A/N: The sequel to "A Series of Very Criminal Activities".
This is a very weird and… crazy story. It's not much of an action story (though of course with the Ryodan involved, you can't avoid all the violence and gore etc entirely). The Ryodan wouldn't appear much either, because it is a romance story and the Ryodan isn't very romantic in my opinion, so for those who wanted to see more of the Ryodan, I apologise.
And… I have nothing else to say but this: please forgive me, I knew not what I have done.
Hunter X Hunter does not belong to me.
Bombing the Spring Fleur
Newsflash! Newsflash! Terrorist Attack or Negligence in Safety Procedures?
Breaking news in York Shin City tonight! The residents of York Shin were today greeted to the sight of the Rose Petal Boudoir, an exclusive society club for the rich and famous, going up in flames. Late last evening, a bomb went off in the Rose Petal Boudoir, followed shortly by a series of fireworks. In a statement released by the police early this morning, the Commissioner said:
At nine fifteen p.m. last night, a bomb exploded in the Rose Petal Boudoir. No lives were lost though several employees were hurt badly. No one has come forward to claim credit for the attack, though several members of the purist cult, Purity of the Soul, have been brought in as witnesses.
The Commissioner refused to answer questions regarding the motives behind the attack and whether the members of the Purity of the Soul have been arrested as suspects. An unnamed source close to the investigation has informed us that the members are being interrogated, though none of them have yet confessed.
Kito Enterprises, which owns the club, have also released a short statement. Speaking to the press, Ms Rose, manager of the Rose Velvet Boudoir has expressed her deepest condolences for the victims of the attacks on behalf of Ms June Kito, CEO of Kito Enterprises. She also said that they are working diligently with the police to find those responsible and ensure that they are brought to justice.
As of this moment, word from our unnamed source suggests that Ms June Kito may face charges by the state for negligence in safety procedures. Several individuals, including Mr Davin Mauredes of Mauredes Pte Ltd, a pharmacy that was situated next to the Rose Petal Boudoir and which had sustained damages from the explosion, have raised charges against Kito Enterprises.
And now, for other news. Is it true that celebrity and socialite Gerri Jy…
Bzzzt. The television switched off.
Teeth gleamed dully in the afterglow of the television as fingers tapped the armrest of the mahogany couch. How interesting, how fascinating, how satisfying, that someone would actually dare attack the infamously cruel June Kito. Watch her brothel burn! Smell the fumes! Feel the fire! Oh, how angry she must be, how furious; cold as ice and blazing like a blizzard. She was nice like that, squirming, cursing, spitting fire as she smothered under the growing heap of debris.
Wouldn't it be fun to pile more on? To fan the flames? To gently urge the cinders until they blazed in the night sky?
Wouldn't it be fun to torch that witch?
How interesting, how fascinating, how satisfying…
With a final click, the bomb armed itself. Kuroro put the screwdriver down and stretched his aching back. It popped satisfyingly.
Now rotating his shoulders, he glanced at his watch.
Good. Just in time.
Outside the window of her penthouse, the sun was setting, casting a cold, dull light over the city that never sleeps. This high up, the neon lights of the city did not interfere with the natural beauty of the sky, and the view was absolutely stunning. Stars blazed above her like tiny beacons of fire, each ready to rain down upon the city below in a shower of meteors. Ah, what dark thoughts. Shivering, Midoya drew her bathrobe tighter and turned away from the window. Her brain was full of them this day and that was not good for her soul. It was time to recalibrate her mental process.
Picking up a book and a cup of tea, Midoya retreated onto her bed (she really needed to get her house refurnished quickly) and curled up under the sheets. Wriggling about until she was in a comfortable position, Midoya settled in and propped the book up on her lap with a sigh of pleasure. There was nothing better than a little bit of reading after a full day of hard, tireless work. If Kuroro was around to give her a back rub, it would be even better. Since he wasn't, she would settle for the world of cyborgs and virtual realities. At least they didn't demand vigorous, draining sex in return for small favours done.
And it was of course, at that very moment, just when she was starting to sink into the futuristic dystopia that her phone rang.
Jerking back to the horrid, cold real world of unemployment, finances and court cases, Midoya glanced at her phone and briefly considered eviscerating the thing. Unfortunately, that was June Kito's phone that was ringing. She couldn't ignore it; it might have something to do with the reconstruction of the Rose Petal or the lawsuits against her.
Oh, the life of an honourary Mafioso sucks.
With a sigh, she shook the lethargy out of her voice and picked up the phone. "June Kito," June said coldly.
"Ah, June! My little girl! Richard here." June closed her eyes and tried not to groan. "I've heard all about the Boudoir. What a mess you've got on your hands! Is it true the owners of the buildings at the edges of the explosion are suing you?"
"Mr Temple," June greeted, staring at her ceiling and contemplating peppering it with throwing knives (not that June would know how to throw a knife). "How nice to hear from you; I greatly appreciate your concern."
Boisterous laughter resounded through the phone and June pulled the gadget away from her ear before it deafened her. "You and your 'Mr Temple'… You are too cute, you know that? Jesus Christ, I wish I could see your serious little face now. Loosen up, girl! It's not the end of the world."
"Quite," June replied, and just because no one was watching, let Midoya put a throwing knife through the ceiling anyway, with a satisfying thunk. "Can I help you with anything, Mr Temple?"
"Uh uh, Wrong question, chica. The question is: can I help you with anything?" She could hear the grin in his voice. "I can make those bastards suing you disappear, you know?"
So could June or Midoya, but that was beside the point. She was choosing not to make them disappear because of how well-known this little incident was becoming. It would really, really piss the Association off if they even caught the hint of her bribing, or worse, offing people who were being a pain in the you-know-what. "It's quite alright, Mr Temple," June said, even as Midoya fondled another knife and eyed the ceiling with the gleam of destructiveness in her eyes. "I'm handling this quite well."
"Of course, kiddo, but I know how difficult it is for a young girl like you to deal with this. Tell you what, June. Let's trade. I'll help you for a price."
"Mr Temple…
"Hear me out, sweetheart. I was your daddy's friend; I have your best interests at heart." Then without waiting for an answer, he said, "If you'll be my mistress, I'll make this entire mess go away. Poof. Gone. Never to be seen again. What do you think?"
