Parings: Kotoumi, Nozoeli, Nicomaki
Summary: AU. Soldier Game centric. All you need to know is that they wear suits in this fic and are absolutely badass.
Note: After writing about 6 pairings in Buy Your Love, I'll focus more on my 3 absolute favs this time - Soldier Game Trio is love
Don't own anything
If there was one piece of clothing she could always rely on, it was a white dress shirt. A white dress shirt matched with every kind of tie and every kind of suit and also every kind of pants. There was nothing she could do wrong with wearing a white dress shirt to work, it was the simplicity that gave her this much freedom.
She buttoned her shirt top down, stuck the hem inside her black dress pants, then turned up the collar. Now came the hardest decision. Choosing a tie. It wouldn't even be much of a decision if she possessed only three like she had before, but after getting together with her girlfriend, now fiancée, her collection of ties had vastly increased.
"I like the blue one with the gray stripes," a light voice muttered in her ear from behind, warm breath brushing her skin. She closed her eyes when teeth began to teasingly nibble on her earlobe.
"Me too. It's the very first one you bought for me."
"You still remember..."
"Of course I do. I remember everything about you, Kotori."
"Umi, you flatterer."
Kotori gently pulled at Umi's shoulders to turn her around and give her a quick kiss on the lips. "Good morning."
"Good morning," Umi mumbled, smiling. She picked the tie Kotori had chosen and hung it around her neck, pulling at the ends until they had the right proportion for a simple knot.
"Can I?" Kotori took both ends of the tie into her hands, tugging Umi closer to her. Umi sucked in a breath at the closeness and nodded.
Since Kotori didn't tie ties as often as Umi did, her motions weren't as fluid as Umi's practiced hand movements, but they didn't lack in elegance. They were slow, deliberate movements and almost seemed like a soothing ritual to Umi, who had never treated her ties as softly as Kotori did.
"There." Kotori finished tying the knot, careful not to make it too tight around the collar. After placing it in a central position, she pulled down the collar and proceeded to brush away tiny dust particles, which Umi deemed as non-existent. But she had learned not to argue with a fashion designer and perfectionist.
"Thank you," Umi muttered, wondering why her heart was pounding so fast just from watching Kotori tying her tie for her up close.
Kotori lightly tugged at her tie, and reading her wish, Umi leaned in and met her lips in a kiss, holding her breath when Kotori slung her arms around her neck and pulled her closer.
"I have to get to work," Umi whispered when their lips parted, but her own hands betrayed her words when they settled on Kotori's waist, which was only covered by the thin silk of her pajama.
"One more?" Kotori asked in an innocent tone, drawing a circle on Umi's back with her finger.
Umi closed her eyes at the touch, knowing that it wouldn't end with just one more kiss if she gave in now. It wouldn't even end after two more or three more, it would only end until both were entangled in the sheets of their bed, out of breath and covered with sweat, but satisfied and blissful.
"I...I can't," Umi said like she was in pain, "I have a meeting. I absolutely can't miss that."
"Oh," Kotori muttered in disappointment, and it almost caused Umi to change her mind, but she truly had an appointment she couldn't miss.
"I will make it up to you, I promise," Umi whispered, brushing her nose against Kotori's, which elicited a giggle. "I'll try to wrap up today's work a little bit sooner."
"Please do," Kotori muttered, pressing her lips against Umi's cheeks. It took her some willpower to step away from her fiancée. "Have fun at work."
Umi weakly chuckled at the word 'fun'. "Thank you. You too."
On her way out the door, she grabbed her leather handbag for work and her car keys, thinking about how she already looked forward to coming home again. As long as the meeting would be a success, getting off early from work should be possible.
Eli liked routine. Sadly, her work didn't provide much of that even if technically, the process was always the same. But at least in her home she got to decide on a routine for herself. And that was dressing herself. Choosing matching dress shirts, ties and suits was almost a spiritual ritual every morning as her girlfriend liked to call it and Eli had to agree. Nothing was more satisfying than piecing together a matching outfit.
She also had a very strict order of dressing herself. Underwear first, of course. Dress shirt before pants because that simplified the process of sticking the hem of her shirt into her pants. Then tie, at last the suit.
While she knew that one of her work colleagues, Sonoda Umi, preferred white dress shirts with unicolored ties or striped ones, Eli liked the variety of colors and was more willing to experiment with different patterns on her tie. It didn't always go well, which her girlfriend made sure to let her know when she had put together a weird combination again.
Today she went for a light blue shirt, a black tie with gray checkered lines, and a navy blue suit. It was one of the more conservative combinations because she didn't feel like being too playful today. She had a serious meeting in the morning where much of her future depended on it. Her clothes always reflected her mood.
"You know what they say about people who frown too much."
Eli's expression relaxed, and she chuckled. "I'm still young. I'll be fine."
When she turned around to greet her girlfriend, her words remained stuck in her throat that had instantly dried up.
Casually leaning against the doorframe, Nozomi was still in her underwear, smirking at Eli.
"I – I have an important meeting," Eli stuttered, averting her eyes.
"I didn't say anything about wanting you to stay?" Nozomi raised an eyebrow, her smug smirk growing.
Eli opened and closed her mouth, knowing that she had lost this one. It was difficult to win against Nozomi in anything, that woman seemed to know how to defeat her without even starting the game.
There was no way to not sound childish about it, so Eli refrained from saying anything that would only give Nozomi more power to tease her. She slipped into her suit jacket and pulled at the sleeves of her dress shirt until two centimeters protruded the sleeve of the suit jacket. Her ritual was done, she was ready to leave but remembered that Nozomi was still blocking the door. Sort of. Eli could of course simply walk past her, and Nozomi would probably let her, but still, the thought held her still.
"I thought you had an important meeting?" Nozomi asked, her voice sweet and teasing.
How Eli wished it would be any other day so she could lift up Nozomi in her arms and carry her back to the bedroom, how she wished she didn't have a meeting so early. But duty called and Eli was nothing if not dutiful.
