Fireworks
*this story begins after Kuroro's abduction, where Clapika put a Judgment Chain on him. Yes, Pakunoda's dead. *I'm writing this according to my own translation~Clapika, Senrich, etc.
Chapter one
Neon glanced at the open doorway of her bedroom and heaved another sigh. Men in black were rushing past, talking to their cell phones and peering inside her room, making sure she was. there.
Sigh.
What do you think I am? She thought angrily. Another puppet? A tool? Now that my power's gone, I'm basically useless? So what do you intend to do? Throw me out of the house?
Her father. Her father would forgive her, wouldn't he? He'd still love her even if she's powerless now, right?
Neon kicked her feet into the air and hopped out of her bed. She glanced into the mirror and plastered on her usual spoiled-daddy's-girl smirk on her face and made her way to her father's office.
Four men were standing in front of the office door. Their faces turned mask like when their cold, expressionless eyes swept over her. She felt like picking up the 10 thousand jeni table beside her and hurling it at the four men.
Who are you to judge me? She thought defiantly.
"I want to see my father." She demanded.
The four men glanced at each other. One of them stepped out. "He's busy at the moment." He said tonelessly.
Neon stamped her foot. "I don't care! Daddy's never been too busy to see me!"
"I'm really sorry, Ms. Nostaroid. He doesn't want to see anyone right now." The man said and suddenly grabbed her arm.
Neon was astonished. How dare this. this gorilla touched her! Nobody, absolutely nobody has ever dared to get rough with Neon Nostaroid and get away with it.
Just then, the door was opened and Clapika stepped out. He looked surprised at seeing Neon there, with her arm held by the bulky bodyguard.
Neon wrenched her arm free of the iron grip and shoved the bodyguard aside. She was, of course, unsuccessful in forcibly removing him but the bodyguard had stepped away, perhaps realizing that he's crossed a line.
"Is my father in there?" she asked the blonde-haired teenager, now one of her father's most important men. Neon had never noticed him much. He'd always been the quite type, always staying in the background and barely talked to other people. He rarely accompany her on her many shopping sprees, too. Most of the time, he was away, running errands.
But Neon liked Clapika. He's unobtrusive and she felt that his presence was calming.
Clapika glanced inside the office. Then, hesitatingly, he murmured a yes. Neon pushed past him and stepped inside the office.
"Daddy, I-" her legs froze in midstep.
The man sitting on the sofa with his hands buried in his face was her father? No, it can't be. This. man looked like he's lost all will to live. Her father. he looked like he's aged 20 years since she last saw him.
Neon staggered backward, the initial shock fading away. She felt someone's arm supporting her back, preventing her from falling backwards through the doorway.
"Daddy." She whispered. "Oh, daddy! It's me! It's Neon, your daughter! What's happened to you?"
She rushed to his side and pulled his hands away from his face. She saw that his eyes were completely blank and unfocused. He was mumbling something incomprehensible under his breath.
"It was a shock to him." Clapika's soft, clear voice came from the doorway. He was standing there, staring at the father and daughter with an impassive look. It was his 'business look'. The look he'd put on whenever he's on duty.
"It was my fault, wasn't it? I was the one who ran away from my bodyguards. I was stupid enough to follow some strange man just because he seemed nice. I was the one who told him about my abilities, made him steal it. My fault! It was my entire fault, wasn't it?"
Neon knelt beside her father and rested her head on his knee. And for the first time, she let a tear trickle down her cheek in front of a stranger. She was showing her weakness to an outsider, making someone see that the bratty Neon Nostaroid have feelings after all. She didn't care. She'd reveal her true self to the whole world if it would make her father his old self again.
Clapika was watching the scene unfolding before him with contradicting feelings. On one hand, he was kind of glad that Neon Nostaroid had lost her powers. He didn't like the way her father used her to get ahead in his business and he also didn't like the way Neon used her father's need for her powers to basically get away with anything she did. On the other hand, he almost felt sorry for the older girl, as the old man seemed more concerned about her powers than his own daughter's safety. He'd remembered the way Mr. Nostaroid had desperately searched for his daughter, and how depressed he became when finding out that she couldn't use her powers anymore. Losing her powers made Neon just a useless spoiled brat. Nobody would ever want to put up with her tantrums again.
