A/N: Hello everyone, sorry for the extremely long first chapter. I had to admit I had never intended for this to be so lengthy and at some point, I don't even know if I hate or love this chapter (I suppose it is a love-hate thing if I can put up with it for so long). This is my first offering to this fandom and I hope that this project would work out eventually.
So, I hope you enjoy the read as much I enjoyed writing it and reviews are always appreciated.
P.S: Bak's name is written as 'Bak Chang', the way it was stated in his character profile. As for For, I've written it as 'Fou' to avoid confusion, while Won's name remain as 'Won'.
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Walk the World
- Prologue -
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"Master Bak, please calm down!" wailed the tall, elderly man who was trailing behind the cloud of dust that the younger man had kicked off while marching down the corridor.
His pleas fell onto a pair of deaf ears as the shorter man continued to perform a one-man rhinoceros stampede, violently knocking anything and everything that stood in his way. Innocent bystanders were sent, visibly, flying off at all directions like scattered bowling pins. Those who were alert enough managed to narrowly scoot out of danger's way, while others… well, many others would soon complain about severe backaches for days.
Who would have thought such a tiny midget could pack that much of a punch?
"Calm down?" Bak huffed incredulously. He swung his gaze around and shot Won a disbelieving glare as though he couldn't believe that his most loyal manservant had just suggested something so outrageous. "How can you expect me to calm down when Komui infiltrated my Branch, disrupted the peace, tricked my subordinates, stole my confidential documents and kidnapped Fou during my absence? That crazy lunatic just openly sabotaged me and you want me to sit back and smile!"
In fact, truth to be told, smiling was pretty much the last thing that Bak did for the past week. Ever since he returned to the Asia Branch one week ago, all tired and tattered from his obligatory visit to South East Asia for official business, there was a permanent scowl carved on his face.
It all began about a month ago, when Bak received some updates from the South East Asia subdivision, vital information that were so important that it dictated him to leave the Branch on an unavoidable two week business trip. One that the young man wasn't entirely keen of, but nonetheless, the workaholic and Chang clan pride in him decreed that the matter was far too important to be left in the hands of incompetent subordinates. After spending two gruelling weeks rocking between the backwaters municipals and suffering sea-sickness on the raging South China Sea, he was only too glad to return home.
It can also be said that despite being awfully bushed, beaten, dirty and wearied down to the last bone, Bak was in rather high spirits and was practically skipping on his journey back even though it was past midnight. As he made his merry way towards the main entrance, he could almost envisage his upcoming warm bubble bath, the appetizing full course dinner and the comfortable, feather-soft king-size bed waiting for him just beyond the wall.
But alas, instead of being greeted by his annoying, tom-boyish spiritual guardian, who would normally rush out to knee him in the gut for waking her up from her precious sleep at an ungodly hour; he found himself face to face with the most pathetic looking door that he had ever seen.
Ares Teena Dloe Gynosan P. Ruporson Gear Amadeus the 5th. Or more commonly known as the high strung, misanthropic gatekeeper of the Black Order Headquarters.
Needless to say, all his dreams of relaxation and rest swirled down the proverbial drain at the sight of the monstrosity. On the spot where the entrance that hosted the soul of his guardian deity used to be, stood 6500 tonne of atrocity blissfully snoring and suckling away like a well-fed baby. Recovering from his initial state of shock and eyesore, the first few questions that managed to generate across Bak's mind was: what the hell is this, who put him there, what's going on and…
Where is Fou?
Without wasting another moment, he forcefully knocked at the base of the door, boorishly waking the slumbering gatekeeper. He demanded an immediate answer from the door-in-question (or the questionable door), who only spared him nothing more than a sceptical, sleepy gaze with his freakish yellow eyes along with a massive yawn.
To that, Bak had taken great offence. As far as he was concerned, no one in the world was ever permitted to belittle the Great Bak Chang, especially not one unsightly gatekeeper with zero manners and an ugly face to match. With the exception of Fou, who he really had no power to lord over, he was generally unaccustomed to the idea of being ignored and brushed aside like some kind of nobody.
But this freakish door had broken all prior records. Not only had it rudely ignored all Bak's enquiries, it also had the nerve to deny him entrance to his own residence even after Bak revealed his identity and justified himself. With its freakish voice, Ares Teena had explained that it was his sacred duty (to which Bak snorted in response) and that he had received specific strict orders to inspect every single soul who wished to enter through these gates. In his own words -- There were to be no exceptions, not even for someone who proclaims himself to be Branch Chief Bak (which in its turn makes it even mooooore suspicious).
What came to follow was a pretty traumatic experience for Bak that would probably haunt him till the end of his days.
As part of the Akuma-examination procedure, Ares Teena first scrutinized Bak like a prisoner on a death row, scanning him from the tips of his hair to the ends of his nails with his freakish glowing eyes and then, without any pre-warning, proceeded to X-ray every single fibre in him to ascertain that he was not distantly related to one fat, bouncing Earl. Perhaps it was an unlucky day for him, because Bak soon (to his dismay) found himself being viciously rejected from entry.
Bak completely forgotten he had Akuma blood stained on his overcoat.
After a rather arduous and lengthy explanation which involved an embarrassing amount of cooing to pacify the panic-stricken gatekeeper, who was blubbering and bawling out his eyes while screaming for his mother in fright, Bak finally managed to convince Ares Teena that there was a mistake in the inspection due to the Akuma blood tainted clothes he was wearing. Inevitably, Bak was forced to strip off every single piece of clothing material on his body, leaving nothing more than the barest of bare essentials covering only the pivotal manly regions for the sake of common decency.
In short, his underwear.
Of course, when Bak finally did manage to get pass Ares Teena later – who was a little too pink for his comfort – in nothing but his bare skin and yellow chequered boxers, his grand entrance was welcomed by a mob of (scared, angry, sobbing but mostly hysterical) subordinates armed with sharpened pitchforks, musty brooms and smelly old shoes, while aiming their provisional weapons at him with hostility. An army of Finders even surrounded him in a protective circle and pointed their glaring talismans at him; the bright lights almost blinded him permanently.
As the leader of the Branch, the knowledge that his subordinates would fight tooth and nail to defend the Branch from the Akuma attack even when they knew it would be a losing battle had almost brought emotional tears to Bak's eyes. Under different circumstances, where Bak wasn't the center of much unwanted attention, he would have clapped his hands and sang songs of praises to their indestructible courage and valour against the evil forces, but in his current predicament, he couldn't even bring himself to smile and his only thought was when he get out of this mess, he was going to put all of them permanently out of employment.
