A/N: Heya guys. So this is my first non-McKono H50 fic, so it's new waters for me. For that reason, I dearly hope you enjoy it as much as you enjoy my other fics. I wanted to get this up before the premiere just to get my thoughts on how Adam and Kono might have met.
Massive thanks to teeycee! Without her, I don't think I would have gotten this written. Mahalo for the beta'ing too =D Also, dedicated to Sidalee in hopes to maybe change her view on Adam/Kono for the duration of this fic =P
Kono was used to the feeling of eyes on her whenever she entered a building whilst undercover. It was usually one of the main points of the task; to entice a guy who was their current suspect, or linked to the suspect, before bringing them in. Dressed in her tight, short black dress and boots, she could almost make herself believe that it was just another case for the team. Only, there was no earpiece in her ear, mic on her body or the boys waiting outside in a van for her command. Instead, an entourage belonging to a man who she was supposedly there to work with guided her in with men both in front and behind her.
Inhaling deeply, she shook the thoughts of Five-0 away discreetly and took steady steps down the stairs to reach the main landing of the building. She kept her head up and eyes ahead, even as she took in everything that she could from her peripheral view. She could see heads turn as she passed by towards the back of the building, sly grins and inquisitive looks appearing on the men's faces at the new arrival.
The bar was dim and void of any music with the noise of speech buzzing around her. There was a faint hue of cigarette smoke, and the familiar smell of a mix of both alcohol and perfume worn by the barmaids that she could spot walking around; smiles permanently on their faces and a practiced laugh in reply to the undoubtedly seedy comments and jokes being told by the men they served.
They stopped in front of a door, and Kono took the time to glance around the area without looking suspicious. She didn't get far, meeting a few eyes of the people, because it wasn't just the men anymore, who wondered freely who she was. But when the door opened and she was told to enter, they all went back to their previous activities, seemingly happy with the newcomer.
…
Kono was somewhat surprised when she was allowed to leave by herself, but she took it in good faith and followed Delano's instructions to go home. As she walked through the main area of the bar, she allowed her eyes to wander as casually as she could, catching a couple of others briefly until she moved on quickly to another in an easy blink. Most of them seemed like regulars and judging by their reactions to her presence, they were far too comfortable and relaxed to doubt her recent 'suspension' from the force.
Almost near the exit, Kono caught sight of another table with 6 men, most of whom looked very familiar. So much so that she could actually name half of them without even thinking about it, because she had arrested them herself before. Yakuza. The bar was obviously a well-known place in these crowds.
Two of the men scowled when they saw her, but she didn't let it affect her or her stride. She had a cover to maintain; one that made her almost an equal with everyone there. Before she managed to tear her gaze away, however, Kono managed to lock eyes with probably the one other person in that building who was as agitated and uncertain at being there as she was. She only hoped that she hid it better.
…
At Delano's request to see her at the bar a couple of days later, Kono found herself being escorted once again straight from her house in a black SUV. Inconspicuous, they were not. However, considering the little variation in the parking lot, she assumed they were the first choice for the bad guys of Hawaii.
She was left at the bar after being told that their boss was busy and to have a drink until she was called for. Had she not been undercover, she would have rolled her eyes and pushed through to the room at the back regardless of what Delano wanted. Instead, she agreed without a word.
Leaning against the end of the bar, she allowed her eyes to wander around the room as she had done the last time whilst waiting for the bartender to approach her. The bar was situated in a little niche, giving her the opportunity to take the place in without the prying eyes glancing back at her.
It was the same as it had been the last time she had been there; hushed conversations and sudden disagreements with the false sense of privacy in the open-plan room creating a tense atmosphere. And despite the fact that Kono found the place stifling, people kept coming back. Such as the familiar man who stepped up at the bar next to her, leaving a socially acceptable space between them, for which she was both grateful and impressed. She hadn't thought there were many gentlemen hanging about the place.
Taking in a deep breath, she relaxed into her character, waiting for him to start the conversation. When it didn't come, she risked a look from the corner of her eye and was somewhat confused to see him focused on the bartender that was finally heading her, or rather their, way. He didn't look any less uneasy or happier than he had the last time she had seen him, and for some reason, that intrigued her.
"Hey," Kono greeted him finally when she decided that perhaps she should say something when it didn't look like he would.
"Hey," he replied with a quick gaze over before going back to the approaching bartender.
She turned slightly to face him and took in his appearance in what she hoped was a subtle manner. Dressed in black slacks with a matching buttoned up shirt, she couldn't help but admit that the Asian man was rather good looking. Add in the fact that he was very neatly presented despite his casual-smart clothes and clean-shaven; she couldn't help the small pang of fascination that went through her.
Shooting a brief look around, she noticed the lack of men that she had recognized at the table with the man next to her the other day. "All by your lonesome today?" she asked when the bartender left with their orders of straight up whiskey. She had found that the hard liquor made the meetings with Delano go that much more smoother as well as help her keep up her character. As the dirty cop had said, he didn't trust cops who didn't drink – especially ex-cops. If anything, she was simply keeping up her appearances.