"Yes," Eli breathed out with difficulty, but remained unmoving.
Nozomi pushed herself off the doorframe and strutted up to Eli, circling her stiff form, letting her fingertips brush Eli's shoulders and arms. "Are you not in a hurry?"
"Yes," Eli repeated, monotone and curt.
Nozomi chuckled, playing with blonde hair. "You sound almost like a soldier."
Eli's jaw tensed, "What makes you think that?"
"Hm," Nozomi hummed, closing in on Eli, "you stand as stiff as a board. Even though we've been together for so long now. But don't worry, I'll help you loosen up..."
She left a trail of soft kisses along Eli's jawline, kissing her way up to the blonde's ear before she softly blew into it. Eli shivered.
"I really need to go now," Eli panted, forcing herself to face the other way.
"Hm, have a good day at work." Nozomi kissed her on the cheeks before strutting out of the room, making sure to add an extra swing to her hips. Eli's gaze followed her girlfriend's lower half until she was out of the room.
She shook her head at herself, trying to get her mind out of the gutter.
"Maki...Maki, wake up..."
"Mhm..."
"Don't be like that, Maki."
"Mhm..."
"Seems like I have no choice."
Teasing fingers danced their way up and down a naked back, expanding their range with every run until they landed on firm buttcheeks, pinching them.
"Mhm!"
Hazy eyes blinked in confusion, meeting wide awake ones which were grinning at her. "Good morning, Maki."
"Morning," the sleepy woman mumbled, a lazy smile on her lips as she fought to keep her eyes open so she could gaze at her lover for a little bit longer.
"I have to leave early and depending on how much work my manager scheduled for today, I might not come back before tomorrow. Just wanted to say goodbye in case that happens."
Maki wiggled closer to her wife so she could snuggle up against her, placing an arm around her waist. "Just five more minutes, Nico."
Chuckling, Nico indulged the request, raking through Maki's messy hair with her fingers. "Don't you have work today too?"
"Later."
"That's odd. You usually have meetings in the mornings."
"I switched," Maki mumbled into Nico's neck. "Switched work with a colleague. Have different times of meetings now."
Nico hummed in understanding. "I didn't know you could switch work. What are you doing now?"
"Basically the same as before," Maki muttered, stifling a yawn. "Just in a different department."
"Do you like it better now?"
"Of course."
"Why?"
The mattress dipped when Maki pushed herself up, straddling Nico beneath her. Nico swallowed, looking up with wide eyes. "Maki?"
"Why, you ask," Maki mumbled, licking her lips as she took in the sight of her naked lover, who had just recovered from last night's activities. "Because I get to spend more time with you in the morning now."
"M-Maki, I have a photoshoot in two hours and I need to be there for make-up in one hour and you know how traffic is in -"
The rest of her sentence stifled in a kiss; a hungry mouth moved against her lips until they gave way to moans of pleasure. It was a dance they would never tire of, no matter how many times they danced it and no matter how much they knew it inside out. And they intended to repeat it until the rest of their lives if the rings on their left ring finger was anything to go by.
Punctual as always, a black sedan with tinted windows smoothly rolled into the driveway and came to a stop right before her. Eli opened the door to the passenger's side and climbed in, greeting the person on the driver's side. "Morning, Umi."
"Good morning." Umi glanced at her friend's expression before looking over her shoulder as she drove backwards out of the driveway. "Not happy about working the morning shift?"
Eli sighed. "No, that's not it. It's just...hard to leave a bed that's so warm -"
"-And has Nozomi in it?" Umi finished for her.
When Eli didn't answer, Umi assumed that she was right. "If it's any comfort, I know how you feel. Well, not about that Nozomi part but, you know."
"Yeah," Eli chuckled, knowing the affectionate nature of Umi's fiancée. "Kotori's lucky that she can decide whether to work at home or at her office."
"I told her that, but she said it's the opposite," Umi said, knitting her brows. "At home she can't concentrate and at her office she doesn't feel inspired."
"Sounds rough. Can she even design that many dresses to keep up with the speed they're being sold at?"
"Actually, yes. She took to sketching rough designs at home and polishing them at the office," Umi answered, a small smile forming on her lips as she thought of her fiancée. "I'm proud that she managed to increase her productivity which was a factor she used to struggle with."
"Maybe it's your good influence," Eli said with a laugh. "Speaking of productivity, what's our first order of business?"
"Imada Ira," Umi replied instantly, getting into her serious business mode. "Founder and CEO of the Imada Corporation, a company with dozens of branches across Japan and in neighboring countries. Mostly involved in the production of chemicals such as for hair dye, paint or cleaning fluid."
"Hm," Eli hummed. "I can guess where this is going."
"Generates billions, but doesn't invest one single Yen in the protection of the environment or in improving the work conditions of his employees. He covers it up by bribing journalists and deleting critical content on the internet. His influence goes so far that even the police arrests opponents for him with fake charges."
Eli sighed. "So the only reason he invited us to him is because he wants to get rid of us. I knew there was something shifty about him accepting an inquiry from an environmental organization."
"That wasn't all," Umi said, impatiently tapping on the steering wheel when they found themselves stuck in traffic. "The chemical garbage that his company produces is led into nearby rivers. Those rivers are the main water source for the locals. I don't have the accurate numbers, but around 150 people have died so far from drinking the poisoned water and thousands are terminally ill, a third of them are children."
It became silent in the car, only the sound of the engine softly purring was to be heard.
Then, letting out a low growl, Eli slammed her fist down on the dashboard in anger. "How could it come to this? How did no one notice?"
"The chemicals are colorless and odorless," Umi said calmly, shifting gears when the cars started moving again. "Unless you test the water in a lab, no one can tell that it's been soiled. But no one official has tested those rivers for years, they are bribed to present fake results of clean water."
Eli massaged her forehead. "We really need to put an end to this."
"That's what we are here for."
"We are very pleased about the interest you have expressed in our project, Mr Imada, and we would like to display our strong points in a short digital presentation." Eli bowed politely.
