Violet Tempers Crimson Hearts

By Indigo Siren

Disclaimer: Bloody Roar © Hudson Soft/Konami. I do not own any of the characters or mentioned situations from the games. I do however have rights to my own original characters (Kei, Koneko… etc) and the ideas for the story. I'm making no money from this story, it is purely for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved.

A/N: Something different, a Shenagi story! (A nice little term I came up with!)

I've wanted to write about this couple for a while, as it was one I sort of loosely teased in an earlier story I'd written. I wanted to show how I could make this coupling work. The 'violet' and 'crimson' in the title are representative of the characters involved. This story does have a lot of violence and sexual situations, so be warned before you continue on.

Notes: - 'Kami-sama' – 'God', with a more honorific suffix. 'Bobo-hime' – roughly means 'Pussy Princess' (A vulgar slang nickname). (You shall understand when this comes into when you read on.)

Please note: This story has been updated as of 2016 to amend any errors in the story. A lot of the lines have been updated in one way or another, but the core basis of the story is still the same.

Chapter 1: Not Exactly Paradise

A loud chime sounded.

"The next stop is Shinjuku. The doors on the left side will open..."

The jovial automated announcer indicated which subway lines could be changed onto as the train approached the next station, slowing quite sharply as it came to a stop at the busy platform. As the doors to the carriages opened, people poured out in droves, soon replaced by a new horde of passengers.

One person who'd stepped off the train moved aside from the bustle of people swarming towards the exits and zipped up her leather jacket, trying to keep out the chill of the night air. Nagi Kirishima, acting W.O.C. agent, looked up at the signs above her head, seeing which one was the correct way out to the streets before following the crowds of people towards the stairs.

The station concourse echoed with footfalls and the smooth voices that came over the tannoy system. The movement all around was a colourful blur – a rush of bodies in all shapes and sizes, coming to and fro within a sea of humanity. Nagi melted in amongst the crowd like any other face.

She traipsed alongside a group of partygoers out to enjoy a drunken evening in central Tokyo, all the while watching tired nine-to-five workers and students pass her by as they made their way home. Though, her own ventures in Shinjuku were not for mere personal pleasure, nor was she making a long trek home. She was out on business.

No sooner as she'd hopped off the train she was jumping on a bus, taking her across to the east side of the ward. The address of the bar she needed to get to was scribbled onto a crumpled piece of scrap paper inside her jacket pocket. She had memorized the place and its whereabouts off by heart already.

'Midnight Star' was not an esteemed establishment by any rights; it was a simple little watering hole nestled in a side street just outside the hustle and bustle of the larger entertainment districts. A place so insignificant it shouldn't have been sounding the claxons back at W.O.C headquarters. But rumours had been flying – bad ones.

There was some kind of gang war going on; unprovoked violence that had started on a small level but had now grown to become something to draw concern, causing word to spread of Zoanthrope upheaval. Nagi wasn't particularly surprised it all came down to one little place. A place didn't have to be big to play a significant role in events. W.O.C had tried their best to get to the root of the problem, but it was almost as if people could sniff out the non-government agents snooping around and they were unable to unearth any significant results. There were a few names worth investigating and definitely more coming their way, but aside, the truth had yet to be uncovered.

All the information they were going on was based on word of mouth. Yugo, W.O.C's 'almighty' leader, had wanted to go in guns blazing, butreally, being heavy-handed was only going to make things worse.

Nagi always stood in the middle ground when it came to diplomatic solutions and hard-line negotiation. On one hand, she always liked to express herself with a firm hand, though on the other, a part of her knew violence wouldn't make everything better. It had been her calming factor in discussions that had landed this job square on her shoulders. It was her first big assignment for the non-government organisation.

The bus came to her stop and Nagi stepped off. She blocked out the chill as much as she could, focusing on 'Midnight Star's address in the forefront of her mind, as well as the memories that had had her venturing into what felt like the unknown.

Two days prior…

There were very few good points about getting called in hellishly early to work, but if there was one thing the W.O.C. had going for it, it had to be the coffee. It was pretty damn good.

It was like liquid salvation in her hands – heaven in a polar bear patterned cup.

Nagi clasped the drink tightly in her hands, sinking back in her chair with some satisfaction, noting to herself that the morning wouldn't be quite so bad now she was filling herself up with caffeine. She kicked her legs up onto the oak desk in front of her, crossing her suede boot-clad legs on the surface, nudging aside a small mahogany plaque on the table that read: 'Yugo Ogami - President, W.O.C.'

The aforementioned man on the plaque entered his office, a number of folders tucked under his arm. He gave Nagi a bemused smile. "Comfortable?" He asked.

"Not really, but hell, what can you do?" Her legs slid down from the table and she sat up semi-straight. "You could have had a couch put in the office; a really squishy comfortable one."

