Note: You know those very serious animes that have very cracky OVAs? This is kinda like it. Almost crackfic. I'm calling it fanservice
EPILOGUE
"And then she said that I need brighter colors in my wardrobe because it always looks like I'm going to a funeral," Maki said grumpily, taking a step to the side to dodge a punch from a man two heads taller than her. She got hold of his arm and yanked it behind his back, making him yell out in pain. "But I've always dressed like that before, so I don't know why she's bringing that up now. Do you think it has something to do with the fact that she knows now what I'm really doing?"
"I don't know," Umi panted, struggling against the muscular arm around her neck that was trying to choke her. "Have you tried talking to her about it?"
"Talking?" Maki breathed out a laugh, and punched twice against the large man's face. "You've met my wife, you know you won't get a word in when she doesn't agree."
Umi's answer came delayed as she was still choked by her enemy. She decided she had enough of playing nice and took out her gun, firing two shots against the lower abdomen of the man, and he sank to his knees with a scream.
Umi greedily inhaled air and coughed a few times. "She seems pretty reasonable to me. I think there's a deeper reason behind it."
Frowning, Maki threw her enemy over her shoulder and stepped on his chest. "A deeper reason? Behind wanting me to wear brighter clothes? I mean, it's not like she hasn't tried to do that before. And I admit, I sometimes gave in to avoid arguing. But now she's really obsessed with it."
"Well, I'm married to a fashion designer, so why don't you ask me how it feels like to have someone obsess over what you wear," Umi muttered, stepping over the bodies on the ground with a grimace.
"But Kotori's different," Maki complained, stomping down on the man's head when he tried to stand up. "She knows her stuff. And she makes cool stuff for you. But Nico just tries to insert her own epilepsy inducing clothing habits into my wardrobe. It's not the same."
The man on the ground grunted in pain. "Would you just kill me already? I don't want to listen to this for one second longer."
"Oh, thanks for your consent, that makes things easier," Maki sighed in relief and she took out her gun to fire a shot against his head. She turned to Umi again. "Anyway, I'm thinking Nico is actually still scared of what the Soldiers really are, but she doesn't want to talk about it. But I can't really tell if that is true because she's been so busy lately that we really don't have time to talk about it."
"How about tonight?" Umi suggested, fixing her tie that had gotten loose during the fight. "It's not ideal, but she can't run away."
Maki sighed. "Yeah, I guess."
"Guys, I really hate to interrupt," a voice in their ears spoke up impatiently, "but can you get a move on? I thought you wanted to be punctual tonight for a change?"
"I don't know about you, but we just had to fight twelve men in total," Maki said, looking around to count the bodies. Not all of them were dead, only the boss and his right hand man had been killed.
"And we would've been faster if I had been there too," Eli's disgruntled voice replied.
"You know we needed someone to guard that boat, it's our only way of leaving this goddamn island," Maki said grimly.
"It's okay now, Eli, we're coming," Umi said.
But just as Maki and Umi were moving to leave the villa, ten more men stormed towards them.
Maki sighed. She took out the magazine of her gun and checked how many bullets she had left. "Umi, you got any ammo? I'm all out."
"I'm afraid I just used up my last two shots," Umi said after checking her own gun.
"What's wrong," Eli's voice questioningly rang out.
Umi and Maki tucked away their empty guns and unbuttoned their suits.
"Eli," Umi said calmly, "would you mind calling Kotori and tell her that we're going to be ten minutes late?"
"You said ten minutes!"
"Kotori, wait," Umi called after her wife desperately, "I couldn't have foreseen that our target had so many security people on the island. Please, I really didn't forget about tonight."
Kotori stopped walking away from Umi, knowing that they were garnering attention. She didn't turn around, waiting for Umi to stand behind her. "It's already the third time this month."
"I know, and I'm sorry-"
"My mother wanted us to give the welcome speech together."
"Yes, I know and -"
"And how could you," Kotori finally turned around, her eyes narrowed in hurt, "how could you show up like this!"
"Hah?" Umi looked down on herself. She was dressed in a tight navy blue suit that she had borrowed from Maki since her own had gotten dirty from their earlier mission. Since Maki's house was on the way to the Minami Group gala, the Soldiers had stopped there for a wardrobe change since they couldn't attend a high class event in blood-stained clothes.
"How can you cheat on me?" Kotori said accusingly.
Umi's mouth dropped open. She quickly reached for Kotori, "Wait, Kotori, I – I never -"
"No," Kotori slapped her hand away. "Don't try to lie. I can recognize a suit I haven't made myself. And I know you haven't bought any in the last few weeks. So where did you get it?"
"My suit?" Umi whispered in disbelief. Things were escalating because of a suit?
"Don't play dumb, it doesn't fit you." Kotori pulled at the lapel of her suit, rubbing it beneath her fingers. She quickly let go of it with a disgusted expression. "You know very well that Sarah Wang and I don't get along."
