Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Chapter 2: Secrets and Lies

The room had fallen quiet besides a few indecipherable whispers.

This unwelcome group, known as the 'TK-Sabres', were an unpredictable and volatile group of hoodlums that had settled into the area. They'd caused enough trouble around and about the bar that people knew not to try and provoke them in fear of becoming a target of their insatiable urge for violence. They looked for any excuse to cause a fight. It's what they loved, even craved. It was if they were trying to prove something to the world, though there wasn't a single person who dared to ask them what it was.

Well, besides ShenLong, but he just didn't give a shit.

The tiger Zoanthrope had stopped a few paces away from Nagi, now focused on the newcomers. His expression was blank.

At this head of the group – cuddling a very curvaceous woman to his side – was the Sabre's boss, Kunimoto Yukizaki.

Nagi recognised him instantly from the profile she'd been given.

He was in his mid-twenties, of average height, and had a nice bit of muscle to show off. One could say he had a baby face, somewhat soft features, but they were hidden behind an array of deep scars marring his cheeks. As he smiled – in an almost strange and twitchy way – the scars stretched slightly, looking almost painful. His long hair was pulled tightly back into a feathery ponytail, putting that stark, marked face out there for all to see. He didn't seem to care about his intimidating features. His dark eyes scanned around the room in a smooth sweep, taken in the patrons with a condescending glance. His eyes finally fell upon ShenLong and his smile grew.

He began to approach him, bringing his cute albeit devious-eyed girlfriend along with him, clinging to him like a leech. Nagi took in her face, but didn't recognise her; someone that was yet to crop up in their database to do with this so-called gang war.

She was about her age, maybe slightly older, and stick thin. Her peachy skin glowed with fake tan and her face was plastered in thick make up. Her hair flowed in waves of mahogany and deep pink, framing her delicate girly face. Despite being absurdly pretty, there was something not quite right about her smile, even if she was trying to look the part of a sugary-sweet damsel. Even more out of place was that her breasts appeared impossibly big for her figure and bounced gleefully as she walked with her lover. Her little red dress barely contained her distorted frame. If half the bar hadn't been frozen with unease, there just might have been a couple of wolf whistles.

Koneko had bounced over the bar, standing protectively in front of her father, though at the same time, she stook close behind ShenLong for reassurance.

The rest of Kunimoto's group, roughly about twelve altogether, lingered by the door, just waiting to be told what to do, while Kunimoto went to stand within two metres of ShenLong, who didn't seem to react at all, just staring deadpan into the other man's eyes.

"Nice night, ain't it?" The rather sarcastic tone from TK-Sabre's leader invoked a number of chuckles from his friends, and a high-pitched snicker from his girlfriend. "Enjoying yourself, ShenLong? Seems kind of quiet in here tonight. Not much action at all. I know you like your action don't you? A little hustle and bustle… Am I right?"

"Isn't Shenny-baby going to have some fun with us?" Kunimoto's girlfriend sweetly purred.

The gang leader ran his hands through her hair affectionately. "My little Kirakira here would love to see you in action." A few more giggles framed the presumptuous remark. "Won't you oblige?"

Tucking his hands in his pockets, the Chinese man seemed to be at ease, unfazed by the group of men at the door or the man in front of him. He was quite used to Kunimoto's games by now, so knew how to handle his attempts at dominance.

"Sorry, I have no interest in fighting you tonight. I'm quite enjoying the peace and quiet around here."

Nagi found herself surprised with his little statement. From what she'd learned about ShenLong, he enjoyed a good fight, took pleasure in the thrill of being the one on top. He had once classed himself as the greatest Zoanthrope to ever exist – it was a surprise that a man with such an ego wouldn't have jumped at the opportunity to put his fists to the test. But his reaction to what was both lurid innuendo and what seemed like a clear offer for a scrap just didn't seem right. It was rather uncharacteristic of him to turn down a fight.

Kunimoto had lost a little of his smile, though seemed undeterred, his mocking disposition seeming to double tenfold.

"Maybe it wasn't just a fight I was offering, maybe I wanted something a little more intimate between us," Kunimoto purred, eying Kirakira, who seemed delighted at the prospect of something a little more dirty. They both laughed in unison. "But it has been a while since I've really enjoyed a good fight, and I know you've been pegged as a master of the backstreet brawl."

