Our Cities of Clouds
Author: Jusrecht
Pairing: Hibari/Dino, some Dino/OFC for this chapter
Warning(s): AU, sex
Summary: In which Dino is a paid companion and Hibari a yakuza boss and still they end up sparring instead of doing... other things.
—
Kuroda Akiko was a woman of striking beauty and formidable presence. At her thirty-five years, with her long, elegant fingers holding the reins of the fearsome Kuroda Clan, she remained one of the most powerful and dangerous women in Japan's underworld. She killed with a flick of her hands and smiled even as her lips mouthed the order, her voice thin and poison-laced. Leading one of the largest yakuza groups which had ever terrorised the streets of the country, she upheld a reputation of ruthlessness that would bring a grimace to any rumourmonger's face. Every man in her path was but a paving stone, so whispered the stories, except one.
Hibari Kyouya did not concern himself with her outside business, and even that, very rarely. Despite the size of her clan, Kuroda Akiko was a woman of wit and charm, not strength and skill; this sort roused no interest in him. She, on her part, was content to stay out of his way so long as their paths did not cross. Their chance meetings, should any occur, were few and far in between, taking place mostly in private establishments known to few but the privileged.
Kamogawa catered only to the richest of their kind. Traditional Japanese cuisines were served on beautiful plates and bowls, but unlike other high-class restaurants, they offered not only privacy but also secrecy within their walls. Spacious rooms lay behind beautifully painted screen doors, surrounded by a garden of shrubs and pine trees on a carpet of ferns. Rock-tiled paths wove around and across thick grass, some lined by stone lanterns to light the way at night. At the front, the modest, elegant entrance was as fiercely guarded as a bank would its vaults.
It was the only place outside his compound that Hibari deigned to visit from time to time. He cared none if he should meet any of his acquaintances, and when he saw her on his way out, she scarce made more impression than the herbivores fervently bowing in gratitude for his visit. He would have walked past her and her small entourage with neither a glance nor a word if not for a minor interference.
It was Hibird, twittering softly as he left the security of Hibari's shoulder for a more dangerous ground—the man at Kuroda Akiko's side. He had her hand on the crook of his left arm and the colour of his hair and clothes stood stark in the evening's gloom. His presence was absolute incongruence next to Kuroda Akiko's dark beauty; her black kimono shimmered under the bright gleam of flickering lanterns, the threaded waterfall shining gold and silver. Her obi was a deep red, matching the colour of her nails and the ornaments adorning her hair. He, on the other hand, was nothing but brightness and white, down to the neat row of teeth as he smiled in pleasant surprise at the bird fluttering about his head.
The soft sound of his laughter tempted Hibird even closer; the bird landed on his right shoulder and began to sing a children's folk song about summer. The man's smile widened and then his eyes flickered toward Hibari.
"Is this little guy yours?"
The strange lilt of his voice was as offensive as his looks. Tonfa in hand, Hibari was about to lunge at this insolent foreigner when Kuroda stepped forward, bowing in greeting.
"Good evening, Hibari Kyouya-san," she said in a sweet, melodious voice. "May I introduce you to a friend of mine, Dino Cavallone?"
At the mention of Hibari's name, the carefree expression faded from the man's face, replaced by a mask of wary politeness. He quickly bowed as well, causing Hibird to flee from his shoulder, chirping loudly.
"Dino! Dino!"
Astonishment only served to fuel his displeasure, particularly at the smile gracing the man's lips. Hibari held out a hand and Hibird returned to the tip of his fingers, still repeating the foreign name with such familiarity it was chaffing. Vexed, he left with swift, long steps, paying no further heed to the small crowd that parted to allow him passage.
Little did he know that this meeting was only their first.
—
Of all Akiko's wonderful attributes, Dino found the size and softness of her bed to be paramount.
She would only laugh when he declared so, the sound thickly swirling in the warm air enfolding them after a round of slow, heated sex. Her apartment was decorated in a simple Japanese style (not unexpected from a woman of her background) all except for her bed. He often wondered if the bed was an indulgence she had to keep away from a world that demanded her to be a matriarch and little else, a secret like him, although their relationship was by no means a secret.
Kuroda Akiko might admit to a degree of fondness toward him, perhaps even affection, but he had never stepped a foot inside her house where her husband and son dwelled. There was a strange balance at work in the arrangement and Dino could not say that he minded. She was among his regular customers and the only one he would climb into bed with nowadays. He too was fond of her, but even as she writhed in pleasure beneath him, or ran her fingers gently through his hair, like now, he knew she could never be anything to him but a patron. A very beautiful patron, as he took care to mention, earning a delighted laugh from her red-painted lips.
"You are an absolute charmer. I wonder if you are just as skilful with everyone else."
An inviting smirk slipped onto his face. "Care to find out?"
"Only if you bring someone as charming as you," she answered, both mocking and curious. Dino said nothing in return, content to recline against the white silk sheets and let her feast her eyes on the length of his body; this was yet another skill he had learned throughout his career, the art of pauses and designed silence. (Besides, it was a waste not to exploit the beauty he had been bestowed with.)
