A/N: This fanfic does not center around any OCs and that is a first for me. What inspired this decision was the OC debate. I wanted to experiment a little and see how my writing will turn out when I don't rely on OCs to drive a story but the CCs. I intend to finish this story so I'll update when I can. Hopefully every two weeks.
Disclaimer: Black Lagoon and its characters belong to Rei Hiroe.
SOMEONE TO KILL FOR
Chapter 1
:Boss:
Driven by a purpose, Chang strolled into the red light district.
The bright streets were exactly how he thought they would be – overrun with prostitutes, criminals, and drug addicts. But what else happened at 3 AM? These sorts of people crawled out and handled their affairs at night, guided by their impulses. But while the former cop fell under 'criminals', Chang didn't need the cover of darkness to get work done. He was outside because this would be the best time to find Revy and maybe answers to the Lagoon Company's disappearance.
Up ahead a group of hookers hung around a street corner. As he approached the women, one of them with a face caked in makeup winked.
"Want a good time, baby?" she asked in Chinese. "We can help you with that, you know."
Chang smiled. He didn't stop but he offered an almost apologetic look. "Sorry, ladies, but tonight's not a good night for me." He heard their come-on-baby's but he ignored them. Feeling the urge for a cigarette, he reached under his long coat. His hand brushed against one of two Beretta 76 pistols before it reached his pack of smokes. Now with a lit cigarette in his mouth, he made his way down the street full of neon lights. He thought about what had happened a few days ago.
Phone in hand, Chang pushed his chair onto its back legs and put his feet up on his desk. He had increased his chances of busting his head but he didn't care. Balalaika was on the line and she had news about the assumed-to-be-dead Lagoon Company. He listened with interest while she recounted what had taken place in her office earlier.
The chair teetered but Chang regained balance. "So Rock came asking for a job." The cigarette in his mouth bobbed as he talked. "He didn't say anything about what happened to the Lagoon Company?"
"He didn't provide any details other than 'it's been disbanded.' He also said he doesn't know what happened to Dutch and Benny."
Chang blew a billow of smoke upward, mulling over what he had just heard. "You didn't say anything about Two Hands, Balalaika."
He thought he heard her smirk over the phone. "That was the only thing that Rock did know. Apparently he left Revy in Hong Kong."
Chang raised his eyebrows. "Rock leaving Two Hands there doesn't make a whole lot of sense."
There was a sigh. "Does any of this make sense, Baby?"
"No, it doesn't, Fry Face." So the Lagoon Company was no more and no one, including Rock, knew where Dutch and Benny could be or if they were even alive. But these turn of events were an improvement. Six months ago the Lagoon Company had fallen off the face of the earth. It was already a pain finding reliable delivery companies. Then this week happened and the balance of power in Roanapur had been disrupted. Status quo needed to be restored. Revy popping up on the map couldn't have happened at a better time.
Chang rocked his chair forward. "Well, if you're hiring Rock, then you won't mind me having Two Hands, right?"
"Go ahead," said Balalaika. "She's too much of a hothead anyway. But, when you do find her, Chang, make sure you ask about Dutch."
He hummed thoughtfully at the request. Even if Balalaika didn't say it, he knew she was worried about Dutch's well-being. "Will do but Hong Kong isn't that small. I have a better shot finding FBI's Most Wanted than Two Hands."
Balalaika almost laughed. "Lucky for you, I can narrow your search. Of course, the information won't be free, Chang."
Chang had been grateful that Balalaika had some idea about Revy's location. The information made this job easier.
Through his dark shades he read signposts of the hotel, a couple of restaurants, several bars, and numerous clubs before he found what he was looking for. On a sign, written in bright blue lights, were the words 'The Demon's Den'. From what he had heard, a bar was set up in the front room but in the back was a popular gentleman's club. Although he didn't believe in God, he found himself praying that Revy was nowhere near a pole.