It is not my place to judge. He reminded himself.
Suddenly, Neon stood up. Her gesture was so abrupt that Clapika's head snapped to her face in surprise.
"It's not fair. It's not fair!" the last sentence was screamed out in a shrill screech. "You're punishing me, aren't you, Daddy? You're punishing me for all the hard time I put you through when you want my predictions. So now it's all my fault, isn't it? I'll be the cause of ruin of your company. I'll be the cause! I'll be the cause!"
The change in attitude was perplexing but Clapika wisely decided not to say anything. After all, he never could understand Neon. She was complex, one moment whining and acting bratty and the next, screaming and throwing things. But he had to admit, this was the first time he'd seen a remotely humane side of her he never knew existed.
For once, she cared about someone around her. Most of the time, she seemed more self-absorbed and never cared about the well beings of the people around her. He still remembered the time he'd told her about Dartuony's possible death, the first thing she asked was, "what about the mummy? I wanted it!"
Somehow, he wasn't surprised when she said that. After all, she must've been used to having countless of her bodyguards dead since she was often pursued by her father's rivals.
Still.
Neon whirled around and stalked out of the office, her face set in a determined frown. Clapika had no idea what she was planning to do but whatever it was, he was sure it would smell trouble to her bodyguards.
Eliza and Bashow were waiting for her in front of her room. Eliza, particularly, was twisting the sleeve of her kimono nervously and almost jumped out of her skin when Neon barked out a "Get lost!" at them.
"Miss Nostaroid." Eliza's voice shook a bit. Neon had no idea why she was so nervous. She knew that her bodyguards walk on eggshells whenever she was in a bad mood but this was ridiculous. Eliza was acting as if Neon might jump at her if she spoke another word.
"I want to quit." This time, Eliza's voice was firmer. She daren't look into her boss' eyes, however.
An awkward silence followed these words. Neon was squinting at Eliza, wondering if she should bother a reply. Look on the bright side. At least there's one less idiot following me around. She thought nastily.
"I don't care if you want to quit or not." She said finally, almost cheerily. Maybe I can get rid of Senrich and Bashow too! Daddy's too preoccupied to even care about my protection anyway. "I want to see your leader in my room." She ordered to Bashow as Eliza walked away. Without waiting for a reply, she went into her room and slammed the door shut.
Neon was sitting on her bed, admiring her newly-acquired Kurta eyes when there was a knock on her door. "Come in!" she called out, setting the container on her nightstand.
Clapika stepped inside, looking pensive. "You summoned me?" He glanced at the container beside Neon and something in his eyes flickered. Then he looked away.
Neon was curious. Was there something about this particular collection that bothered him?
"Do you want to know why I like to collect organs and body parts so much?"
Clapika stared at her, surprised. Was this why she called him? "It is not my place to inquire." He answered. To every man his reasons. He added silently.
Neon pouted at him. "You're no fun." She complained. "I'll tell you anyway." she continued, waving her hand dismissively.
"I'm a fortune-teller. I predict the future. Therefore, the future doesn't intrigue me. But I am very much interested in the past. You can change your future, but certainly not your past. " While talking, she held the Kurta's eyes container on her lap, staring at it in fascination. "So I collect these things because I was curious. What was their story? What happened to them in their living period? What would their future be if they had been alive? These are things that I can't tell by my talents. That's why I like keeping them. There are some things in this world you can't tell, even through fortune-telling."
She realized that her employer had become rigid while she was talking. Clapika's hands were clutched and his body was flowing with tension.
"Did it ever occur to you that if there are no people like you, people that collect these, then there will never be any more wasted deaths? The organs that you collect, did it ever occur to you that they might have families? Families that will mourn for them, for their deaths! And for what? So their body parts can be displayed on shelves? So people can admire the so-called beauty, or mystery?" he finally said, words tumbling out of his mouth in violent torrents. His face was flushed and he knew that he was shaking with anger.