"What do you think of him?" she suddenly asked.
"'Him'?"
"You know who." Her fingers skittered across colourful tattoos stretching from his collarbone down to his hips. A languid smile curved his lips as he remembered a pair of dark eyes—and even darker gaze, nailing him in place with such cold ferocity.
"Dangerous." The word fell effortless from his lips—the easiest, most obvious answer. "Possibly ruthless. Too fond of black. Also," he paused, grinning, "the most beautiful man I've ever seen."
"He is, isn't he?" Her smile turned mischievous, tiptoes of amusement all over it. "Some mention that he is so beautiful because he has killed too many, as if blood and murders build up good looks instead of sins. But there are some others who say that he is not human at all."
Dino raised his eyebrows, sceptical. "Really."
"Not really surprising as far as rumour goes, considering his reputation."
"Has it never occurred to them that some people are simply more blessed than others?"
Akiko laughed again and shifted to drape one arm across his shoulders. "Impertinent," she chided and he let her kiss him slow and thorough. It was not a kiss as much as a claim, a mark of her on him much like the rake of her nails down his chest. If she liked it, then he had no objection; with his fee of five hundred thousand per hour, she could do well as she pleased.
"You will be a wonderful birthday present," she sighed, almost mournful. "I wonder if you're up for a challenge on the scale of Hibari Kyouya."
"You will pay me to please someone else?"
"Only for a day." Her fingers traced his lower lip, leaving ghosts of tickling sensations that made him shudder despite himself. "It will be his birthday on the fifth, and I think he will enjoy you enormously."
"He will certainly be a challenge," he said dryly.
"I have faith in you." She was smiling, her heavily shadowed eyelids falling at half-mast. "And I saw the way he looked at you."
At that, Dino would have dropped his mask in shock if not for all those years of training and pleasuring less agreeable customers, many without a shred of respect toward him. "What way was that?" He recovered his wit just in time. "The same way everybody looks at me, perhaps?"
"You will regret that vanity of yours one day," she chided, the rebuke softened by the twinkle in her eyes, and he merely grinned.
"What if he likes me?"
Akiko looked more amused that surprised at his question. "You dare think that he will keep you?"
"You kept me."
"So I did," she admitted placidly.
"And he is the only man in the world you will not cross, isn't he?"
The shadow of her displeasure came so suddenly over her face that for a moment he was stunned into silence as her nails dug into his arms. "You're a whore," she declared, point-blank, eyes blazing. "You kiss and fuck anyone who pays you, not only the highest bidder. As long as I still have the means to pay your fee, you will come back to me."
A tight smile in place, Dino bent his head low and kissed the shell of her right ear, his hand once more caressing its way down her body. He would let her think that, for now.
—
For Hibari Kyouya, a birthday was a torment. Despite threats and vows to bite everyone in his line of sight to death, still too many figures of clans and business associates risked their remaining years to seek him out on this day, determined to show him their 'goodwill'. Namimori was by no means the largest group which had ever sunk its teeth into Japan's soils, but it had continued to be one of the most influential since its inception five years ago.
There was nothing special about a birthday; it was neither more nor less than any other day of the year. Hibari saw no point in treating it differently and could not care less about people's opinions. Leaving Tetsuya to deal with those unwelcome visitors as he saw fit, he retreated into his private rooms, far inside the tangles of corridors and chambers of the main house. Hibird was the only presence he would tolerate—at least after Hibari ordered him to stop repeating that stupid name every few minutes or so.
The sun was descending low in the west when Tetsuya came to kneel before his door and said, in a voice which would befit a prisoner walking to the gallows, that there was a man outside insisting to meet with him. So far, this intruder had refused to remove his presence from the front gate of the compound, and when force had been applied, had answered by methodically defeating every guard sent to take care of him.
His weapon, Tetsuya added after a delicate pause, appeared to be a whip.
It was annoyance fringed by curiosity that had Hibari on his feet and storming toward the gate. His brisk pace took him across the garden which spanned the distance from the main house. That someone dared to act so bold toward him was a proof of weakness, a spot of flaw in his regime; this, obviously, he must correct at once before anyone could entertain the thought of tempting a higher degree of insolence.
He knew who it was the moment Hibird began twittering that name again. The same man stood leaning against a tree just outside the gate, arms crossed in waiting, a leather whip coiled in his right hand. His pensive expression brightened into a smile when he noticed Hibari approaching, the curve of his lips triumphant.
"Finally."
He straightened his posture, moving with such fluid grace it looked nothing but practised. Hibari considered it another mark of falsity, like the facade of cheerfulness which only purpose seemed to hide anything he might feel inside. No one was cheerful around Hibari Kyouya.
"I came to say happy birthday," his uninvited guest spoke again, and when Hibari did not respond, added, "Kuroda Akiko-san sent me."
