~.X.~.X.~.X.~
Two unseen teenagers – a boy and a girl, specifically of thirteen years – leaped into the back of a white van waiting for them, hidden several yards from their jet's docking station. As one of them locked the door, the other propped the realistic life-sized mannequin – it was conveniently in the driver's area lying prostrate – in front of the steering wheel, buckling him up.
The person moved its hands on the wheel; she softly smiled in the process. Right when she finished, she felt a hand on her shoulder; she jumped from the unsuspected touch. Turning her head to the person, her blonde locks flew and spread out. Her azure eyes eased when she saw her partner. "Did you have to do that?" she questioned, a slight accent lining the surface.
Her partner hovered a mere inch above her. "Did you have to quit?" His indigo bangs fell at the last word. He waited for a response.
She sighed heavily, knowing he was going to bring it up. "Look, can we not talk about that now? I want to make my final mission count." She brought her hand up to brush his bangs away.
His frown gradually turned into a small smile, but a sliver of sadness remained in his ocher eyes. "Deal. What are we doing now?"
She rolled up one jacket sleeve, exposing her spy watch. "Phone headquarters, of course." She switched on the device and waited for someone to answer.
"State your name and location."
The two exchanged glances. With such a warm "greeting," they knew it was the president. "Hello, sir, Agent 803 and 704 reporting from Hong Kong, China."
"Ah, Lulu, Nagihiko, on time as usual. Are you ready for your mission? Lulu, your last mission?" The two agents agreed. "Excellent. Your mission, if you choose to accept it is to find 'the Pirate.' You'll know him when you see him. According to extensive research, he's notorious in China for stealing important information and selling it for prices that satisfy its worth. Today, he's rendezvousing with a girl named 'Dark Sparks.' I want you two to steal from the thief himself. Any questions, agents?"
They paused to think of questions. Nagihiko came up with two. Lulu flipped a curl and moved the watch to her partner. "How's stealing this thing going to help the company? What are we to do with him afterwards?"
"Apparently, he's asking 'Dark Sparks' a rather large sum of one hundred seventy thousand yen. Anything that much has to be something good – bank account numbers, confidentiality records, secret recipes. Keep in mind that there could've been other offers and that this was the highest. By all means, do what you usually do. Do you accept?"
Lulu and Nagihiko replied in unison, "Yes, sir."
"Good. You probably saw the dummy in the front seat. Prop him up and stick this in the keyhole." Two cartridges similar to a camera battery slid out of the top compartment. "These have the locations where he's supposed to be meeting the person at eight. They'll put the car into auto drive, until it'll automatically stop at the location. Everything else can be found in the plastic bin near you. When you're finished, there'll be another car waiting, so you can make a clean getaway. You two are the best agents and have been partners-in-crime in more ways than one for a while now."
Nagihiko and Lulu quickly flashed each other a smile.
"Since I know you'll be done early, you can spend the rest of the day together. Just return to headquarters at seven sharp. Good luck, Agent 704 and 803." A static noise emitted from the ended call.
Lulu rolled down her sleeve while Nagihiko inserted one of the "keys" into the keyhole. In moments, the van came alive and drove forward. The sudden jolt caused the blonde agent to lose her balance and fall backward.
Nagihiko easily caught her. "It's funny; we took dance together all those years and I'm still more graceful than you." An unmistakable grin appeared on his face along with a chuckle.
She countered when she regained her balance. "It's funny how until a couple months ago I was always taller than you."
The ride to their first destination was filled with witty remarks, reminiscing missions, memories and laughter – the final time it would occur.
~.X.~.X.~.X.~
"I knew we should've tried the second cartridge first. It's always the last one." Nagihiko sighed, putting his back to the side.
The two had tried the first location, only to find out that it wasn't right. After doing away with him like people in the past, they returned to the van and inserted the other key. The van came to life once again and drove smoothly to the destination.
His partner took her eyes off the passing scenes for a second to study him. She giggled softly. "I'm guessing Agent 704 really wants to get this mission over with."
Nagihiko stayed silent as he watched her. Lulu returned to staring out the tinted windows at the sights. Her eyes lit up when she spotted the entrance to a theme park nicknamed 'Happiest Place on Earth.' Nagihiko stood up to see what she was so excited about. "Disneyland, huh?"
A grin became visible on her face. "I've always wanted to go there." The van had driven by it now, the castle and iconic mouse nothing but a memory.
The purple-haired reasoned with her. "You'll get to. Don't they have one where you'll be going in France?"
Lulu faced him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "But, Nagihiko, I wanted to go with you…" He flushed a bit, the distance between them shortening. She sensed this; smirking, she backed up eventually and added, "And the other agents."
Nagihiko turned away and chuckled. "Of course. How could I forget them?" After seconds of silence, he faced Lulu again. Smiling, he stated, "You know, that can be arranged."