Umi placed her bag on the table, tapping it with her finger. "Everything the ES is about is inside here."
Imada leaned back in his office armchair, crossing his arms behind his head. "Make it quick, I don't have all day. Also, would you mind not placing your bag on my table? It's new and I spent a good chunk of money on it."
"Excuse me," Umi said and took her bag off the table. "I did not know that."
"I didn't expect women to recognize the true value of anything," Imada said with a contemptuous smirk. "But you're forgiven, since you're such a pretty one."
"That is very kind, Mr Imada," Umi replied politely, rummaging in her bag while Eli used her elbow to push a button that would automatically let down the shutters, dimming the room.
"Oh, that's a nice mood," Imada grunted, his lecherous gaze following Eli's behind as she went to her own bag, searching for something she needed for the presentation. She took out a pair of black gloves.
"Gloves?" Imada muttered, perplexed. "What do you need gloves for?"
Umi turned around to him.
"For this."
A metallic click next to his head made him freeze. "Wha-what?"
The cool opening of a gun pressed itself against his temple, the touch causing his whole body to shake and break out in cold sweat. Even if his body knew what was happening right now, his mind couldn't process it; what happened? What was going on?
"Let's start with the presentation." Eli took her time to put on one glove, then the other, wiggling her fingers in them until they fit. She gave Imada a cold look. "The ES organization isn't short for Environmental Science, in fact, it doesn't even exist at all, but you weren't interested anyway. You were just looking for a way to get rid of us because your factories have been spilling toxins since their very first day."
"Wha – what are you," Imada cried, his whole body trembling, and he held his hands up to show his helplessness in a desperate attempt to be spared. "D-don't do this, I'll give you anything, please don't do this...whatever you want..."
"What we want," Umi said, no sympathy in her voice, "is you to be quiet. We heard enough of you today."
"Almost shot him when he wouldn't let go of my hand at the greeting," Eli mumbled, taking out a USB stick and plugging it into Imada's personal computer.
"No – you can't -"
"Just shut up."
Eli typed on the keyboard, entering commands and orders that searched for hidden data in the system. It came up with several results, but they demanded a password to be opened. "Passwords? Do you really think you can still protect sensitive data with passwords nowadays?"
"No...no...don't..." Imada's voice became fainter as he watched Eli run a program that her USB carried, cracking his password within seconds.
Documents, reports, lists with names and dozens of pictures popped up, the latter category showing an inconspicuous river with dead fish floating on the surface, malnourished people with tumors growing out of their body and various faces that seemed to be the company's opponents and targets.
Umi pressed her gun harder against Imada's head when he became even more fidgety at the sight of those pictures, whimpering in fear. Eli copied the files, erased tracks of the transfer and pulled the USB stick out. She put it inside her suit pocket.
"You asked us what we are," Eli said in an even tone, not facing Imada, who had started weeping, hardly able to breathe through his sobs. "We are Soldiers."
"S-Soldiers?"
"We will assassinate everyone who abuses their position of power for their own gain and greed, who is toxic for the society and impedes the natural progress of society as a whole." Umi increased the pressure of her gun against Imada's head. "We assassinate people like you, Imada, who has everything but still wants more, taking everything away from people who have less. Your existence causes far greater damage to humanity than utility, so we have determined to stop this injustice."
Eli turned around to face him, not bothered to suppress a grimace when his pitiful face disgusted her. "Any last words?"
"You won't get away with this," he sobbed, "I have cameras installed -"
"- That we have disabled beforehand. And no one will notice because you saved money by not hiring a security guard."
"My secretary -"
"- Is busy working her second job as a call center agent because you don't pay her enough to be able to finance her family. She will not enter your office until you call her."
"Someone will -"
"Give up," Eli sighed. "You have destroyed too many lives for your own to be mourned. Umi, please."
And before Imada could yell out his last protest, a bullet went through his skin, skull and brain, killing him within ten seconds. He slumped down in his chair, lifeless, tears drying on a shocked expression that was going to freeze in place forever.
Umi detached the silencer from her gun, putting it back into her bag, then placed the gun inside her suit in a hidden holster. "He was an abominable man."
"Like all of our targets," Eli replied, sighing. "Let's go, I don't want to see him any longer."
They packed their bags and left the office, keeping their gloves on as they still needed to open doors and touch the buttons of an elevator. They walked past the phoning secretary, past the unmotivated workers sitting in their tiny cubicles and past an unsupervised entrance with an inactivated weapon scanner.
Eli glanced at her watch once they stepped outside. "Everything according to plan. What's your estimate on time of discovery?"
"Two days," Umi said without deliberating. "He has no family, no loved ones, and he has never bothered with friendships based on mutual respect. His work is mostly done by the executive committee. He has no significant function inside the company, being just a representative on the outside."
Eli chuckled at the immediate response. "I have yet to be proven wrong by your scaringly accurate predictions."
"They are not predictions," Umi unlocked her car, "they are calculations. Based on facts. Maybe Nozomi is not a good influence on you with her future telling card games."
"Fortune telling," Eli corrected, getting into the car from the front passenger's side as Umi got into the driver's seat, "and her fortune telling is scaringly accurate as well."
Umi didn't comment that interpreting cards had more arbitrariness than anything else, starting the car. "Did she ever read your fortune?"
"She did," Eli smiled at the memory, absently gazing out the window as they drove from the parking lot onto the streets. "It was the first time we met. I was jogging at the park when there was this little crowd around her. Everyone wanted Nozomi to read their fortunes because she had a reputation that her predictions were quite accurate. I didn't believe it of course, so I wanted her to read mine too."
Umi glanced at her partner, then focused back on the streets. "What did she say?"
"She pulled the upright Justice card. Said that I am driven by a strong need for fairness and harmony. That I would fight for equality." Eli shook her head. "That got me. As if she knew what I was dedicating my life to."
"Coincidence," Umi muttered.