"Eh? Sarah Who?" Umi didn't understand a thing anymore. What did a stranger have to do with anything?
"Wang! Sarah Wang!" Kotori repeated, her expression only getting darker. "She said my fashion taste is ten years behind...as if! She is the one who makes mediocre clothes. Look at the stitching!" Kotori pulled at the hem of Umi's suit. "Not precise at all! How much did you spend on it?"
"I -I didn't buy it," Umi said slowly, realizing what this was all about. Kotori was very sensitive about clothing brands, especially brands from competitors.
Kotori gasped, tears welling up in her eyes. "So you know her personally and she gave it to you for free? Umi, how could you!"
"What?" Umi almost yelled. "No, that's not my suit, this thing is not mine!" She quickly slipped out of it and held it away with her fingertips. "I borrowed it. I borrowed it from Maki, but I didn't know it was made by Sarah Wang! I didn't even know who she was!"
"Well, that's rude," a melodious high voice inserted.
Already uneasy about the argument with Kotori, Umi turned her head to the intruder and said in irritation, "Excuse me, we're having a private -" Her eyes widened and she swallowed. "...conversation."
"I thought that suit looked good on you," a tall woman in a form fitting dress said, her dark eyes parkling in amusement. She was holding a champagne glass between two fingers. "Hello, Kotori."
Not thrilled with the appearance of the stranger, Kotori faked a smile, "Hello, Sarah. I didn't know you were invited."
"I'm pretty surprised too," Sarah smiled politely, showing off her perfectly white teeth. "But your mother was kind enough to invite me so I can give input on your new spring collection." She turned to Umi, who was still dazedly staring at her. "I'm sorry to hear that you are unsatisfied with my work, is there any way I can make it up to you?" Her eyelashes fluttered and her gaze fell on Umi's lips.
Umi cleared her throat and stared at the suit in her hands. "No, it's okay. I – I, er, well –" She trailed off when she found herself getting caught in a stuttering mess.
"I think my mother is calling for me," Kotori said, linking her arm with Umi's. "Umi, let's go. She hasn't seen you for weeks."
Without waiting for a reply, Kotori tugged Umi along with her, and the latter one stumbled after her.
"We'll meet again," Sarah waved after them with a smirk and she blew a kiss to Umi, who quickly turned her head forward.
"Wait, Kotori, slow down." Umi almost bumped into a waiter holding a tray of beverages. "Kotori!"
And her wife stopped walking.
"Kotori," Umi carefully touched her shoulder and when she met no protest, she gently turned her around.
Kotori was pouting. And it made Umi's heart melt.
"You know how I feel about you wearing other people's clothes," Kotori muttered, gazing down.
Umi chuckled quietly. "Yes, I know. 'A custom-made suit is a very intimate connection between tailor and wearer'," she cited her wife's words on their first date. "I'm sorry. I didn't pay attention to the brand when I picked it."
"It's okay," Kotori shook her head, reaching for Umi's hands and intertwining their fingers. "I know I was overreacting. But whenever you go out on your missions, it's making me crazy...not knowing where you are...not knowing if you'll come back safely. I've been seeing less and less of you lately."
"Kotori," Umi stopped herself from launching into a speech where she wanted to defend herself, knowing that it wasn't Kotori's intention to make her feel like she should quit the Soldiers. She was only pointing out the obvious. "I'm sorry. In the weeks we have been on vacation, the criminals have increased their activities. We need to strike now while they are visible and easier targets."
Kotori bit her lip. "I know. I wish you wouldn't have to do that."
"Me neither," Umi whispered with a weak smile. "If the police did their job right, I wouldn't have to. But there is only so much they can do on a legal basis. To catch those working outside the law, you have to act outside the law yourself."
"But," Kotori swallowed, knowing that she couldn't ask her selfish wish. She lowered her gaze, asking something entirely else instead. "Stay by my side for the whole night?"
Umi kissed her on the cheek. "Of course."
Despite not really liking champagne, Eli found herself sipping on a glass of it, standing in a corner as she watched her girlfriend bustling back and forth between various important people to check if this event was going well and if every demand was fulfilled.
She wouldn't say she was sulking. She was too old to indulge in such a childish manner. But her mood could be best described as sulking.
"Hey."
"Maki?"
The red-haired woman looked completely worn out, her red tie was hanging loosely around her neck and the collar of her shirt was turned up.
"What...the hell," Eli muttered when Maki grabbed two champagne glasses from a by-passing waiter carrying a tray of drinks. She downed them consecutively and set the glasses back on an empty tray of a different waiter.
"Umi's advice is shit," Maki cursed after taking a deep breath. She pointed to Eli's half-full champagne glass. "Are you going to drink that?"