Her eyebrows rose in confusion. "What do you – Ahh, stupid van!" Lulu and Nagihiko quickly grabbed onto the chair as the vehicle came to a sudden stop – it caused her to curse in her known Nagoya accent.
Once Nagihiko and Lulu recovered, they peeked out the window to see their surroundings. They arrived at Lai Chi Kok Park – a vast public area of indoor and outdoor facilities: sports centers, children's playground, public pool, skate park, etc.
As the two agents looked out the windows for any people, Nagihiko caught sight of their target. "That's got to be him," he blurted out.
"Where?" Lulu pushed Nagihiko slightly to see for herself. At first sight, her jaw dropped. "The director wasn't kidding when he said we'll know him when we see him."
A teen – he appeared more mature than the agents, but not that old – sat bored in a pagoda, waiting and checking his phone every now and then. His ruffled hair was almost as dark as the night and was wrapped with a skull and cross bone bandana. The white long-sleeve he wore was bigger than his normal size, to allow it to free-flow in the wind. He had a cape and pants –a huge gold buckle kept them up – the same shade as his hair and brown sturdy boots.
The blonde blue-eyed beauty clapped her hands with great force, startling Nagihiko. "Let's do this!" She opened the plastic bin and began putting on a disguise.
"Not so fast, Lulu-chan. This guy seems dangerous, unlike the other one. I don't trust him. I'll get the information."
"But he expects a girl." She placed a hand on his shoulder once again. "Nagihiko, unless you've been lying to me all these years, you're not a girl." Lulu giggled and was about to continue rummaging through the bins. "Wait, you're not a girl, right?"
He shook his head calmly. "No, I'm not, but…" He found a hair-tie in the bin and tied his hair up. "I can pretend to be one. Just stay in the van, okay?" His eyes told her that he was serious; he didn't want her to get hurt.
She nodded and handed him a skirt and blouse from the container. "Have fun!"
Nagihiko pointed a firm finger at her before taking the clothes. "You're not telling the others about this. I know for sure the guys will tease me to the ends of the earth." He began to change while Lulu went to see if anybody had showed up.
The coast was clear.
She turned around right when Nagihiko finished. She brought a hand to her mouth, stifling her laughter.
"Remember," Nagihiko started, "no repeating this." Lulu smiled as she gave him a good luck hug. "I'll be back. Keep watch, just in case the real 'Dark Sparks' arrives." He kicked the back door open and got out.
He trudged over to 'the Pirate,' a sense of humiliation emanating from him. As soon as he reached the top step of the pagoda, he cleared his throat.
'The Pirate' snapped into attention upon seeing the "girl" in front of him. He smirked, scooting over to give Nagihiko a seat. "So, you're 'Dark Sparks.' On the phone, I didn't expect you to be like this. I must say, this is way better." He put an arm around Nagihiko.
Nagihiko held in his grumbles as he removed the arm gently. "Yes, well, do you have what I need?" he asked in a girly voice. He wanted to get out of those clothes as soon as possible.
The fugitive checked his pants pockets, only to come short. "I'm not sure where I put it. Maybe with a little reward, it'll jog my memory." He leaned forward, closing the space between him and Nagihiko.
Nagihiko's eyes widened, thinking, The things I do in this job. He glanced down to see where the creep's legs were. Nagihiko gave him a hard kick and got up, going into a defensive position. His marital arts training came in handy in times like these.
The thief roared and lunged for Nagihiko, but he gracefully side-stepped the attack, and in the process, hooked onto the bandit's arm and flipped him. He towered over the fallen person with a smirk, "Or you can give me the information now and I'll spare you from another flipping."
Just then, a shiny rectangular object caught his eyes; he bent to pick it up. It was a flash drive – perhaps, the goods? – and a piece of paper with codes. When the agent stood up, however, an arm enclosed his throat, making him suffocate. His legs were spread apart – he wouldn't be able to kick his way out.
"Listen here, Missy. We're going have a discussion about your behavior, in which you'll apologize. After we have some fun, I'll let you go and give you the goods, got it?" Nagihiko struggled to remove himself from the older teen's grasp. "Did you hear what – What was that?"
A knife flew and struck the escapee's bandana, pinning it to one of the pagoda's pillars. Nagihiko smiled and used that chance to escape. He grabbed the desired objects and high-tailed it to the van, 'the Pirate' in pursuit.
'The Pirate' bellowed as the door slammed in his face. He pounded on the side of the van before forcing the door open. It was then that he was met by a rose pistol and another teen, sneering. "I don't think you want to mess with us." She brought it closer to threaten him.
In response, he fell back and went running for his car, parked several feet away. Lulu jumped out of the van and aimed for the wheels. A loud Boom! filled the area, making birds fly and squawk. With luck, no one was still around.