"I'm really not interested."

"All drinking and no exercise is going to slow you down, old man," Kunimoto drawled, watching a flicker of offence cross ShenLong's face. "Still not up to proving yourself? I want to know if all the rumours about you are actually true. If you really are a killer…"

"Kunimoto, is your life really so pointless?" ShenLong cut in smoothly. "Is it so boring and meaningless that you crawl around here hoping that someone will give you some attention and meaning? Haven't you dragged yourself through enough bars around here expecting everyone to give you and your friends a little bit of significance in this big old world? Frankly, I just don't care enough about you to want to waste my time."

The patrons in the room shrunk back, holding their breaths, bringing on a silence so heavy it was almost stifling. Kunimoto's eyes darkened – the humour and smile evaporated immediately.

"You really don't get it, do you? You underestimate my power and influence around here. My position is ever-growing, while yours continues to shrink. You are a washed up coward, ShenLong. I bet you think you're so clever, but you've never faced true intelligence like mine. You're a pathetic little shit who's lost the courage to put up his fists. You might not want to fight, my friend, but you don't actually have a choice."

"Just get lost, Kunimoto. Go prance about in some other bar." There was a little anger in the tiger Zoanthrope's voice, but it was kept well under control, unlike Kunimoto, who was almost leaking animosity.

"You…"

Kunimoto made a gesture – a flick of the wrist – and his rather bored gang members became more animated, moving around the bar with malicious intent. They began knocking over furniture in their wake, tipping glasses onto the floor in front of terrified customers, who could only watch the group circle around them like vultures waiting to pick at fresh meat. Ryou, Kei and Selia moved quickly to stand behind ShenLong, offering their support to him and the people around him. They weren't simply going to sit by and let this gang come in here and frighten people for their sick pleasure.

"There is nothing for you here, Kunimoto," ShenLong said evenly. "I'm sure you'll find plenty of other people who will play your games. But we just want a quiet drink and nothing more."

"Get lost, Yukizaki, we don't want your type in here," Kei snapped. ShenLong raised his hand to silence him so he didn't say anything else that might get him into trouble. They were so close to being drawn into a fight, despite wanting to keep the peace, but the Sabre's were begging for it.

Koneko was almost hissing cat-like in response to the hostility, badly wanting to see her 'Kami-sama' sock the bastard in the mouth.

"I don't think so," Kunimoto jeered in a low voice.

In that split second, anything could have gone down. The TK-Sabres could have started tearing the bar and the customers to pieces, or the patrons of the bar could have engaged in a violent counteraction. Instead, in a simple move that came in the blink of an eye, Nagi had spun, using the stool as leverage as she leapt up and kicked Kunimoto in the side of the head. With the force behind the snap of her foot, he'd been sent sailing across the room. Kirakira had been flung aside and landed unceremoniously on her rear with a surprised squeak, while her boyfriend lay sprawled in the middle of the bar on his back.

ShenLong turned to look at the young Japanese woman slightly annoyed, but she didn't let her gaze leave Kunimoto, who was in absolute shock, scrambling to his feet while shoving away any hands that tried to help him up. Wide, vicious eyes stared back at Nagi, who'd crossed her arms pointedly, not in the least bit fazed.

"Who THE FUCK are you?" Kunimoto fumed, mostly with embarrassment.

"It doesn't matter who I am, does it?" Nagi slowly said, stepping forward. "What gives you the right to come here making trouble? Actually, what gives you the right to make trouble anywhere? You must have one sorry life to try and seek attention in such a despicable way."

The tension was on a knife's edge. The bar's patrons were uneasy, paused ready for something dire to happen. The members of the TK-Sabres were back waiting for their boss to give them the word to kick someone's ass.

Kunimoto just stood glaring at Nagi, inwardly burning with rage. "You have no idea who I am do you?" He seethed. She just flicked her hair to one side, pretending to be none the wiser. With an indignant snort, he strode antagonistically towards her, though stopped just short; instead, he picked up his whimpering girlfriend.

Kirakira also gave Nagi the darkest of looks while clinging closely to her lover, hoping for some sympathy. "Are you going to let her get away with that, baby?"

"Don't whine, it's annoying," he told her calmly and she looked down, falling silent. He returned his attention to Nagi. "You think you're a tough girl, huh? Well, I think you're one dumb bitch." A smile returned to the man's face, though it ended up as more of a snarl as he flashed too much teeth. "It was a solid kick – a mere a cheap shot. It won't happen again."