Eli handed her the glass and watched it getting emptied within a second. "I take it the talk with Nico didn't go well?" She lifted her left arm and gazed at her watch. "We've arrived here only ten minutes ago."
"Well, five minutes is all it took to escalate," Maki muttered in frustration. "I swear, that woman probably only saved my ass so many times so she could be the one to kill it herself."
"Then you probably deserved it," Eli commented drily. "What untactful thing did you say this time?"
"Why do you always assume it's my fault?" Maki growled.
"I'm not saying it's always your fault," Eli shrugged, "but judging the way I know you, you probably handled that situation in a way that was unnecessarily untactful and stupid."
"Wow," Maki muttered, "so much faith in me."
Eli raised an eyebrow. "So what happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it, it's only going to piss me off more."
"Okay," Eli nodded. "Whenever you're -"
"So here's the thing," Maki began, already immersed in her story, "you already know of Nico's recent obsession of dressing me in brighter colors. And Umi said -"
"That is has a deeper reason, yes, I heard," Eli sighed. "Skip to the important part."
"So taking Umi's advice, I wanted to talk about this with Nico here. That went well for like, two seconds, and then Nico started saying stuff like she can't control what I do, so she doesn't care anymore about how I dress. Like how contradictory is that? I know she didn't say that because she has accepted it. You know how some people agree with you just so you would stop talking? I felt like that was the case. And then I-"
Eli was trying to keep listening to Maki's story, but her ears were starting to block her out and her eyes focused on Nozomi, who was conversing with a tall, gorgeous woman. Eli blinked. That woman somehow looked familiar, but she couldn't tell in which aspect.
"Anyway, so I hope you don't mind if I'm crashing at your place tonight."
"Mhm," Eli hummed, nodding absently. Nozomi was going with the familiar woman somewhere. The blonde wondered what they were talking about.
"Eh, wait, what?" Eli turned her head to Maki, who was drinking her fifth glass of champagne.
"Damn, I don't know if this stuff is only good because I know it's expensive or if my taste buds have changed," Maki muttered into her glass, her gaze becoming unfocused.
"Let me test that for you," Eli said, carefully taking the glass out of Maki's hand. "How about you stick with me for tonight before you do anything embarrassing. Your wife still has a performance to give."
"Screw my wife," Maki muttered before she paused. "Haven't done that in years now."
Eli's expression turned into a grimace. "I didn't need to know that. And it's definitely not been years because you weren't even together for longer than three."
Maki rolled her eyes. "That's just an expression. And two days without her feel like years to me."
"Okay, now you're just oversharing." Eli shoved Maki to test if she could still stand firmly on her feet.
"What the hell," Maki hissed, pushing Eli back, but the blonde didn't budge the slightest. "What was that for?"
"I didn't know you were such a lightweight."
"I haven't eaten anything today."
"What?" Eli grabbed Maki's shoulders. "Here's a huge buffet. Start eating. If you're going to pass out, I'm not dragging you out of here."
"I have a wife for that," Maki muttered, "it's like one of the unspoken things you promise when you marry someone. Being responsible for them."
"From idiot to romantic, choose one personality when you're drunk," Eli said, shoving Maki towards the open buffet.
"But romantics are always the biggest idiots," Maki mumbled.
"This is unbearable," Eli breathed, "I prefer the untactful asshole you are."
"Thanks," Maki muttered, loading herself a plate full of mini sandwiches. "You are a true friend."
"I know."
Maki shoved a mini sandwich in her mouth. "Damn. I'm starting to enjoy all this pretentious stuff. No wonder why people go corrupt. It's totally useless stuff, you can live perfectly fine without it, but once you had a taste of it, you can't not have it."
Eli gave her a wary glance. "They're just mini sandwiches."
"Yeah," Maki frowned, holding up one piece to scrutinize it before she stuffed it into her mouth. "But why mini? Why not give me normal sized sandwiches if I'm hungry? You know that I'd need to eat a plate of these to be remotely satisfied. You see, the purpose of this sandwich is not to feed a hungry stomach, but to find its place in a full one. Have you ever seen mini sandwiches being served at food banks?"
"You're thinking too much into this, it's just a snack," Eli said.
"I know," Maki shrugged, chewing on two at the same time. "Still a snack for people who've never had to starve a day."
And Eli instantly understood that what made Maki say all this were not the mini sandwiches.
"Maki. You know I'm here to listen."
Maki swallowed her food, but didn't reach for more. She suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.
"Twenty years ago, the only time I got to eat meat was on Christmas. My mother would save up for that day and cook something nice. But now I can eat everything everyday. I feel like I'm slowly losing my ground. What if I become one of the people we despise so much?"
"You won't," Eli countered immediately. "You know your past. And you are aware of yourself changing. Just because you didn't have it easy back then doesn't mean you can't enjoy things now. The only thing you owe to your past self is staying true to yourself."