"That was what I thought too," Eli agreed. "And I searched her again in the park. Told her to do it a second time. She pulled the Justice card again." Her voice became quiet in embarrassment. "Said the same thing again. But added that I would soon enter a committed relationship."
Umi raised an eyebrow at her partner, who quietly added, "We got together two weeks after."
"Maybe I should try it out too," Umi mused, "but I don't want to receive any bad news before the wedding."
"Oh, right," Eli remembered that Umi was going to get married in a month, "how are the plans going?"
Umi cursed under her breath when the car in front of her didn't use its blinkers, abruptly slowing down before turning right, needing her to react fast if she didn't want to crash into it. Frustrated by that action, Umi said in a darker tone than intended, "Kotori hired a wedding planner. It's going great."
"Do you already know how many guests you'll have?" Eli asked.
"Too many," Umi sighed. "And they all come from Kotori's side. I mean, I only have you, Nozomi and Maki and her wife to invite."
Eli chuckled at the grimace Umi pulled. "There's no way around it. She is the heiress of the Minami Group after all. She probably didn't even want to invite half of the people that will be attending."
Umi hummed in reply. It was true after all, half of their guests had received an invite because of business related reasons.
"Hey, Umi," Eli said, her voice shifting to quiet and serious. She looked outside the window. "You really love her, don't you?"
Umi didn't look at her partner nor did she reply. The sole sign of her acknowledgment of Eli's question were her tense jaw muscles.
"What are you going to do?" Eli asked, her eyes not really taking in the passing scenery. "Do you have a Plan B?"
Umi tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "I just hope that I'll never have to be confronted with a scenario that requires a Plan B. But at the same time, I'm not that delusional about being able to keep this up forever."
Eli closed her eyes, leaning her head against the headrest. "It would be that much easier if we didn't have feelings."
"Arguable," Umi replied. "Imada was only capable of doing the things he did because he lacked emotions."
"You know what I mean."
Umi knitted her brows. "Too well, I'm afraid." She paused, looking in the rear view mirror to check if cars were approaching from behind, so she could park in a vertical parking space. "That was the biggest miscalculation I ever made."
"Are we talking about parking or..."
"No," Umi smoothly parked the car without needing correction. She turned off the engine and turned to Eli with a serious expression. "Everything that happened after meeting Kotori. I miscalculated big time."
Eli placed a hand on Umi's shoulder to calm her down, giving her a small smile. "You can't calculate everything, Umi. And I think it's the best mistake you ever made."
Umi seemed to relax a bit at those words. "I think so too. I don't regret anything. Yet."
"Don't jinx it, you fool," Eli chuckled, lightly knocking Umi's shoulder. "You're going to get married! And to what a bride, people would kill to be in your position."
A smile finally loosened up Umi's face. "That's why I kill them first."
"Koizumi just sent us the profile of our next target," Eli muttered, swiping through her tablet computer. She let out a low whistle. "That's one ugly list of crimes."
Umi walked over to her colleague and gazed over her shoulder to get a look at the screen too. "Even more disgusting than Imada. But less high profile. Can I ask you to handle that one alone tomorrow? I have a gala to attend again."
Eli put the tablet away, stretching her arms with a yawn. "No problem. Koizumi rated his security measures as extremely low because being low profile made him feel safe." She rotated around in her armchair. "A gala hosted by the Minami Group? Nozomi already told me about it."
Nodding, Umi let herself fall down on the second armchair in the room. "I'd rather not talk about that, those events are tiring. The false friendliness and plastic smiles are difficult to get used to." She cringed at the thought. "On a side note, will Nozomi be there tomorrow too? I heard she was the organizer again."
Eli chuckled, shaking her head. "She asked Mrs Minami if she could take the night off. Even though she's the one who planned it, she's no longer interested in attending those events either."
"I have a lot of respect for her," Umi said with a nod. "Kotori says that her mother is very demanding, but Nozomi always does her job with a smile. Being an assistant these days isn't easy."
"I don't think I've ever heard Nozomi complaining," Eli said thoughtfully. "She seems to like her job no matter how busy she gets. But lately, it does seem like we're attending less galas than before. Not that I miss meeting sleazy rich people who somehow always end up as our next targets."
Umi nodded in agreement. "Speaking of targets, does Maki have a case tonight?"
"Yeah." Eli chuckled. "She wanted to have less jobs in the morning. Said she needed more time with her wife. How can I say no to that?"
"Can't be easy, dating an A-List celebrity," Umi said, impressed. "I have yet to meet this Yazawa Nico."
"Me too. I still find it hard to believe that she and Maki actually match. And to think we've been joking when we suggested Maki to date her..."
Umi gave Eli a weak smile. "It's not rare that great things start with a jokingly meant suggestion."
"So wise and so young," Eli muttered with grin, shaking her head. "Umi, you could've become someone really great."
"That goes for a lot of people, but they were never even given the chance to. If I can change that, if I can create a better life for them, then I will do it."
She vocalized Eli's exact same mindset with few, concise words, summing up everything their organization stood for.
If dirtying their own hands was what it took to clean the world of corruption, then they would do it. If acting morally wrong was what it took to protect those acting morally right, then they would do it. The Soldiers were ready to commit evil to stop greater evil from spreading.
They didn't see themselves as heroes, they knew they were far from it. This wasn't a debate about morals or doing the right thing, this wasn't about self-sacrifice or honor.
Growing up in the shadow side of reality, they had seen horrible things in the darkness that others would never find or stumble upon. They knew that it took someone living in the dark to kill someone in the dark. There was no one else but them who could do this, who could live both in the dark and beneath the sun without losing sight of who they were supposed to be.
The dark parts of the world only existed because the people living on the light side let them exist. As long as it didn't affect them, as long as their own safety and fortune was secured, they tolerated and even added to the struggle that was happening on the other side. The darkness had its roots in the light, and the Soldiers had recognized the need to cut off those roots to stop them from spreading, to stop those dark spots from dimming the light around them.
