Kanzeon's Spies
Chapter 1: Meet the Spies!
By: pink neon
The harsh, cold air of November was a starking contrast to the bright, cheery atmosphere surrounding the city and everyone was bustling with activity. Young and old couples alike littered the streets, showing signs of affection, much to the disgust of some passersby. Teenagers and the likes were seen on their way to their respective hangouts and clubs, ready for another night of drinking and dancing. You could easily distinguish a tourist from a native, if one looked close enough. At this side of the planet, there was no room for stillness. After all, this is New York, the City that Never Sleeps. But some people would like to differ, people who have no traces of positive aura whatsoever…
The door to Watsons opened and an innocent customer looked curiously at the scene unfolding before him. A tall, burly man, presumed to be an employee of the store, judging from the white uniform and the name tag he was wearing, was trembling and was trying to reassure a handsome blonde man about something. The customer wondered if there was a robbery going on, but immediately dismissed the thought as he found no weapon on the blonde's possession, but he did notice the way the man's deep violet eyes harden and that was enough to make his knees tremble.
"What do you mean there's no more fucking cigarettes?" the man spoke, enunciating the words slowly, thus, making his words so scary it could rival his glare. His voice was a rich alto that was somewhat hypnotic and alluring.
More sweat graced the poor employee's face, who had never met such a demanding customer like this one that was scarier than his boss. "T-there isn't…s-sir…We're…o-o-out of…stock…" he stammered and flinched at the glare directed at him intensified. "I…I mean…a-all we have…are…H-hi-Lites, sir…"
The man growled. More than any other cigarette brand, he hated Hi-Lites. "Shut up!" he exclaimed. All the other customers, except a thirty-something man dressed in black who seemed to enjoy watching the employee squirm, backed away at his fierce tone.
"Y-you can c-come back next…next time sir. By then-"
Whatever words the employee was about to say, it was cut off by another glare, this one more dangerous-looking than the last ones. "There wouldn't be a next time, asshole," the man said before stomping off the shop, leaving the glass doors swinging madly. All the people in the shop, especially the employee, sighed with relief.
Said man gritted his teeth as he walked on the busy streets of New York. He raked his hand through his yellow blonde hair. He wasn't your average American boy. He was arrogant, rude and never afraid to use a favorite thing of his, a black Smith and Wesson gun. Many have admired his good looks, but instantly began to fear him once they got to know his awful temper. And he had good reason to be angry that day. First of all, the information he needed was still out of his grasp. Second, a certain annoying brat had emptied the contents of his refrigerator, causing him to drop by at the grocery store against his will. And third, which was mentioned a while ago, he was out of cigarettes. And whenever this man goes, his beloved Marlboro cigarettes simply cannot be forgotten, or else, there would be hell to pay, as an unknown innocent employee just found out.
He stopped at the white two-storey house he had inherited from his deceased parents and noticed that a red motorcycle was parked beside his car at his garage and that the lights to the kitchen was open. There was only one person who, unfortunately for him, had the key to his house. His already sour mood darkened at the prospect of seeing him.
He dug through his jeans pocket for his key and opened the door, making sure to slam it loudly behind him to announce his presence. Not that he wouldn't notice anyway, since he's got sharp ears like that of a dog's, he thought grumpily.
Just as he suspected, a brown blur crossed the living room and came to a stop before him. The "blur" happened to be a cute, grinning teenage boy with messy brown hair and stunning golden eyes. His black sweater was smeared with what looked like icing and on his hands were the remains of the chocolate cake he had smuggled. "Sanzo! You're back early!" His voice was unusually high for a person his age and it was laced with such enthusiasm and energy that could rival that of a child's.
The one called Sanzo scowled. "What the hell are you doing in my house, stupid monkey?" he said in a tone that promised death.
The brown haired boy licked the icing from his fingers and sent him the most innocent look he could muster, hoping it would be enough to make his companion forget to torture him again for "trespassing." "I thought I could go see you since the others are busy working," he said.
"And did it ever occur to your incredibly small brain, Goku, that I could also be busy? I don't need you pigging around in my kitchen, either," Sanzo retorted.