Hibari scowled—as if the information would have made any difference—and turned away in disgust. "Leave or I'll bite you to death."
"I am to be your present."
That did stop him mid-step, which in turn only made his irritation swell, a warm simmer at the periphery of his consciousness. But before he could follow his instinct and shed his victim's blood, that aggravating voice had spoken again.
"Your birthday present. In fact, you may do with me as you please–"
He swirled around so fast, slamming his weight toward the impudent foreigner with a snarl, tonfas drawn. The fact that someone was presumptuous enough to tell Hibari Kyouya that he might do as he pleased was enough to make him see red. Pressed against the tree with Hibari's tonfa moments away from squashing his throat, the other man merely asked in a tone of dry amusement, "Are you planning to beat me up in those clothes?"
Hibari responded with a knee to the stomach, only to find a hand against his thigh, pressing down. He could feel the heat of skin through the material of his yukata, each finger burning its own mark—and that warmth, that human contact was what finally sealed his decision.
He would bite this man to death.
—
All Dino could think was he had suffered one hit too many.
His ears were ringing from fast, powerful blows delivered to his skull, each hiding such unrestrained force and utterly without mercy. He took comfort in the fact that his opponent was by no means unscathed. Hibari stood before him, his posture painfully sharp, uncaring for all the cuts and welts sprinkled all over his skin. Dino could not help but notice how young he looked, perhaps no more than twenty, and yet he fought like a god who had breathed wars and bathed in massacres for eons.
The sky had been dark for hours now, leaving only the dull, yellow light from overhead lamps to flood the street. Hibari had long since discarded his zori, unconcerned by the bareness of his feet. Dino winced at the sight of dried blood gathering under his soles, but his suggestion to move to a more comfortable location had only been met with faster and more ferocious strikes. Even some of Hibari's underlings who had lingered around to watch the fight had smirked mockingly at his offer.
He had wisely kept his mouth shut ever since.
Hibari moved to strike again and Dino swallowed a groan. His limbs felt heavy, filled by weary sluggishness as he sidestepped the attack. With only a few scant seconds of respite between each clash, they had been fighting nonstop since dusk. Hibari was unrelenting. He had moved to the next set of attacks, and only when Dino found himself staggering backward, his footings lost from a blow which knocked the air out of his lungs, that he realised he had lost.
Hibari completed his victory by kicking him flat to the ground and sitting on Dino's stomach, one knee pressed against the palm of his whip-hand. Dino stared at this demon who wore the face of a young man, feeling the painful sear of a feral smirk on his battered pride. The dark blue yukata slit most becomingly on a white thigh but the owner of that smirk paid no heed. He raised a tonfa, a silver glint like the tip of Death's scythe, and Dino knew at once, for certain, that he would kill him.
It was the thought of dying, of leaving Romario alone weeping in his wheelchair that sent him into a burst of white-hot desperation. Sheer willpower had him bucking and throwing the younger man's weight off his body. Wasting not a moment, his hand grabbed the abandoned whip and he was once more on his feet, breathing heavily.
"I call for a truce."
Hibari looked at him from where he had fallen, fury setting his eyes alight like black jewels. "What power do you think you have over me?" he said, voice dipped in ice.
"It's past midnight. Your birthday is over."
"I care not."
Dino was suddenly engulfed by the urge to punch the other man. Annoyed, he sat himself on the ground and glowered back. "Fine, then I'll just sit here. Feel free to bite me to death or whatever."
For a long moment Hibari said nothing, probably torn between bloodlust and disgust. Dino very much doubted there was at all pity inside the little black heart that belonged to Hibari Kyouya. It was with some relief that he watched the younger man rising to his feet at length, losing none of his battle grace, and then turning away to leave.
"Tomorrow, three o'clock."
It took a few seconds for the words to sink in and finally make sense. Dino gaped. "Wait, you're telling me to come here again tomorrow? To be a punching bag?"
Hibari did not even bother to slow down, much less answer his question. Dino was sorely tempted to throw something at his retreating back; really, he was such a spoiled brat, most likely used to everyone kissing his feet and catering to his every whim.
"Not if you don't pay me," he said again, near shouted from the force of his frustration. It did, however, achieve its intended effect. Hibari turned halfway, head tilted to a side to regard him expressionlessly. Framed by a pale, soft light coming from beyond the gate, he truly was the most beautiful man Dino had ever seen. Maybe those rumours Akiko had told him were true after all.
"You want me to pay you."
"Obviously." Dino swallowed. "And with the things you expect me to do, it's going to be expensive. Not that I'm suggesting you cannot pay, but I wonder if it's worth–"
"Three o'clock."
There was no mistaking the finality in those words. Dino pressed his lips together as he watched Hibari step inside and disappear from his sight.
—
By the end of the week, Hibari had decorated Dino's face with enough bruises to keep him out of trade for weeks.
In return, Dino called him 'Kyouya' and only laughed at any ensuing death threat; hell if he didn't get some amusement out of this fucked-up bargain.
End
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