New Chapter! :) As always, Viewfinder belongs to Yamane-sensei. Have fun! And thanks for all the reviews! Luvya3
"Aki! Hold still, damn it!" Takaba hisses as V sprays disinfectant to his scraped elbows. "Ow! Stop it already! You already sprayed so much of that stuff!"
V stands up and flicks him on the forehead. "Ow! If you're going to do that, at least cut your nails first! Those have got to be sharper than knives."
She laughs, "If they were, then you would be bleeding right now. Jeez Aki, I can't believe you lost the photos, not to mention the whole camera! All you had to do was snap a few photos of Voltair in New Nova. Now how am I supposed to sell illegal photos of the new actor? Not to mention you got hurt. Are you getting rusty?"
"What!? No! I'm on the top of my game. It's not my fault some car just came out of nowhere…" She raises an eyebrow. "Ok, maybe I should have been paying attention to where I was going… But that guy had no right to take my camera!"
She rolls her eyes. "You could have apologized. Almost a millennia from picking you up and you still can't control your temper and mouth!"
"I know, I know, you're right, and I will admit this only to you, okay? I was W-R-O-N-G. But that camera… it was the one Anya gave m,' granted she stole it, but still…" Takaba's voice gets quiet as he says her name.
V's reprimanding expression softens, "Aki, you need to move on. It's been a decade since her d—"
"DON'T SAY THAT WORD!" Aki shouts, desperate not to remember the whole bloody scene.
V raises her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. I just think you need to stop being such a thrill junkie and maybe fuck someone once in awhile. Your dick hasn't had any action for over a decade. That pressure builds up, you know. And before that, you were a fucking virgin. Thank the heavens Anya came along and snatched it away."
He flushes and glares at her. "Can we NOT talk about my sex life—"
"Or lack of." She interrupts drily.
He glares at her and continues, "—and just tell me who that guy was already?"
V sighs. "Golden-eyed right?" At his nod, she sighs again.
"What is up with all the sighing? Just tell me who he is already!"
"Well, it's mostly just rumors, nothing concrete…"
Takaba raises his eyebrows mockingly. "The great V doesn't know something?"
It was V's turn to glare at him. "No one knows everything! I'm no exception. Do you want the information or not?""
"Okay, okay, sorry. Please, go on."
"Well, okay. Facts first: Apparently, he's one of the three kings of the Underworld, but no evidence has ever been found of any illegal activities. Everything factual about him is above ground, which is weird, considering how uncontrollable the Internet has become. He owns several clubs, casinos, hotels and several other kinds of establishments across South area. He's one of the elite, very powerful, rich, and handsome. He's also single and he apparently fucks girls and guys."
"You would know that. How about the rumors?'
"Okay, this is where it gets interesting. We are both supernatural, right?"
Takaba nods at this.
"Well, apparently, he is too. I can't find anything about his exact age or species, but he seems pretty ancient from all his conquests, unless he's just a prodigy or genius. My sources tell me he's some kind of other being, maybe something like me, hopefully he's not; that would be very bad…" She gets a faraway look in her eyes, probably thinking of him, the guy who broke her heart.
"V…."
She shakes herself, as if to clear her mind. "Right, anyways, as I was saying, he's rumored to be the king of the South. I heard that he might be really chummy with the kings of the North and East. He supposedly deals in human trafficking, drugs, illegal weapons, and the like. You, know, all that illegal stuff. But you know what I think? I think the kings aren't pulling the strings, at least not totally. To just come up after the Ending near a hundred years ago? That seems suspicious. I think someone is controlling them, or at least they answer to someone more powerful. I've tried to send some informants after this lead, but none ever returned alive, or at all, so they're most likely dead. So I stopped. I've decided not to meddle in this. I don't want old nightmares coming back."
Takaba tries to take it all in. after awhile, he snorted. "All big baddies eventually fall. You say he's one of the elite? Then why don't you use your political powers and dig some dirt up that way?"
"Aki, you really need to get back in the game. I'm only seen as another spoiled heiress, and I'd like to keep it that way; it's safer."
"Aren't you a worse adrenaline junkie than me? Besides, I vowed to give up all the politics and drama ever since Anya…ever since she…"
V smiles at him. "I know. It's okay. Anyways, enough with all the heavy stuff and politics! Get dressed!"
"What? Why? I was hoping to relax and think…"
She snorts. "Think about what? Getting the camera back? Forget it Aki! You'll just get yourself killed! And don't you remember? You promised Anastasia that we'd have fun today."
He slaps his forehead. "Oh, yeah! I can't believe I forgot! When is she going to get here? My only joy in the world!"
"What? What about me?"
"You're just an annoying person who nags me like a mom…"
She swats playfully at him. "You jerk! Anyways, get dressed! She'll be here in a few minutes."