Goku's grin widened. "I wasn't pigging out. I was merely doing you a favor of cleaning your refrigerator. By the way, that cake was especially yummy. Did you bake it?" he said, forgetting that Sanzo had never cooked anything except eggs and instant noodles in his whole entire life.
With that remark, Sanzo finally couldn't take it. He whacked the boy on the head with his fist. "Shut up, you stupid monkey!"
"Ouuuuuch!" Goku exclaimed, as he nursed his head. "That hurt! I hope your car gets damaged by Gojyo the next time you guys go car racing."
Sanzo's eyes blazed. "What did you say?" he said warningly.
Goku gulped. He didn't need telling twice. He knew the signs when it came to Sanzo's temper. "Nothing, nothing," he said hastily. "So, how's work going on?"
Sanzo snorted at Goku's attempt to change the subject. "Frustrating. I haven't gathered enough information. The few witnesses I was investigating were found dead this morning. They were shot twice in the head," he said tonelessly.
"Really?" Goku said. "How long until we'll be stuck with this boring assignment anyway?
Sanzo made a gesture that Goku interpreted as his own way of saying "I don't know". "Go get me a beer, monkey," he ordered.
Goku pouted. "Hey! I'm not your servant!" he protested. "Go get it yourself!"
"Are you going to get it or do you want me to force you to get it?"
That did the trick. 6 seconds later, Goku came back with a can of beer. He sat down beside Sanzo and made a grab for the remote. He turned on the TV and squealed. "Oh, wow! Brand new episodes of Spongebob!"
Sanzo rolled his eyes at Goku's choice of television shows. Sure, the guy was already eighteen, yet it was unmistakable that his brain was that of a five year old. He was old and cute enough to have a girlfriend (in fact, Sanzo noticed lots of girls had been drooling whenever the monkey passes by), but even under the influence of a certain perverted redhead, he showed no interest. They had often teased him that the closest thing he could marry would be a steaming pork bun, because all he cared about was food, food and food. It was a miracle how Sanzo had been able to survive with his company for years, after having met him three years ago. Ever since, Goku had clung to Sanzo like a puppy does to its owner, despite the daily death threats and beatings he receives from Sanzo. But it was hard not to like Goku, as he later on learned. His aura shined with such happiness, that even the cold hearted him couldn't resist.
"Sanzo?"
Goku's voice brought him back to the living. He replied with an annoyed "What?"
"Are you alright?" Goku asked worriedly.
"Why would I not be?"
"You're phone's been ringing and you aren't answering it," Goku told him, peering at him to make sure that he was really ok.
Sanzo grunted, a little annoyed at himself for not being aware of his surroundings. He picked up his slick, black cellphone and he growled as he saw who was calling him on the screen. He brought the phone to his ear and waited for the other person to speak.
"Hello? Are you there, Sanzo?"
"No, I'm not," he replied sarcastically.
"Meeting at headquarters. Now."
"Fine," Sanzo said and clicked off the phone before the speaker even got the chance to say goodbye.
Goku looked at him. "Who was that?" he asked.
"Jiroushin," was Sanzo's reply, not bothering to hide his disgust. He and Goku were working as top spies to a secret organization called Lotus Corp; along with two other people, Sha Gojyo and Cho Hakkai. Jiroushin, on the other hand, was a gray haired man, the most trusted advisor and secretary of Kanzeon Bosatsu, the president of the organization and the one who hired them. Now, both these people annoy Sanzo to no end. Jiroushin was a tight assed person obsessed with rules. There never came a time when he wouldn't stop Sanzo from smoking and drinking, which was enough to make Sanzo's blood boil. Hell, even good natured, ever friendly Goku disliked him. Kanzeon Bosatsu, on the other hand, was a powerful woman whom he met standing on his doorstep a year after he met Goku. Ever since, they had been working for her. She was always giving them mysterious, annoying smiles and saying odd remarks. If it weren't for the fact that this job pays twice more than his last job, Sanzo wouldn't even have survived working with those maniacs.
"What does he want?" Goku asked, wrinkling his nose at the mention of his name.
"We're wanted at headquarters," Sanzo said acrimoniously. "Probably want to make us hurry up with our current mission."
"Oh. Can I ride with you on the way there?"
Sanzo glared at him. "You have a motorcycle," he said in a voice that left no arguments.