Eventually, the pandemonium died off, after Bak walked out of the talisman spotlight with nothing so much as a scratch on his bare skin. It didn't take long before his dumbfounded subordinates realised that they made a grave error in mistaking their boss for being a bloodthirsty Akuma and in the wake of their blunder, dropped down to their knees to beg forgiveness.
Apparently, his subordinates only received a warning that they were under attack but had not been updated on the proceedings that were going on outside after the initial alarm. And if the false alarm wasn't enough to make them jump out of their skin, the sight of their boss striding in his almost all naked glory had no doubt made them believed that the world had come to an end.
In spite of everything, Bak only gave a Millennium Earl-like smile and asked one question.
"Who took Fou away and messed up the security system?"
To which, the entire Branch replied one single name in unison.
Without much ado, Bak had stomped away from the precinct and headed straight for his office. After what felt like eternity (though it was actually less than five minutes), Bak reappeared with a set of clean uniform, tidy hair and a very surly face. Standing behind him like a faithful shadow was Won, who single-handedly carried four large brown suitcases, three travelling trunks and two train tickets.
It didn't take a genius to figure out where was Bak heading to or what he would eventually do when he got there.
"Today will be the day that I will personally rip out all that curly hair from his head. Mark my words, Won, I will if it's the last thing I do!" Bak announced loudly and everyone within the hearing perimeter put their hands up to guard their hair and scampered away like frightened chickens.
To punctuate his point and unwavering determination, Bak turned his head around to give Won a steely stare, his gray eyes blazing with a maniacal glint that one usually find in the eyes of sadistic serial killers. To his pleasure, he found his elderly manservant shaking his head in a resigned manner as though he had given up in stopping his young master and Bak smirked evilly to himself, gratified that Won's resolve had finally caved in.
Suddenly, Won jerked his head up, his eyes wide with shock and he shouted, "Master Bak, look out!"
It was too late. With a loud bang, Bak had collided into something solid with the force of a runaway train. The powerful impact had threw both parties, who were speeding down the corridor from different directions off balance and being the smallest of the lot, Bak soon found himself buried under the weight of a few men who were larger and way heavier than him.
"Geroff me!" muffled Bak, his face flattened to the ground beneath the human pyramid.
"Johnny, please get up quickly, I think I'm sitting on something," ordered a voice who sounded suspiciously like Reever Wenhamm, the Science Division's Section Chief. "That and you guys are cutting off my breathing circulation."
"I can't, Section Chief, not unless Tup roll over," answered Johnny, his voice more feeble than usual as though there was something heavy crushing his lungs. "Tup, you really need to cut down on those chips!"
"Hey, keep my weight out of this," snarled Tup, and though Bak couldn't see what was going on above him, he felt an increase of weight after one of them wiggled violently. "I can barely move with two more people shifting on top of me."
"Master Bak!" The desperate voice of his manservant came from somewhere in front of him and with all the might he could possibly summon, Bak twisted his head and his gaze met the weeping face of Won, who was crouching on the floor to level with him. "Are you all right?"
"Zu I zeem bine chu yu?" Bak forced out weakly, he felt faint and his vision was blurring rapidly. "Won, zu zomezing an ged teesh bools orf me."
"Immediately, sir!"
Bak heard a beast-like howl, felt a gush of strong wind and then, the crushing weight above him instantly disappeared. Thank the Gods for having a Kung-Fu master in his permanent entourage. Breathing in relief, Bak attempted to roll off his stomach but found that he couldn't due to the numbness in his limbs and he was unable to move anything except his fingers and toes. Won then gently pushed his body over, allowing him to face skywards, propped his neck on his forearm and draped a soft warm cloth over his forehead.
Peeking from beneath the damp cloth, he saw many members of the Science Division helping out Reever and his team to collect the scattered papers that were strewn all over the floor. Reever himself was picking up stray papers with one hand while supporting his back with the other as though he was suffering acute rheumatism, and next to him, Tup was clubbing Johnny on the head with a stack of papers for implying that he was overweight.
As though sensing the intense observation, the type that a prey would feel when they were being watched, Reever spun around and his eyes fell on the fallen man. He squint his eyes to focus better and Bak plucked the cloth of his head and threw it away, giving Reever a full view of his enraged face. Upon recognition, Reever gave a friendly wave that didn't match with the tight why-are-you-here smile on his face as he strode over to greet Bak.
"Welcome, Branch Chief Bak." Shifting the papers over to one arm, Reever held out his free hand to Bak, in a gentlemanly gesture to help the shorter man to his feet. "I'm truly sorry for the accident but we really didn't expect anyone, especially you to be lurking around the Science Division's corridors at this hour of the day."
"Dispense with the pretence of ceremonies, Reever," snapped Bak harshly, slapping away the outstretched hand and pushed himself off the ground, casting off all status and formalities. "I'm not here in the name of peace so if you know what's good for you, you get out of my way." He added acidly while he dusted himself and tidied his hair with his fingers, all the while, scanning the room for the man who was the bane of his existence.
There was no sign of Komui.
"Where is he!?"
"Who?"
"That public menace!" Bak growled tersely, his irritation increasing by the milliseconds.
"Oh yes, the Supervisor," Reever drawled slowly while muttering under his breath. "Figures."
"I'll only repeat this once more." He drew in a breath and hissed dangerously, poison dripping on every word. "Where. Is. He?"
"That's the thing, we have no idea. Probably the usual, malingering around until lunch break, in which he'll definitely show up on time!" Reever said half-jokingly but Bak was aware of the tint of annoyance in his tone. "In the mean time, how can we help you?" Reever raised the question politely, though Bak had a strong feeling it was more polite version of – what has the Supervisor done now?
"There is nothing you can do unless you want to die on his behalf. This is a private dispute between the both of us and you will do well to keep your nose out of this."
"Well, I must admit that our Supervisor acts bratty 99% of the time and I would love nothing more than to kick his lazy…," Reever stopped before revealing more of his frustration, "but in all honesty, he's actually quite harmless, you know," the Section Chief seemed to have problem believing his own words, "unless the matter involves his younger sister in any way, I'm absolutely positive that he did nothing really damaging— recently," he added as an afterthought.
"Nothing damaging? Hah!" Bak said with a jeering laugh. "Shall I proceed to break your little cocoon of fantasy, or would you rather continue to live in a world of delusion, Mr Section Chief?"
"Master Bak...," Won reprimanded lightly, placing a hand over Bak's shoulder.
"Forgive my terrible manners," he apologised nonchalantly, shrugging off the hand and looking away. "I don't usually behave with such imprudence but my patience runs thin whenever it concerns tha— that living abomination."
"Don't mention it, the Supervisor doesn't exactly draw the best quality out of people," confessed Reever, flicking a gallant wave, "but I still stand firm on my opinion, he couldn't have possibly upset you that badly."