He snorted. "I buy my comfortable furniture for my house. The less comfortable I am here, the quicker I work so I can get home."

"That's a lie! Just look at that leather recliner! You can tell it's damn comfy!" She watched her superior and close friend sink into the aforesaid black leather seat behind his desk with a satisfying squeak. He sprawled back with a long, contented sigh.

"Well, I guess you're right." He cleared his throat, trying to be more serious, but ended up having a coughing fit. Nagi just rolled her eyes. He eventually managed to compose himself with a little effort and leaned forward onto his desk, dropping a hand full of files in front of him. "Seriously though, I brought you here to discuss something important." The humour was now completely gone between them. "It's about what you said in the meeting to do with the 'Midnight Star' incidents."

"Oh?" She professionalized herself, setting her coffee aside. "What is it?"

"You said that W.O.C shouldn't just go barging straight in, despite this whole thing has been going on for quite a long time. We've had so many leads to back up our case that we'd be stupid not to tackle the problem quickly."

She sighed, a little incensed. "You don't quite get it. I'm not fully against the idea of getting in there quickly to get to the root of the problem. But it's the fact that half of the information we've got is based on unreliable sources. W.O.C. needs to tread very carefully in situations like this, or we could get burned. And really, you don't know how bad it actually is down there. And from what was said, they're keeping quiet over everything, just in case the W.O.C. or similar groups are sniffing around. Which, well, we are."

Yugo nodded, fingers rapping the table as he looked down at the file, bloated with the unconfirmed investigation notes. "You know me. I just prefer to go down there and beat the crap out of anyone suspicious." He gave a half laugh, looking up at his companion. "It definitely needs someone more level-headed to check into things than me. There are some pretty fine people in W.O.C., but most of them would be sniffed out in an instant."

Her chair creaked as she moved closer to the desk, pulling the chair forward with her legs. "Yugo, are you asking me what I think you are?"

"I've never sent you out to do any full-fledged W.O.C. undercover work. I know it's not your field of expertise, and you're not exactly a full-time member of W.O.C, but I know I can trust you."

His words truly surprised her. Out of all the people he could have asked, he'd gone right to the bottom of the pile and selected her to get her hands dirty. She couldn't help but chew her lip over the situation. He really did believe that she could do this. And a bonus was that she didn't look like a nosey, little investigator in any way – plus she was new and not really recognisable. How could she say no to this opportunity? If she could bring an end to this tedious situation, it would be better for everyone all-round.

"I suppose I can't say no." She stood, swinging her auburn hair over one shoulder, smirking. "I can be civilised, sneaky and kickass with very little effort."

Yugo laughed, standing as well and shook her hand. "I knew I could trust you."

Her face switched to deadpan. "Though there is one thing I want from you before I do this mission."

"What's that?"

"Can I have that coffee machine? It makes the most amazing lattes!"

She'd arrived at a hotel just outside Shinjuku the day before, pre-preparing herself to undertake the investigation. It was just so much easier to stay close to the location instead of travelling on a long commute from her home. She hadn't really had the time beforehand to travel in search of the bar, as she'd had to get back for a debriefing with the younger of the Ogami brothers, Kenji. He'd outlined everything she needed to be aware of during proceedings, particularly who she needed to be on the lookout for.

This wasn't going to be the easiest of missions.

"What the hell am I getting myself into?" She muttered to herself, finally coming to a turning that led off the main boulevard. She strolled down a long street lined with rows of gambling parlours, arcades and late night cafes. A bit further down she found herself surrounded by saucy nightclubs. One had a large window display of topless women dancing together for the entertainment of the passersby. It was further passed that – where the street turned into a more secluded spot – that she could see a line of pubs and bars appeared. Right at the far end, nestled in a corner, was 'Midnight Star'. Its sign was painted in bright yellow writing on an obsidian black backdrop. There was also a red neon sign hung up in the only proper window. The rest were shuttered up, but through cracks, blue and yellow lighting streamed out from within.

First impressions said it was a very average looking building, though not particularly rundown. In fact, it was well maintained by all appearances. It didn't seem the type of place to harbour criminals and lowlifes partaking in underhand activity. Maybe if it had been one of the other buildings on the walk down she might have gotten a stronger vibe of bad goings on, but this one just didn't seem to show anything more than a simple backstreet bar. She'd pictured something a little shadier – a shattered window or two, broken bottles as ornaments, and maybe even the odd bloodstain for added effect.

But no, there wasn't a bloodstain in sight.

It sounded fairly busy from the noise coming from behind the door. The sound floated out onto the street as a laughing couple exited and walked away in the direction Nagi had come.

Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for what she may face.

The game was coming to a tense close. Well, the people within the game hoped it was anyway, as it had been going on for so long.