Goku grinned. "So? I wanna save gas," he replied with a shrug.
"No."
Goku huffed. "Aww! Fine. You drive like a madman anyway."
For the umpteenth time that day, Genjo Sanzo saw nothing but red. "You stupid monkey!"
o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o
Loud music vibrated all over the room. It was dark, the only light coming from the huge disc ball hanging on the ceiling. On the dance floor, all you could see are sweaty bodies moving to the beat of the song, unleashing their inner selves and just being plain wild. Bartenders were doing their jobs, fetching glasses of alcoholic drinks to depressed people who felt the weight of the world on their shoulders, or those who simply have no better things to do. Somewhere amongst the chaos, a DJ was at work.
"Yo yo yo! That's all for tonight people! Hope you enjoyed tonight's show. Now it's time for me to bid you adios! " a tall man said into the microphone as his long, tanned hands stopped spinning great music. He was dressed in dark jeans, a leather jacket and black boots. One couldn't help but admire his long red mane hanging loosely below his shoulder, not the fiery red-orange kind, but the type that was almost magenta.
"Gojyo, darling," purred a long legged blonde clad in a dress that did nothing to hide the imagination as she batted her eyelashes in a flirty manner. "Can't you stay a little longer?"
Gojyo gave her a dazzling smile. "Afraid not, hon," he said, flirting back. "I have work to do."
The blonde pouted, tempting Gojyo to leave whatever it is he has to do and just kiss her into oblivion. "You're always talking about that work of yours I don't even know about and then leave me in the middle of our discussions," she said as she wrapped her arms around his arm, trying to win him over.
Gojyo wagged a finger at her. "Ah, ah, ah," he said as the girl sidled closer to him. Its not that he minded, oh, not at all, but he was going to be late if this kept up. "Sorry, Chantal, sweetie. Let's just continue this next time."
"Do you promise, Gojyo?"
"I promise," Gojyo replied as he planted a kiss on her lips. Once he saw her satisfied face, he made his way out of the club, passing and stopping by to say goodbye to some people. Only then when he was outside did he sighed and lit his cigarette.
Every night when he wasn't at his usual work, he would go here, for this was Sha Gojyo's version of Heaven. At nighttime, he was the DJ, the god of the metro. Music was his master. Girls flocked around him and beer was his buddy. He knew what he said back there was another out of the hundreds of promises he was about to break. He couldn't help it, he was born to be a playboy. Just like he was born to resemble "blood" and be a constant reminder to sinners about their crimes, as was the case with one of his friends.
Gojyo stared at the reflection of himself in one of the window shops he passed by. People thought his crimson eyes were contact lenses, but in fact, it was natural, just like his hair. When he was young he was called upon as a freak because of his eyes, which in turn made his stepmother loathe him, as they became the object of ridicule at the city they lived ever since was born. They said that the eyes are mirrors to the soul and in his case, it was true. His were like dancing flames burning with an overwhelming passion of something he didn't know.
He hopped into his black Porsche, one of the perks that came with his equally dangerous job as a spy, and turned on the radio. The sound of rock music reached his ears. Gojyo was starting the engine when he heard the continuous beeping of something. He fumbled for his phone through all the empty wrappers, soda cans, CDs and other junk that littered his car seat. With a triumphant "Ha!" he grabbed it and found out he had at least a dozen messages on his inbox.
"Curse him," he muttered as he realized that most of it was from Jiroushin, the rest from his friend Hakkai asking him if he would be so kind as if to buy him a bottle of pain relievers, and Goku telling him about a new prank he tried on Sanzo.
Meeting at headquarters. Now. Do not be late and do not bring cigarettes or beer.
Was what Jiroushin's message said.
Gojyo grinned. He would especially bring more beer and cigarettes, only to have the satisfaction of watching the expression on the old man's face. Besides, he was pretty sure that whatever lecture he was planning to say, Sanzo could interrupt him with one glare.
A few minutes later, Gojyo arrived at Lotus Corp; their headquarters, and parked his car. The building was a massive one, reaching several stories high. The guards at the entrance nodded at him as he passed by, having been familiar with him ever since he worked there.
"Meeting again with The Merciful Goddess?" one of the secretaries whispered to him.