Takaba leaps off the couch and hurries to his room to change. At that moment, there is a knock at their door. Everything in their house, at least their real home, is old-fashioned, with actual wooden and soft furniture and a grounded floor rather than a floating house with holograms and synthetic furniture. Nothing was technologically-furnished, which meant nothing was registered in the government or the Database. They were near the border of Unchartered, on the unchartered side. Very few people knew how to get to their home safely; two of those was Annie's babysitters.
"Kou! Takato!" V says as she opens the door. When she sees Annie, she gives her a tight hug.
"V! Too tight!" Annie laughs.
"Haha, sorry. I'm just excited is all, little Anastasia."
"I'm not that small anymore! I'm already thirteen! And why do you always call me by my full name?"
"Because it's awesome! And girl, you're pretty short."
Annie crinkles her nose, saying "Whatever!"
Takato looks around for Takaba. "Where's Aki?"
"Oh he's getting changed. Right after, we're going. Are you sure you guys don't want to come along?"
Takato smiles. "Yeah, I want to spend more time with Yuki. The baby is on its way, maybe another few weeks, and I want to be there for the whole thing."
Kou says, "As for me, I got a hot date with this girl, Francine."
V smiles and says, "Make sure to call me Takato when the baby comes! I want to be there!" She turns to Kou. "I hope you don't screw this one up as well."
Kou pretends to be offended. "Hey, how was I supposed to know the last chick was a freaking spy from the elites? And you know, I wouldn't have to go looking for girls if you just agree to go out with me."
V snorts. "In your dreams!"
Just then Takaba comes out of his room and spots them. He runs to Annie and hugs her, lifting her up and shouting her name.
Annie laughs, "Daddy! Put me down!"
"Haha, okay, okay. Hey guys! Annie's been good, right?"
"Of course I have, daddy!" He ruffles her hair and she glares at him. Her glare a mirror image of his from a few minutes ago.
Kou laughs. "Yeah, she's been a little mischievous, but nothing too bad."
"She's actually been helping Yuki around," Takato says.
"Oh really? That's good." Takaba stares at his daughter; she has hazel eyes like him. She also has his wavy hair and lean body. She is almost a spitting image of him, but a few attributes of her mother show itself in delicate nose and neck, as well as her short height. The feature most alike to her mother is her pale-blonde, almost white, hair and her voice. Her voice is as sweet as her mother's, especially when she sings.
V watches Takaba stare lovingly at his daughter. I hope he doesn't find out I've been training her in combat, among other things. I would abide by his wishes for her to stay innocent and naïve, but she's just too talented. She has her mother's talent for violence and her father's attraction to trouble. She smiles wryly to herself and shakes her head. "Come on, before it gets too late. It's New Nova World's reopening today! It'll be packed!"
~ASABA~
Annie giggles and darts through the crowd. She already lost daddy, and now V, too. She loves playing this. She is getting good at losing her daddy. Once she was older, she is sure she would be able to outrun him. She skips through the crowd to a stand selling sweets. There was one strawberry crepe left, but before she could take it, another hand grabs it.
She glares at the owner of the hand, a thirteen-year old boy. "Hey! I saw that first!"
"Well I got it first!" the boy says as he pays the seller.
"Now, Tao, be a gentleman. That's not any kind of way to treat a lady," a musical voice says behind them. The Tao kid pouts and holds out the crepe to her.
Annie smirks at him and takes the crepes, taking a bite out of it. She turns to her crepe savior and her eyes widen. Before her is the most beautiful person she's ever seen, and that's saying something, since she considers her daddy, mommy, and V pretty damn beautiful. The man, since she could find no tell-tale bumps on his chest, is tall and delicate-looking, but it is obvious he is strong because of his well-defined muscles that could not be hidden by his shirt. He is Chinese and has violet eyes, a pretty mouth, and long eyelashes. She huffs, annoyed at that. Her eyelashes aren't even that long. His delicate face is framed by long, silky hair.
Slightly behind him was a Japanese man standing quietly at attention. A bodyguard maybe? She decides to ignore him.
She sticks out her free hand and says, "Hi, my name's Anastasia, but everyone calls me Annie. Thanks for the crepe, here let me pay you back."
The beautiful man shakes his head and takes her hand and shakes it firmly. "No, it's my treat. I'm Fei Long, and this is Tao, my nephew." He pushes Tao forward gently.
Annie grabs Tao's hand and shakes it firmly. Tao yanks it back and hides behind Fei Long.
He chuckles lightly, "Sorry about Tao, he's really shy."
She beams at him. "That's okay! My daddy says I'm too forward and that I might scare people away like that."
Fei smiles slightly at that. "Speaking of which, where is your father? Are you lost?"
"Oh, no. actually, I ran away. It's a little game we play. I run away, but he always finds me."