Nagi didn't flinch as he finally covered the distance between them, staring directly into her eyes with only centimetres between their noses. Her own smile grew with sweet mocking. He was so very close to slapping her across the face.

ShenLong stepped to the side of the young Japanese woman, which pulled Kunimoto's attention onto him.

"Leave it," the crimson-eyed man muttered. "She really has nothing to do with this."

In response, Kunimoto just snorted and backed off, tugging Kirakira sharply with him. She whined at him in defiance, wanting to egg him into striking his rival, but he soundlessly dismissed her with a forceful push towards the door. This motion had their fellow Sabres following suit.

He turned to look back at ShenLong.

"If I wanted to, I could rip this place apart so easily. I could ruin this meaningless little bar and drive you all out of town. But I'm feeling generous today." He spat on the floor, a tiny speckle of blood smattering the wood. "But this will be the last time I play nice. What you witnessed today, that cheap shot, is a declaration of war. You and your little friend, ShenLong, better watch your backs. This isn't over. Not by a long shot. It's only the beginning of your problems." His eyes then went to Nagi. "Savour this moment, because before you know it, that kick will be a returned favour." Turning his back on the congregation, he kicked the door open. "Until next time..."

He and his swarm vacated the premises forthwith, leaving the bar to slowly try and break out of the uneasy silence. They couldn't believe he'd just left, especially after being kicked to the ground. They were left to quake over what may come as retaliation to it. Murmurs crept across the room as eyes began to glue themselves to Nagi. The young woman simply sighed, turning away from the attention.

Though she wanted to get away from the scrutiny of the bar's patrons, but she couldn't avoid the intense stare coming from ShenLong, whose expression was completely blank. Though, there was something readable in his eyes – both annoyance and maybe intrigue. He seemed ready to question her intents.

Hou cleared his throat behind her and she turned around. "Brave thing you did, but very, very stupid." He sighed, a hand resting against his sweaty brow. "Oh boy, this isn't going to end well."

"Maybe…" She looked away, surveying the room with guilt welling up. She could have just made things a whole lot worse by taking a stand like that, but she wanted to show that she, another outsider, was willing to stand up in the defence against such aggression.

She caught Koneko giving her a somewhat proud stare. She was the only one though as everyone else was giving her rather bemused and tense glances.

With a shake of her head, she turned back to the Hou. "I'm really sorry if I caused any trouble. I hope I didn't add too much to your problems. Please, have a good night."

And with that, she left.

"She has no idea…" Selia mumbled, trying to rub away an oncoming headache.

"Man, what a kick though!" Kei couldn't help but admire.

Ryou send nothing, merely grunting his disapproval. He turned to ShenLong to see what he had to say on the situation but the man had left their company and was heading out the door after her.

Pulling her collar up around her neck, Nagi set about getting back to the hotel. But before she got very far, a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Oy!" She turned around to see ShenLong exiting 'Midnight Star', coming hastily to towards her. "Nagi!"

"So... you remember my name…"

He sniffed, popping the aching muscles in his neck. "You're not that easy to forget. That's some attitude you've got, walking in and stirring things up. You do realise you didn't help the situation?"

"What situation?" She asked, hoping to get something out of him.

"None of your business," ShenLong snapped suddenly. Something about her sudden appearance had made him quite defensive. It just seemed too coincidental that they'd run into each other again, especially here of all places. She just didn't seem the type to hang about in bars and go looking for fights. Then again, what did he really know about her? It was instinct that told him to put up barriers between them. After all, she'd got some pretty 'official' friends.

"Oh, well, I think I just made it my business, don't you?" She pointed out, flicking her hair aimlessly.

His crimson eyes narrowed. "What are you really doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" She reiterated, pretending to look thoughtful. She could have so easily walked away and not even given him the decency of answer. There was no reason for her to respond to his question anyway, but she was hoping to keep up the charade and not make anyone suspicious. "Well, if you're so bothered, I'm taking a break from being a grease monkey and decided to come into Shinjuku for some time off. I'm not forking out on some fancy holiday when the fun is only a stone's throw away."

His expression remained stiff and unimpressed. "You're lying."