Gojyo put on a grimace. "Yeah," he said. Merciful Goddess was the codename everyone working at Lotus Corp. uses to refer to their mysterious smiling boss who looked like neither a man nor a woman. She was known to be hiring people and making them do tons of different things just for her own amusement, which he thinks is one of the reasons why he was hired in the first place. Being called to her office meant only one thing: trouble. But Gojyo was already used to this and given his nature, for him, fearing a woman would be a most preposterous thing to do.
"Good luck," the secretary said, a hint of pity in her voice.
Gojyo grinned and stepped inside the elevator, but not before giving her a flirtatious smile that made her drop the files she was holding. He smirked triumphantly. When he stepped outside, he ventured towards wide double doors leading to their headquarters, the only room on this floor.
"Ah, Sha Gojyo…"
He instantly knew it was her. She was the only one who has a voice creepy enough to be in a horror movie. His boss was sitting cross legged on her chair, long black wavy hair cascading down her back, red blood lips curved into a smile and dark eyes locked at him and following his every move as he sat down on one of the plush, velvet arm chairs on the room. The smell of lotuses wafted in the air. For some odd reason, Kanzeon found it especially nice to place a lotus pond on the huge room.
"I'm not late, am I?" Gojyo asked, completely ignoring his boss and focusing on another person sitting beside him, a brunette wearing glasses.
The brunette chuckled. "No. Have you been going at the club again, Gojyo?"
Gojyo grinned. "Where else, Hakkai?" he said. "And I see you're early as always."
Cho Hakkai, who was a Japanese Gojyo had befriended years ago, smiled. Every time they had a meeting, he was always twenty minutes early. As to why, no one had any idea. It was just the way he is, polite and smiling. Soon, everyone found it natural for him to be early as it was for Sanzo to be late. Hakkai turned to their boss, who was watching them as if they were TV characters brought to life. "Can we know the reason why we were called here?" he asked.
"Don't you want to wait for Sanzo and Gok-"
That sentence was interrupted by the loud slamming of the door. Looking as murderous as ever, Sanzo strode inside and did nothing to acknowledge the room's occupants, instead, settling on the chair beside Hakkai. With him were Goku, looking as cheerful as ever, and Jiroushin, who was currently engaging in a one sided conversation, or rather, lecture about the health problems one could get when smoking, which everyone was too familiar with.
"Late as always, eh, Grumpy face?" Gojyo teased, a smile playing on his lips.
"Shut up. I'm not in the mood," Sanzo grumbled as he glared daggers at him.
For a while, those two started a staring contest, neither blinking. Tension was high in the air and one could slice it with a knife. Aside from Goku, Gojyo was one of the few people who had the privilege to know Sanzo at his reaching point. From their very first meeting, wherein the redhead had offended the blonde, his dislike for Gojyo was always apparent. He was always arguing with Goku, if not with him. And Sanzo was a man who wanted his peace and quiet.
The silence was finally broken by a loud rumbling. Everyone turned to Goku, who was holding his stomach, looking pitiful. "I'm hungry!" he moaned, large pleading eyes directed at Sanzo.
"I just fed you!" Sanzo snarled, finally breaking eye contact with Gojyo.
"But that was an hour ago!" Goku said. "I need nourishment!"
Gojyo looked at him. "You call eating three packs of chips and five bars of chocolate nourishment?"
"Yes, of course! Besides, what do you call those glasses of beer you always drink? I didn't know red cockroaches drink beer," Goku replied indignantly, daring him to contradict him again.
Gojyo's face turned red, either in anger or embarrassment for being called an insect. It was priceless. "I am not a cockroach!" he said through gritted teeth as he grabbed Goku, who was trying to escape from his heated glares, by the neck.
Goku stuck out his tongue at him. "You are!" he said, grinning. "For a top spy, you can't even swim!"
"Last chance, monkey…" Gojyo said warningly.
"Or what?"
Gojyo smiled slyly. "Or this!" He lunged at Goku and mercilessly tickled him on the stomach, Goku's ticklish spot. The teen immediately burst out rolling on the floor laughing. He tried to push Gojyo away but he had a vice like grip.
"Ahahahahaha! Gojyo, stop it! I-Hahaha! Stoooop iiiiiiiiit!" Goku said, tears forming in his eyes.
