Classified: Priceless

A/N: The idea of this new fic came to me as I was riding the bus to my school. I thought it would be a cool plot but considering that I have more pending works to deliver, I ought to push this back and focus on more of the those stuff but I just couldn't shake off the feeling so here I am, writing it. I might just want to warn you that with the current load of my schoolwork, there is a possibility that I would come to a hiatus but who knows? Maybe, there would be a chance that I could finish this without taking too much time.

Disclaimer: LCDO characters property of KOEI and Kure Yuki.

Case One, Day One

"I seriously cannot understand why I'm doing this."

A soft giggle emerged from a woman on the driver's seat. "I believe I have explained it to you a hundred times already why you are doing this." She replied; a sly grin fixated on her face. Her gold eyes were focused on the road but it glimmered like it was watching his annoyance imprinted on his face. "Besides, everybody else agreed on the arrangement. You were the only one opposing us." She said and laughed heartily, this time. "Oh, I bet you talked your way to them. Clearly, you would be a better option. You could have done this assignment in a better fashion." He grunted, fixing his gold tie.

"I'm not so sure if you're literally talking about the outfits or…" she paused when he glared at her. She knew well that it was so easy to make this man annoyed, if you only knew where to it him, but she also knew well that one better not overdo it. He might just end screwing things up. And their boss doesn't want things screwed up. "Look," she tried to calm herself as she stopped at a red light. "Your idea of me entering their household as their maid is absurd." She said.

"Absurd! Hah!" he couldn't believe he was hearing this. Again. "Ryoutaro," she mentioned his name. And that meant that she was turning serious now. In a few more minutes, they were going to arrive at their destination. "Fine." He said and looked outside instead. He still wanted to contest the topic but there was truth in her reason. Maids have been often a used disguise for operations such as these. So it was now time to turn to the lover disguise.

He sighed and ruffled his hair. He had accepted defeat, finally. "Like I said, it was better your way than mine." She muttered when the light went green. She stepped on the gas and the sleek red Porsche sped on. "Don't let yourself be known so easily, okay?" she reminded him for the nth time.

A smug smile appeared on his face. His own golden eyes dimmed. "As far as the records hold, I have never failed an assignment." He proudly said but she just rolled her eyes and smiled. The car stopped in front of a two storey grand mansion with high walls and gates. An array of decorative plants was placed strategically in the garden to cover the full grandeur of the edifice. Fashioned in an elite Victorian style, the house felt like it was transported from the past. A low whistle came out from his lips when the tall gates were opened. "Hotshot." He said. "That's why I keep on telling you to not screw up." His companion reminded again. The car curved to the front door. He stepped out and fixed his suit and tie. On a wireless earphone, he heard her voice as she stepped on the gas of the car. "Good luck."

"Thanks, Kahoko. I'll take it from here." He whispered back and entered the mansion when the doors were opened.

Not that he wasn't used to seeing grandly decorated houses before but this one was an exception. Everywhere he looked, priceless ornaments and materials were present. It was as if the house itself was created for kings and queens. He suddenly felt out of place and he wondered if his shoes left a trail of mud.

"Kiriyama-san," a man greeted him. The butler appeared more elegant than him, considering that he was given three year's worth of salary to buy appropriate clothing for this particular mission. "Yes, good day." He greeted back. "Madam will be ready in a few minutes. This way," the butler said as he ushered him to the mansion's receiving area. He glanced from left to right as subtle as any agent could do to locate if there are possible areas to install cameras. He noted one from the chandelier in the opening and on both side at the archway that they had just passed.

He was made to sit on one of the feather-soft settees on the room. On a small table beside him, a maid laid a glass of juice. He smiled at her. He noted, even upon the first day that he came to the house, which was not so much of a three weeks ago, that all the servants inside wore gloves. Keeping that in mind, he told their boss about it and he was given custom gloves that had different fingerprints from his own. It was transparent, blended against his complexion and was skintight so it didn't give off the impression that he was wearing one. He'd have to thank Kanazawa for this. The butler made a swift bow and left him.

Nothing much had changed, aside from the new curtains that draped the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was silent inside the house and when he thought about it, the place was just too big and spacious for two people.

"Look who's back." A voice startled him. He stood and the figure of the owner's daughter came to view. Her curly caramel hair was tied in a hasty way, as usual, and her blue eyes darkled. "Hello, Nami. It's been a while." He braved a greeting. She glared at him and held her things tighter. Ever since he came and posed as her mother's lover, she had specifically made sure that his stay was not as pleasing as possible. "Don't call me as if we're friends." She snapped as she sat on the opposite chair. She was a dutiful university student taking up journalism with a sideline of a freelance photographer.

He chuckled a bit. Despite her efforts to annoy him, he never was and will be. In fact, he was even enjoying it, seeing how hard she tries to make his visits and stays a hell of an experience. "That's sad, don't you think? Soon, I wont be just Kiriyama Haruo." He teased. She snapped her head at him and her glare intensified. "Don't even try going there. Leave me and my mother alone." She said and stormed out the room. Not long enough, a beautifully donned Madam Ruri Amou came to view. Even though she was already in her mid-40s, se still had a figure and face to be proud of. When you put her and Nami together, no one could almost believe they're mother and daughter. A flustered Ruri went to Ryoutaro and hugged him, her body pressed completely to him. "You look really good today," he whispered in his efficiently husky voice. She giggled and planted a kiss on his cheek. "So are you, Haruo. Shall we?" she asked and a maid handed her handbag. "What about your daughter?" he asked as his real goal was slipping again from is grasp. "Oh, don't worry about her. She's old enough to take care of herself. Let's go, now, or we'll miss the performance." She said and tugged him out. He mentally cursed himself for failing again.

He went here to pose as Madam Ruri's lover because of her daughter Nami. She's in grave danger. And Tsuchiura Ryoutaro needed to save her.