Neon was staring at him in wonder and surprise. This was the first time she had heard the blonde utter more than five words in a sentence to her and she was quite amazed. Even if he did, one way or another insulted her hobby. Or was it something else? Was there something else that runs deeper than his disgust for organ and body part collectors?
Clapika took a deep, calming breath. He realized that he had lost control of his temper again. But he couldn't help it. Once Neon started talking, he couldn't help thinking about the massacre of his tribe. And that always made him see red (no pun intended).
After a long, stony silence that stretched between them, Neon finally spoke. "Anyway, there is an auction at Southern Peace tonight. It's the last day of the auction and I want to be there. I don't want any bodyguards trailing me around tonight and if you're going to stop me, don't bother because I've already made up my mind."
"That's out of the question. Things are complicated right now and I don't think we can risk adding up to that complication." Clapika said.
Neon frowned. "What's so complicated about it? I go the auction, bid on something, and then come home. What kind of complication can come out of it?"
A lot, if you'd only stop and think. Clapika suppressed an urge to sigh. His boss was difficult to negotiate with. She refused to see reason and always do whatever she wants. She's way too spoiled.
"Okay, fine. You can go to the auction. But," he held up a hand to prevent Neon from interrupting. "you are not going without at least one bodyguard."
"What? No way! No bodyguards!" Neon protested loudly. She crossed her arms and turned her head away, refusing to compromise.
"I said, at least one. Just to be on the safe side. And I won't be persuaded otherwise." Clapika said firmly.
Neon groaned and fell back on her bad. She knew that he meant what he said. He's not like her father whom she can persuade with a little whining and blackmail.
She finally sat up and faced him. "Okay fine. But I get to choose the bodyguard."
Clapika sighed with relief. At least she wasn't screaming and throwing things at him. "Deal."
"Okay then. We'll leave at 7.30 tonight. Get the car ready."
"We?"
"Yes, you and me. Why?"
"Nothing."
Clapika turned and was about to leave but Neon called after him.
"One more thing. You're driving, okay? No drivers."
What could she possibly be up to? He thought curiously. "As you wish."
*this story begins after Kuroro's abduction, where Clapika put a Judgment Chain on him. Yes, Pakunoda's dead. *I'm writing this according to my own translation~Clapika, Senrich, etc.
Chapter one
Neon glanced at the open doorway of her bedroom and heaved another sigh. Men in black were rushing past, talking to their cell phones and peering inside her room, making sure she was. there.
Sigh.
What do you think I am? She thought angrily. Another puppet? A tool? Now that my power's gone, I'm basically useless? So what do you intend to do? Throw me out of the house?
Her father. Her father would forgive her, wouldn't he? He'd still love her even if she's powerless now, right?
Neon kicked her feet into the air and hopped out of her bed. She glanced into the mirror and plastered on her usual spoiled-daddy's-girl smirk on her face and made her way to her father's office.
Four men were standing in front of the office door. Their faces turned mask like when their cold, expressionless eyes swept over her. She felt like picking up the 10 thousand jeni table beside her and hurling it at the four men.
Who are you to judge me? She thought defiantly.
"I want to see my father." She demanded.
The four men glanced at each other. One of them stepped out. "He's busy at the moment." He said tonelessly.
Neon stamped her foot. "I don't care! Daddy's never been too busy to see me!"
"I'm really sorry, Ms. Nostaroid. He doesn't want to see anyone right now." The man said and suddenly grabbed her arm.
Neon was astonished. How dare this. this gorilla touched her! Nobody, absolutely nobody has ever dared to get rough with Neon Nostaroid and get away with it.
Just then, the door was opened and Clapika stepped out. He looked surprised at seeing Neon there, with her arm held by the bulky bodyguard.
Neon wrenched her arm free of the iron grip and shoved the bodyguard aside. She was, of course, unsuccessful in forcibly removing him but the bodyguard had stepped away, perhaps realizing that he's crossed a line.
"Is my father in there?" she asked the blonde-haired teenager, now one of her father's most important men. Neon had never noticed him much. He'd always been the quite type, always staying in the background and barely talked to other people. He rarely accompany her on her many shopping sprees, too. Most of the time, he was away, running errands.
