The music pounding from the speakers rattled the gaudy necklace strung around Hinamei's neck. She held her hand over the trembling thing to hear the instructions from the stage hands over the noise. The show was running smoothly and the finale was coming sooner than they had expected. The crew was doing their final rounds to ensure everything was as in place when someone tapped her shoulder. Asato Kishi, one of the younger girls, had her face scrunched up in worry. She had never before spoken to Hinamei and she couldn't imagine why the girl had decided to now. Probably the jitters, Hinamei mused. Kishi's photographs were much stronger than her walk.
"Miss Mori," her junior said rather timidly. Her attention was drawn to the bracelet on her wrist as she twisted it around nervously. "There's something I need to speak to you about. It's important."
A makeup artist wedged between the two, sweeping a fresh layer of bronzer across Hinamei's cheeks. She spoke from over the man's shoulder. "You can see how this isn't the best time?"
Kishi nodded when the man turned to her, fluffing up the girl's false lashes. "I know but it's urgent." A stage hand grabbed at Kishi's arm and walked her towards the runway. "Find me after the show, please!" She was flung behind the black curtains and sent to walk. The other models were escorted in a similar fashion, signaled when it was their turn.
Anya appeared at Hinamei's side then, swishing the remnants of a gin martini round a glass. "Asato pushing for advice? How odd, don't you think?" She threw back the last sip before handing the emptied glass for a crewmember to take away. She scrunched up her mussed hair and adjusted her blouse before turning to Hinamei. "Well, what exactly did she say?"
"Didn't have a chance to say much of anything. She asked if I would meet with her after the show."
"How flattering," Anya said dryly, scrutinizing her manicure. "Don't tell me you're going to humor the girl?"
"Wouldn't hurt to give her some pointers. She's beginning to make us look bad," Hinamei said. "Maybe you should speak to her too."
"Maybe I will," Anya muttered before she too vanished behind the black velvet. A few models later, it was Hinamei's turn and she took the stage by storm. Her walk claimed the whole theatre's attention and her smolder could set the whole venue ablaze. She felt powerful, invincible, and completely in control when she struck her poses at the end of the stretch. She scoured the audience with her narrowed eyes and they rose to their feet, roaring in delight. At last, she gave a seductive flash of her white teeth before grabbing her colleagues' hands and taking a low bow. They made way for the designer, clapping as the young man waved to his adoring fans and potential buyers. The commotion continued well after the models had stepped offstage.
Hinamei ran her hands through her hair and tore off the atrocious attire. She had found the whole ensemble rather tasteless and was eager to slip into her own Dolce cocktail dress. Just as she was zipping up the low back, she caught sight of Kishi's reflection in the vanity before her. The girl hesitated but Hinamei waved her forward as she stuck her diamond earrings into place.
"You have a lot to work on and I'm not sure we can get through it tonight. How about we set aside a time when we're both free?"
Kishi seemed confused and shook her head. "This isn't about modeling, Miss Mori. There's something you need to know."
Hinamei sighed, twirling around in her seat. "Make it quick, Asato-san. There's champagne waiting for me."
Kishi spun the dial on the face of her watch. It seemed to be a nervous habit of hers, Hinamei realized. How odd. When Kishi noticed the action had been caught, she stepped forward and flashed Hinamei a view. "A gift from my boyfriend," she confessed. "It has a canary diamond to mark the twelve."
"Charming but I'm sure you didn't come here to discuss a watch?"
"N-no," Kishi agreed as she shifted in her heels. "That's not it. Would you…happen to remember speaking to Nakahara Reiji?" The name didn't particularly stick and Hinamei shrugged. "He's actually a fan of yours. You two met a few weeks back with Orihara Izaya."
Hinamei racked her mind before she gave a little, "oh. Yes, he was asking something about his gang's leader?"
Kishi nodded her head enthusiastically. "That's right, that's him. He's actually my boyfriend."
Hinamei frowned as she got on her feet. She didn't really care who the girl got involved with but she didn't like the direction the conversation was going. "Look, Asato-san. You seem like a good person but I'm afraid if you've come to me for information, you will be sorely disappointed. Come to me whenever you want to work on that walk." She made her way to leave when Kishi skirted in front of her, brown eyes wide and dotted with tears.
"Please, don't go," she croaked desperately. "I have no one else to turn to. If he finds out I came to you, I'm as good as dead."
Hinamei scrutinized the girl's pale face and found she was telling no lie. "If your life is in danger, why come to me? It's not my job to protect you."
"Reiji-san can only do so much. He hoped if he found the Yellow Scarves' leader, we would be protected. But if Orihara-san withholds this information…" Kishi sobbed into her hands.
"I'm not sure what mess you've gotten yourself into but there's nothing I can do to help. Iza-kun isn't easily persuaded, especially by me. The only way you can get a hold of the man's location is by giving him something of value in return."
Kishi tore off her watch and offered it to Hinamei. "Won't this be enough?" she cried.
Hinamei sighed in mild frustration as she coaxed the band back upon the girl's wrist. "It isn't exactly the form he prefers and your boyfriend didn't really have much else to offer."
"He warned you," Kishi said. "But I can do him one better. The attack is scheduled for tonight."