"Nuh-uh! Who's helpless now, monkey boy!" Gojyo taunted, greatly enjoying torturing Goku.
"I-"
"Would you shut up!"
Apparently during their little fight, they forgot that they had Sanzo with him in the room. It also didn't help that he had his gun with him and that he wasn't in the very best of moods, which happens everyday. That was all the warning they got as the two scrambled out of the way to duck the bullets that the now deranged Sanzo was firing at them.
"What the hell is your problem, you psycho!" It was too late for Gojyo to regret having said those words, for the damage was already done. He had succeeded in making the blonde twice as angry. He glanced at the others. Goku was unusually wise enough that day to hide behind Hakkai's back, who was trying to calm Sanzo down. Their boss, who had the power to order him to stop shooting, was doing nothing. In fact, she almost looked like she was enjoying the show thoroughly.
Sadist, Gojyo thought angrily.
But at least there was some consolation in his part, as he merrily watched Jiroushin running around the room in a fit. His jaw dropped and he was looking horrified at Sanzo. "You evil beast! How dare you use such a weapon in front of our most honored president, Miss Kanzeon! And those walls! Oh my goodness! They cost almost a hundred thousand dollars to build! No! No! Not the furniture! Don't shoot that table! That was a gift from Trise Corporation!"
It took a good of ten minutes before everyone settled down. Goku and Gojyo thankfully remained unscathed and the only things damaged were a few vases and other furnitures. Sanzo, as usual, did not apologize to Kanzeon. His pride would not allow that and besides, she didn't seem to mind anyway. But he still shot death glares at Jiroushin now and then, much to the latter's misfortune.
"Can we now begin the meeting?"
Kanzeon nodded with a smile, her hands resting on the table in front of her. "How are you doing with the latest mission?" A few days ago, she had ordered them to protect a government official who was being hunted down by famous crime lords for top secret information regarding a powerful nuclear weapon. The official ended up dead before they even had a chance to talk to him and so they had to resort to finding other people who had the information they needed and at the same time, try to find out which crime lord was responsible for his death.
"I researched about the last few people Gen. Cayle had contact with and narrowed down the list of possible crime lords, which leaves Mr. Takamura, head of Eye Org, Mr. Spinell from the Military Department and Ms. Heatherson, head of Pawers Corp, all of which are suspected to be behind illegal activities happening in Washington and some parts of the Middle East," Hakkai, who was the group's resident genius, said monotonously.
"I also visited some relatives and friends of the victims who might know the information we need, but when I got there, they were dead. Some bastards shot them in the head. But I don't think they got them to spill the beans," Sanzo told her, eyes narrowed.
Gojyo gave a half-hearted chuckle as he lighted his cigarette, much to Jiroushin's horror. "In short, we're on a dead end."
"Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this in no time. We always do," Goku assured her with a smile.
Kanzeon's eyes twinkled. "Ah, no need to. I'm leaving that to the other spies because I've got a new mission for you," she told them.
"Eh?" Gojyo said, raising his eyebrows.
"What the hell? Do you think we can't do it?" Sanzo exclaimed, anger written all over his face.
"You shouldn't speak to the president that way!" Jiroushin rebuked.
"May I be so bold as to ask why? We don't normally leave unfinished business behind, Ms. Kanzeon and neither do you allow us to," Hakkai said, frowning.
Kanzeon traced some patterns on the table with her manicured fingers as her eyes met Hakkai's. "The mission you are about to do is more important and urgent that the one you are currently working with. It's very dangerous too, but I'm sure you're very familiar with that kind of situation."
By the smile on his boss' face, Sanzo was highly suspicious that it had nothing to do with the mission's urgency, but more of the entertainment it may bring her. That made Sanzo mad enough to wish he could throw her off a cliff.
Goku's ears perked up at the word "dangerous". "Will we finally get to fight?" he asked, barely able to contain his excitement. Fighting was Goku's other passion. The other members of the group were very much aware of that, for they couldn't deny that he was easily the best fighter among them. To him, fighting was like playing, however odd that may sound. The more skilled his opponent is, the happier he becomes.
Kanzeon laughed. "Oh yes, there will be lots of fights," she replied.