They certainly were no heroes. They didn't wait for people to shout for their help. They acted now, so one day people wouldn't have to shout for help anymore.
They certainly didn't want to be mistaken as heroes. Their sense of justice was relative. There was no absolute definition of good and bad, there was no scale to measure the amount of justice they could restore. They only saw the bigger picture of their goals, and that was to balance the world out with equality by eliminating the irregularities.
They knew their goal, they knew their enemy, they knew their objective. In the end, they were just like soldiers on a battlefield, with the only difference that it was a battlefield they had chosen for themselves.
Impatiently glancing at her watch every few minutes, Umi wondered when it was socially acceptable to leave the gala. She didn't have high hopes of being released soon since it was a party that her fiancée's mother's company was hosting, and as the future wife of the future successor of the Minami Group, Umi had no choice but to stick around until the end. Until now, she had been successfully avoiding social interaction with other guests by standing in the corner of the room, sipping on the same drink for over an hour now. People had tried to approach her, but her dark glare held them off.
Even when standing apart from the main crowd, she could still catch scraps of their conversations, and their topics made her cringe. The upper class of society was scary, and trying to understand how they worked was futile.
Umi noticed Kotori trying to wiggle her way through to her, but got held up by two guests. Shooting helpless looks at Umi, Kotori put on a fake smile and pretended to be interested in what her guests had to say.
Umi put her drink aside, smoothing over her suit. No one got in the way between her and Kotori.
"Gentlemen," Umi greeted with a polite nod when she approached them, placing herself next to Kotori. She could hear her fiancée breathing out in relief.
"Oh, Ms Sonoda, we were just talking about your wedding plans," the elderly guest said, one head shorter than the two women. "I look forward to seeing Ms Minami in a stunning dress that she will design herself, I assume?"
Kotori nodded, her smile less stiff now that Umi was here. "But I'm not done with it yet."
"It will be magnificent, no doubt!" the other guest said enthusiastically, sounding like it was his own wedding. "Then, we wish you two a joyful evening. It was nice talking to you."
The two men bowed before disappearing in the crowd again.
"Hey," Umi grasped Kotori's hand, "are you okay?"
Kotori squeezed her fiancée's hand. "I will be if you dance with me."
"Dance?" Umi turned her head to the mostly empty dancefloor where few people were slow-dancing to a mild ballad. "Everyone will look at us."
"Please?" Kotori looked at her with pleading eyes, jutting out her bottom lip, and Umi stopped breathing. "You can dance, so what are you worrying about?"
"I..." Umi trailed off, unable to gaze at her fiancée's expression any longer without melting. "Fine. But only one dance."
Curious gazes followed the couple as they made their way to the dancefloor. When the DJ saw the heiress of the Minami Group coming, he quickly switched the music, putting on a popular ballad that pulled more people to the dancefloor.
"Do you want to take the lead this time?" Kotori whispered in Umi's ear, their bodies pressed against each other. "It's easy."
"Okay," Umi breathed, focused on getting enough air into her lungs because being so close to her beautiful lover messed up her heart beat. She placed a tentative hand on Kotori's waist, no pressure behind her touch at all, so Kotori placed her own hand over it to signal it was okay to hold on, she wasn't made of glass.
"Umi, I'm okay," she said, putting a hand on Umi's shoulder, the other grabbing her free hand. "It's very cute how you act so shy around me."
"I'm not shy," Umi denied, swallowing when her nose picked up Kotori's perfume. They began swaying to the gentle music, moving their body along to the soft melody. "I'm just careful...about not treating you wrong."
"Oh, Umi," Kotori giggled, "where did you learn your ways of flattering into people's hearts?"
Umi tensed up for a second before replying as non-chalant as she could, "Natural talent, I assume."
"Hm, you are quite talented," Kotori agreed, smiling.
Umi managed to maneuver them on the dancefloor without bumping into any other couples, and when the song came to end, she exhaled in relief, wanting to leave the dancefloor that was getting crowded.
"No, one more," Kotori pouted, not letting go of Umi's hand and shoulder. "You still need to make up for yesterday morning."
Umi gave in fairly quick, resuming her position without protest. "You're becoming spoiled, Kotori. I distinctly remember making it up to you right after I came home."
Kotori hummed, pretending to think about it before she shook her head with a smile. "No, no memory of it."
"Really?" Umi raised an eyebrow, leaning forward to brush her lips against Kotori's ear, eliciting a small shudder, "Absolutely no memory of how you greeted me in your newly purchased lingerie?"
"No," Kotori moaned quietly, her fingers digging into Umi's shoulder when Umi ground her hips against her, only getting away with it because the dancefloor was full now and the lighting had been dimmed to create a better partying mood.
"That's strange," Umi whispered into her ear, letting her voice drop as deep as she could, "then, I must have dreamed about making love to you on your work desk."
Kotori gasped, "U-Umi..."
"And in that dream," Umi closed her eyes, shivering at the memory, "I heard you begging...begging me to take you from behi-"
"Umi!" Kotori suddenly pushed Umi away at an arm's length, gazing at her with glassy eyes, her cheeks flushed and breathing ragged. "Stop, I can't, I still have many business partners to greet tonight."
When Umi realized what she had done, she felt heat crawling up her neck, making it very hot in her suit. She pulled at the knot of her tie to loosen it up. "I – I'm sorry, I got carried away."
"It's okay, I-"
"Ah, Ms Minami!" someone called out, and a woman in a sparkling designer dress approached them.
Umi held her breath when she recognized that woman. Pouty lips, button nose and bedroom eyes.
Yuuki Anju, a socialite since she was eighteen, used to be seen more frequently at parties than at home, but her life turned around when her father died in a yacht accident, inheriting his company over night. To the public's surprise, the heiress didn't run from her responsibility and took over her father's work, becoming the youngest female CEO of a market-listed company. Of course her position hadn't been granted to her easily; many within the manager tier wanted the throne for themselves, but Anju was lucky that her father had thought of everything. His will and company law stated that she had one year time to get her act together and learn the ropes of leading the firm, until then, only a representative group acted as the company's leader. And she had taken that second chance.