Bak narrowed his brows and glowered at Reever, thinking how naive and misinformed this man was to ever place his trust in that curly haired disaster. It did not matter if Reever had one of the best brains in the Black Order, being an exceptional scientist and Komui's right hand man; this man was clearly not a good judge of character. Keeping his anger (and fist) in check while holding his patience, Bak slowly shared his ill-fated experience as Komui's victim.
"Sometime ago, your Supervisor went to the Branch…," he started.
"Yes, of course. About one and half month ago, the Supervisor set off to the Asia Branch alone to perform an important task. I vaguely recalled that when he returned, he mentioned something along the lines of being disappointed in missing you by just a few minutes." While Reever's voice was pleasant, it was obvious from his tone that he considered it a divine blessing that the troublesome Branch Chief and the even more troublesome Supervisor never met. "It would seem that you've just left for South East Asia the moment he arrived. What a strange coincidence," he mused.
In Bak's opinion, there was no such thing as strange coincidence wherever Komui was concerned. It was more likely that the crafty, curly fox orchestrated the entire scheme, purposely arriving after Bak had taken off so that no one would be there to stop him from causing mischief. By the time Bak had returned, he would be back at the Headquarters again as though nothing had ever happened. Voicing his thoughts, Bak continued impatiently, "That was no coincidence. From the very beginning, I have never received any notice about Komui's visit to the Asia Branch, for if I did, I would have delayed my trip to sto— receive him."
"No prior notice?! But the Supervisor said…," Reever faltered, thought twice of his answer and then shook his head, almost in denial. "Perhaps there was a slight miscommunication along the way – long distance phone calls have never been reliable – and I'm sure this must have been a dreadful inconvenience to you," he smiled amiably with the saintly radiance and patience of a Buddha. "But surely that isn't enough to sentence him to death; after all, he did it for the benefit of all."
"What benefit? That moron did nothing but single-handedly wrecked up the Branch's security system and he…," Bak gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, "… he took Fou away without my permission."
Reever paused, the sunshine-like smile still pasted across his face and he remained that way for quite a while as though stunned still. Painful minutes ticked away and when he finally broke from his reverie, he spoke in a spookily creepy voice which sounded like a faraway echo. "Without your permission, you say?"
Bak just arched a well-trimmed eyebrow and gave Reever a sardonic look.
As sudden as an Akuma attack, the smile was wiped off Reever's face and his normally genial features morphed into a diabolical look that would give nightmares to children. If Bak wasn't as livid as Reever, he would have probably recoiled in fright at Reever's rare display of anger. Ignoring the fact that he was in the presence of a guest and hundreds of subordinates, Reever bellowed in a booming voice that rang through the hallway, "SUPERVISOR!!"
And he sprinted off, dashing away like a madman on fire, bumping subordinates, bystanders, onlookers and practically anyone who was foolish enough to stand in his way (later that evening, Reever would receive a personal vocal complaint and some fist shaking from the old Matron for delivering more out-of-war patients to her hands). Obviously, Reever, gullible as ever, was once again hoodwinked his superior officer.
A sinister smirk stretched across Bak's face, clearly delighted at the addition of an unexpected ally in his quest and following suit, he flexed his shoulder muscles and gave chase, trampling over the long line of bodies that were lying on the ground with not even the slightest bit of guilt on his face.
After climbing up a few flight of stairs (because they were too impatient to wait for the elevator), their journey came to end when they found themselves in front of Komui's private laboratory, panting and wheezing as though they've just completed a cross-country marathon. Even though it was actually Reever who was leading the way; to the outsiders, it seemed as though the two chiefs were trying to outrace each other on 'Mission Kill Komui'.
All the while, Bak wondered if the Section Chief was purposely withholding Komui's whereabouts earlier before his outburst or was he truly as innocent as he declared himself to be. Judging from the way Reever was currently gnashing his teeth, Bak surmised that this man was guiltless and he was currently relying on his killer instincts to locate Komui. Before long, both men rolled up their sleeves, exchanged a mutual glance of understanding and together they stepped back and threw their weight at the iron door simultaneously.
"Open up, we know you are in there, you liar!" Reever cried, ramming the door with the force akin to a bulldozer, while Bak abused the door handle, placing one foot on the frame and wrenching the handle with both hands.
"There's no use in hiding, come out now and your death will be less painful!" Bak stated, tightening his grip on the handle, inwardly weighing the one million and one macabre ways to remove Komui's existence off the planet.
In the end, Bak decided that nothing would grant him more satisfaction than strangling Komui to death with his bare hands.
Ten minutes of continual door barraging later and a mouthful of blasphemes, both men plunged to the floor out of exhaustion, their hands red, their feet bruised, their voice cracking and their determination slightly abated. The metal door stood shadowing over them, not budging even an inch after their incessant banging, unmoving and unwavering like a solid rock, its still form mocking their tremendous effort. Of course, there was no response from within either but some gut instinct in the pit of Bak's stomach tells him that Komui was indeed inside.
No doubt laughing at them.
"Section Chief, Branch Chief Bak," said a voice and Bak looked up to find Johnny, "if I may have a word," he ventured, the voice of reason representing the Science Division who were hurdling behind him. "I really don't think threatening or any other brutal methods are going to get us anywhere. You know how sensitive the Supervisor can be."
"You've got a better idea?" Bak and Reever chorused, daring them to suggest.
"How about just knocking?" someone proposed from the massive crowd and most of the members nodded ardently in agreement.
For the next five minutes, there was a silent staring competition between the Branch Chief and the Science Division (excluding Reever), with the former performing a cynical frown with folded arms and legs on the floor while the latter pleading with a hundred pair of earnest and begging eyes. At long last, the Science Division claimed victory – secretly high-fiving and congratulating each other behind their backs – when Bak looked away and stood up, his face as sour as a bitter gourd as he clenched his fist and rapped at the door softly several times.
There was a tense silence. Everyone was holding their breath, clasping their hands together in a praying motion as the moments passed in aching silence, each second counting down in a ticking time bomb manner. Just when everything seemed to have failed, there was a click on the handle and the metal door creak opened with one eye peeking from the tiny gap.
"Who called…," came a lazy, sleep-infused voice echoing from the gap at the door. The man inside was holding a rumpled table cloth which served as make-shift blanket with one hand, while clutching a poorly plastered blue coffee mug with a comical bunny print with the other. He yawned, brushing off some stray hair, which was curlier than usual, from his eyes and pushed up his glasses with the end of his palm.
Nobody dared to answer him as the Branch Chief waited for the drowsy man to acknowledge his presence.