The knife already stuck in the ceiling split in half with a heavy thud when a second knife slammed into it. "I will have to reject your kind offer, Mr Temple," June said coldly. "I believe I am quite capable of handling this affair myself."
He laughed again, loud, boisterous and unoffended. "Alright," he said with indulgent amusement. "If that's what you want. Just so you know, my offer still stands, so think carefully about it. I take proper care of my women, you know? They never have to care about lawsuits and stuff like that."
Without waiting for her answer, he hung up, leaving Midoya lying on the bed, staring at her cracked ceiling and contemplating hunting Richard Temple down and throttling the life out of him.
Just about the time Midoya had given up on her book and called Pepeka over so she could gain some entertainment by embarrassing him with videos of some of the more adventurous clients that visit her brothels, Kuroro was standing outside the Spring Fleur trying not to freeze to death as he regarded the building before him.
When Kuroro had visited the Rose Petal Boudoir, the first thing that had struck him was how unlike it was to the only other brothel he had ever visited. Instead of low lighting, bad beer, and hard-used women, the Boudoir featured tea and biscuits, natural-looking lighting and women dressed prettily in faux-Victorian era fashion. The rooms were ornate and luxuriously decorated. The air was scented with something light, floral and feminine. No one felt the need to let him examine and grade their breasts within the first seven seconds of meeting. It was almost a pity he had to blow up the building, but he comforted himself with the knowledge that June Kito owned at least another fifty of those, so it's not like one building was a huge loss.
Shortly after stepping into the Spring Fleur, Kuroro immediately realised that his assumption that all of June's brothels looked alike was very, very wrong.
"Good evening, mystical traveller!" the pink-haired pixie at the door greeted him chirpily. "I am Flora, your magical guide for today!"
"Good evening, Flora," Kuroro replied without missing a beat (because it would take a lot more than an almost-naked woman wearing a pair of wings to shock the Dancho of the Genei Ryodan).
She beamed warm sunshine at him and invited him in with a cheery wink. "Shall I take your coat?" she asked, bouncing along energetically next to him.
"Do that and I shall instantly turn into a block of ice in your doorway. You wouldn't like that because no one else will be able to get by me and the business will suffer terribly. I will be that cold," Kuroro said and clung protectively to his coat.
"Oh! An ice mage!" Flora squealed, clapping her hands delightedly and spilling glitter all over the floor. "How delightful! We do love your kind here, wizard!"
"Mages and wizards are not quite the same," Kuroro commented wryly and the pixie faltered for a moment, looking lost. On the understanding that this pixie worked for Midoya and contributed substantially to her income (which translated often into his income), Kuroro kindly added, "But they are almost the same, so you didn't quite get it wrong."
"Oh, you are too kind," the pixie bubbled with just the slightest note of panic in her voice and led him deeper into the brothel.
As the pixie walked ahead of him, chatting on about magical creatures of the night and mystical energies filling the room, Kuroro took a look around the inside of the building. Instead of the ornate, turn of the century décor of the Rose Petal, someone had turned the inside of the Spring Fleur into an idealised forest glade. Real rainforest trees lined the walls, bending gently over a floor of green carpet grass. In one corner was a waterfall at least a storey high that cascaded into a pond occupied by women wearing fake tails whom he took to be mermaids. The scent in the air was fresh and grassy, and a gentle breeze, no doubt man-made, flowed through the glade. Frolicking in the grass were 'centaurs', people, both men and women, naked from the torso up wearing some kind of mechanised lower body of a horse. More fairies and pixies of varying sexes, sizes and colouring fleeted about, playing with suggestively innocent cheer among the trees.
"This is the entrance to the mystical world of Spring Fleur, the Forest of Delights," Flora gushed. "I am a resident of this world. But if you so choose to, Ice Mage, you can travel to other worlds within the realm. The floors below contain Underworld Paradise and the Dark Lands, while the floors above host Castle in the Clouds and Sweet Desert."
"Very nice," Kuroro murmured absently, wondering how the 'mermaids' in the pond managed to move about while wearing their costumes. No doubt a good amount of abdominal strength was needed. He applauded them for their immense physical prowess and the training that must have gone into attaining and maintaining it.
"So," Flora said, turning around to give him a mischievous look, "tell me what you want, mystical traveller. Tell me which creatures you desire to meet, and which worlds you wish to travel to, and I shall guide you there."
Kuroro frowned thoughtfully in a manner which he hoped resembled a man wondering what kind of mystical, magical creature he would like to shag that day. The plan for the bombing of Spring Fleur had been a lot more complicated than the one for the Boudoir. Because of the way the Spring Fleur was designed, with several floors below ground level and several floors above, to fully bring the whole place down, they needed to plant two separate sets of explosives, one below ground and one above ground. That necessitated him moving fluidly between the various levels.
"I'm not sure," he finally said to the waiting Flora. "Could I take a look around before I decide?"
Flora beamed. "Of course, wizard," she said cheerfully. "Which lands would you like to explore first?"
The blueprints of the brothel indicated that directly below the Forest of Delights was the Underwater Paradise, and directly above the Forest was the Sweet Deserts. Those were the two floors he had selected to plant the explosives in. "Underwater Paradise first, please," he said.
"Sure thing!" Flora chirped, practically prancing around him to pick up a bag placed in a discrete corner. "Do you have your own water gear, wizard? Do you require the clothing of the Sea People?"
Kuroro blinked at the item of clothing presented to him. "It's a pair of swimming trunks," he observed. "In point of fact, it is a very small and insubstantial pair of swim trunks that I doubt will protect my modesty or my core body temperature much. What is the purpose of this impractical piece of cloth? Do the ah… Sea People really dress like this?"
"Uh…" the pixie floundered for a moment. "Yes, the Sea People they wear… swim gear like… that. It's for uh… easy… removal." Oh yes, he should remember he was in a brothel, not a carnival. People come here specifically to have their modesty violated in very creative and humiliating ways.
"I don't need it," Kuroro said, since he didn't anticipate shedding his modesty any time in the near future.
"Alrighty!" Flora said, immediately regaining her good cheer, and leading him towards an elevator. "Is this your first time here?" she asked, as they waited. "Do you wish me to address you as something other than 'wizard'?"