"Umi."
Anju said her name with the familiarity of a friend. Kotori was confused, did they know each other? In the two years she had been together with Umi, she had not mentioned once that she might be acquainted with the CEO of Yuuki Tecs, one of the country's biggest conglomerates.
Umi hid her uneasiness and nodded. "Good evening."
Behind Anju, a taller woman in a black suit appeared, but it wasn't a formal suit. Combined with the wired ear piece she was wearing, Umi deduced that it was Anju's bodyguard, who was glaring at her like she was expecting Umi to reach out and hit Anju.
"Excuse my rudeness, I haven't introduced myself properly yet," Anju said, bowing slightly, "Yuuki Anju. Pleased to meet you, Ms Minami. You may not know this, but my company has a small share of yours."
"Oh, is that so?" Kotori replied, looping an arm around Umi's. "I look forward to working with you."
"Erena, you can leave us alone for a while, it will be nothing but boring business talk," Anju said over her shoulder to her bodyguard, who asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, help yourself to the buffet and open bar, I will call if there's anything."
The bodyguard nodded, but didn't leave without piercing Umi with one last scanning look.
"If it's only business talk, may I be excused?" Umi asked, directing the question more at Kotori than at Anju.
Her fiancée reluctantly nodded, touching her shoulder. "It won't take long." She hugged her, whispering in her ear, "When you're back, I want one more dance."
Umi chuckled, agreeing with a nod. "If there's anything, you can call me too."
"Thanks, Umi."
Once Umi let go of the embrace, she nodded to Anju with a dimmed smile before turning to leave.
Glancing behind her, she saw Kotori and Anju getting into business mode as they most likely talked about things Umi had no idea of. She thought about numbing her head with liquor at the open bar when someone tipped her shoulder, and it took all of her willpower to act against her instinct and keep calm. If that had happened during a mission, she would have long grabbed the stranger's hand and pulled their arm out of its socket.
Umi came face to face with Anju's bodyguard.
"Erena, wasn't it?" Umi attempted to be polite, but was met with a dark glare.
"Can I have a word with you?" Erena said, sounding grim. "In private."
Umi had no reason to decline and she also wanted to know where the hostility came from when she had never met that woman before. "Sure."
They left the main hall, going into a little side room where spare chairs and tables were stacked.
"I'll be frank with you," Erena began, pulling at the sleeves of her suit. "I don't like you."
"That much I gathered," Umi said, unaffected. "May I know why?"
Erena narrowed her eyes at her. "Anju told me a lot about you. In fact, all she ever talks about is you. I know what you have done and your actions make you beneath trash to me."
Alarmed, Umi's eyes flitted to the large windows before she replied in a calm tone, "And you are referring to...?"
"I know all about you," Erena said, moving closer. "A person like you...just scum with no moral and no conscience."
How did Erena find out? How much did she know? Umi shifted her stance, bracing herself.
"You..." Erena hissed, roughly grabbing Umi's collar and pulling at it. "You were using Anju, and when she needed you the most, you left her."
Umi blinked. "Hah?"
"Don't act stupid," Erena shook her violently, "Anju told me of your past together. You two used to be dating, but then her father died and you left her. She still doesn't stop talking about you. And I'm tired of hearing her voice saying your name when I've been by her side ever since."
It took her a few seconds to process it, but when the words sank in, Umi realized that Erena had no idea about her job at all. She was talking about a completely different side of her past.
Finally reacting, Umi swiftly brought her knee to Erena's gut, causing the other to let go and stumble backwards. Coughing, Erena held her stomach and bent over in pain.
"I'm sorry if you've been caught up in business that has nothing to do with you," Umi said, fixing her collar and tie. "But I don't think it's fair to blame me for your unrequited feelings."
"Shut up," Erena wheezed, straightening herself with a pained grimace. "This is not about me. You used Anju for her money, just like you are using Minami right now."
"You couldn't be more wrong." Umi closed one button of her suit. "I liked her. But we didn't match. Her father's death was tragic and it revealed her true character, so I did a favor for us both and set her free."
"You damn liar!" Erena took a swing at Umi, but was easily dodged. When she tried to kick her, Umi caught her leg by the ankle and twisted it around, having her lying on the ground in seconds.
"That is enough."
Erena looked up from the ground, panting. "Anju?"
Anju's face was expressionless when she ordered, "You can leave now."
"But -"
"You went behind my back to solve a problem that isn't even yours," Anju said, toneless. "Please leave."
Getting up to her feet with difficulty, Erena directed her gaze at the ground when she muttered, "Yes." She gave Umi a fleeting look filled with hatred before she limped out of the room.
"Are you okay?" Anju turned to Umi, seeing red marks on her throat. "I didn't know Erena held such feelings."
"I'm okay," Umi said, feeling more uncomfortable in Anju's presence than in Erena's. "She meant well."
"Well, she was foolish," Anju shook her head, reaching inside her handbag, "as if I'm going to let someone take my revenge."
Click.
The opening of a small handgun was facing Umi when she blinked again.
"Erena wasn't completely wrong," Anju whispered, taking one step closer with her gun steadily pointed at Umi's head. "You used me. And at first, I thought it was for money too, but then things became clearer when I started digging."
Of all the scenarios, this wasn't one Umi had calculated on. She gritted her teeth, eyes flickering to the door in hopes that someone would barge in. But it remained eerily quiet in the room, no noise from the outside coming through.
"You better keep your eyes on me," Anju said with a hollow giggle. "I made sure that no one's going to interrupt us."
Umi felt something in her stomach tighten. Both knew she was clearly at a disadvantage. She was unarmed and stuck in a formal suit that clung to her like a second skin which restricted her movements and made her slower. Losing the suit jacket would increase her chances of fighting back, but even the twitch of a finger could set Anju off.