Finally, the man rubbed his eyes to clear away the last vestiges of sleep and as if for the first time, he noticed there was actually someone standing outside his door. Adjusting his glasses, he peered at the shorter man's face intently, as though trying to register the identity of this angry-looking stranger in his mind and it took a couple of seconds before a look of dawning recognition spread across his sleepy features.
"Ah—," he had said simply, and then he slammed the door loudly at Bak's face, subsequently signing his death warrant.
Right there and then, Bak probably forgotten that his true purpose of storming the Headquarters was to rescue Fou from the hands of a certain evil mad scientist. But sadly, all those thoughts were extinguished from his mind and all he wanted to see right now was said evil mad scientist lying pathetically dead in a pool of blood. He resumed to tearing down the mighty door, laying fist after fist, prodding kick after kick, adamant to break into the Frankenstein-like laboratory.
His attempt, however, was as pitiable as a scrawny cat meowing in the rain.
"You either come out or I'll… I'll break down the door!" Bak yelled a hollow threat, pounding and kicking the iron door vehemently. Realising that Komui was probably going to lock himself in, he turned his attention back to the Science Division, who cringed and edged away from him as he asked sharply, "You have anything that I can use to blow up this door?"
"Er… We have strong explosives, powerful enough to make this building crumble…," Reever quickly clamped a hand over Johnny's mouth before he could reveal the location. As much as Reever would like to join the Branch Chief in his crusade to murder Komui, blowing up the entire Headquarters was not the best of solutions… especially if they were all still in there.
"Wonderful, hand it over," Bak stretched out his hand gleefully.
"Unfortunately, it is useless," Reever said as he stepped forward and spoke on behalf of his subordinate. "The door to the Supervisor's lab is made out of an unusual type of material – Komurinium, a kind of formidable substance which can withstand even the most devastating of explosions. It is made in a way that nothing outside can ever breach the barrier and vice versa, nothing can come out either, it is the safest wall in the kingdom…," he paused, horrified as the knowledge sank in, "… oh dear."
Oh dear indeed… that sneaky blackguard, Bak thought. Obviously, Komui designed the door as a mean of self-protection against revengeful folks whom he had offended in that past. People such as his glorious self, Bak added, swiping his feet towards the door once more.
"You can't hide in there forever!" A wave of doubt swept over him, "He can't, can he?"
"I hardly ever enter his personal lab nor do most of us here, so we won't know how long he can last on his own in there. Lenalee is currently out on a mission and the Exorcists are usually not conscious long enough, being scared out of their wits to even take notice, but from what I've gathered, he has stocked up enough rations to last him one year…," Reever said, scratching the back of his head almost uncertainly. "Maybe two years."
"You have got to be jok—ooff!"
All of a sudden, the door behind him swung open, hitting Bak hard on his back and throwing him off balance. Arms flailing, Bak propelled forward and landed on top of Reever – who didn't react swift enough to catch him… or dodge him – thus saving him from kissing the floor again.
"Can't a gentleman have some time to groom himself?" said Komui, grumbling as he adjusted the beret on his head. "People these days have no respect for the privacy of others…," he muttered, polishing his silver Rose Cross emblem, "…and even less manners to speak of."
Before Komui bolted the door, Bak caught a glimpse of red and purple on the surgical table and his heart careened into a sudden halt. Mathematically, Komui and surgical instruments were a dangerous combination and if his (failed) inventions – Komurin (and its chain of disaster prone robots) – were any indication, it usually meant trouble.
Big trouble.
"Why hello Bak-chan. What a pleasant surprise to see you here," Komui greeted in an overly saccharine voice, matched with a big Cheshire grin that stretched from ear to ear when he saw the shorter man. If it's even humanly possible, his grin stretched even further when he noticed the human entanglement they form on the floor, what with Bak slouching atop of Reever's lap in a rather suspicious position.
Holding his cup of steaming coffee like a gleaming trophy, Komui continued to observe the situation with much interest but never bothering to lift a finger to help. One had to admire and salute to his courage and sunny disposition, especially for someone who was on the receiving end of dagger and gunshots glares from two very angry men.
"What surprise?" Reever shouted and between the two, he jolted to his senses first and quickly pushed Bak off his body. Climbing to his feet, he jabbed a furious thumb back at Bak, "You should have expected this fiasco after what you've done to him. I mean, honestly, did you expect him to sit still and do nothing. No, wait, before we get to that, did you even bother to tell him that you will be arriving at the Asia Branch?"
"Well, since I will be arriving there personally, I see no reason to inform Bak-chan about my little visit. Why should we waste time and phone bills when we will be in each other presence shortly. Which also reminds me…," Komui rub his fingers over his chin in a contemplative manner and turn his gaze to Bak, "…how did you get here so quickly? Doesn't it normally take you minimally two weeks to get here on the Trans-Siberian railway?"
Actually, it usually took Bak one month to travel back and forth between the Headquarters and the Asia Branch on the Trans-Siberian railway, which was also the reason why Bak's visits to the Headquarters were limited to only a few times a year. But he didn't usually mind the hassle of voyaging across three continents if it meant he would be breathing the same air with the girl of his dreams, namely one female Exorcist, Lenalee Lee. Besides, it wasn't all that bad, considering that Bak was man of supreme status and had been brought up like prince; he would never opt to travel on anything that was less than first-class.
That was if he had a choice.
"We took the livestock cargo train," explained Bak, trying very hard not to recall the horrible experience of travelling in close proximity with a train filled with cow braying, goat bleating, chickens clucking and lots of animal manure for a week. "It takes but half of the usual time to get here, one week maximum, but the journey was rather… disagreeable."
"Oh--," Komui wrinkled his nose and pinched it with two fingers, his lips were upturned and he inched away noticeably, putting a considerable distance between himself and Bak. "No wonder you smell funny."
"And whose fault was that?!" Bak stepped nearer as Komui scurried further away, his free hand making a shooing gesture at the shorter man.
"Now, now, let's not start pointing accusing fingers all around, Bak-chan. Put the past behind you and let the bygones be bygones," advised Komui, in the most magnanimous voice he could muster, although from the way he was fending off Bak like a smelly pest, it truly contradicted the sincerity of his words.
"I will, after I'm done with you," Bak growled, his hands curved into a claw-like shape as he closed in onto Komui in a predatory manner, cornering the Supervisor to the metal door.
"How was your trip down to South East Asia?" Komui changed the topic before Bak could get any closer. "I heard that you went down to Malaya for an important mission, something that only the Branch Chief of the Asia Branch can do."