Hinamei considered this before sighing again. "Like Reiji-san, your intel is too broad. If I tell Izaya what you just said to me, I don't think he'd find this information very useful."
"There's more," Kishi said desperately. "But I have to know you'll help me. Please, Miss Mori. I'm not ready to die and I don't want anyone else to get hurt."
Hinamei opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the boisterous laughter of her fellow drunken models. "Hinamei," Anya called from the forefront, an extra glass in her hand. "We've been looking all over for you. See, girls? I knew she was back here, probably popping pills."
Hinamei glared at her Ukrainian roommate though she accepted the proffered drink. "One day, someone's going to find sport in snipping off that tongue, Anya."
"Until then, I'd rather put it to better use out there," she said, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the party. The women all giggled their agreement as Anya tugged at Hinamei's arm. "Come on, this is boring. Let's have some fun. You can deal with Asato later."
At the mention of her name, Kishi's eyes went wide and she turned to Hinamei imploringly. "Go home, Asato-san. I'll call you in the morning. We'll talk more then. Oh," she reached into her clutch and proceeded to send a message. "I'll have my driver take you home. The car will be waiting outside."
"Let's go," Anya whined with an indignant tug on Hinamei's arm. At last, Hinamei relented and allowed herself to be pulled off to the promise of debauchery with Kishi far from her mind.
The after parties were meant to celebrate the evening's designer but to the models, it was a toast to their own success. In truth, many of them had very little going for them with exception that they were tall and extraordinarily beautiful. There were a handful like Hinamei, well-off and intelligent but eager to accept the opportunity. Together, they all traveled across the globe and fashioned chaos in each city they visited. They were wild and they were enablers, encouraging each other's worst habits often to the point of near death. It was how Hinamei found herself stumbling home in the dead of night.
She laughed at her own drunkenness as she strolled through the empty city streets. It had been some time since she had let herself go, the last probably at a club in Milan. It was Ikebukuro, she supposed, that made her feel such a way, that made her crave for a different state of mind. As Anya pointed out the day after they arrived, Hinamei had long kicked her habit of swallowing pills. And yet, that morning she realized how hollow she truly felt. At once, Izaya filled that space with the threat of his presence and the moment he was gone, she was left rather empty. So she turned to the prescriptions to fill the void and even then, she wasn't completely satisfied. She frowned at this realization and thirsted for another drink. One more to send her into unconsciousness, one more to clear her mind.
She stumbled into her building only to discover the bar had long been closed. She was tempted to climb right over the counter and pour herself a glass. Yet she was rather fond of her apartment and didn't really want to be evicted over a martini. She would settle for the bottle of red waiting upstairs, she decided, as she took the elevator to her floor. She fumbled with her keys when she heard a muffled sound coming from within her penthouse. As she pressed her ear to the door, she realized it was classical music blaring through the system. She scrunched her nose in disdain, hoping Anya hadn't volunteered to host another party at her place. When she opened the door, she was flooded with relief that the flat was empty.
She threw her keys on the counter and uncorked the bottle before pouring herself a glass. She headed for the balcony where the music swelled in from, assuming Anya would be there. As she peered outside, she was puzzled to find that no one was around. Perhaps the Ukrainian had come and gone and simply had forgotten to shut off the speakers. Closing the French doors behind her, Hinamei headed over to the system's dials, intent on turning the awful music off. Just as her fingers ghosted over the buttons, a sharp object had been pressed to the skin of her exposed back. Hinamei froze instantly, recognizing the prongs of a stun gun and knowing she couldn't disarm whoever had her trapped.
"How rude," she said slowly, "to attack a woman in her own home. Will you at least have the decency to let me finish my drink?" The person didn't respond, only breathed heavily from where they stood behind her. She could sense their twisted smile though she remained unperturbed, lifting the glass towards her lips. She gasped as a violent shock shuddered throughout her body. Her glass clattered to the floor and she along with it, convulsing until the sensation had gone away leaving her painfully tingly. "You should know my roommate will be home soon," she groaned. "You've made a terrible mistake."
"Stay here and don't move, Miss Mori. I need to go fetch the rope." The voice had Hinamei convinced she had been attacked by a male but one that didn't seem to have any prowess (seeing as he had resorted to using a taser). As his footsteps faded away, Hinamei's hand twitched as it reached into her clutch. She flipped her phone open from within and pressed the five button and call. Izaya surely considered Hinamei valuable otherwise he wouldn't have sought her out. This is what Hinamei clung to as she hoped he answered her call.
She pulled her hand away from her bag as the man returned. He stood towering over her before kneeling by her face. "What's this?" he muttered as he reached for her bag and shook out its contents. Her phone, flipped open, landed by his feet and he collected it at once. "It's dialing," he noted before snapping it shut. "You shouldn't have done that, Miss Mori," he sighed.
Hinamei squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip as the stun gun's prongs were upon her. She thrashed about, her vision spotted, as the jolt coursed through her. She laid panting on the floor, desperately clinging onto consciousness in vain. She felt the man's hot breath against the nape of her neck as he tied her hands behind her back. As she begun to fall victim to the looming darkness, Hinamei wondered how furious Izaya would be knowing she had died at the hands of someone other than himself. She could feel her lips twitch with the semblance of a smile before everything had finally gone black.