grimace. "You.sick.woman."
She was still shaking her head at her friend's crazy idea as she made her way outside with the latest pile of Allen memorabilia.
"Oh, just leave everything to me, my friend." Millerna whispered to herself, as Hitomi threw the remnants of the shattered nighstand over the balcony, causing a new wave of screaming hysteria to begin. "I know just the person to get your heart to skip a beat."