Bak paused, his fist suspended in mid air as his ears perked at the unintentional praise, the workaholic persona in him kicking the revengeful one aside and he coughed, straightened his back in a professional manner. "Well, if you must know, my journey took me to one of those newly-formed towns in Malaya that were part of the British colonization in South East Asia, which automatically makes it part of my jurisdiction," he added the last bit with pride. "Their expansion plans include the immigration of Chinese labourers to work at the newly established mines. Of course, the miners are bound by contract to work under life-threatening situations which led to the death of many men, and the grievance of the mourners serves as the best breeding spot for—," he stopped, realising he was duped, "—the devil am I telling you all these!? I'm didn't come all the way here to report about my recent dealings. Komui, you have something that's rightfully mine and I'm here to retrieve it."
"And what might that be?" Komui enquired, feigning innocence.
Drawing a deep breath, Bak attempted to appease his flaring temper by slowly counting to ten, regrettably, he barely reached the count of two when he lost it. Pointing at the door, he roared, "FOU!"
"Ah—of course," Komui leisurely threw a glance to the metal door behind him while putting the mug to his lips, taking a long sip and sighed in contentment. "Now why haven't I thought of that?"
Oh, if it wasn't for the years of good breeding instilled in him (and Won's restraining hand on his shoulder), Bak might have just snatched Komui's scalding coffee and poured it all over his head and pants. But instead, he settled for a sour face while massaging his knuckles, deciding that he should first reclaim Fou, and then, he will just end the four-eyed monster's life in a gruesome way which befits him. Let it be known to mankind that one does not simply mess with the prestigious Chang clan.
Especially Bak.
"Komui, I shall not even attempt to mince words today. I know you have never abided to the norms of society or even have the inclination to ever do so, and while I can never understand how such behaviour could ever function in a normal society, I have not made it a habit to guess what goes on inside that daft head of yours. Heaven knows I've been kind enough to put up with an unhealthy share of your idiotic pranks!" preached Bak with a sort of self-righteousness that only martyrs have. "However, the silly stunt which you pulled at the Asia Branch the other day is unforgivable even for my incredibly compassionate standards."
"Hmm…," Komui tipped his head to the side and Bak was almost pleased with the silence, "I have no idea what you are talking about?"
Someone in the room was going to die.
"I mean, I've been always been a good boy and I don't know what have I done to upset you? In truth, it is you, Bak-chan, who have hurt my feelings," Komui bobbed a pair of puppy eyes and stuck out a quivering lip and Bak could only gap back in disbelief. "How could you say I've prank you when only recently have I gone all the way to the Asia Branch to lend you a helping hand."
"Correct me if I'm wrong but since when has kidnapping qualified as help?" If Bak didn't hear it from Komui himself, he probably wouldn't believe that anyone could be that shameless. He always knew Komui was extremely thick-skinned but this man must have broken new records. "I could forgive you for many things but kidnapping Fou, our Branch's security mainframe, is not one of it."
"Kidnapped? Oh dear me, how could you accuse me of such a horrid crime? Clearly Branch Chief Bak here was dearly misinformed," Komui said sadly as he regarded Bak with a pitying look, the type that a saint would offer to a beggar and Bak was tempted to plant a series of fists into Komui's smug face. "But at any rate, I did not kidnap Miss Fou. She agreed to return with me to the Headquarters and given me her complete consent on this matter. If you don't believe me, you can ask around, everyone at the Asia Branch can bear witness."
"Maybe you are the one missing a point here, Supervisor," Bak spat the last word venomously like it was something vile. "I am the man with the highest authority at the Asia Branch and such an important decision should have first met with my approval."
With that, he crossed his arms, puffed his chest and straightened his back, giving himself a few imaginary inches to match with Komui's towering height. To his dismay, Komui leaned back at the door languidly, openly spacing out and seemed to be more enthralled by the wisp of smoke billowing from his coffee than Bak's formal declaration.
"Pay attention!"
"Wha? Huh? Well, yes and no actually," Komui answered in a singsong voice. "If we play by the rule book, I agree wholeheartedly that your presence is mandatory for such an important decision. But unfortunately, your rather untimely absence had deflected the common rule and in the turn of events where you are absent, the power of decision will automatically be transferred to the next person of authority, meaning to say, your second-in-command." And then, Komui's features eased into a million-dollar smile, "The man in charge that day had been very cooperative albeit looking a little overwhelmed by my sudden appearance and magnificence, and in honour of my rank, he granted me full power to carry out my duties with the least of interference."
In another context, under a different name, Komui's actions would be branded as dictatorship, absolute tyranny and abuse of power! Of course his second-in-command was overwhelmed (the appropriate term was scared to submission). Who wouldn't be when you come face to face with a cackling crackpot holding a gigantic driller in his hands.
"So you see, Bak-chan, everything went according to the right protocols, rules, laws, whatever-you-may-call-it and you've fretted over nothing," added Komui with a wink.
"Fine! Given the unnatural circumstances, you might have been allowed to commandeer all the proper proceedings without me," conceded Bak reluctantly as Komui grinned, but he stamped his feet to indicate that the discussion wasn't over. "But honestly, if the Headquarters wanted a better guardian to their entrance, you should have created one of your own. What gives you the right to abduct ours and switch her place with your lousy gatekeeper?"
"Whoever said anything about replacing both guardians?" Komui exclaimed in horror, his eyes wide and he pressed his hands to his mouth. "No matter how important the Headquarters is, I would never, ever, ever, ever take Miss Fou away from the Asia Branch. It's inhuman. I might be the Supervisor of Black Order, but having Miss Fou forcefully removed from her station contradicts all principles of freedom rights. Nevertheless, Bak-chan, you misunderstand me once again, I only invited Miss Fou to the Headquarters so she may receive proper upgrading without any hindrance."
"Upgrading?" Bak parroted, obviously confused.
"Why yes. Shouldn't that be quite obvious from the very beginning?" Komui raised an eyebrow and placed his hands on his hips in a way that schoolteachers normally would towards stupid students. "Or are you misinformed again?"
"She's perfectly fine as she is," Bak snarled through gritted teeth, riled up at Komui's indirect insult to the most revered family member of the Chang clan. If it hadn't been for his Amazingly Great and Wonderful great grandfather, the current Headquarters would not be here today, let alone the Asia Branch and this four-eye braggart would probably be stuck in some unknown ditch instead of putting on airs here. "How dare you even suggest that the Chang clan's invention is defective. In case you haven't realised, Fou has been the guardian deity and sole protector of our Branch even before the Headquarters was fully established. She also happens to be the penultimate creation of my great grandfather, using the best technology of his time to…."
"But that's not enough!" Komui cut in suddenly and his eyes darkened dangerously, his usual goofiness dispersed into an air of authority of one who leads the most powerful army in the world. "Do not misunderstand my intentions, for I do not doubt her abilities or your late great-grandfather's intelligence and in fact, after reading up on Miss Fou's blueprints, I daresay I have much to learn."