"Eli, just promise me one thing," Maki said lowly. "If I ever forget where I came from, I want you to remind me. And if there's no saving me anymore, you know what to do."
Eli's eyes widened. "Stop it, it's just the alcohol talking."
"No, you know it's not," Maki said calmly. "I've been thinking this for a while now. I'm married to one of the best paid celebrities, and even though Nico's been using half of her fortune to invest in building schools and homes, she still has too much left to know what to do with it. So she buys me fancy stuff that I don't need. But I don't hate it. I don't hate it when I've got a fast car that I can't drive in the city. I don't hate it when I've got three of those."
"So this is what you meant with losing your ground."
"Yeah," Maki sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I hated people like me. But I'm one of them now. And what if I become so obsessed with this lifestyle that I betray the Soldiers for it one day?"
Eli stared at her grimly. "Then Umi and I will know where to find you. Maki, it's no use talking about this because it won't happen. You're not one of them. Alone the fact that you question yourself makes you different, makes you aware of your privilege. What we do doesn't lose meaning just because we aren't in the victimized group anymore. It only loses meaning if we're not doing it for the victimized group but for ourselves to look good."
Eli smiled proudly. "And the Soldiers don't brag about the things they've done. They just do it. Because it's their job."
"And because we're damn good at it," Maki added with a grin forming on her face.
"That's right," Eli laughed, "where would the world be without us, we've stopped a third world war for heaven's sake."
"Well, more like Nozomi did," Maki added as an afterthought. "Speaking of her, where is she?"
Eli looked around, her eyes quickly scanning the place in seconds. "She's not back."
"Back? Was she gone?"
"I saw her going in the direction of the cloakroom with someone. It's not unusual; when important guests want to leave, Nozomi escorts them on their way out."
"Probably some self-centered snob who can't stop talking about themselves won't let Nozomi leave," Maki chuckled.
The lighting in the hall shifted to the stage in the center and the background music stopped.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the performance we've all been waiting for, from none other than super icon Yazawa Nico!" the DJ announced.
And Nico stepped on stage, waving and smiling at the cheering crowd.
Eli suppressed a laugh when she saw Maki's expression lighting up, instantly wide awake and attentive. "Come on, go support your wife."
Maki looked torn. "We're supposed to be fighting."
"No, you're not," Eli sighed. "Your marriage won't last long if you're playing this childish game. Go now, I'll look for Nozomi."
And Maki made her way towards the stage while Eli headed to the cloakroom, finding it empty except for one staff worker guarding the clothes. "How can I help you?"
"Um," Eli gazed around, "have you seen two women walk past here? One of them had a staff pass like you."
"Oh, do you mean Manager Tojo? Yeah, they went in there," the worker confirmed with a nod, pointing past Eli at a door labeled 'staff'.
"Thank you."
She walked towards the door and knocked on it. "Hello?"
No answer.
Eli's left hand slowly pressed down the door handle while her right hand reached for her gun inside her suit jacket. And with on forceful push, she shoved the door open and stormed into the room.
"Eli!"
"Nozomi, what's -" Eli trailed off at the unexpected and bizarre sight. Not bizarre in the sense of frightening or wild, but simply strange. She had expected a more urgent situation. But not this. Not this casual setting of two people simply having a conversation.
"We were just talking about you," Nozomi smiled and gestured to the woman besides her. "May I introduce you, Sarah Wang. I worked for her for a short time."
"Before she defected to the Minami side," Sarah added with a chuckle. "No, just joking. It was actually me who recommended her to Mrs Minami. I believe she deserved more opportunities than what I could offer."
"Oh," Eli muttered, pulling her hand out of the suit. "So you are friends?"
"This is a good question," Sarah said with a smile directed at Nozomi. "I don't think we had the chance to connect before Ms Tojo left my company. I had the feeling that she preferred to keep to herself, so I didn't force anything."
"Ah," Nozomi tried to dismiss it with a smile. "I believe I was just very shy back then."
"Then I take it that things have changed?" Sarah asked.
"Yes," Nozomi replied with a meaningful look at Eli. "A lot of things have changed since then."
"And for the better, I see," Sarah nodded. "You look happy, if I'm allowed to say that."
"Thank you."
"Now, I better go back to the event. I have to say hi to Mrs Minami Senior." Sarah waved at them with a wink. "You two lovebirds better behave yourselves in here."
Even after she had left the room, Eli didn't avert her suspicious gaze from the door as if she was expecting Sarah to burst in again and declare war.
"What do you know about her?" Eli finally said, turning to Nozomi.
Nozomi raised an eyebrow. "I thought you came to seek me?"
Sighing, Eli pulled in Nozomi closer by her waist. "I did." She brushed her lips against her ear. "Found you."