But Neon liked Clapika. He's unobtrusive and she felt that his presence was calming.
Clapika glanced inside the office. Then, hesitatingly, he murmured a yes. Neon pushed past him and stepped inside the office.
"Daddy, I-" her legs froze in midstep.
The man sitting on the sofa with his hands buried in his face was her father? No, it can't be. This. man looked like he's lost all will to live. Her father. he looked like he's aged 20 years since she last saw him.
Neon staggered backward, the initial shock fading away. She felt someone's arm supporting her back, preventing her from falling backwards through the doorway.
"Daddy." She whispered. "Oh, daddy! It's me! It's Neon, your daughter! What's happened to you?"
She rushed to his side and pulled his hands away from his face. She saw that his eyes were completely blank and unfocused. He was mumbling something incomprehensible under his breath.
"It was a shock to him." Clapika's soft, clear voice came from the doorway. He was standing there, staring at the father and daughter with an impassive look. It was his 'business look'. The look he'd put on whenever he's on duty.
"It was my fault, wasn't it? I was the one who ran away from my bodyguards. I was stupid enough to follow some strange man just because he seemed nice. I was the one who told him about my abilities, made him steal it. My fault! It was my entire fault, wasn't it?"
Neon knelt beside her father and rested her head on his knee. And for the first time, she let a tear trickle down her cheek in front of a stranger. She was showing her weakness to an outsider, making someone see that the bratty Neon Nostaroid have feelings after all. She didn't care. She'd reveal her true self to the whole world if it would make her father his old self again.
Clapika was watching the scene unfolding before him with contradicting feelings. On one hand, he was kind of glad that Neon Nostaroid had lost her powers. He didn't like the way her father used her to get ahead in his business and he also didn't like the way Neon used her father's need for her powers to basically get away with anything she did. On the other hand, he almost felt sorry for the older girl, as the old man seemed more concerned about her powers than his own daughter's safety. He'd remembered the way Mr. Nostaroid had desperately searched for his daughter, and how depressed he became when finding out that she couldn't use her powers anymore. Losing her powers made Neon just a useless spoiled brat. Nobody would ever want to put up with her tantrums again.
It is not my place to judge. He reminded himself.
Suddenly, Neon stood up. Her gesture was so abrupt that Clapika's head snapped to her face in surprise.
"It's not fair. It's not fair!" the last sentence was screamed out in a shrill screech. "You're punishing me, aren't you, Daddy? You're punishing me for all the hard time I put you through when you want my predictions. So now it's all my fault, isn't it? I'll be the cause of ruin of your company. I'll be the cause! I'll be the cause!"
The change in attitude was perplexing but Clapika wisely decided not to say anything. After all, he never could understand Neon. She was complex, one moment whining and acting bratty and the next, screaming and throwing things. But he had to admit, this was the first time he'd seen a remotely humane side of her he never knew existed.
For once, she cared about someone around her. Most of the time, she seemed more self-absorbed and never cared about the well beings of the people around her. He still remembered the time he'd told her about Dartuony's possible death, the first thing she asked was, "what about the mummy? I wanted it!"
Somehow, he wasn't surprised when she said that. After all, she must've been used to having countless of her bodyguards dead since she was often pursued by her father's rivals.
Still.
Neon whirled around and stalked out of the office, her face set in a determined frown. Clapika had no idea what she was planning to do but whatever it was, he was sure it would smell trouble to her bodyguards.
Eliza and Bashow were waiting for her in front of her room. Eliza, particularly, was twisting the sleeve of her kimono nervously and almost jumped out of her skin when Neon barked out a "Get lost!" at them.
"Miss Nostaroid." Eliza's voice shook a bit. Neon had no idea why she was so nervous. She knew that her bodyguards walk on eggshells whenever she was in a bad mood but this was ridiculous. Eliza was acting as if Neon might jump at her if she spoke another word.
"I want to quit." This time, Eliza's voice was firmer. She daren't look into her boss' eyes, however.