"But despite everything, the recent attack of the Level-3 Akuma at the Asia Branch has proved that even your grandfather's creation is unable to withstand against the change of time. The Millennium Earl grows in strength each day, creating more Akumas from the victims of sorrow and death – you should know best, your excursion to South East Asia was the best proof that his powers stretches beyond geographical boundaries. And frankly, it is only a matter of time before he raises his bloodthirsty army before us. We have to strengthen our own armaments, gear ourselves for whatever morbid future that he has prepared for us."
"I… I understand the need…," Bak stammered, slightly daunted by the sudden mood shift and the severity in Komui's face. "B… but I could have done it without your help."
"Perhaps, for as long as I've known you, I've never once doubted your intelligence to be superior to mine – your numerous breakthroughs in inventions are a solid testament to it – but I still hold the upper hand of having the best facilities and manpower in the Headquarters. Asia Branch might have been superior in terms of size and legacy but without doubt, the finest brains are gathered here. I have men to work around the clock on this project and we will obtain better and faster results compared to you working alone. I mean, just look around you Bak."
By now, almost all the Science Division members and various personnel from other departments had gathered in front of Komui's personal laboratory to watch the ultimate showdown between the two Chinese men. It almost killed Bak to admit it but for once, Komui had a point. Bak might have been born genius, a prodigious polymath, the blood descendant of powerful magicians and scientists, but as he was, in the end, a man and there was only so much one man can do alone.
Frustrated but not discouraged, Bak continued to defend his cause, "Then why did you steal all documents related to Fou? If you are so smart, as you say you are, you can make do without intruding into my private office and smuggling away the documents like a thief in the dark."
"I merely collected all the documents that I need," explained Komui with a tired sigh but not missing a beat. "With proper research, I might be able to fathom the basic workings, but nothing beats reading the original reports left by the creator and it would certainly speed up things on my part. I've already digested and researched all the information upon my return trip from China with Miss Fou and executed the upgrade as soon as I got back. We are making speedy progress, faster and better than we actually dared to hope for."
At that, Bak remained silent, not knowing what else to say, a feeling which was completely foreign to him. Ever articulate, he always managed to prevail in a debate with the least of effort, but now, he found his tongue knotting itself despite wanting to retaliate. If Komui had been a little more pompous about his achievements, Bak might have been fuelled to argue back. But ever since Bak started the row, Komui had been extremely sincere and patient with him and this was the one time in which, Bak who was being deliberately difficult.
In that sense, he felt a little ashamed.
"I know how important Miss Fou is to the Asia Branch, which is why I've decided to upgrade her first, amongst all the projects that I could have embarked on. After all, you and all those in the Asia Branch can sleep soundly each night, knowing that Miss Fou is there to shield you from danger," he said solemnly but his eyes were unusually gentle. "The next two months without her guardianship will be tough for you but I must beseech you to bear with it. Mr Ares Teena might be a poor proxy but he's the best I can offer to the Asia Branch. I do hope you will appreciate my efforts and hasty decision."
"Still… you could have sent word. A letter, a note, a darn phone call would have been sufficient," Bak protested adamantly, trying to find fault within reason. "You have no rights to spirit her away during my absence!"
"I also happened to realise that the both of us hardly see eye to eye under most circumstances. Which is why I did not seek to inform you beforehand for you will surely disagree with my decision," explained Komui sagely, looking at Bak straight in the eyes. "As you've said, you constantly indulged my demands no matter how preposterous they are, but Miss Fou… well, let's just say, she's an exception and you'd probably contest me till the end of the world before letting me take her away."
"I'm not that unreasonable." But what Komui said was no less than the truth. If Bak had known about Komui's plan earlier, he would have done everything in his power and beyond to foil it. This had nothing to do with his personal vendetta with Komui, it's just that the idea of Fou leaving her duties and the Branch was incomprehensible to Bak.
"Unreasonable, maybe not. But in Miss Fou own words: you can be more stubborn than an ass," Komui laughed at Bak's appalled face. Why? Why did Fou have to embarrass him at every given opportunity (especially in front of his dreaded rival) was something that Bak would ponder till his dying day. Unexpectedly, Komui moved forward and placed a friendly hand on the shorter man's shoulder, and while Bak was visibly uncomfortable at the contact, he did not shrug it off. "I understand how much does Miss Fou means to you personally and that you are unwilling to part with her. She's a creation your great grandfather left you and she's been looking out for you ever since you can remember, naturally she is dear to you. Why, you even travelled across half of the world just to fetch her home."
"I…," Bak stuttered. "You misunderstand. I'm only concerned for the well-being of the Branch," he meant what he said. "It's not what you are thinking!" Truly.
But Komui smiled knowingly. "Nonetheless, you are here for her and it is the thought that counts."
"Komui…," Bak started, the harshness in his voice ebbing away. Honestly, Bak had never considered the tall man standing before him could be that understanding and sensitive. Sure, he was nothing short of a nuisance at times, but when it boils down to official business, he should place more trust in his superior officer to be serious and responsible. After all, as a leader himself, he had to be a role model to his younger subordinates, setting the right examples instead of throwing wild tantrums. Inwardly, he berated himself for misjudging Komui's character out of childish prejudice and jealousy.
"Right, Miss Fou and you is just exactly like me and…," Komui paused for dramatic effect, grinning for all it was worth and Bak was almost touched by Komui's gesture in equating his close bond with Fou to the one Komui shared with his beloved Lenalee. Bak swore that he would never, ever be clouded by prejudice towards this man again. He should have more tact, giving more credit to the person who might be his future brother-in-law and a genuine smile almost crept to his face when…
"My Komurin-chan!!!" Komui squealed with joy.
On second thoughts…
Bak felt as though he was slapped right across the face with a hot frying pan. How dare Komui liken Fou, a masterpiece of the Chang clan to that ridiculous, useless coffee-addict robot? Oh yes, Fou could be a pain at times and Bak would have more luck converting an Akuma into a Buddha than getting her to do what she was told.
But the point was Fou, despite her many flawed qualities and atrocious manners, did in fact performed a satisfactory job in securing the Branch's safety over the last century. She might not be Bak's choice of a perfect guardian but nevertheless she had never disappointed him. Komurin, on the other hand, had only brought ruin and damage to everywhere it landed. Not to mention, Bak had once been a victim to Komurin's prototype, back in the old days when Komui was still serving as a junior scientist at the Asia Branch.
All in all, comparing Fou to Komurin was a direct insult to Bak's dignity. And there were only so many insults Bak could cope in a day.