Giggling because the light touch tickled her, Nozomi playfully shoved Eli away from her. "I need to go back. I'm the event manager."
"So?" Eli pulled Nozomi closer again, pressing their bodies together. She placed feathery light kisses on Nozomi's exposed neck.
"So..." Nozomi sucked in a shaky breath. "So I need to go."
"Says who," Eli mumbled against soft skin before she gently bit down with her teeth, lightly sucking on the skin and circling it with her tongue.
"Says my...my sense of responsibility..." Nozomi's eyes fluttered shut.
Eli's hands slid down Nozomi's back until they rested on her butt. "I'm sure your sense of responsibility will understand." And the blonde lifted her up on a table behind her. "Just enjoy yourself for tonight."
"I could lose my job," Nozomi whispered, her words betraying her actions. Her legs had wrapped themselves around Eli's hips, keeping her in place.
"Do you care?" Eli breathed against Nozomi's skin, stopping her actions despite already knowing the answer.
"No."
And that was all she needed to know for her to push Nozomi down on the table.
"I'm sorry, only VIPs allowed in here," a security man for backstage kept Maki from entering.
"Excuse me?" Maki raised an eyebrow. "My wife's performing on stage right now. And I am her very important person, so I do think I'm allowed in here."
The security man furrowed his brows, staring at Maki in confusion. "Sorry, I don't know you. I'm just sticking to the protocol."
"It's okay, she's with me."
Kotori and Umi appeared behind Maki.
"Of course." The security quickly stepped to the side and let them three pass.
"Thanks," Maki muttered.
"So I take it you haven't talked to Nico yet?" Umi asked.
"Oh, I have." Maki sighed and looked longingly at the stage where Nico was still performing. "But things just got confusing. She suddenly said stuff like she doesn't care anymore about how I dress."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Umi said with a frown.
Kotori gasped. "Of course not! That only means that Nico doesn't want to argue about it anymore. But this doesn't solve anything."
"I knew it!" Maki hissed, clenching her fist. "I need to talk to her again."
"Her performance will be over in one minute, that's when I have to make a speech," Kotori said. "It's your perfect chance."
"Okay," Maki nodded, swallowing. "I'll do it."
"And just a tip," Umi added. "Don't immediately get defensive the moment you feel criticized."
"What? I don't get defensive, I can handle criticism perfectly well." Maki paused when she realized what she had said. "Alright, I'll try to remember it."
The song came to an end; Nico bowed for her audience before she walked off the stage and headed backstage.
"Good luck," Umi said after kissing Kotori, which Maki thought was directed at her since her eyes were still focused on Nico. "Thanks. I'll need it."
"That wasn't -" Umi stopped when she saw Kotori's amused look. "Do your best."
Kotori and Nico exchanged hugs on the stage before they traded places. Standing in front of the audience, Kotori did the formality of a self-introduction despite everyone knowing exactly who she was while Nico was backstage now, eyes widening when she saw Maki waiting for her.
To respect their privacy, Umi left the backstage lounge.
"Maki..."
"I'm sorry!" Maki blurted out, suddenly having forgotten everything she had wanted to say. Everything she had prepared on her way here vanished from her mind; from a strong introduction, to several elaborate arguments, to a mic-dropping conclusion. But she couldn't remember any of the mental notes she had made anymore.
"Maki?" Nico asked in concern when Maki kept opening and closing her mouth.
"I like you," Maki said clumsily. "I love you."
Nico had to suppress a laugh, knowing that Maki was trying very hard to open up and tell the truth. "Yes, I love you too, that's why we married."
"Okay, no, that's not what I wanted to get at," Maki mumbled, nervously pulling at her tie. "The thing is...I love you and I don't want us to fight unless it's the prelude to sex. But right now, I don't like the way things are."
Nico didn't interrupt her. She nodded for Maki to go on.
"I understand if recent developments have been tough for you. And I know I set a shitty example of being honest." Maki took a deep breath. "But because I really want our marriage to work in the long run, I think it's important that we talk things out."
Nico frowned. "I hope you're not suggesting relationship counseling because I don't have time for that. If I wanted someone to intrude in our relationship and earn a lot of money for it, I'd just send our sex tape to the tabloids."
"No, that's not what – you still have it?" Maki hissed in shock. "I thought we agreed to watch it once and then delete that?"
Nico shrugged. "I look really good in that video."
"I'm not – I don't – argh!" Maki held her head in frustration. "Okay, that's a matter for another day, but don't think I'll forget it, I just have more pressing issues at the moment. Like your obsession with my clothes."
"I told you, I don't care anymore," Nico said, crossing her arms.
"No, you know what? You were right."
"I always am," Nico agreed. "But you need to be more specific. What was I right about?"
"About me wearing brighter colors," Maki said. "From now on, I'll wear brighter stuff. Maybe some red. Maybe some orange. God, I'd even wear that damn pink bunny tie again if it makes you happy. I'll wear it, don't you think I won't do it."