"It's going to be just you and me, Umi. Like before. Before you betrayed me, before I found out what was really going on." Anju began pointing her gun to lower regions as if she couldn't decide where to shoot first. She bit her lip, aiming at Umi's heart. "Today I'm going to end the curse you put on me. Because when we started dating, people in my surroundings suddenly died in various ways...like my aunt who overdosed...or a business partner who drowned in his bath..."
This time, Umi was sure that Anju was closer to the truth than Erena had ever been. She cursed silently, hoping her trembling hands went unnoticed.
"Those were quite unfortunate accidents," Umi said, lowering her voice. "I'm sorry to hear about your loss."
"Liar!" Anju screamed, her pointer finger scratching at the trigger of her gun, "I don't know who's working with you, but all those people died after I introduced them to you! And I was blind for so long because I was grieving my father's death...but once I recovered, everything became clear."
She took a step closer, the gun in her hand shaking. "The night my father died...was the only night you spent at my place. You had the perfect alibi."
Umi ground her teeth. Indeed, Anju's father – Yuuki Sora – had not died in a yacht accident. He had not been drunk and had not slipped off his boat as the public had been informed. He had been taken care of by Maki, who then had disposed his body in the sea, purposely placing evidence that led the investigators to believe that he had too much alcohol on his yacht and then drowned after stumbling over the railing.
"That was the only night I could convince you to stay," Anju whispered, her eyes narrowing in hatred. "The whole time we were dating, you were so cold and distant towards me. And I thought that was just how you were, I admit I even fell for that, thinking that was part of your charm. But seeing you being all lovey-dovey with your fiancée makes me sick."
Umi kept her gaze fixated on the gun when Anju broke out in empty, crazed laughter.
"Do you hate me?" Umi asked quietly. Keeping Anju talking was what kept her from shooting, so Umi had to prolong the conversation for as long as she could until she found the right moment to disarm her.
"If I hate you?" Anju whispered, incredulous. "Do you really have to ask?"
Umi refrained from replying, sensing the breaking point nearing.
"But there's someone I hate even more than you," Anju muttered, now so close to Umi that her gun was pressed against her chest. "And that's myself. For still not being over you. But I will be, once you are gone."
"Killing me won't make you feel better," Umi said, her gaze empathic. "I'm sorry about your loss, but your father...He might have treated you like a goddess, but he treated the rest of the world as his slave. His death released thousands from his tyranny."
Anju's facial features twisted, turning into a grimace of rage. "Don't you dare to talk about him like that!"
Umi felt the gun pressing hard against her chest. If Anju fired now, the bullet would tear straight through her heart. "Anju, he killed your mother," she whispered, boring her eyes into Anju's. "She didn't die at birth. She tried to run away from him when she was pregnant."
"No!" Anju screamed, and in the second she was overwhelmed by anguish, Umi knocked the gun out of her hands and reached for the pressure points on Anju's neck, pressing down hard. Anju gasped and desperately pulled at Umi's hand, but her consciousness faded and her eyes rolled back in her head. She sank to her knees, her body toppled over and hit the ground with a thud.
Muttering curses beneath her breath, Umi was torn about what to do next. Anju knew too much for Umi to let her go, but at the same time, killing her was impossible because that woman wasn't a bad person. Her death would have no meaning, which would go against Umi's code as a Soldier.
She picked up the gun Anju had used. Small, but would do its job. She glanced at the body on the floor. Should she wake her and try to negotiate an ending both could live with? There was too much at stake on Umi's side, she had too much to lose to mess it up now. No, she couldn't afford to let the truth get out, she needed to find a way to silence Anju without killing her.
But how? Was it still possible for Umi to somehow convince Anju that she was completely unrelated to her father's death? Anju had already discovered the truth, how could Umi twist her own story around it and make her believe lies again? She didn't think she was able to reach Anju with mere words anymore, she had lost her trust the moment she had walked out of her life.
No, she needed to get out of this risky place first and take Anju with her so she could plan her next step in a safer setting. Leaving the other woman behind was no option. With the power and influence Anju possessed, a single accusation against Umi would lead to a nationwide hunt for her head. She would lose everything within a day if Anju made her charges public, if she demanded a revision of her father's death case by naming Umi as a murder suspect.
Umi couldn't allow that to happen, she couldn't allow her life to fall apart now that it had reached a point of normality. She was going to get married to her love in a month, she was finally happy, she had everything she had never dared to dream of, and now everything was about to shatter because of one mistake in the past?
No, she could absolutely not allow that to happen. It would break her. It would break her if Kotori found out about her real job, it would destroy her if Kotori started hating her, thinking she had been led on by a murderer. Umi needed to leave now, needed to pick up Anju and flee, needed to get rid of the gun -
"Umi..."
Time stood still for her when she looked up in slow-motion, her eyes meeting Kotori's horrified ones. Suddenly, the gun in her hand had the weight of a ton, burning her with its burden.
"No...Kotori, no," Umi's voice cracked, letting the gun fall and raising her empty hands to show she was harmless, "please don't..."
"Ms Minami, you can't go in there!" a deep voice shouted behind Kotori.
Storming into the room, two male bodyguards were looking for Kotori when they saw the scene in front of them. Anju on the ground, Umi standing above her, and a gun lying to her feet.
"What's going on," Erena's voice came from behind, and she pushed her colleagues aside. She balked when she took in the sight in front of her.
"Let me explain," Umi said, raising her hands defensively, but her words met deaf ears.
"You bastard!" Erena yelled with a furious expression, reaching inside her suit for her gun. But Umi was faster; she charged at Erena and rammed into her wounded stomach with her shoulder, heaving her up into the air and throwing her on top of the other two bodyguards, who were instantly knocked down by the weight.
"Umi!" Kotori cried out, scared. Umi pulled her away from the door, shutting it and locking them in.