Both men prolonged the tension. There was no telling who was genuine and who was bluffing. Their faces primed not to give anything away. The expression of one youthful man with fluffy, dyed blonde hair was clearly disgruntled, sifting the poker cards in his hand as he staked in another handful of silver coins into the centre of the table. The other dark-haired man, who had the snifter of a smirk on his lips, matched his stake. The two other members at the table, who'd already folded out of the game, watched and waited to see who'd come out on top. The two men's eyes met with intense purpose. The first man narrowed his eyes at his opponent, whose glimmering crimson ones remained aloof.

"Kami-sama! Kami-sama!"

The moment was almost shattered as a girl pobbed up to lean over the back of the cushioned booth, her pigtails almost thwacking the crimson eyed man on the shoulder. He just ignored her as she stared at his hand of cards, bouncing on the stool she was perched on.

"Kami-sama! Kami-sama!" She eagerly repeated again, but was cut off as the other man slammed his hand on the table.

"Shut the fuck up, Koneko! He's busy! Go play with your stupid dolls or something!"

The girl slipped back down onto her seat, pouting. She was about to retort when the one she called 'Kami-sama' put a finger on her lips, and she instantly fell silent.

"Come on, ShenLong! Don't take all fucking night!" The blonde man crowed, almost crushing the cards within his grip.

"Well, whenever you're ready, Kei. We don't want your blood pressure to kill you before the game actually ends." ShenLong leant back taking a long drink from his bottle of beer; he then motioned the item as a pointer towards his foe. "Let's see what you've got."

The cocky Kei Yamamori grinned, then yipped loudly and slammed his cards onto the table. "Full House, bitch!" He laughed for the longest time, flicking over the three 9's and two 4's triumphantly. He reached out to scoop up the winnings when ShenLong slammed his bottle down and threw his own cards onto the table.

"Royal. Flush." Each word was stabbed with beautiful purpose.

Kei froze as ShenLong let out the most self-satisfied laughter anyone had ever heard. Half the bar was so surprised by the sound that they glanced over at the group with confusion. The tiger Zoanthrope claimed the money pot for himself as Kei stood up fuming, his hand pointed fiercely at his opponents face.

"ShenLong, you're a cheating bastard!"

The Chinese man pushed the accusing finger away from him, not even flinching under the irate man's burning gaze. "You just can't take a loss without throwing a tantrum. I played the game fair and square. I can't help being that damn good!"

Kei was pulled down by the woman sat beside him before he could make even more of a fool of himself.

"Kei, don't be idiotic, okay?" Selia Nelson, Kei's girlfriend, said softly as she stroked his arm. The pretty African-American was always the calming factor when he blew his top. He was quite well known for flying off the handle that people were glad she was there to be supportive – or even slap some sense into him.

She knew just the right things to do to get him to yield to her like a loyal puppy, and he did just that as her arm snaked around his waist. He calmed down instantly.

"Poor baby!" Koneko cooed at Kei, who just shot her a dark look. He had given up on the verbal fight and was now focusing on the tasty 'bonbon' bosoms next to him.

ShenLong just shook his head at him, gathering his winnings together. The large man next to him patted his shoulder, chuckling. "That's another win in the bag. I should be taking tips."

"Ryou, you've just got to be a little ballsier when it comes to poker."

With a deep laugh, Ryou Kawamukai leaned back with his beer. "My wife keeps my balls under lock and key at home."

This was a routine night now for the former ZLF leader. Alcohol, games and one or two fights, which came quite regularly with life as a bouncer in this cosy little nook of a bar. But it was a nice life for him. He couldn't ask for more. And at least he had some decent friends to go along with it.

Kei was the high-strung partygoer, always up for a gamble, though usually ended up having a girly outburst if he lost. Tagged onto him was his sweet yet tough as nails girlfriend, Selia, who kept things friendly in the group. And then there was Ryou, the aging booze-hound with a huge family at home ready to nag him, giving him more than enough reason to escape to this 'hiding spot' to chill out with his friends. He was a bear of a man physically, but in reality, he was mostly soft under the surface. They were common, run of the mill people who lived without problems or vendettas against the world. And all Zoanthropes too, just like him. He still couldn't quite bring himself to get close to humans without feeling a little resentful.

"Kami-sama! Kami-sama!" Again, little Koneko Konoma was piping in his ear. That nickname again and again. She'd found out the meaning of ShenLong – which was 'Dragon God' – and had decided to keep referring to him as God. It should have been flattering but she was the type of girl who could quickly made things aggravating to bear.

"My sweet little, Bobo-hime, how you always seem to pester me so..." He turned to look at her, nudging her chin was his hand. "Will you not relent… or even…" He brought her face close to his, almost as if he was going to kiss her. "… Bow down to your God?"