"Yes, it's my first time," Kuroro replied. "And you may continue addressing me as 'wizard', if you wish, though personally I find that the term does not cover the full range of my skills and abilities. With my current skill set, I think it is more accurate to think of me as a boggart or an elf. After all, I tend to be mischievous and take things that are not mine." Flora gaped at him, her large eyes wide with confusion and uncertainty. "But then," Kuroro told her kindly, "I am no shape-shifter and I have no reason to turn milk sour, so perhaps it is best you just call me a wizard instead."
Flora gulped and her large eyes grew wet. "I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly. "It's my first day playing a fairy and I'm still new and I have no idea what all these categories and terms mean. Please don't tell anybody I screwed up. Please."
"You didn't screw up," Kuroro said, surprised. "Not many people are well-read in folklore so I don't expect you to know the difference between the various creatures. And since this is merely role-play, you can call me anything you like. It's not like it is real after all."
"That's true!" the pixie brightened up immediately. "Oh, thank you sir! I promise I will do much better!"
"That's a very positive attitude to take," Kuroro praised though he had no idea what she intended to be much better at, and she beamed and slipped her arm around his.
A short while later the elevator arrived and they got onto it.
"Um," Kuroro commented, staring at what the young man on his knees was doing to the centaur straddling him.
"Um," Flora agreed, and they as one turned their backs on the couple.
"At least it's a short ride," Kuroro muttered.
"A very short ride," Flora agreed.
Fortunately, that was the case for no longer than thirty seconds later, the elevator dinged and slid open.
"Welcome to Underwater Paradise!" Flora exclaimed, pulling gently on his arm to coax him out of the elevator.
"Very nice," Kuroro said, impressed despite himself as he allowed her to drag him out of the elevator car.
The Underwater Paradise was, in essence, a giant aquarium. The ceiling, walls and floor of the huge hall before him were made of glass, behind which swam hundreds of sea creatures, from the common ones like sharks and coral reef dwellers to magical beasts like water dragons and marine tigers. In the middle of the hall was a shallow pool occupied by 'mermaids' and 'mermen', the stars of the show. Customers, generally older, hairier and less aquatically-inclined men waded through the pool or reclined on chairs by the side.
"Do you like it… wizard?" Flora asked almost shyly.
"It is… interesting," Kuroro said neutrally. Having gotten over the pleasant surprise of finding this pretty little collection of expensive ornamental sea-life, he found himself wondering furiously where he could plant a bomb in this place. Everything was clear glass and water; where were all the hidey holes and dark places when you needed them? How was he to seduce Midoya when this place was not conducive for criminal activities at all?
As he was still thinking, a mermaid swam over, long hair trailing behind, and perched herself at the edge of the pool next to Kuroro. "Greetings weary traveller," she said in an enchanting voice, "may I offer you rest and respite from your long journey? The magic of my people is well-known for soothing the body and soul, and I am the best of my kind."
"Oh." Kuroro ran her short speech through his mind again, took a moment to recall where he was, and blinked at her. "Are you propositioning me?" he asked.
The mermaid laughed melodiously. Kuroro wasn't even aware people could do that outside of musicals. "You may say so, if it pleases you," she said and lowered her eyelashes demurely.
"I am impressed. That was the most subtle proposition I have ever received," Kuroro told her and she smiled warmly at him. "Still, I have to ask," he went on, "how on earth does one have sex with a mermaid? The ah… logistics of it boggles the mind."
"She takes off her costume when…" Flora started to say then stopped when the mermaid widened her eyes frantically at her. "I meant…" Flora floundered. "I meant uh… the uh… Sea People they…"
"When I come onto land, my tail disappears and I grow legs like a normal human," the mermaid told him quickly. "Alas, it is both a blessing and a curse of my people for if we are away from water too long, we are reduced to mere humans, forced to walk the dry earth forever."
"Ah, that makes sense," Kuroro said brightly. "Do you know that the tale, The Little Mermaid, can be seen as an allegory for the desire of a young girl to blossom sexually into womanhood? To change from a mermaid to a human is, of course, the transition from an asexual fish into a sexual female being that can spread her legs for a man. Quite fascinating, isn't it? Especially if one takes into account the fact that the mermaid dies in the end, turning into foam as she does. And foam is, of course, a being that has no sexuality whatsoever, not unless you subscribe to certain Eastern philosophies which would argue that 'foam' being wet and airy can be associated with femininity. I am, of course, referring to Taoism which, to my shallow knowledge, seems to have little to do with the original story. Either way, I sense some kind of repression of feminine desire in the fairy-tale but…" He belatedly realised both Flora and the mermaid were gaping at him blankly, so he added pacifyingly, "You have very nice breasts."
"Thank you," the mermaid replied hesitantly. "Do you wish to enter my domain now?"
"Just for a walk," Kuroro told her and set off to take a stroll around the pool.
While he had been talking to the fascinating young lady, Kuroro had also been looking around the hall (multi-tasking was one of his many talents). With the way it was designed, he realised that his best bet was to leave the explosives under one of the chairs. It was practically the only hiding spot in the room, and he needed the explosives to remain undiscovered until he had exited the hotel.
So, pretending to be admiring the many wet and heaving chests in the pool, he headed straight for the nearest empty chair and plopped down on it. "This is nice," he said, as if he were admiring the hall. "Do the mermaids and mermen get sick of being in the water for so long?"
Next to him, Flora hesitated, obviously trying to decide if he was asking a 'mystical' question or not. "No," she replied, having decided on the former, "they live and thrive in water, wizard."
"Of course they don't, Flora," Kuroro said patiently. "I am well-aware that they are humans dressed as mer-people. Having to work in the water for so long must be very taxing on their skin. When I soak in a bath for an excessive amount of time, I end up wrinkled and pruned, like an old man, and feeling absolutely detestable. I can't imagine being in a pool for hours on end."
"I…" Flora blinked and stared at her feet. "I guess it is hard work," she said finally, looking around guiltily, "but it's not as hard as working on the streets. The pay is good and not commission-based, and the health package is excellent. And Miss Kito is real nice to us.
"You know June Kito?" Kuroro asked, perking up as he turned his full attention on her.