"Hand over the keys, Komui!" Bak ordered tersely, thrusting his hand rudely at Komui's face, almost knocking off the taller man's glasses and hitting his nose.
"Eh? Why should I?" asked Komui innocently as he gently pushed Bak's hand away from his face with his forefinger. "I'm not giving you anything, not unless you tell me why you want them. You can't just simply walk away with my possessions."
That two-faced hypocrite! One more word from the idiot and he's going to crawl away with more than a broken, bloodied nose. "Do you even need to ask?" he sneered.
"Er…," Komui seemed to muse over his answer and all of a sudden, he snapped his fingers loudly. "Oh, I get it. Silly me, it's so obvious," Komui clasped his palms over Bak's hands painfully and gazed at the shorter man with an impish twinkle in his eyes, "Clearly you want my keys so you can see Miss Fou in person." Again, Komui's presumptions eluded Bak's logic and ignoring the Branch Chief's arresting look, Komui continued earnestly, "I mean, all you want is to check if she's well-provided and taken care of, right?"
"Well, I…." That wasn't exactly the reason why Bak wanted to see her but Komui was so engrossed with his own assumptions that it didn't really matter.
"Oh, sometimes you just worry too much, Bak-chan. No wonder your hair grows thinner every time I see you," Komui squealed, playfully slapping Bak's shoulder and he flinched at both the comment and the pain. "But no worries, I can assure you that she's in good hands and faring well. As much as I'd like to reunite the both of you, for I'm sure you miss her badly, I'm afraid I can't let you see her yet. You see, the upgrade is in process and Miss Fou is currently in a delicate condition where she's unfit to receive any guests, including you, Bak-chan."
The crease between Bak's brows deepened: what did Komui meant by delicate condition? His powerful imagination went into an overdrive, his mind conceiving vivid images of Fou being experimented and operated on by a curly-haired psychotic scientist, accompanied with deafening maniacal laughter. A cold shiver rolled down his spine at the thought, "Good heavens, Komui, spare me of your excuses and let me see her."
Of course, being a natural romantic, Komui misinterpreted Bak's concern for something more… sentimental. "I understand your anxiety but I don't think it's a good idea. It's rather improper, you see, based on her condition now. Miss Fou is a girl, and girls don't like to be seen when they are unprepared. And personally, I'm highly against it, who knows what germs you might bring and it'd be terrible if she contracts…."
"For the last time, Komui, just shut up and hand me the keys," Bak interrupted curtly, having lost his patience to entertain Komui any further.
"Oh all right," Komui huffed impatiently, throwing his hands up in defeat. "God, you are so difficult to deal with."
Grudgingly, Komui stuffed his hands into his overcoat pocket and rummaged around for the key. After a while, he paused momentarily and then dug deeper, fishing out the contents – candy wrappers, a half-eaten chocolate bar, photos of Lenalee, free food vouchers, dry four leaves clovers, more photos of Lenalee, a mini sewing kit, ocean liner tickets, empty coffee bags, and, well, even more photos of Lenalee. But even after he emptied his infinite overcoat pocket, there was no sign of said key and Komui resumed his quest by checking his back pockets, front pockets, side pockets, hidden pockets, under his beret and inside his shoes and…
"Woops…!" Komui ended his search with a sheepish grin that was too much teeth and too little sincerity.
"What is it now?" Reever groaned impatiently in a much defeated tone. Bak kept mum, not having anything civil to say, only wishing that this prolonged nightmare would just end already.
"I think I left my keys inside," he admitted, quite unremorsefully. "Bak-chan, this is entirely your fault! If you haven't rushed me, I wouldn't have forgotten my keys."
No one actually knew why the Supervisor insisted on fanning the flames when it was quite obvious that the Branch Chief was about to combust out of anger. Earlier on, some of nosy scientists stayed out of curiosity, but later, most of them were preoccupied with placing money bets, in which Komui would once again triumph in weaselling his way out of trouble. But in the midst of everything, Bak had, surprisingly, earned many respects points from the audiences for not hacking the Supervisor into two or slit his wrist after everything he had went through. Won himself was rather proud of his short-fused master who somehow managed to suppress the killing intent.
It was truly admirable, especially when Won knew that his master's patience had long exceeded its limit and it was now hanging by a thin invisible thread.
"Does someone – anyone have a spare key?" Bak asked, his narrowed eyes scanning at all the spectators surrounding them. Exchanging glances amongst themselves, all of them shook their head in response.
"Of course they don't. It defeats the purpose of having private quarters if anyone apart from me has access to my room. I'm a delicate, refined young man who values my privacy, you know!" Komui pouted and shamelessly batted his eyelashes in a manner which challenged his true age and gender.
The thread of patience finally snapped.
Stepping forward, Bak roughly shouldered the Supervisor aside, who fell into Reever's arms, who dropped him to the ground without any sympathy. There was no room for civility between them, this was the end of the line and Bak didn't want to have anything to do with Komui any longer. Ignoring the wailing Supervisor on the floor, Bak gave the metal door several firm knocks and shook the door handle violently.
"Fou, are you in there?" he shouted. "If you are still alive, answer me!"
An eerie silence greeted Bak and he was almost convinced that Fou was dead when an annoyed girlish voice came from within the door, "Of course I'm alive, Baka-Bak."
"Good," Bak heaved a sigh of relief. At least, the voiced sounded like Fou even though it was slightly deeper than he remembered – must have been the thick layer of metal that's affecting the resonance of her tone – but there was no mistake as there's only one person in the world who would be this disrespectful towards him. He smiled, seemingly more pleased than he had ever been for the week, finally close to achieving his purpose. "Brilliant, now open the god-damned door!"
"No. Way." Fou declined, short and to the point.
"Excuse me," Bak thought he heard wrongly. Did Fou just openly defy his commands?
"Are you deaf, snot-face?" Fou asked, her voice growing more agitated and annoyed. "I said no, so pack your bags and go home. Beat it, I'm very busy."
"Busy?" Bak wondered loudly. "About what?"
"My upgrade, you idiot," Fou stated the obvious with a jaded tone. "What else can it be?"
Oh, the nerve. "Don't even get me started about your upgrade. What were you thinking when you just shove off your responsibilities and ran off with a lunatic? Have you forgotten your duties to the Asia Branch, your oath to the Chang clan, your vows to my ancestors?" he reminded her, determined to make her feel guilty about her misbehaviour. Fou always had a soft spot whenever he brought up his great grandfather's name.
"I have not forgotten, you idiot," she answered, still refusing to open the door even at the mention of her creator. "If I didn't care about my duties, I won't even be here."
"Then do explain yourself, for I fail to comprehend your logic," Bak released the handle and threw a hand up in frustration. Bak thought Fou's words and actions contradict themselves, if she had been concerned about the Branch, she wouldn't have left without a word.