"The occasion called for it," he answered with a nod, taking a seat on the stool next to him and angling his head towards her. There was the faintest pull of a wry smile on his lips that made Kono smirk.
"Sounds ominous," she commented after turning away to accept the drink that the bartender served her. "Thank you…" she trailed off when she realized that she didn't know the name of the man who had just bought the drink for her.
"Adam," he finished for her, holding up his glass to her before sipping it.
Swirling the contents around the glass, she copied his actions before placing it back down onto the bar. "Kono," she introduced herself even though he hadn't asked.
"I know," Adam said indifferently, as if it was natural for everyone to know who she was. She frowned at the statement and her thoughts, but the expression must have been fiercer than she had thought when he carried on. "Kalakaua. Of Five-0 fame."
The penny dropped easily at that. Letting out a deep breath, she turned to face him and leant her hip and elbow against the bar. "Ex-Five-0. I lost the badge," she corrected him with a hint of coldness as if his assumption that she was still with Five-0 was offensive.
"So I hear," he accepted with another nod. Kono was relieved when he chose not to add anything else. He had turned back to his drink, giving her the chance to eye his character more closely and openly. There was still something about him that intrigued her, something that made him stick out in the crowd of the ultimate gathering of the 'bad guys' of Oahu. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that he might have been an undercover operative too. But his emotions were far too revealing for that.
After taking a drink of her whiskey, she cleared her throat before changing the subject to get back into control of the conversation. "So what's your story? The men you were with yesterday, they were Yakuza, right?" Although she enunciated it as a question, there was only one answer she was expecting.
"My father's men, yes," Adam replied after a small pause. There was a hard edge to his words and he avoided her eyes as he spoke, but the surprise of the implications of his words registered with her first.
"I didn't know Hiro Noshimuri had a son," she said honestly, brows raised slightly as she took him in with the new information. If she was really meticulous, she could sort of see it. There was a small resemblance, and his clothes were definitely on the upper pay scale. Nothing about him screamed 'Yakuza' but she now had solid proof that he was, one way or another.
He shrugged gently in a way that clashed with his image, yet it amused Kono. "I work on the mainland in the other family business. My father tries to keep me away from the Yakuza and its affairs."
"So why were you with them?" she questioned, genuinely curious. He sipped his drink again, the glass clinking against the counter when he gently placed it down, before glancing over at her.
"I was curious," he said slowly, as if he was choosing his words carefully. Arching a brow at him, she urged him to carry on. "I never wanted to be a part of it but I wanted to know more about what they did. How it affected my side of the business. As a 'Noshimuri', they couldn't deny me that," he explained simply.
It occurred to her that Adam was going into far more detail about his life for a stranger, and she wondered if it was the first time he had spoken about it to someone outside of the organization. And if so, why her? Was it because she had asked the right questions, or because she was probably the only other person there who didn't want to be and he could sense it? Either way, she could relate, and it was that which had kept her there for so long. If someone asked her all the right questions at the right time, she would probably spill too. Especially when she had been suspended for about 3 weeks and hadn't seen anyone on her team, except for Chin, during that period. Ohana, yeah right. Clearly, strangers could provide a better support system.
Pushing away her thoughts for later contemplation, Kono reverted back into her cover instead of sympathizing with him. "Well, isn't that a story; a regular Michael Corleone," she remarked dryly. It seemed to be the right choice when Adam laughed softly before they fell into a silence.
"So tell me, what brings you into the bars of the underground?" he asked her finally. Kono paused momentarily, gulping down the last of her whiskey and taking a newly found appreciation of the warm sensation it left on the way down.
"Same as you, I guess," she eventually told him, figuring that it was the most basic way of both being honest and avoiding having to go into further detail if Adam asked more questions. "Curiosity. Something to do. A bit of rebelling," she added with a teasing glint and smile.
He offered her a smile in reply. "We're just two sides of the same coin, in that case," he said in a somewhat amused tone, causing Kono to scoff.
"And yet, here we are," she replied sardonically before looking away and a movement from across the room caught her attention from her peripheral view. One of the men who had picked her up and led her into the bar had started to approach where she stood, pausing when she caught his gaze.
"Friend or business acquaintance?" Adam questioned, obviously having seen her reciprocate the brief nod that the other man had given her as a sign to tell her that Delano was now ready for her.
Kono deliberated her answer for a moment. "It was nice to meet you, Adam. Thank you for the drink," she brushed off with a genuine polite smile, deciding against telling him the truth in this case. After all, she had a cover to maintain and he was Yakuza, and a stranger, she reasoned.
Guilt flowed through her momentarily at his slightly affronted look, though he seemed to accept it graciously and let it go not a second later. "My pleasure. Next one's on you," he told her, holding up his glass before taking the final sip of it.
Laughing, she pushed away from the bar. "We'll see," she threw over her shoulder as she walked away. If she was completely honest, deep down, she hoped she would.
A/N: I'm not sure whether to leave this as a oneshot or to carry it on. I do have ideas to write more about their relationship until they get together, but it depends on if people would like to read it, or not. So please do let me know, and about what you thought of this. Thank you for reading!