Of course I am, but I'm not going to admit to it! She thought, quite happy to keep leading him on with her falsehood. She had to keep her true intentions under wraps to ensure the missions success. In response to him, she frowned, feigning anger. "What is it with you people? You don't seem to trust anyone! I was looking for a nice place to drink and everyone starts giving me the cold shoulder. I can understand now why you would, but damn, not everyone out there is a thug!"

"Trust is something that needs to be earned," he told her firmly. "Right now you're not doing yourself any favours."

She gave a short and abrupt laugh, folding her hands behind her head. "What is it I'm exactly lying about?"

"You tell me."

She raised an eyebrow, keeping up her mask of innocence. "Wow. You're a dick - pure and simple. A girl tries to have a holiday and you start hassling me, thinking I'm here on some super, secret mission or something. Get your head out the toilet, ShenLong, this is reality not some fantasy TV show! Not everything needs an ulterior motive."

He just simply shook his head, refusing to be spoon fed this crap.

"Don't come back here, Nagi, if you know what's good for you," he warned her stiffly.

She just smiled sweetly. "Sorry, I quite like the excitement down here! I'll be coming back for sure!" Turning swiftly on her heel, she began to stroll away. "Bye-Bye!"

ShenLong watched her leave with a skip in her step, as if she hadn't just been faced with a gang of vicious yobs. What was up with her? Didn't she understand how dangerous things were? Wasn't it plainly obvious?

"Hey, ShenLong, everything okay?" Kei had stepped out to see what was going on.

"Yeah..." His mood quickly changed, and he turned with a smirk and lightly punched the guys shoulder. "Why the hell aren't you getting in the drinks? You owe me big time, boy!"

"Hey! Fuck you! I'm almost out of cash!"

ShenLong just laughed, though the whole time he was left feeling incredibly aggravated.

Nagi arrived back at her hotel sometime later. She put an order through for some snacks to be sent up before retiring to her room.

Unlocking the door, a wave of tiredness fell over her, making her glad to be back somewhere comfortable. And the luxurious suite was something worth coming back to. It was styled in a regal manner, with decorations in a mixture of reds, greens and blues. It was an expensive room, but thankfully, she wasn't paying for it. It all came with W.O.C. privileges.

She collapsed onto the plump mattress of her king size bed, pulling one of the goose-feather pillows under her head. Grabbing the phone off the bedside cabinet, she dialled up Yugo's home number.

It rang for a short time before he came on the line.

"Hello?" He sounded pretty exhausted.

"Hey, it's me."

There was a long groan of annoyance. "Damn, Nagi, it's late…"

"Thanks a bunch. I'm out here doing all the hard work…"

"Okay, I'm sorry." His voice quickly composed, and the tiredness slipped for a second. "So, how's things?"

"Things got very interesting," she informed him. "I got to meet Kunimoto in person. I was nose to nose with him."

"Huh?! What?!"

"I kicked his ass across that damn bar. He's such a bastard..."

"YOU DID WHAT?" An array of swear words came flooding through the handset and she had to pull it away until he was calm again. "Why the hell did you do that?"

Playing with the wire, she rolled over to get comfortable to relay the full events of the night. "Well, you see, I got there and there was this really an uncomfortable atmosphere. With what's going on its left people rather uneasy. I'm still surprised anyone even goes there at all. They're very much the dedicated booze hounds, I must say. Yeah, well, anyway, I talked to the owner and his daughter. They're pretty nice people. The girl is pretty excitable, hardly affected by the violence that's going on around her." She rolled onto her back, kicking her legs up. "I was hardly there long before the TK-Sabres turned up. Kunimoto and his squeaky bitch girlfriend, a girl called Kirakira, are fronting it, and they just seem desperate to cause trouble. It's like they want to have authority over the bar. So anyway, just before something could go down, I politely interjected with my foot and taught him a valuable lesson. I'm getting the impression this gang war maybe one-sided. Their supposed opponents are just innocent people. Though…"

She'd left off so suddenly that Yugo grew concerned. "Nagi? Is everything okay?"

"I saw ShenLong, and I'm suspicious." The other end of the line went quiet. She let Yugo seemingly brood as she carried on. "He is wary of me, but I'm not going to tell him why I'm there. I think I should keep my eye on him. Kunimoto seemed pretty interested in him. Maybe he wants to recruit him or something. It just gets me wondering what part he's playing in this whole business."