"I've only met her once," Flora said, shaking her head. "She looked really cold and distant to me, but I think she must be a good person because, well, like I said, she's real kind to us." She flushed. "I was stupid," she confessed. "I got with child real young, like about fifteen, and my parents kicked me out of the house. I ended up on the streets and you know how hard it is for a young girl to be on the streets."
"I have some idea, yes."
"Miss Kito saved my life," Flora said quietly, suddenly looking a lot less ditzy and a lot older than her appearances belied. "A customer beat me up so bad I ended up at one of those charity hospitals. I was so sick with infection and malnutrition I wasn't even producing milk for my baby anymore. The people at the shelter referred me to one of Miss Kito's managers, Miss Rose, who interviewed me and hired me. Turns out Miss Kito has people in places like the hospital, looking out for people like me. It's… she's saved my life and my kid's too. My girl's five now and she's in school. Things are really good now."
"It is," Kuroro agreed absently. "I congratulate you on your good fortune."
Flora beamed. "Thank you," she said with genuine happiness.
Though he smiled back easily, Kuroro's eyes roamed around the hall, taking note of who was watching him. Many of the mermaids and mermen were, undoubtedly wondering if they should come over and proposition him. That wasn't necessarily as big a problem as it could become. The bomb was hidden in the Fun Fun Cloth, and the tiny bundle was in the inner pocket of his coat. It wouldn't be difficult to slip the little package into his hand and release it under the chair. All he needed was an excuse to reach under the chair…
"What's your name?"
Startled out of his thoughts, Kuroro glanced at the pink-haired woman next to him. "Excuse me?" he asked.
Flora turned as pink as her hair. "I… if it's not… if you don't mind… can you tell me your real name?" she mumbled shyly. "My real name is Janna, if you… you know…"
His first instinct was to tell her that she was playing a dangerous game, letting a total stranger know her real name. People in her position didn't have the luxury of becoming intimate with the people making use of her. Didn't she remember how she had ended up in a hospital in the first place?
Then it occurred to him that she was presenting him with an opportunity.
So, summoning up his brightest smile, Kuroro got off the chair and held her hand delicately in his. With a flourish, he dropped on one knee and kissed the back of her hand. "Kuroro, at your service," he murmured, head still bowed over her limp hand.
"Oh," she whispered, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed. Ah, the research he had been doing lately was really paying off. There was, apparently, something about a man kneeling in front of her that makes a woman very happy. Likely, it had to do with the illusion of power it granted women in a society that is mostly governed by men. Illusions are such pretty things after all; much easier to fall for an illusion of power and admiration than stay firmly in a reality where women like her were abused all the time.
As she was busy staring at him with something disturbingly close to adoration in her eyes, his other hand slipped under the chair and released the Fun Fun Cloth. The bomb landed on the ground with a soft thud that Kuroro only heard because he was listening out for it. Mission accomplished, he straightened up and stopped smiling at her. "It's dangerous to tell your real name to customers though," he told her, giving in to his first impulse. "Not everyone will be kind to you or want to be kind to you."
"Of course," she said dazedly. "I… it's just… you are different. I know you are different. You are so… nice."
And as if those blasphemous utterances had angered some higher being who knew better, the world exploded around them in a raging storm of fire and wind.
The clock told her the hour was late. Pepeka was already asleep on the couch. The fantastical world of Dystopia was dead and gone.
Midoya closed the book with a tired sigh. Laying it aside, she glanced out of the window into the dim York Shin night sky.
What a beautiful night it was.
The perfect night for death.
As the fire and wind raged around him, singeing his clothes and threatening to tear him off the ground and into a whirlwind inferno, Kuroro's first reaction was to drop to the floor and peer under the chair with a look of utter bemusement on his face.
Because it didn't make sense. The bomb shouldn't have detonated so early. It should only go off if Kuroro set it off himself. He had set it that way, and had checked and rechecked it several times. There shouldn't be a problem with it.
Ah, as expected. Kuroro pulled out the bomb and stared at it. It hadn't gone off. So whatever had blown up this building hadn't been caused by him. That was good because... Kuroro looked around at the people dying around him… Midoya was going to be very angry when she saw how many people have died, and will die, today. Oops.
Speaking of death, Kuroro pocketed the bomb again (why waste perfectly usable dynamite?) and started looking around for an exit. He didn't know why this brothel had suddenly gone up in flames, but he knew from experience that it would collapse within minutes. Once that happened, he would be buried under a pile of burning rubble and probably end up dying a tragic and horrible death. Even if he wasn't crushed to death, smoke inhalation would kill him, and if the smoke didn't kill him, the water will. Kuroro glanced at the glass aquariums. The glass, amazingly, hadn't cracked from the explosion, though he could see the water within was starting to boil. But soon the fragile walls would collapse, and when the water flooded out, it would kill anyone still down here as easily as the fire would. Either way, it would all be very gory and embarrassing so it was probably time to get out of here.
Finally, Kuroro spotted the entrance to the elevator. He doubted the elevator would be functional now, but it should be possible to climb up the elevator shaft. This mission was turning out to be a total bust; the least he could do was escape with his life and try to salvage this mess. He started to make for the escape route - but stopped when a hand gripped his sleeve.
"What's going on?" Flora screamed shrilly as the wind whipped her about wildly. "What's going on?"
"A bomb just went off," Kuroro replied, having to shout to be heard over the wind. "You should probably get out of here if you want to live."
In reply, Flora screamed in terror as the fire raged closer to her, and tears started to stream down her face. "I don't want to die!" she screamed. "I don't want to die!" In an instant of pure enlightenment, Kuroro saw how this situation could be turned to his favour.
"Come on," he said, taking Flora's hand. "I'm getting you out of here."
"This isn't happening," she hiccuped, her face filled with shock, even as she cupped her ears, pressing painfully down on them. "This isn't."
"Okay, it isn't," Kuroro sighed, gripping her hand and starting to drag her towards the elevator.
"Oh good," she whispered and her face went entirely blank. Psychologically, Kuroro knew that was not a good thing for her, but at the moment, he appreciated it. It made her easier to control as he quickly steered her towards the elevator.
Reaching the elevator, he gripped the doors and pulled. Though the wound in his chest ached, he managed to pry the doors open. Glancing back at the young woman staring blankly at him as tears ran down her cheeks, he sighed and decided that it would be useless trying to get her to climb the shaft on her own. As quickly as he could (the shaft was filling rapidly with smoke), he tore off the plastic wings she wore and unceremoniously slung her over his shoulder. Then he wasted no time climbing the shaft, hoping that he wouldn't run into the elevator itself.