The sixteen-year-old squeaked and bounced back, falling off her stool and onto her rear on the wooden floor. He laughed heartily, going back to drinking his beer. She jumped up beside him, pouting more than ever.

"Don't call me Bobo-hime!"

"But you really are a pussy…" He took a purposely long breath. "… cat princess…"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Silly, Kami-sama!" And with that, she pranced away. She'd be back eventually.

The young girl only got away with being there because her father, Hou Konoma, owned 'Midnight Star'. He was dutifully at the bar, as he always was, serving one of his regular punters, though now he had to contend with Koneko trying to get his attention.

The front door opened, and Nagi stepped inside. A few eyes turned to check her out, some lingering over her as if expecting something – not that she could tell what that something was, but she seemed to pose no kind of threat to anyone, so everyone went back to drinking and chattering. Even though they seemed to pay her little heed for now, she could tell they weren't letting their guard down.

She crossed towards the bar, turning her back on the uncertain and mistrustful glances.

ShenLong picked her out straight away. It took him a moment to distinguish her in his mind's eyes before it clicked. He recognised the girl. She was involved in the Beast Rampage Incident – the one to do with Gaia, the Unborn and the Dragon.

It was a small world.

A little too small…

Nagi turned and caught a glimpse of the tiger Zoanthrope but pretended not to recognise him herself. It was surprising. Nobody had mentioned he drank here.

That might answer a few things... maybe...

ShenLong sipped his beer, watching her. What the hell is that girl doing here? This isn't the kind of place to draw in outsiders...

"What can I get you?" Hou asked her.

She smiled at the grey-haired man before her, taking a seat on the stool in front of her. "Uh, can I just an orange juice, please?"

He too, like everyone else, gave her an uncertain gaze as he went to get her drink. She seemed harmless enough, mostly just a pretty face. Though, looks could be deceptive. But for now, he trusted his gut instinct that she wasn't one of the bad guys.

He seemed satisfied with his assessment as he came back with a big smile to serve her drink. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"No, it's my first time down this way. I was looking for somewhere that didn't have naked ladies serving the drinks."

"Unfortunately, we don't have that here," he laughed, wiping down the countertop before her. "We try to be a good little bar."

"I can see that." She nodded at the surroundings. It was quite a homely place inside, with the remnants of traditional Japanese fittings, though most had been overlaid to suit a more Western styling. There were copious amounts of framed pictures adorning the wood panelled walls, depicting images of race horses, aeroplanes and sports stars, some in colour and some in black and white. "It's nice in here."

Nagi almost jumped as a pigtailed girl bounced up next to her. "Hi! I'm Koneko!" She introduced without much restraint. "You're pretty!"

"Oh, uh, thanks." Nagi gave her an awkward smile.

Hou flicked the girl on the head with a towel and she hopped behind the Spurious, using her as a shield. "Koneko! Down! You're scaring the poor girl."

"Aww, I'm just being nice!" She whined, and hopped up onto the free seat beside her. "This is my Papa! He runs the place! I hope you don't mind me sitting here with you! You're new and I'm sure you don't want to be on your own in a scary place like this." The girl giggled as Nagi stared at her with confusion.

She's one forward girl that's for sure... Nagi thought. She kind of reminds me a certain cat-girl...

Koneko just prattled on at her aimlessly, and Nagi pretended to listen, drinking her drink while trying to maintain some awareness of everything going on about her. She thanked the Gods for her sharp hearing.

All the time, ShenLong watched her, even more so with Koneko animatedly talking to her.

"She's a looker," Ryou commented, almost making him jump. "You haven't taken your eyes off her since she walked in."

"I've met her before," ShenLong told him. "I know she isn't from down this way. I'm just curious as to what she's doing here."

Kei, having overcome his moodiness, checked out Nagi as well. "Ooo, she's pretty." Selia jabbed him in the back. "Ow! But not as pretty as you, babe!"

Selia turned to ShenLong. "What's so bad about her then?"

"She's got some interesting friends." He finished his drink. His companions immediately became tense. ShenLong just laughed, waving them off. "Not who you'd think." He got up, heading over to the bar to get another beer. This would definitely be the perfect time to talk to the newcomer.

Nagi could feel him approach the bar. Her senses were ringing alarm bells with warning, though she didn't bother to look up at him. But something else started triggering a sense of unease, and the alarm bells rung even louder. A cold shiver crept up her spine.

In an instant, the atmosphere of the room dramatically changed as all eyes went towards the door. She felt the brief flutter of a cold breeze, and glanced over her shoulder towards the doorway, eying the group of people who had just entered.

There was no doubt. Trouble had just arrived.

A/N: Watch out, here comes trouble! The next chapter has some unwelcome introductions and Nagi might have gotten herself a little too involved in events...

Also, just a little side note for anyone who might not know - 'Koneko' means kitten in Japanese, which should explain ShenLong's nickname for her.