"Eh?" Nico gazed up at Maki in confusion. "Why?"
Maki swallowed. "Because I love you, that's why. I don't want to fight anymore. Like I said, I want us to work out in the long run, which is kind of the point of a marriage. And there's nothing wrong with your concern over my wardrobe choices, I know I made it more of big deal than it really was, and we have this nasty habit of goading each other. But I guess we need to learn how to compromise. And I want to do the first step. Even if it means wearing a pink bunny tie."
Covering her mouth, Nico began laughing, and her eyes sparkled in amusement.
"Nico?" Maki muttered, confused and a bit insecure.
"Buying you the bunny tie was a joke, I didn't really think you'd wear it," Nico said between laughs shaking her body. "That was the day I knew I could marry you without regrets."
"What?" Maki exclaimed. "But you – but I –"
"I never asked you to wear it, did I?" Nico chuckled, still grinning.
Maki closed her mouth and allowed herself a moment to think back.
Her wife, at that time girlfriend, had given her a pink tie with white bunny prints as a six-months anniversary present. Maki had been unable to hide her shocked expression after opening the gift and when Nico had questioned her in an innocent tone if she hated it, Maki had quickly denied it and wanted to prove her appreciation by wearing the present to work the next day.
"And you really believed that I wanted to force my own fashion style onto you?" Nico laughed. "The idol Yazawa Nico can wear pink ties, but she would never expect her wife to change her style."
"So..." Maki narrowed her eyes, "you were just messing with me? And here I thought the tie meant a lot to you."
"It did," Nico said with a smile. "It proved how serious you were about me. Before that day, I couldn't imagine you doing something so cute and ridiculous for me at all. We've been dating for just half a year back then, I didn't know to what extent you liked me. You aren't exactly the kind of person to wear your heart on your sleeves."
Maki grumbled beneath her breath, but couldn't really feel angry at her wife. "And the reason that you want me to wear brighter colors now is...?"
Nico's smile faded. "I...it's probably stupid."
"No, tell me," Maki said lowly, stepping closer to Nico. "We're not going back to not talking."
Nico bit her lip. "It's just...a stupid attempt to take away the darkness of your job."
Maki scrunched up her face. "I understand but at the same time I don't."
"I know I can't change anything about what you do," Nico muttered, "but I'm scared that you will lose yourself in it. The things you do...they are not what normal people can do without breaking."
"I won't break," Maki whispered, wrapping her arms around Nico and hugging her close. "I'm strong."
"I know," Nico mumbled against Maki's suit. "But even the strong ones have their limits. What if you one day meet yours and I will lose you?"
"You won't." Maki squeezed her wife tighter. "If you're afraid of losing me to the dark side, it won't happen." Because she had made sure that she would cease to exist before that could happen. It was a promise she knew that Eli and Umi would respect if it ever got that far.
"I hope so, or I'm going to rescuscitate you just so I can personally kill you again." Nico leaned her head against Maki's shoulder. "Why do you think do I keep saving your butt."
Maki chuckled. "I knew it. It's almost romantic how well I can predict your murderous intentions."
"You are romantic in your own way," Nico admitted. "In a very twisted, strange, weird -"
"Is this going to end on a light note?"
"- possibly quite dangerous way. I could have died because of you. I'm pretty certain my soul left me for a moment back there."
Maki wasn't sure if Nico was even expecting an answer from her at this point. But she was going to give her one anyway. "You were very brave. You still are. For sticking with me."
"I know," Nico muttered. "But I was never scared of you, not for one second."
"Not even after you found out who I really am?" Maki asked in disbelief.
"Not even then. If anything, I was scared for you. Scared that whatever was happening to you, it meant the end of us. But I was never scared of you." Nico snuggled closer against Maki. "After all, how can I be scared of someone who voluntarily wears a pink bunny tie for me?"
"You're not letting that one go, are you," Maki muttered. Despite her grumbling, a faint smile was on her lips.
"No, I'm not letting that one go," Nico agreed quietly. "I'm never letting you go."
Maki closed her eyes, just wanting to enjoy the warmth her wife offered. "I won't go anywhere without you.".
"Maki," Nico whispered, clutching at Maki's suit. "Let's go home together then."
"Okay."
Kotori was still giving her speech when Maki informed Umi of their intention to leave early.
"I assume it went well?" Umi whispered discreetly.
Maki smiled. "Better than you can imagine."
"Then I wish you a good night," Umi nodded, feeling inclined to bow before Nico. Aside from Nico's celebrity status, her brave confrontation with the navy had instilled great respect within Umi.
Nico waved her goodbye and smiled, always reassured to know that someone as calm and rational as Umi was Maki's partner in their job. It did make her feel better about Maki's safety.