The climb was slow, made difficult by low visibility, and the increasingly hot metal and concrete under his hands. Once, the weight on his shoulder shifted and almost fell off, and Kuroro had to brace himself against a burning wall just to pull her back on.
It was really so much easier killing people than saving them. Kuroro wished now he had allowed Nobunaga or Machi to accompany him on this mission. He had thought it would appeal to Midoya more if he completed it personally and so had repeatedly rejected any attempts by the Ryodan to follow him. Now was the time to regret it and wish Nobunaga was here to lug the comatose fairy around for him. But since Nobu wasn't here, he had to do it himself – with a wound in his chest – and an uncomfortably thick shirt under his coat. Kuroro sniffed. Midoya had better appreciate what he was going through for her.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of climbing, grunting, gasping and generally feeling miserable, Kuroro reached the next floor. When the doors opened easily under his hands, Kuroro would have sighed with relief if he could have taken in enough breath to actually to do. The air, by this time, was so foul with smoke he couldn't see his own hands, which was not only highly inconvenient but potentially fatal.
Yet, he somehow made it, stumbling through the thick, acrid smoke past dead centaurs and fairies until he ran into a heavy metal barrier of some sort. Pushing his shoulder against it didn't make it bulge, so Kuroro reinforced a fist with Nen and blasted the door to pieces. Still dragging Flora, he finally burst out into the entrance of the hotel into the fresh, crisp air of a cold winter's night.
Though he wanted to just stop and inhale the comparatively fresh air of York Shin, Kuroro continued moving away from the burning brothel, unwilling to risk being hit by falling debris. In the distance, wailing sirens indicated that help was on the way. However, glancing back at the building, Kuroro already knew it was too late. No one had exited the building since he had, and he doubted anyone will. Plumes of flames shot out of every window, clouds of smoke poured out along with them; the entire building was engulfed in an inferno and all the souls in it have surely been burned out of existence.
"Am I safe?" the figure on his shoulder whispered dully.
Gently, Kuroro put her back on the ground and looked closely at her face. Her eyes were still dull, but her lips were starting to tremble with emotion. "Yes," he said calmly and she started to sob.
"I don't understand," she gasped. "I just don't understand."
"Neither do I," Kuroro confessed as he frowned at the stubbornly burning building. His detailed, meticulous plans had just been unexpectedly spoiled by somebody. The possibility of regaining Midoya's companionship was now greatly reduced. It was just as well he wasn't an emotional person or he would be tempted to join Flora in a little crying as well. "Flora," he said, and was promptly ignored. "Flora," he repeated with more authority in his voice and she looked at him. "I want you to pass something to June Kito when she comes by later," he said, retrieving another box from his coat.
"Miss Kito?" Flora asked weakly.
"Yes, I have no doubt you will meet her eventually. She will want to question you on what happened here."
"Yeah," Flora said numbly.
"Take this and pass it to her," Kuroro said slowly, as if speaking to a child. "Make sure you give it to her personally. It is very important."
"Alright," Flora agreed faintly, taking the box with little resistance.
"Good girl." The sirens were getting closer now, and it was starting to snow, so Kuroro gently pushed Flora into a corner where she wouldn't be run over by a hurried ambulance and turned to leave. Her fingers clutched his sleeve a second longer, but fell away from him once he was out of arm's reach.
Trusting that she would be fine until someone could come by for her, Kuroro continued walking away with hardly a glance back. There were too many things on his mind for him to be bothered about her. The mission to reacquire Midoya had just gotten more complicated. A third party was involved, one who was screwing up his meticulous plans to re-seduce Midoya.
Anyone walking past him now would have been terrified into silence by the way Kuroro's eyes glowed with a black light in the cold moonlight. Whoever had interfered with his plans was going to regret it. Midoya was the prey of the Dancho of the Genei Ryodan, was his prey, and Kuroro never suffered to let anyone steal what was his.
SECOND KITO PROPERTY BOMBED! HUNDREDS DEAD! TERRORISTS TO BLAME OR INEFFICIENT SECURITY?! JUNE KITO FACES LAWSUITS!
PURITY OF THE SOUL MEMBERS RELEASED! CLAIM POLICE BRUTALITY DURING INTERROGATION!
WHO IS THE WOMAN BEHIND THE SEX TRADE IN YORK SHIN?! RICH HEIRESS, BUSINESS WOMAN, CRIMINAL?!
Giggle. Snort. Giggle. Too funny. Way too funny. The figure threw the newspapers onto the couch and laughed hysterically, laughed until tears ran down chubby cheeks. Watch how the witch burns! Soon, the same customers who swarm to her brothels at night will crucify her just to save themselves. Oh watch how the witch burns!
This was just too much FUN!
"There are uh… close to… six hundred dead… and uh… among them are important clients. Um… Mr Ronald Diego, brother of the Diego head is one. And um… Miss Jill Rivera, daughter of Mrs Roxanne Rivera, head of the Rivera family died there too. And um…" The papers fumbled in Sally's delicate hands and she dropped them. "Oh! I… I'm so sorry! I…" She glanced nervously at the person next to her. The person glanced back with a scowl.
"Okay, that's enough," June Kito said, taking the papers from Sally and arranging them neatly on her lap. "I've gotten the picture."
And what a picture it was too. By the time the fire patrol had reached the Spring Fleur, the whole building was nothing more than a blazing inferno of fire and death. The fire fighters couldn't even get close enough to the building to put the fire out, so they had opted to simply let it run its course. There couldn't possibly be any survivors left in the building anyway, not with how hot the fire was burning. So for two whole days, the central of York Shin City had been filled with the heat and fumes of the burning building until it finally collapsed under the weight of its own debris.
Then the excavations had started and a brand new chapter on this horror story was revealed with each body recovered. Some bodies had obviously been burned to dust, but others had remained, twisted, dry husks, a mere caricature of the human form. Customers and employees lay side by side where they had fallen, clutching at each other in the last throes of agony. The animals trapped in their watery graves had died alongside the humans. Many of them had been boiled alive before the glass broke. That was not something even Midoya would find cute. Too many of her people had died for that.