"So…" Gojyo started, stroking his chin. "What's this mission about?"
Kanzeon glanced at Jiroushin. "Show the slides."
Jiroushin readily obeyed. He pressed a button and a sliding screen instantly materialized beside Kanzeon.
"These," Kanzeon said, pointing to an image on the screen, "are the four sutras of the late 1600s. One of them, the Evil sutra, will be open to the public at the National Museum of Japan on the 21st of April, and that's a few days from now. Your mission is to get these ancient artifacts."
Gojyo snorted. "That'll be a piece of cake!"
"Actually, no," Kanzeon told him, smiling widely. "You see, these scriptures, if put together, contains a hidden code that reveals the location of one of the lost treasures buried during the Ming Dynasty. And so naturally this would pique people's interest. So that means you're not the only one who will attempt to get them."
Goku's face lit up. "Cool! We get to fight!" he exclaimed.
Hakkai pushed back his glasses. "You said earlier that the Evil sutra is located in Japan. But what about the other sutras?" he asked, not liking what might happen next.
Sanzo failed to ignore the spark that suddenly shone on his boss' eyes. "Observant as ever, eh? I'm afraid that would be your problem, because the other sutras are still missing and has yet to be found," Kanzeon explained calmly.
"What!" Sanzo said. "So now you want us to be archeologists? You're crazy!"
Kanzeon laughed lightly. "You worry too much, Genjo Sanzo," she said. "Anyway, when you get to Japan, one of my associates will meet you there and help you."
Sanzo gritted his teeth in annoyance. "We don't need help from anybody," he said.
"Such impudence!" Jiroushin said disapprovingly, glowering at Sanzo.
"For once, I agree with him. We are better off with only the four of us and we don't need some guy to tell us what to do," Gojyo said as he crushed the butt of his cigarette.
Kanzeon thought of considering it. "Very well," she finally said after a moment of silence. "Do as you wish."
"Um, now that we're finished, can we go now? I'm really really hungry!" Goku said, using the puppy dog eyes technique that always won Sanzo over.
"Of course," The big boss told him.
"Alright!" Goku exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air as he leapt out of his chair and dragged Sanzo outside, much to his annoyance. Gojyo and Hakkai followed suit, without even uttering a goodbye, as was their routine. But Kanzeon didn't mind at all.
Jiroushin, on the other hand, remained by Kanzeon's side and gathered up the courage to ask something that he had been constantly on his mind. "With all due respect, Ms. Kanzeon, why, of all people, did you hire these four? It's…it's not that I question your decisions, Ms. Kanzeon, but we could very well see that they are incompetent fools. They defy all the rules and they are disrespectful towards you. So why them?"
At that point, Jiroushin was expecting her to scold him for his questioning. But she surprised him by laughing. "Jiroushin…After all these years of them being spies, don't you still get it?"
Jiroushin looked at Kanzeon and shook his head. Sometimes he just couldn't understand his boss.
"Do you know why those four are so strong? I'm not talking about their skills in fighting and strategy here. It's the fact that they're so different, yet alike in many ways. They have painful pasts and are bound together by fate, whether they like it or not. And that is where their strength lies."
Kanzeon laughed again when Jiroushin's expression did not change. It even seemed as if her explanation made him even more confused than before.
"I…I still don't get it, Ms. Kanzeon."
"Ah, do not worry. Things will clear itself in the end. But as for now…" Kanzeon said, looking at the big wide television screen in front of her, wherein images of the four spies were playing, "…we can do nothing but watch. Do you mind to join me here, Jiroushin?"
Jiroushin vigorously shook his head. "Of course not, Ms. Kanzeon! I would be honored to!"
"Good. Now observe, Jiroushin… Observe them and take interest in what you see. This will be bound to be good entertainment, one that I wouldn't trade for all the other movies the world has to offer. After all, unchanging things are boring."
o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Hey there, minna-san! I am back again with another story, hopefully, not as crazy as my other stories...(Which reminds me, I still haven't updated…groans Don't worry, I'll get to it, I promise!) I also have nothing against Jiroushin. I know he's not really that annoying in the series, but I decided to alter a few things...Anyways, please review and tell me what you think about it. I would also gladly accept flames…