Umi continued to listen to Kotori's speech that was coming to an end. She was wishing her guests an enjoyable evening before she bowed deeply and left the stage with clapping ringing behind her.
"You were amazing," Umi greeted her wife with a smile and light kiss on the cheek.
Kotori breathed out a laugh and happily threw her arms around Umi. "You say that every time, you charmer."
"Me?" Umi chuckled, hugging Kotori around her waist. "I confessed to you the second time we met. I would hardly call that charming."
"That's true, but that had its own charm," Kotori hummed, beginning to sway from side to side and Umi swayed with her. "We were dancing. Like this."
"To a slow song," Umi muttered. "I think I was worried about my hands being sweaty. Were my hands sweaty?"
Resting her head on Umi's shoulder, Kotori's breath tickled Umi's neck when she giggled. "I honestly don't remember because I was worried about the same thing. But I think I stepped on your feet a few times."
Chuckling, Umi pressed her lips against Kotori's hair. "I remember. You couldn't stop saying sorry. And I didn't even notice you stepped on them because all I could think of was how nice you smelled."
Kotori laughed quietly. "So this was why you made those weird sniffing noises."
Umi stiffened. She groaned, "Oh god, you noticed that?"
"I was very aware of you in that moment," Kotori giggled. "Nothing else seemed to matter that night."
"I made a fool out of myself," Umi muttered, "and you were too kind to say anything."
"I wasn't doing any better," Kotori smiled. "I was so nervous I kept dancing off beat and messing up our rhythm."
"Oh, so it was you? I thought I was the one missing my steps," Umi muttered.
"Sorry," Kotori said innocently. "But I couldn't calm down. The whole time I was worrying about what the dance really meant to you. What I really meant to you."
"Hm?" Umi used her finger to gently circle Kotori's back. "Why?"
"Do you really have to ask," Kotori sighed, closing her eyes in contentment at the touch. "Don't you remember how we first met?"
"Oh," Umi muttered, swallowing. She hadn't left the best impression back then. "I can't apologize enough that you have seen that ugly side of me."
"No, I'd rather know all sides of you than just the pretty ones," Kotori replied softly. "It's easy to fall in love with someone based on only their good sides. It's harder to accept that the person we fell in love with isn't the person they really are."
They were now swaying to the music that had come back on.
"You gave this a lot of thought," Umi whispered, unsure why she felt little jabs of sadness poking against her heart. "Am I the reason?"
The lack of reaction was a reaction in itself.
"I'm sorry," she muttered against Kotori's hair. "I'm so sorry."
"For what?" Kotori asked quietly. "These are just my thoughts."
"Yes, these are your thoughts, but they matter to me," Umi said. "Because I want to know you, Kotori. I want to understand how someone like you can still love someone like me. Everyday, when I wake up next to you, I wonder if I'm still dreaming and whether everything's a cruel joke."
They stopped swaying to the music.
Kotori lifted her head off Umi's shoulder to gaze into her eyes. "I married you, Umi. Why would I go that far to prove something I don't feel?"
Umi felt her heart pound faster just at the sight of her wife's worried expression. "Your acceptance of my job scares me, Kotori. I'm not delusional, I know what I do is not right by the standards of the world we're living in. So I'm still terrified of the day you realize that I'm a monster and decide to leave me."
"Umi..." Kotori touched Umi's cheeks with her fingers. "I don't think monsters are terrified of people leaving them."
And it made Umi breathe out a quiet laugh. Kotori always knew the right things to say to break the tension and calm her down.
"I didn't accept your job," Kotori said, tracing Umi's jawline with her fingertips. "I accepted you, Umi. And neither am I delusional about the severity of the things you do, but do you know what else I'm not delusional about?"
Kotori stroked Umi's bottom lip with her thumb. "Your feelings for me. All the things you've said just now, doesn't that prove how much you care about me? You deal with violence and death every day, and yet, the one thing you are most afraid of is losing me." She replaced her thumb with her lips, teasingly brushing them against Umi's. "That's why I love you."
And Umi leaned in, kissing Kotori without a second of hesitation.
The event was coming to an end, only few guests still lingered for one last drink or two.
Tired from socializing all evening, Kotori was clinging to Umi's front like the latter one was a pillow, resting her heavy head on her wife's shoulder.
"You need to sleep," Umi muttered, stroking Kotori's head. "Let's go home."
"You know we have to be the last ones," a small yawn interrupted Kotori's reply, "to leave."
Umi hummed, aware of the etiquette as a host, but Kotori was beginning to fall asleep on her feet. She was entirely leaning on Umi, transferring most of her weight onto her.
"Maybe if I look threatening enough, they will get the hint and leave," Umi suggested.
A weak chuckle escaped Kotori's lips. "Don't scare our business partners off, Umi."