One had survived though. Only one, and she had survived under the most mysterious of circumstances.
"Flora, real name Janna Ramirez," June murmured, reading her file. "Repeat to me again how she got out of there."
Sally blinked and started searching amongst the papers spread over the car seat. "She um… she wasn't very coherent," the young secretary said finally. "Um… she was um… she's still in shock, but it says here that um… she kept saying she didn't understand… I think she meant she didn't understand the question… I guess? The uh… detective didn't give me any details so…"
"I see," June said coldly. Of course the detective refused to give her any information; that was why they needed to get to the hospital and question the survivor. Well, in truth she would have done so anyway. He just made the whole process a lot more tedious. "Mr Timbal, how much longer till we reach?"
Pepeka, in the driver's seat, glanced at the car's clock. "Ten minutes, ma'am," he said in the voice Midoya had started to realise was his 'professional' voice. She didn't have the heart to tell him it made him sound like he had a stuffy nose largely because she had a feeling his voice was a failed attempt to imitate her accent. But then, who knows? Maybe he was actually doing a great job of imitating her and that she sounded like she had a stuffy nose to other people as well.
"And they found two bombs?" June asked Sally instead.
"Um… yes…" Sally put out another piece of paper. "We uh… got our hands on it… and uh… they were incendiary bombs, Miss Kito. I guess that means they…"
"Set off fires. Yes, that's what incendiary means," June said with a tinge of impatience. "You also said that the entrance was blocked?"
"Yes… yeah… it's here." Sally passed her a piece of paper. "Normally the metal um… shutters aren't put down unless you know… the brothel's closed. But in this case… it seems uh… it seems the shutters were down, so no one could get out… I guess? And um… oh, the shutters blew out later though. Like… the police think maybe the explosion blew it out…?"
Or someone strong enough or well-versed enough in Nen knocked it down. "I see," June murmured, and blinked slowly in an attempt to rest her eyes without appearing to do so. "Is the Diego family still calling?"
Sally nodded. "Yes… they want to sue because… uh… they said you know… Mr Diego wouldn't be dead if he hadn't been there. And why did you let this happen… and stuff like that." She paused and flushed. "The um… Rivera family are joining them. And the uh… August family. They um… they're… teaming up I guess." The delicate face turned even redder. "Daddy says… he wanted me to tell you his uh… offer still stands?"
June Kito scowled and this time Midoya joined her. "They don't care that their family members are dead," she said coldly, ignoring the last comment. "They just want a chance to take a stab at me."
And what a chance it was. She could already guess most of what had happened. The Ryodan had blown up the Rose Petal and had moved on to the Spring Fleur. She did not know why they chose to kill everyone in the latter but not the former, but no matter. What was done was done; they had destabilised her position and made her vulnerable to her enemies. Allowing such a thing to happen to her clients had provided them ample ammunition to threaten her position within the mafia. And there were all the dead people, the young men and women she employed… But that was how the Ryodan worked, wasn't it? This was what they did to people who harmed them.
"Miss Kito," Pepeka said, interrupting her thoughts. "We are here."
Opening her eyes, June looked out of the window at the grey building before her: the York Shin General Hospital where, as was the joke amongst the rich and famous, the commoners go to die. Personally, Midoya didn't know what was so wrong about affordable healthcare. It had saved the life of Janna Ramirez aka Flora after all.
"Thank you Mr Timbal," she said crisply and climbed out of the car. Immediately, she caught sight of something that made her scowl: Detective Bran waiting for her at the entrance with a scowl of his own. "Detective," she said, as she walked briskly towards him, Sally and Pepeka following behind her.
"Miss Kito," he said, eyes glinting. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm paying a visit to my employee, Detective Bran," June said firmly. "It's not a crime to offer help and assistance to one of my people who has gone through a terrifying ordeal, is it?"
To her surprise, he didn't voice a protest. He didn't even add an insult. Instead, he stepped aside to let her pass. Midoya and June exchanged glances, but neither could make sense of that so June decided to take advantage of it and quickly walked past him before he could change his mind.
Though both June Kito and Midoya lived hard and dangerous lives, neither of them could claim to have been in a hospital for any length of time. It wasn't just the unpleasant memories that she had of a miserable childhood spent within white walls similar to these or the fact that she didn't trust the staff in these public hospitals, it was also because of the presence hospitals had. She knew she wasn't the only one who felt it; most Hunters and Nen-users, people like Kuroro did too. Despite the antiseptic, despite all the cleaning that went on in hospitals, the stench of death and blood still lingered in the air, obvious especially to people like her with heightened senses. Not only could she smell disease and blood in the air, she could feel it, could sense death in the auras of the people lying behind white, plain doors. Hospitals were where people went to die, and she could feel it down to her bones.
"Ugh," she heard Pepeka mutter softly behind her and knew he felt it too.
At some point, Detective Bran had ended up walking in front of them. Wordlessly, he directed her straight to Ramirez's room. He didn't need to though; June had already found out before reaching the hospital which room the young woman was in. Just as before she reached, she had already heard about the state the young woman was in.
Still, it was one thing knowing and another thing seeing.
The first things that she saw were the eyes. Writers have used a particular phrase to refer to eyes like this for decades. 'Dead eyes', it was called, which was a misnomer, in Midoya's opinion. Eyes like that weren't dead. Dead eyes were glassy and blank, as if they were made of wax. Look into a dead man's eyes and you wouldn't see a thing; Midoya knew that from experience. Eyes like these were glassy, yes, and blank, but they weren't filled with nothingness. No, they were filled with the horror of memories played over and over and over again, relentlessly, mercilessly looping through the neural system. Death would have been a mercy.
"She hasn't responded in over twelve hours," Bran said from behind her, his voice tinged with a dark emotion June did not identify immediately.
"I see." June stared coldly down at the young woman lying on the bed, eyes staring sightlessly into the past. This was out of June's jurisdiction. June Kito was pampered, sheltered, and uncaring; she wouldn't know what to do with a case like this. She couldn't even sympathise with the kind of horrors this woman had endured. All she saw as she stared down at the still figure was a weak, pathetic creature no better than an amoeba, perhaps even less useful. Such a mentality was not good for getting information. As much as she hated it, she would have to let Midoya cross over into June's life. Midoya would be better at this. Midoya would be able to get answers.