Fei starts to smile, but he sees something behind her and his expression clouds a little. If she hadn't learned to read people from V, then she probably wouldn't have caught it. "I'm sorry. It was truly pleasant meeting you, but Tao and I must go." He hurries way with Tao in tow, disappearing through the crowd. The Japanese man swiftly follows behind.
She looks behind her, seeing nothing at first, but then spotting a few men who stood out a little. Their clothes seemed too new and they moved a little too stiffly to just be people who are at the amusement park to enjoy themselves. She hurriedly darts through the crowd. If Fei thought they were trouble, then they must be.
~ASABA~
"Ah! Where did she go off to?" Takaba says, frustrated.
V hands him a drink and says, "Drink up. You've been looking for Annie for hours. She'll come back when she wants to. Besides, she's always doing this. Don't worry."
"I swear that girl is going to give me a heart attack."
V spots Annie coming toward them, finishing a crepe. "Well, speak of the devil. Hey, Aki, she's back." He looks up and rushes to her, making sure she is okay.
"I'm fine, daddy! Don't worry; I just went to buy a crepe."
"For three hours?"
"Yes, now let's go to that roller coaster. It looks really fast and look at all those people screaming." She glances quickly at V and rushes off again.
"Hey, Annie! Wait!" Takaba shouts after her and follows closely behind.
V narrows her eyes as she follows them. Looks like the girl met with something interesting. She knew that look. It meant something of significant value had transpired.
~ASABA~
"Report." Asami takes out a cigarette and lights it. All the way back to the hotel, he couldn't stop thinking of the boy with fire in his eyes. Those hazel eyes seem to glow and see through him. This boy may just be the interesting event that is supposed to happen; a break from his everyday mundane activities. The boy is his prey, and with the way he regarded his camera, it would be the perfect bait. He is sure the boy would come after it.
It helps that the boy is pretty. He has seen, and slept with, many beautiful people, but this boy has something else, a fierceness that goes straight to his cock. The boy has light brown hair and a lean body, like that of a runner or swimmer. His pouty lips and creamy skin are just begging to be teased. He feels slightly unnerved that a mere street rat could make him so excited, but brushed it away quickly. After he is done taming and breaking the boy, he will just throw him away, like all the others.
He is glad that Kirishima came into his office and interrupted such thoughts with his report.
"Sir, Mikhail is at his summer palace. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong. He's still obsessed about his diseased fiancée. Our informant says that he's still looking for a way to bring her back from the dead and immortality."
He snorts at Mikhail's foolishness. Only Karr was immortal, and no one, not even Karr, could bring back the dead. "And Fei Long?"
"He's taken his nephew out to New Nova World sir. Actually, they are on their way back to East area. It seems someone was spying on them, most likely Mikhail's men. There's nothing else amiss."
Kirishima hesitates. "Out with it, what is it?" Asami exhales smoke.
"About the boy we bumped into… there's nothing on him except from what the men have gleamed from people around the streets. There's nothing on him in the database."
Asami raises his eyebrow at that. Strange. He smirks, this boy really is interesting. "Well, what have the streets to say about him?"
"His name is Takaba Akihito. He's a photographer who works for one of the heiresses, Blu Vercruz. She uses him to take snapshots of the actors, singers, and anyone even slightly famous in the media. She apparently advertises and sells the photos illegally on the Internet. Other than that, he's completely clean and there is no other information on him. As for the girl, both her parents are dead, which she doesn't seem to mind, considering the way she flaunts her money. She seems like another spoiled, rich brat."
"Is the girl into any drugs?"
"She experiments in Dub, but she doesn't seem to be addicted."
"Too bad. Well, it should be easy to bribe her to hand her little photographer over." Asami grounds the cigarette into the ashtray by the bed. "Get the car ready in an hour; we are going back to Tokyo."
Kirishima bows and leaves the room quietly. Asami looks out the window and stares out at New Nova. The New Nova World amusement park was quite close; too bad, he and Fei Long needed to discuss some things. Oh, well, that could wait. He is more interested in this Takaba Akihito. The girl should be easy, but he has a strange feeling that it might not be so, that the girl may surprise him as well. Besides, the girl is taking Dub, the most addictive and expensive drug out there, and she is not hooked. He didn't own Dub, but has a hand in distributing it. Strangely, no one knew where it came from; it just popped up in the black market a decade or so ago.
He tried the drug once before and never again. Its famous motto was: Once for taste, Twice for Addiction. And it was true to its word. Even with the warning motto, it is the most sold drug. He only knew of one person who became addicted and managed not to go insane or die, and that was the Karr.
Speaking, of which, he has to get back to Tokyo to receive the Karr's message, letter specifically. Technology could not b e trusted.
Sorry there wasn't any smut, but it's coming. Feel free to review and and ask questions :) I'm hoping to update weekly, and I most likely will (with around 1,000 words) unless i get a writer's block. BTW, would you consider this supernatural or sci-fi? I'm looking for a second genre for this story.