Chang entered the establishment. Musty odor, jazz tunes, and the rhythmic beating of some man greeted him immediately. Some customers chose to ignore the last thing. Those that chose to stare, however, didn't bat an eye. Chang was part of the latter group. In the middle of the room, a plum-haired woman wailed blow after blow on a man that stood no chance. It was Revy Two Hands, the woman who had been the hired gun in the Lagoon Company. Chang stepped to the side and the battered man slammed into the wall beside him.
Revy panted as she glared at the man slumped on the floor. "Ya piece of shit!" She hurried over with her fist raised high. She readied to pummel the man further when her brown eyes landed on Chang. She paused, her face twisted in confusion. In the passing moment, the jazz track in the background reached its end and a more upbeat one started playing. Chang waited for her to at least say something. He would have been fine with a string of curses. Finally she let out a 'huh'. She turned away and punched the other man over the head.
He watched Revy in silence, taking note of her guns sitting in their holsters. She could end this if she just put a few bullets in the guy already. She got in two more punches before he spoke up. "Two Hands!" Revy stopped raining blows and looked at him. "Don't tell me you forgot me?"
Revy walked up to him and tilted her head. She reeked of rum but somehow she was coordinated enough to beat a man to a bloody pulp. It was ironic and yet it made sense. "So it is you, Chang."
Ah. Recognition. "In the flesh, Two Hands." He noted that she called him by his name. She wasn't drunk but she had loosened up.
"Why are you here?" she asked. "Hell, how'd you know I was here?"
Ash fell from the end of Chang's cigarette and hit the floor. "Why don't we talk outside?"
She looked down at the man on the floor and gave one last kick. It was official; the poor man must have done something to infuriate Revy. Either that or it was the rum. "Come on," said Revy, passing Chang and heading for the door. He followed her onto the sidewalk right outside of the establishment.
Revy turned around. "Why are you here, Chang?"
"For you, of course," he said. "Word is that you're out of a job, Two Hands. So, out of the goodness of my heart, I came to offer you one."
She frowned. "And why would I work for you?"
"That's a fair question." Chang took a moment to throw his cigarette into a nearby gutter; it had been burnt down to the filter. He whipped out another from the pack. Looking at Revy, he held out his pack. "Rumor has it that Rock's working for Hotel Moscow now."
Revy remained silent but she did take a cigarette. Half a minute later, the two of them were enjoying the effects of nicotine and tobacco.
"I don't give a damn what Rock does," she said, holding her cigarette between two fingers. She put her hand on her hip. "And I don't want to join your Triad, either. I'm fine right here."
"You don't say..." Chang looked at his watch. It read 3:48 AM. This was taking longer than he had anticipated.
Before Chang could say something to convince Revy, he spotted a man chasing a woman. The scene was distracting that Revy had to look, too. However, since it was happening on the other side of the street, neither person stirred, and when the man and woman disappeared from sight, conversation resumed like nothing had happened. After all, there were more pressing issues at hand.
"When were the last time you emptied your gun into someone, Two Hands?" asked Chang, looking at Revy's pistols.
Revy's eye twitched.
"If you work for me, you'll use your guns again real soon."
"What do you take me for," she said, "Some psychotic bitch?"
He slipped his hands into his coat pockets. "Just someone with an itch to pull a trigger and can do good work when she does. I would hate seeing talent like that wasted. Especially since there's a little situation back in Roanapur."
Revy smirked. "So that's the real reason." She sauntered up to him. Chang didn't move an inch when she prodded him in the chest with a finger. The smell of alcohol hit his nostrils when she opened her mouth. "Fine, I'll work for you, Chang, but on one condition."
The corner of his mouth curved. "What's the condition?"
"Remind me to punch Rock when I see him."
Balalaika might not approve but he didn't care. "If that's all what you want, why not?"
Revy grinned. "Then it's a deal, Boss Man." She stuck out her hand and they shook on it. "Soooo," she said, whisking her head around, "where's our ride outta here?"
Chang glanced at his watch again. "Our ride arrives tomorrow. Until then," he said as he turned on his heels and started down the street, "we should find a place to crash for the night. There's a hotel nearby."