"You were always a bit slow," Fou muttered. It would have sounded affectionate but because it was Fou, Bak took it as an insult. "As Curly said earlier, and yes, I can hear you from here, loud and clear, you shrieking banshee, when that Level-3 attacked us, I couldn't even come close to scratching it and if it weren't for Allen's Innocence, we'd all be dead ducks by now. I don't know about you, Bak, but I don't want to be a sitting duck again for something even worse. I've been thinking about this for a while, and apparently Curly was the same too. So, when he showed up and told me about this upgrade plan, I just grab the chance."
"But you didn't have to take Komui's word. I know you best and I could have given you the upgrade you want!" Bak argued. "You should have at least told me about it."
"Don't be so naïve, Baka-Bak," she brushed him off casually. "You act like you are busier than Satan himself, one minute you are Malaya, and next you are in Mongolia, where would you ever find time to give me my upgrade? The next century?" her voice drew nearer and he was almost sure she's just standing behind the door. "No thanks, Bak, I'd rather take my chances with Curly and be done with it."
"Now, now Miss Fou, we agreed to no unnecessary name-calling, have we not?" Komui roped himself into the conversation and stood in front of the metal door, his back facing Bak.
"Sorry, Cur—Komui. But Baka-Bak started it, so blame it on him," Fou grumbled.
Before Komui could pin the blame, Bak clamped a tight grip over Komui's shoulder and spoke with a grave, dead-serious voice. "Stay your tongue Komui, or I will rip it out of you." Komui made a zipping gesture to his lips, moved away from the door and cowardly hid behind Reever.
How come Komui and Fou could along so well, Bak wondered? He had spent the better part of his life trying to convince Fou to separate 'Baka' away from 'Bak' but to no avail and instead he was subjected to more ridicule every time he brought up the issue with her. And now, Fou had only been in Komui's care for barely a month and she was already doing the curly-haired numbskull's bidding with much obedience.
Did Komui brainwash her or something?
He would worry about that later.
"Fou, don't be ridiculous, you are being selfish. Do you know the danger you are exposing the Branch to with your disappearing act?" Never had Bak heard of a spiritual guardian running away from home, but then again, most Branch protectors never did had two feet, a loud mouth and a cheeky attitude. Bak swore that when he dies, he's going to bring this up with his dead great grandfather. "I will not have you put us in danger any longer, I command you to return with us at once."
"Bah, just get some of your lackeys to stand guard for a while. What do you think those Finders and security guards are paid for? Decoration?" she said with a bored tone, a tone which Bak hated very much because it meant Fou was going to be stubborn. "Besides, Komui has already set up that ugly gatekeeper as my temporary replacement."
"No way am I ever relying on something that Komui saddled me with." Apart from Lenalee, Bak refrained from saying. "And Ares Teena is not ugly, he's hideous."
"You are not so pretty yourself," Fou shot back at him and Bak heard Komui clapping his hands delightfully. "You are just being a fussy brat. That ugly gatekeeper has been guarding the Headquarters for ages, so how bad can he be? Of course, he's nothing compared to me but he will do for now."
"But that's different. Ares Teena might have been the Headquarters' gatekeeper for more than six decades, but more importantly, they have Exorcists living here on a permanent basis. That's more than enough to ensure safety!" Bak said, trying his best to convince his bull-headed guardian.
"Yeah, but these Exorcists are always out on missions or hospitalized anyway, it's all the same. And what about the other Branches, they are getting along fine with normal gatekeepers, so what's your problem?" she asked back and Bak wanted to hit his head on the nearest solid object, preferably Fou's head. "Anyhow, I don't care, you don't have a choice! I'm staying. Deal with it!"
"Fou…," Bak breathed sternly, visibly pissed. Deal with it, she says. God, did she even have any idea how much trouble he had suffered all because of her. Not like he's going to tell her everything because it's far too embarrassing and Fou would never let him live it down. "I have wasted an entire week to get here, on a stinking livestock train, no less. I will not be turned away right now and I will not, you hear me, will not return empty handed!"
"God, they bicker like a pair of demented married couple," someone said.
"More like a couple on the verge of filing a divorce," another suggested.
"I think it is romantic, two lovers separated by an iron wa—," Komui's voice was muffled.
"Just shut up, Supervisor!" Reever muttered.
One glare from Bak and the entire Science Division returned to their work, or at least, pretended to be busy.
"Fou! Now, listen here and listen well, I will not tolerate any more of your childish tantrums and I will not take no for an answer. You are coming home with us if I have to drag you across the three continents myself."
Bak's tone was absolute. And about the harshest he ever used on Fou.
There was absolute silence and then, there was a deafening bang: a lump in the shape of a tiny fist appeared on his side of the metal door.
"Get out of your diapers, Baka-Bak," she yelled back. "I've been slaving for the Branch over the last century without pay or rest like an overworked nanny. I need a vacation and an upgrade, you and the Branch can survive without me for a couple of weeks, so stop acting like a brat. You don't need me to baby you all the time. Or should I start calling you Baby Bak instead, huh?"
"Baby Bak…!" Bak exclaimed, utterly embarrassed and he could feel the itch starting to spread over his skin and he repressed the urge to scratch. To his further horrification, he heard Komui snorting with the might of a trumpeting elephant behind him.
"Aww… have ickle, wickle Bak drank his milk yet?" she teased, mocking him further by making a sucking sound.
"Shut up!"
"Wet your bed again?" she continued in fake, high-pitch voice.
"Shut up!"
"Are you still afraid of the dark?" the voice continued to taunt.
"Enough!" he roared. "Fine, if you like the Headquarters so much then you can just stay here forever. Don't come begging for me to take you back."
With that, he spun around with his back facing the direction that Fou's voice originated from, and stuck his nose up into the air, crossing his arms and pouting with the intensity of a petulant five year old that didn't get his way.
"… See you in two months, Bak."
The voice went silent.
Without turning around, he marched up to Komui and grabbed him brusquely by the collar of his overcoat and pulled him down, levelling both their eyes.
"Two months, that's all I'm giving you and she better return safely to me," Bak warned, his heated eyes glaring at a frivolous Komui to accentuate his point that there will be Hell to pay if anything happened to Fou during Komui's care.
"Consider it done, and in the mean time...," Komui announced happily as he clapped his hands and shot two thumbs up at Bak's direction. "Fou is mine and Ares is all yours!"
If Won… and Reever… and Johnny… and 65… and all the available Science Division members weren't holding Bak back, he would have lunged at Komui's neck like a hungry wolf and choked the living lights out of the obnoxious, giggling Supervisor.
This was just not Bak's day.