Sighing, Umi just nodded. She could feel Kotori drifting off.
She considered carrying Kotori home when she saw - "Eli?"
"Oh, Umi, hi." Looking a bit disorientated, Eli smoothed over her crinkled suit and looked around in confusion. "It's already over?"
Keeping her voice down so she wouldn't disturb Kotori who had given in to sleep, Umi asked quietly, "Where were you?"
"Uh," Eli patted herself down, noticing that her tie was gone, "I was in – I mean, with Nozomi."
Realization dawned on Umi and she didn't know whether to be impressed or disgusted. "And where is Nozomi?"
"Bathroom." Eli furrowed her brows and pointed to Kotori. "Is she...?"
Umi just nodded once.
"Okay," Eli breathed, running a hand through her messy hair. She gazed around once more with a glassy look. "Where's Nico and Maki?"
"They've gone home early. At least they have the decency to do some things in private," Umi pointedly said.
"Ha, I don't know what you're getting at," Eli waved dismissively with her hand. "And don't talk to me about decency using them as an example. I'm pretty sure Nico's manager had wanted to quit after walking in on them twice in Nico's wardrobe."
"My mistake," Umi muttered.
"By the way, we're heading home once Nozomi comes back," Eli informed her.
"Good for you." Umi didn't mean to sound sarcastic but it was probably impossible to say those words without coming over as sarcastic.
"There she is," Eli said, her expression lighting up. But a frown took over when she saw Nozomi stopping to converse with a very familiar guest. "With Sarah Wang."
Umi carefully turned her head to gaze in the same direction as Eli without moving too much so it wouldn't disturb her peacefully sleeping wife. "There's something about her that's been bothering me the whole night. I don't know what it is, but when I first saw her, I reacted very strangely."
"It's because she looks familiar, doesn't she?"
"How do you know? Have we dealt with her before?"
"Almost," Eli answered with a grin. "You don't remember a thing, don't you?"
Umi let out an impatient sigh. "Enlighten me?"
Eli cleared her throat and pointedly looked at Kotori. "Things could be very different now if we had chosen the Wang Empire as our access to the world of the rich."
Umi swallowed. She remembered. Few years ago, when they had needed contact to the world of the rich and corrupted, they had stood between the choice of the Minami Corporation or the Wang Empire, the two most dominant companies in their field. But since the heir of the Wang Empire was a Hong Kong resident most of the time, the choice fell on the heir of the Minami Corporation. But no matter which choice, Umi's objective would have been the same.
"Oh," she muttered.
"Oh indeed," Eli laughed quietly. "But it's no use to speculate about 'what if's. I've only met her for a short moment so there's not much I can tell you. There's only one thing I know...You wouldn't have been happy with her."
"I wouldn't be happy with anyone now if it's not Kotori," Umi mumbled, putting her hand on the back of Kotori's head.
"What about me," Eli joked. "I've been by your side for twenty years."
Umi smiled. "You're my family. Of course you belong to the basic foundation of my happiness."
"Aw," Eli abashedly scratched her neck, "shut up. You're just saying that to get in my pants."
Umi laughed quietly. "Probably, but I see that someone else has already been there. Your fly is open."
"What?" Eli looked down. "Shit! Why didn't you say anything?"
"I was wondering how long it would take for you to notice."
After zipping up her pants' fly, Eli looked up with a glare at Umi. "You're lucky I can't kill you because I know the moment I try anything I'm dead myself."
"Thank you, I take it as a compliment," Umi smiled. "Oh, Nozomi's coming."
Even if Nozomi's appearance was tidier than Eli's, the glow in her eyes told Umi more than she wanted to know.
"You two can go home, I will take care of the rest," Nozomi said, gesturing to Umi and Kotori.
"But-"
"No, I'm the manager of this event," Nozomi paused at that, a slight blush coloring her cheeks, "and it's my responsibility to see this through until the end. Kotori needs a much deserved rest."
Umi didn't like the smirk on Eli's face. She asked Nozomi, "Can I rely on you to wrap things up tonight without other distractions?" And she pointedly gazed at Eli, who innocently looked to the side.
The blush on Nozomi's cheeks deepened. "Ah...yes. Leave it to me."
Umi gave Eli a scanning look, which made the blonde grin. "You don't trust me?"
"I trust you with my life," Umi said. "But with keeping your hands to yourself around Nozomi? Not so much."
"Good point."
"Eli, you're going home too," Nozomi said, crossing her arms. "I need to do my job."
"Nozomi?" Eli's expression fell. "But-"
Nozomi narrowed her eyes. "Eli."
"Yes," Eli sighed.
And Umi laughed at seeing her friends' interaction. Eli might be physically stronger than Nozomi in every aspect, but no one could exert more authority than Nozomi if she wanted.
"As brave as a thousand soldiers, but in the end, still inferior to the general."
END
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