Karaoke Night in the Penthouse

Angel lay sprawled across a sofa and Soryu in the executive lounge of the penthouse at Tres Spades. She lay reading an interesting detective novel, with her head comfortably resting on Soryu's lap as he absently played with her silky, black hair. The other bidders had all made themselves comfortable there too, patiently enduring Baba's insistence on having "Karaoke Night".

'Come on Baba, let it go already.' Mamoru groaned as Baba tried to force him to sing.

'Let it go, let it go, Can't hold it back anymooo-oore!' Baba seized the opportunity to start singing the ever famous and now super annoying Frozen song.

'Oh my god Baba! Seriously?' Angel groaned in mock annoyance, rolling her eyes at him.

'Maybe we'd be more interested in this ridiculous enterprise if you ever gave anyone else a chance to pick a song. You have the worst taste in music.' Eisuke remarked snidely, gesturing at the screen.

'Alright, why don't you have a go then, if you think you're that amazing at singing.' Kishi challenged him.

'Fine! I will.' A stubborn glint in his eyes, he rose up determinedly and grabbed the mike. Putting down the book, Angel sat up, suddenly interested in this new turn of events. Eisuke and karaoke? This she had to see.

Choosing a soft, slow song by Ed Sheeran he began to croon along to it… Horribly out of pitch. He lasted about one verse before the others couldn't take it anymore.

'You call that singing?' Mamoru asked, covering his ears with his hands at Eisuke's tone deaf singing.

'I've heard parrots with better pitch than you, Eisuke.' Angel laughed. Even Soryu was frowning at his caterwauling.

'You will regret that.' Eisuke snapped, returning to his seat sulkily. 'If you're so good at it why don't you sing, huh Angel?'

'Oh no thank you! I don't sing.' She leant back into the sofa and Soryu pulled her closer, glaring at the others as if daring them to try and tease her. Baba and Ota got the message and backed off, but Eisuke was now pissed off and on the war path.

'Not so easy when you try and do it yourself, huh?' He sneered mockingly. 'I bet you're more tone deaf than I am.'

'Is that a challenge?' She scoffed, narrowing her eyes at him, doing her best not to laugh at his childishness.

'C'mon Angel! Sing!' Baba thrust a mike in her hand and pushed her off the soda, taking her place so she couldn't sit back down again.

'You lot are so bloody annoying.' She swore in English, shaking her head in exasperation. Somehow, they always managed to get her to give in to their demands. 'Fine. But I'm too pissed off to sing. I think some Eminem will help me let off the steam.' She gave them a wicked smile as she pressed play on 'Rap God'.

'Are you serious? That one? That's notoriously tricky.' Baba warned as the music began to play. Angel ignored him and faced Eisuke dead on.

The words came up and she began to rap fantastically, the words clearly enunciated and full of passion and anger. The others watched on in astonishment as she failed to trip up on a single line and rapped with an ostentatious fluidity.

'Be a king? I think not. Why be a king, when you can be a God?' She finished with a smirk, gesturing to Eisuke on the last line. He might be "The King", but she? She was a God.

'Woooh!' Baba and Kishi broke into thunderous applause as she took a dramatic bow, beaming at them and panting slightly after the rapid rapping.

'How the hell? That was amazing!' Ota exclaimed, clapping her on the back as she passed him.

'Seriously though, Angel. I never thought someone who looked as innocent and dainty as you would be into rap. You classy bad-ass.' Baba remarked as she perched on the arm of the sofa.

'I'm into everything.' She said with a shrug, unaffected by their amazement. 'As long as it has a good tune or something catchy about it, I'll listen to it.'

'Rapping? Hardly a musical accomplishment.' Eisuke scoffed, still sulking over the fact that she scored more than he did on the karaoke. 'Try singing a real song and then you'll see.'

'Never mind, love. I think you did wonderfully.' Soryu smiled at her, clasping her hand tightly in his.

'Would you like me to sing you a song, Soryu?' She asked shyly. She didn't care about the others but for Soryu, well she'd do anything for him.

'I don't min-'

'Yes he does want you to sing! Go on Angel, sing us a song.' Ota cut in excitedly.