"That's something you should investigate," Yugo firmly said. "I wouldn't be surprised if ShenLong was leading a gang of his own, especially with his past with the ZLF."

"It's something I'll try to find out," she said. "Some of his friends did seem like they might be the type to get involved in shady stuff."

"Look, with him in there, I'm worried. I don't want you to get hurt. Maybe I should send some people to crack some heads."

She sat up sharply. "No! Let me deal with this! We won't need the big guns just yet. Give me a little more time, okay?"

He sighed. "Fine. I hope you know what you're doing."

"I hope so, too. Let's just see how things turn out. It might not be as bad as it seems."

The last patron had just cleared out, bidding goodnight as Hou shut and bolted the door to 'Midnight Star'. He flicked off most of the lights, only leaving a few low lights on around the edge of the bar itself.

Ryou was still sat at the bar front, ShenLong on one side and Kei on the other. Selia was helping Koneko tidy up any stray glasses left behind.

"Well, that was an interesting evening," Ryou remarked evenly. "They'll never learn those Sabres. And I don't think that outsider girl is going to make much difference. She's just going to end up in traction, having to be tube fed her food."

Hou allowed the three men to have another drink for free. He pushed them across the bar and then went back to polishing the pump handles.

"Cheers!" Kei said, and began to down his gratefully.

ShenLong merely thumbed over the top of his bottle, staring idly at the mirror on the wall across the way, where numerous spirit bottles were lined up together.

Ryou slapped a hand on his shoulder. "What's up, ShenLong? What did that girl say to you?"

"Nothing, and that's what bothers me," he said, annoyed. "Her turning up here doesn't make any sense."

Koneko bounded over to the three guys. "She was real nice! And that kick was amazing! I think she is super awesome!"

Kei made a disgruntled sound, socking the air in front of the girl. "Shut up, Koneko."

"She's tough alright," Selia input, placing a couple of empty glasses on the bar for Hou to take away. "But I don't know. There was a certain look in her eyes. She knows something and damn well knows how to keep her cards close to her chest."

ShenLong nodded at the woman. "You're right. It's all secrets and lies with her, and yet it's pretty obvious she knows what's going on. Though what she intends to do, we'll have to wait and see. She'll be back. She told me so herself. I'm not going to let her off so easily if she's going to come snooping around here like some stupid dog."

Hou slapped his cloth down on the bar surface. "Forget about her for a minute. What about Kunimoto and his gang? What the hell am I going to do about them? I'm lucky to still have people drink here with the Sabres intimidating my customers."

"I'm not bending to his will," ShenLong told them all, slamming his bottle down. "It's all games with him. He thinks he's some kind of messiah who can order people to do what he wants. One minute he wants to fight me, the next he wants me on his side. I'm sick of being toyed around with. I swear to God I'd kick his ass from here to China if I thought it would make him fuck off back to the hole he crawled out of, but he's backed himself up good. People just keep gathering around him, ready to lick his ass on command. I don't know what he's offering or what he's hoping to achieve in the long run, but it can't be good for anyone."

Kei cracked his knuckles. "You know, I wish someone would just kill the bastard. Hell, I'll even do it! Just like cutting the head off a snake!"

"Don't say that," Selia barked at her boyfriend. "You'd be no better than those scumbags. He wants you to act like a thug and think that it's okay to cause such grief! ShenLong is doing the right thing, as painful as it is, not to rise to his challenges."

"If he pushes me too far…" ShenLong sipped the last of his drink. "… Who knows what I'll do to him."

"Well, I hope he doesn't," Selia said softly, touching his back softly before going to stack some chairs on tables.

"So, you know that girl personally, huh?" Koneko broke back into the last conversation, slinging an arm over the tiger Zoanthrope's shoulder. "What's her name?"

"It's Nagi."

She smiled dopily. "Do you think she's pretty? I do! You're both tough! You'd make a great couple, Kami-sama!"

ShenLong held the girl closer, leaning in and stroking her face. "But what of you my sweet Bobo-hime? I get off on you more than someone like her. Just staring at you makes me feel all hot and sweaty and…" His expression was classic. He rolled his eyes to the back of his head, pretending to silently pant with mock orgasmic euphoria.

Koneko screamed and leapt away, going to hide under a table.

The entourage laughed at the poor girl's expense.