"Leave the room and close the door," June ordered, and though it was expected, she was still annoyed when Bran refused to leave. Since Bran didn't want to leave, Pepeka didn't either, and in the end, only Sally ended up standing outside the room.
"I have to make sure you don't kill the only witness we have," Bran sneered but June ignored him. Instead, she sat next to the young woman and gingerly picked up her hand as if it were a used tissue she had found lying under her bed. With just a tiny bit of hesitation, she let the wall that was June Kito drop.
"Janna," Midoya said softly. "Can you hear me?" No response. That was to be expected so she continued, "Have you ever slept in the open before, out on the streets without a roof over your head?" No response, but Midoya knew she had. People like Ramirez lived on the streets before she found them. "Do you remember what the nights are like? It is cold, like ice, isn't it? No, it is worse than ice. It's the kind of chill that gets into your bone. Sometimes people don't know what a torture the cold can be in itself. It's a living thing, it burrows into your skin, steals every bit of warmth and strength from your limbs, and you shake and shake, and feel your life drain out of you with every second."
No response. Behind her, she could feel Bran's eyes boring into her back.
"Do you remember what makes you feel better?" Midoya murmured, gently stroking the cold hand between hers. "Fire." The fingers twitched. "It's not a very big fire; there's never enough fuel to burn on the streets of York Shin. But even if it is small, it is contained, inside a metal container perhaps, like a trash can. And it is so warm. You can feel it against your hands, you can feel it in your blood. You can feel it returning life to you." The fingers twitched some more. "The fire is nice, isn't it? It's so cheery, the only light in the dark. Even if you don't put it in so many words, you know what it represents. Everyone does. People always gather where there is light. It represents more than warmth and safety; it represents life, it represents society, it represents the human ability to conquer nature." She paused, and in a much gentler voice said, "But it burns sometimes." The hand was starting to shake in hers. "You've been burned before, haven't you?"
Abruptly, Janna jerked to life, pulling away from her with a terrified shriek, but Midoya held on to her hand, refusing to let her go. "Kito!" Bran shouted, hand grabbing her shoulder roughly, but she ignored him.
"You've been burned before, Janna," Midoya repeated with great intensity, forcing Janna to meet her eyes, "you've been burned but you survived." Janna froze in mid-struggle, staring back at her with tears streaming down her face. "You survived," Midoya repeated, hearing Bran grunt in pain when Pepeka physically started to pull him away. "You survived, just as you have survived again. You are alive, Janna, you are alive. You made it back to the light."
Pale lips started to tremble and Janna gulped back her tears. "I survived," she whispered and started to sob.
"Yes," Midoya agreed gently, feeling Bran let go of her shoulder as Pepeka finally dragged him off her. "Yes, you live, and that is something to celebrate." She paused, and added the kicker, "Caitlyn is on her way here, and she will be very happy to see you."
The sobs intensified and Janna sank into her arms. Though the pink hair tickled her nose, Midoya put her arms around the young woman and held her tightly, patiently waiting out the storm of emotions.
For several minutes, they sat like that until Janna's sobs started to taper off. Finally, she sat back and wiped her face. "Are you alright now, dear?" Midoya asked kindly, even as deep below, June cringed at the thought of anyone seeing her be kind. That was the kind of thing that could be taken as weakness in the circles June ran in. Midoya pointedly told her to suck it up and stop whining since this was all for the greater good. June ignored her with a disdainful flick of her hair.
"Yes," Janna said shakily, wiping at her red, blotchy face, "Oh lord, look at my face. I need to clean up. I don't want Caitlyn to see me like… like this…"
"Of course dear," Midoya said with a knowing nod. Ignoring the men standing in an awkward, half-aggressive stalemate behind her, she reached into her purse and pulled out wet wipes, a comb and a compact. "Our colours are similar enough," she said, eyeing Janna's face critically. "You could probably use this. I have a lipstick in here somewhere too. It's a little too red for you I think, but it will do for now."
"Thank you," Janna said, and her eyes shone with a gratitude that made Midoya smile and June cringe even more.
"Come here, let me help you," Midoya said, and started to gently wipe Janna's face. "Oh, you are so pale, you poor thing. You must have had such a fright being in the building when it went up in flames like that. But you are very lucky you got out unscathed, dear. How on earth did you accomplish that?"
"It was… a customer," Janna said, eyes closed as she let Midoya wipe her tears away. "He got me out somehow. I don't really… remember how he did it. I think he carried me most of the way up but I'm not really sure. There was just so much… so much fire… and…" She was starting to shake again, so Midoya made a shushing noise and urged her to lie back.
"So a customer got out," Midoya said instead, taking the compact and gently laying powder on the woman's face. "That is good. Do you remember what he looks like? There are many people who want to know if their family or friends survived. It would be nice to be able to tell someone something." Powder done, she pulled out the lipstick and dabbed a little onto the too-pale lips.
Janna's brow furrowed in thought. "He was very handsome," she said finally, rubbing her lips together when Midoya indicated she should. "I think he was maybe… in his early or mid-twenties. And he was very pale, with black hair and black eyes." A faint smile ghosted over her face, tinted with more than a little bit of genuine attraction. "I don't know what his occupation is but he talks like a teacher. Not… not like… Caitlyn's teacher, but maybe a college professor? " Another pause as she tried to reorganise her thoughts. "It was the way he spoke. Not that he sounded super educated like you, Miss Kito, but he spoke very fluently and very intelligently. Said something about the little mermaid and sex." She giggled and though there was still a note of hysteria in her voice, she sounded infinitely better. "Oh! I remember! He said his name is Kuroro."
Even though she expected it, Midoya could barely contain the grimace that threatened to form on her face. Behind her, she felt unease and shock course through Pepeka's Nen. "Kuroro, is it?" she commented neutrally, running the comb through the pink pixie-cut. "Where did he go after he saved you?"
"I don't know," Janna confessed. "I was… in shock… and I just couldn't stop staring at the… fire… and…" She stopped as if something had just struck her. "Oh, he gave me something to pass to you," she said, patting her sides. "It was a very tiny box… he said to give it to you, personally." Her mouth formed a tiny O of surprise when she realised that she was wearing a hospital gown and not her fairy costume. "I… where did it go to?" she asked, upset enough that tears were forming in her eyes again. "He was… he was really serious about it. Made me promise to pass it to you. It seemed important…"
Bran cleared his throat. "We found this on you," he said, leaning over and presenting a tiny velvet box to her. "Is this it?"