An awkward silence followed these words. Neon was squinting at Eliza, wondering if she should bother a reply. Look on the bright side. At least there's one less idiot following me around. She thought nastily.
"I don't care if you want to quit or not." She said finally, almost cheerily. Maybe I can get rid of Senrich and Bashow too! Daddy's too preoccupied to even care about my protection anyway. "I want to see your leader in my room." She ordered to Bashow as Eliza walked away. Without waiting for a reply, she went into her room and slammed the door shut.
Neon was sitting on her bed, admiring her newly-acquired Kurta eyes when there was a knock on her door. "Come in!" she called out, setting the container on her nightstand.
Clapika stepped inside, looking pensive. "You summoned me?" He glanced at the container beside Neon and something in his eyes flickered. Then he looked away.
Neon was curious. Was there something about this particular collection that bothered him?
"Do you want to know why I like to collect organs and body parts so much?"
Clapika stared at her, surprised. Was this why she called him? "It is not my place to inquire." He answered. To every man his reasons. He added silently.
Neon pouted at him. "You're no fun." She complained. "I'll tell you anyway." she continued, waving her hand dismissively.
"I'm a fortune-teller. I predict the future. Therefore, the future doesn't intrigue me. But I am very much interested in the past. You can change your future, but certainly not your past. " While talking, she held the Kurta's eyes container on her lap, staring at it in fascination. "So I collect these things because I was curious. What was their story? What happened to them in their living period? What would their future be if they had been alive? These are things that I can't tell by my talents. That's why I like keeping them. There are some things in this world you can't tell, even through fortune-telling."
She realized that her employer had become rigid while she was talking. Clapika's hands were clutched and his body was flowing with tension.
"Did it ever occur to you that if there are no people like you, people that collect these, then there will never be any more wasted deaths? The organs that you collect, did it ever occur to you that they might have families? Families that will mourn for them, for their deaths! And for what? So their body parts can be displayed on shelves? So people can admire the so-called beauty, or mystery?" he finally said, words tumbling out of his mouth in violent torrents. His face was flushed and he knew that he was shaking with anger.
Neon was staring at him in wonder and surprise. This was the first time she had heard the blonde utter more than five words in a sentence to her and she was quite amazed. Even if he did, one way or another insulted her hobby. Or was it something else? Was there something else that runs deeper than his disgust for organ and body part collectors?
Clapika took a deep, calming breath. He realized that he had lost control of his temper again. But he couldn't help it. Once Neon started talking, he couldn't help thinking about the massacre of his tribe. And that always made him see red (no pun intended).
After a long, stony silence that stretched between them, Neon finally spoke. "Anyway, there is an auction at Southern Peace tonight. It's the last day of the auction and I want to be there. I don't want any bodyguards trailing me around tonight and if you're going to stop me, don't bother because I've already made up my mind."
"That's out of the question. Things are complicated right now and I don't think we can risk adding up to that complication." Clapika said.
Neon frowned. "What's so complicated about it? I go the auction, bid on something, and then come home. What kind of complication can come out of it?"
A lot, if you'd only stop and think. Clapika suppressed an urge to sigh. His boss was difficult to negotiate with. She refused to see reason and always do whatever she wants. She's way too spoiled.
"Okay, fine. You can go to the auction. But," he held up a hand to prevent Neon from interrupting. "you are not going without at least one bodyguard."
"What? No way! No bodyguards!" Neon protested loudly. She crossed her arms and turned her head away, refusing to compromise.
"I said, at least one. Just to be on the safe side. And I won't be persuaded otherwise." Clapika said firmly.
Neon groaned and fell back on her bad. She knew that he meant what he said. He's not like her father whom she can persuade with a little whining and blackmail.
She finally sat up and faced him. "Okay fine. But I get to choose the bodyguard."
Clapika sighed with relief. At least she wasn't screaming and throwing things at him. "Deal."
"Okay then. We'll leave at 7.30 tonight. Get the car ready."
"We?"
"Yes, you and me. Why?"
"Nothing."
Clapika turned and was about to leave but Neon called after him.
"One more thing. You're driving, okay? No drivers."
What could she possibly be up to? He thought curiously. "As you wish."