Disgusted and pissed at his current situation, 'the Pirate' cursed as he stormed over to Lulu. "Why I 'ought to throttle your head into a wall. I will too, just before I take you into an alley and rape you…"
He was closing in; Lulu had to think fast. She bent down and reached into her shoe, where a blow tube was hiding. Right as the pirate teen was in her personal space, with great precision, Lulu blew into the tube, sending a dart out. It struck him in the arm. In moments, his chase was over as he keeled over, the dart taking effect to knock him out and blur his memory of the last hour.
Lulu placed her hands on her hips and grinned. "Told him he shouldn't mess with us."
As she rotated, her partner rode up – now in his normal clothing – in a car licensed to their company. He laughed, "Well said and done, Lulu-chan." He held open the door for her as she got in.
She put her seatbelt on and the driver – he was from the company – drove off. "Good job, agents. I knew the company could count on you. We'll miss you, Agent 803."
Lulu faked a smile and avoided the subject. "Thanks for the ride, Hiroshi-san, but what about the van? What's going to happen to him?"
"Nothing to worry about. While you were taking care of him, I called the police. The illusive pirate will finally be caught. There's no way he'll come after us."
She relaxed in the seat, crossing her legs upon hearing that. "Anyways, now where to?"
Nagihiko and the driver did their best to hide the new secret. "You'll see, Lulu-chan. The day is still young." He put one of his hands on top of hers and playfully tapped her on the nose. "By the way, thanks for saving me from that situation. You and your precision skills will always amaze me." He scooted nearer to her. "Hiroshi-san, to the jet, please."
~.X.~.X.~.X.~
"So Yamamoto, how was your last day with us?" A teen one year senior with auburn-hair put his arms around Nagihiko and Lulu. "You got to love Nagihiko for doing that. He practically begged us to meet him there to give you the best day—"
"Too much, Agent 817." Another person, two years junior to said agent, pulled him away from the partners. "I'm amazed I didn't tell my manager to leave you to find another way here. Besides, what he did was sweet and you guys should really learn from him." She eyed the person in front of her.
Nine agents returning from their amuse-filled and fun day walked through the long corridor of the company, until they arrived outside the door they were to report to – the grand banquet room.
Six of the agents went ahead, shutting the door to hide the surprise inside. The other three stood outside the door – Nagihiko and Lulu included.
The final person, the same age as them, overlooked the two in front of him, studying them from head-to-toe. He smiled at his brother and his girlfriend with a mix of emotions running through his mind. "Nagihiko, I'll let you two talk. I'll tell Dad you're on your way."
The teen waited for his brother's gratitude before slipping through the door. When Nagihiko and Lulu were alone, they released a sigh. "I kind of feel bad for him sometimes. You have to admit, your dad prefers you more than him and – Nagihiko, what are you doing?"
Said person reached inside a vase in the hallway, revealing a ruby necklace on a golden chain. Her eyes widened in shock as Nagihiko placed it around her. "Just consider this a farewell present from me to you… with some help from Agent 530 and 112." He put an arm behind his head and chuckled nervously.
His laughing episode soon ended when Lulu went forward and hugged him, her head in the crook of his neck. "Takeda Nagihiko, you are impossible, you know that." She lifted her head seconds later, gazing at him before planting a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for taking me to Tokyo Disneyland, the necklace, being the best partner in the world and… for everything."
Nagihiko returned her smile. "No problem. Just know that things won't be the same. I'll miss you."
She swiped the bangs that fell on his face. "Don't worry, Nagihiko. Me leaving isn't a farewell; it's a see you soon."
The door opened before Nagihiko could say anything. Lulu's parents were at the door, motioning the agents to hurry inside. "Lulu, Nagihiko, come on! You're missing out all the fun! Who knew Takeda Osamu could throw parties like this? This is a great end to working here," her mom beamed.
Lulu nodded and ran over to her parents. "You coming, Nagihiko?"
Nagihiko didn't want to keep them from the festivities his dad was throwing, especially since it was for them. Who was he to take them away from it? "Nah, go on ahead. I'll catch up later."
The door creaked as they went inside. Nagihiko was now alone, wondering if he should even go to the party with a breaking heart or skip it and go somewhere else.
He came to a decision.
He ran out of the hallway, out of the company building. Once he reached the bottom step outside, he turned around and caught sight of the party on the third floor. He knew this was for the best.
Before being fully off the property, he repeated Lulu's phrase, muttering it to himself.
"See you soon."
~.X.~.X.~.X.~
Guess who's back! :) This story came to me when my friend knocked me in the head during dodge ball. XP Hope it didn't bore you too much. See you next chapter?
Happy Easter~!
Thank you to my awesome beta Riri-chi~!
~Hallie-chan
*P.S. Disclaimer: I disclaim this whole story and future content.