"Yes!" Janna exclaimed, looking relieved. "That's it!"
Before Bran could withdraw the box, Midoya took it out of his hand and he scowled at her. Ignoring him, she opened the box and peered in, steeling herself for another nasty surprise. This time, no alligator heads rushed out to meet her. Instead, inside the box laid a pair of earrings, beautiful, intricate earrings made of a dazzling mix of silver, diamonds and sapphires. Though the sapphires were just normal if expensive ones, to Midoya's eye, the earrings still looked like they were made to be worn with the Infinity Gem. Similar gems, similar designs. No coincidence there.
"Couldn't help wondering what that was about," Bran said coldly from behind her. "Who was he? Your jeweller? Boyfriend? Boy toy?"
Again, Midoya ignored him, choosing instead to close her eyes and think through the implications of this. Why had Kuroro given the earrings to her? Was he mocking her? It certainly felt like it. He had blown up an entire building of her people and then given her jewellery to match the thing that she had betrayed him to obtain. It felt like he was saying that the price of these earrings was the lives of six hundred people, that he felt she would find it an acceptable price. And the idea that this was what the earrings implied… hurt. That was unexpected; she hadn't felt anything like that in a while, not since Netero died at least. Now was really not a good time to discover she respected Kuroro enough to value his opinion of her.
Oh bull, June sneered. Both of them knew Midoya had more than enough respect for Kuroro to value his thoughts and opinions about everything, including her own self. It was near impossible not to care what he thought. That man practically oozed charisma. He had a gift for making people want to listen to him, to fulfil his demands and generally make him happy, that bastard.
"Miss Kito?" Janna peered at her. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," Midoya replied, looking back down at the box. Something at the bottom caught her attention: a tiny white corner peeking out from beneath the black velvet. For a brief moment, she wondered how she could abstract it without letting the detective know. Well, if she couldn't do it behind his back, she might as well do it in front of him. Decision made, she turned to Bran and held out the box to him, palming the edge of the white slip between her thumb and pointer as she did. "Here's your evidence," she said dryly.
Scowling, Bran swiped it from her, separating the box from the white slip as he did. Fortunately, he didn't notice. Even better, he didn't say anything else. Midoya's mood was starting to take a turn for the worst, and she didn't think she was capable of dealing maturely with his taunts. In fact, she was more likely to do some rather violent and regrettable things to him that June Kito wouldn't do so openly. It was probably time to get out of here before Midoya's low impulse control made a mess of things in June's life.
"Janna dear, I need to leave now," she said, patting the girl on the shoulder. "But don't worry. My people are bringing Caitlyn over, and we can arrange for a nanny to take care of her if you need to be hospitalised for a longer period of time. In the meantime, don't worry about the hospital bills; I'll take care of it. If you need any help, contact Rose. You know who she is, don't you? Excellent. Rest well dear, and don't think too much about what had happened. Like I said, you survived, and that's all that matters."
"Thank you," Janna said, and tears filled her eyes.
With a last smile at the young woman, Midoya turned and strode out of the room, Pepeka and Sally falling behind her.
"Miss Kito?" Pepeka questioned tentatively, and she realised he must have seen her little trick, or at least suspected she had done something. Wordlessly, she passed him the slip. She had already read it and knew what it said: 10pm, Goddess Park, any day you wish.
"This…" Pepeka started to say, but had the sense to stop before he said anything in front of Sally. "Sally, could you please excuse us?"
Sally blinked and looked at Midoya, who nodded. With curious glances at them, Sally tottered off to stand a distance away.
"Sensei," Pepeka said very softly. "Kuroro… this is… what do you plan to do?"
Midoya looked at him and wished she could send him off on the earliest flight she could find because she knew he wouldn't like what she was going to say. "I can't let this slide, Pepeka," she told him reluctantly. "Six hundred people are dead, Pepeka. Six hundred of my employees and clients. And there is no indication that this is the last bombing."
"So…"
"So I'm going to have to do something I should have done a long time ago. I'm going to hunt the Ryodan." Pepeka's jaw clenched. "I am going to hunt Kuroro Lucifer and I am going to… stop him."
For a moment, they were silent then Pepeka said with surprising quietness, "It's easier when you hate your enemies, right, sensei?"
"Yes," Midoya replied softly, staring into the distance and envisioning the violence that was to take place. "It's always a bonus."
A/N: I apologise deeply for the delay in uploading this chapter! I was overseas and did not realise I wouldn't be able to find a stable Internet connection so I had to wait till I got back to upload this.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story. Next week, the showdown between Kuroro and Midoya!
Trivial: The truth was that since he started his relationship with Midoya, Kuroro had become quite acclimatised to various types of bizarre costumes and fashions, so much so that he found it hard to be shocked by any amount of frills, faux leather and corsets anymore. Midoya was, after all, both very good with disguises and very creative in the bedroom. That combination had made for some rather shocking and sexually confusing experiences.
For instance, once Kuroro had walked out of the toilet to the sight of Midoya sprawled seductively over the orange couch dressed in a kinky-librarian outfit, complete with black-rimmed spectacles, a leather whip and The Oxford Dictionary ed. Ten, covering her breasts. Another time, Kuroro had woken up to Midoya skipping around the bedroom in full medieval armour, complete with a heavy lance and giant banner.
However, if pushed, Kuroro would admit that the most shocking thing he had ever seen Midoya wear was an outfit she had worn close to a year ago.
That night, Kuroro had returned late, having just robbed the York Shin National Bank for the tenth time that year. When he entered Midoya's penthouse, the first thing he noticed was that all her lights were out. The second thing he noticed was the scary old woman, with a heavily-wrinkled face, broken yellow teeth and a hooked nose with a huge wart at the tip swinging a massive, pink frilly umbrella at him.
The rest of the night saw a half-guilty Kuroro nursing a bruised and very hurt Midoya who refused to stop giving him the most devastating puppy eyes he had ever seen.
But really, in his defence, he hadn't recognised her in that outfit at all. It's not like he'd ever seen her dressed as an umbrella before.