As she got up again to take the mike, Eisuke put in:

'A real song this time!'

'Fine I will. Plain White Tees coming up!'

'I haven't heard of that before.' Soryu whispered to Baba as the slow, harmonious melody began to flow.

'Hey there Delilah, what's it like in New York City? We're a thousand miles apart, but girl tonight you look so pretty- yes you do.' Angel began to sing softly after a moment, losing herself in the beautiful melody. Soryu watched her in a trance as she sang, his heart swelling with love and with pride. He couldn't believe how much he'd come to love this passionate but gentle and sophisticated little creature, who'd stolen his heart with the ease of a thief as skilled as Baba. Her silky black hair tumbled loose about her shoulders and she swayed slightly, her summery dress swishing as he watched mesmerized by her. As the song drew softly to an end, she smiled tenderly at him and he promised himself again, with renewed determination, that he would never leave her side as long as he lived. He would protect her forever and never let even a scratch come on her while he was around. He knew she was big and strong and more than capable of looking after herself but that didn't lessen his protectiveness in the slightest.

'What are you looking at?' She asked with a slight blush as she re-joined him, ignoring the catcalls and cheering of the other men.

'You have a beautiful voice.' He said, his voice thick with emotion.

'It's just a song.'

'No. Everything about you is so much more to me. There's no "just" when it comes to you.' He hugged her tightly, before dragging her away from the rest of the group, back to their suite.

'Soryu! What are you doing?' She asked embarrassed as the others jeered and whooped at them as they left.

'Ignore them. I can't wait and I don't intend to.' He threw her over his shoulder and hurried to their bedroom.

'I can walk!' She insisted.

'You were being too slow.'

Placing her gently on the bed, he began to place a series of kisses on her, beginning on her lips and trailing down to the sensitive spot on the side of her neck. He began to pull at the zip on the back of her light pink skater dress when she stopped him.

'Soryu, wait.'

'Huh?' He looked up, slightly dazed from the intensity of his lust. It had been a few days since they'd returned from Hong Kong, and they'd hadn't made love since.

'Just…turn off the light first. Please.' She pleaded, refusing to meet his eyes.

'…Angel? Why?' He asked softly, his insane lust tempered by worry and concern for his new girlfriend. She sighed and turned her head away so she couldn't see his intense grey eyes staring right into her soul.

'My skin is a map of my experiences and my experiences have not been pretty.' She looked away, ashamed of the scars that marred her beautiful body. It had been dark in her suite in Hong Kong and he hadn't been able to see everything.

'Angel look at me.' Soryu said seriously, turning her head to face him. 'Are you ashamed of your body?' She refused to answer lest she cried but a rebellious tear escaped the corner of her eye, falling onto his finger. Soryu suddenly felt an immense anger surge up in him. She felt like that and he never even had a clue.

Sitting up, he began to unbutton his shirt, his expression as cold as ice.

'Soryu? What are you-'

'Look.' He said gravely, revealing his lean muscular torso. Angel drew a breath at the sight of how gorgeous he was.

'What?'

'You don't see anything?'

'No.' She frowned. 'You're gorgeous.'

'Really? So you didn't notice all these scars and wounds that have mutilated my body?' He asked seriously, pointing out the obvious jagged scars that marred his creamy skin.

'I barely noticed them.'

'Exactly. You're beautiful to me Angel. These scars- they're just a reminder of your honour and valour and the pain you've been through in your past. They don't repulse me; they just make me want to protect you more. Your skin and mine- they match. We've both felt the bitter bite of a blade before and that just makes us stronger.'

'Really?' She asked him hopefully. She knew she wasn't ugly but after all she'd been through, she'd never dared to hope that someone might actually think she was beautiful.

'Really.' He assured her. 'Besides, I've seen it all before when I was fixing that knife wound you got a little while ago.' He grinned lasciviously at her, running his hands down her body. She moaned a little and pulled him in for a deep passionate kiss, relishing the feel of his cool, muscled body under her palms.

'I love you.'

'I love you too.'

They sank into the plush bed, preparing for a beautiful night of love.