When Chang opened the door to a small room, Revy groaned. "You gotta be shitting me."
He walked past her. "You said that three times already."
"Well, it just keeps getting worse."
This wasn't the best hotel Chang could find and he had no problems admitting that. The bedroom looked gaudy with its shaggy pink rug and thick red curtains. The large heart-shaped bed didn't make the hotel's usage any less conspicuous. Any noise neighboring guests made were heard through the thin walls. There were other problems but Chang would run out of fingers if he counted them all. So he counted the positives: the hotel was cheap, it had no problems accepting customers at this hour, and there was a TV set in the room.
Chang threw his coat and scarf over a nearby chair. As he added his blazer to the pile, he heard the door closed. Revy muttered something under her breath, probably a string of curses, before she disappeared into the bathroom. He started his search for the TV remote. It wasn't on top of the TV so he checked behind the stand but found only dust. In a last ditch effort, he got on all fours and looked under the bed. Sure enough it was there in arm's reach. He grabbed the remote and got off the floor. Then he turned on the TV.
"In news, Spinal Surgeon-"
Chang changed the channel.
"Terrorist groups-"
He went to the next channel and saw text crawling up the screen.
'...The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space...'
This was the second movie in the trilogy and Chang remembered it as the best one. Figuring that there was nothing else on, he sat at the edge of the bed. He was caught off guard; the bed sunk more than it should have. Bouncing on the bed a couple of times led him to one logical conclusion: this was a water bed. Shaking his head, he turned up the TV volume. At some point the movie's sound eclipsed those being made by other hotel guests.
Revy emerged from the bathroom and looked at the TV. She made a face. "Are you really watching Star Wars now?"
Chang looked at her. One hand held her combat boots. The other held her gun-toting holsters and jean shorts. Although she wore nothing but a top and underwear, she stood in front of him without a shred of embarrassment. Chang, however, felt a bit uncomfortable. If this had been a night of debauchery, he would be fine with this. But tonight was not one of those nights. Turning away, he said, "What can I say? I'm a sucker for this trilogy."
"That figures." Revy abandoned her things on the floor and threw herself on the bed. The bed moved like jello upon impact, startling Revy. Instead of complaining, she sighed and rolled onto her side. "I guess this beats sleeping in a bar."
"It should." Chang had wondered why Revy and Rock had come to Hong Kong but from he had seen and just heard, there was no logical reason. Revy seemed more eager to make trouble here than anything else while Rock most likely got tired of it and came to Balalaika for a job. Oh. Right. Balalaika had asked for a favor.
"Hey, Two Hands," he said, turning around, "about the Lagoon...Company..."
Revy's alcohol-fueled night had caught up to her. She slept out on the bed, clutching her pillow. Chang decided to ask tomorrow and returned to his movie. For thirty minutes or so Chang's eyes remained the TV. Then, during the fifth commercial break, he checked his watch. 4:43 AM. He got off the bed and checked that the room key was in his pockets. Then, after putting on his blazer, he strolled out of the room and closed the door behind him.
As luck would have it, all sounds leaked into the corridor and became one indistinguishable mess. As Chang walked, unable to tune the noise out, he thought about recent events. Somehow this was the highlight of his week. Not the shootout, not the car bombing, not even the attempted city fire but a hotel just because of the sheer ludicrousness of the situation.
He stopped in front of Room 302 and knocked on the door. A couple of seconds past before the door swung open. The room's occupant, a burly man, stared at him. Hanging by the man's side was a handgun.
"Password?" asked the man, thumbing his weapon.
Chang grinned. "Take it easy, big fella. The password's 'Liángyào kǔkǒu.'"
The man stepped aside, letting Chang pass. "You chose an interesting place to meet, Mr. Chang."
"Well, it wasn't my first choice."
A/N: The Chinese phrase means, 'Good medicine tastes bitter.' So how was it? Let me know in a review. Till later.