Erena had passed out from the pain. Pushing her body off themselves and scrambling to their feet, the two male bodyguards reached for their own guns but faltered when Kotori screamed in fear. But that one second of hesitation was enough; with a calculated kick, Umi knocked the gun out of the first bodyguard's hands and sent it flying against the second one's eye. His pained yell was enough to throw off his colleague, who failed to block Umi's second high kick, getting knocked out cold when the hard heel of her shoe crushed his nose.
The half-blind bodyguard raised one hand in defeat, the other hand holding his bleeding eyes. "Please, spare me, I hate my job..."
Umi put him to sleep by punching three pressure points on his chest. His unconscious body sank to the floor.
Someone pounded on the door from the other side, rattling the door handle. "Hey! Hey, what's going on! Open up, this is the security! Someone get me a key for this door!"
Four unconscious bodies on the floor, two of them bleeding like they had been shot in the head. The situation was hopeless, Umi had no choice. As much as it killed her to have to make that decision, it was the only solution. She turned to Kotori, who was shaking, her eyes watering with tears. "Umi..."
"I'm so sorry," Umi whispered, feeling her own eyes burning. But she couldn't allow herself to cry now, she had little to no time left. The noise behind the door increased as more people approached.
"Open up! What is going on? We saw a fight breaking out! If you don't open the door right now, we're going to break it down!"
"I'm so sorry," Umi repeated, wiping at her eyes as she walked towards Kotori, reaching out to her but retracting her hands again, unsure if her touch was still welcome. "I'm so sorry..."
Confusion, shock, fear and hurt all mixed together in one expression on Kotori's face that was hard for Umi to look at, knowing that she was the one who had caused this.
"Why...I don't understand..."
"Kotori, I'm..." Umi swallowed, her voice failing her. "I'm not working for an environmental organization...I'm not working a conventional job at all."
"What – Umi," Kotori began sobbing, "I don't understand, what are you talking about, all those meetings..."
"I," Umi felt her heart break at seeing the hurt in Kotori's eyes, "listen, when Anju is going to wake up, don't believe anything she says."
"U-Umi?"
"Please!" Umi grabbed Kotori's hands, holding them up between them, "Everytime I told you I love was the truth, please don't forget that. I didn't lie once about how I felt about you."
"We're coming in!" Something heavy crashed against the door, but it didn't give in. "Again!" The door rattled heavily, but remained intact. "Again!"
"I don't understand at all, why are you doing this," Kotori cried, holding onto Umi for dear life, "we can explain everything, we can talk this out!"
"It's too late," Umi shook her head, "I'm so sorry, Kotori, there are so many things you deserve to know and so many things I want to tell you. I don't want you to believe things that aren't true, so you can't listen to Anju! The only truth she will tell you is that I'm...that I'm responsible for her father's death."
Too shocked to react, Kotori even forgot to cry.
"This damn door...Again!" The door hinges started creaking with every blow.
"Don't hate me, please," Umi whispered, brushing away Kotori's tears with her thumb. "I hope I can see you one day again to explain everything, to make you understand why I did what I did...but I can't stay anymore. Goodbye, Kotori."
Umi retracted her hands when suddenly Kotori tightly grabbed onto them, not letting her go.
"K-Kotori?"
Kotori shook her head, blinking away her tears. "Let me come with you! Please!" She pulled at Umi's arm.
"No!" Umi immediately shouted, "No, I can't let you do that. I won't let you. I can't provide for your safety if you come with me! And you will lose everything, your work, your family, your life..."
"Then stay," Kotori sobbed, "I will protect you no matter what, I can pay any sum they want to release you, I can use all my mother's connections to get you out of this safely!"
Umi could feel her resolve wavering. A lifetime of prison seemed to be worth the five more minutes with Kotori.
"What's with this damn door! Is there really no spare key for it?" Something heavy crashed against the door again, startling Umi awake from her short trance.
"Kotori..." Umi shook her head to clear her mind. She gazed softly into Kotori's eyes. "I know I can count on you to save me. But I can't allow myself to be caught yet, I still have something to finish that requires me to move freely. Even if you can clear my charges, you can't clear my name and I'll only drag you down for the rest of your life. So please, let me go."
Eyes glistening with tears, Kotori swallowed and inhaled deeply. "Are you running for my sake? Or is there really something else that needs you?"
Umi managed a sad smile. "I am still needed, my job isn't done yet."
Kotori shakily exhaled. She slowly nodded. "Then go. But promise me to come back!"
"I- I can't promise that," Umi said with a pained grimace, "I'll be a wanted criminal from now on. I can't drag you further into this. I already caused enough damage to your name."
"I don't care," Kotori breathed, grabbing her suit to pull her closer. "You still owe me a dance..."
And she leaned in to kiss Umi. Their kiss was messy, hurried, too desperate to offer comfort and warmth, yet burning them up with passion all the same. It tasted salty like their tears and bittersweet like their love. It felt final; it broke their hearts the same way it healed them.
Crash.
Kotori and Umi jumped apart. A large hole had been bashed in in the middle of the door, and faces looked through it, yelling, "Who is there? Ms Minami? Are you alright? Hold on, we're coming!"
No words were needed anymore. Kotori hugged Umi one more time before she let go, suppressing a sob when she watched Umi running to the windows, ripping them wide open and jumping out of them. She disappeared into the darkness, the sound of her running footsteps becoming fainter until it couldn't be heard anymore.
The door hinges came unloose after one more blow and the door crashed down, almost falling onto Erena's feet.
"Ms Minami, are you al..." The security guards gaped at the bodies on the floor. "Are they...?"
"No," Kotori shook her head, drying her tears with the back of her hand. "They are unconscious."
"I saw Sonoda knocking them out before she locked the door," one of the security men muttered, hesitant about accusing Kotori's fiancée in front of her.
"Me too," another one mumbled.
Kotori remained silent, neither wanting to lie nor make it worse for Umi.
"Urgh," one of the bodies on the floor stirred. Erena slowly sat up, holding her stomach and groaning in pain. The security men rushed to her and helped her up.
"Sonoda Umi," she growled, coughing. "I'm going to get you into jail if it's the last thing I do, just you wait..."
TBC