Cancerous

A/N: The two girls with enough badassery to overthrow the Kings are Akari and Akane. This is mostly a filler scene, but it'll make sense of Akari's thoughts on Izumo (and something about SCEPTER4's intentions towards Akari).

Disclaimer: Black Heartrest owns Akane. Akari's mine as well as all of the non-canon/unfamiliar names and places. The rest of the characters aren't owned by either of us.

"I don't need his help."

Akari stares at herself in the mirror. She's gotten out of bed from a sad attempt at sleeping in early.

"He's a King, Akari. What the hell has gotten into you? He's a King."

She locks her apartment door and scolds herself.

"Fight fire with fire, what the hell. It'll be more like—fight fire and you'll get burned either way."

It's seven in the evening and she thinks to visit Club Nights and earn some decent amount of money.

"Fight fire with fire. I can't even fight lightning with electricity."

She leaves with a frown on her face, driving her bike to the nightclub.

Blonde hair fixed in two elegant ponytails. "7:45PM. Outside Club Nights. Dressed up as a civilian."

Determined eyes stare at the neon sign, "CLUB NiGHTS" was written in bold, yellow letters. "7:46PM. Making my way towards Club Nights. A long line of civilians is waiting near the entrance."

She brushes her red dress. "7:48PM. Guards have allowed me entry. Additional note: Smile."

"Special note: Night-vision is essential when raiding dim clubs."

She takes a sip. "7:50PM. Drinking a metropolitan at the VIP bar. I suspect it to have hallucinatory drugs and ecstasy."

She sighs and stands up. "7:57PM. Turned down three men and one woman. Additional note: Wear a trench coat instead of a cocktail dress next time."

She makes her way from the bar. "8PM. Mission proper starts. Making my way towards the club's main hall."

She moves into a more secluded spot away from the loud, crowded dance floor. "Special note: The DJ plays repetitive music with little addition. I suspect her to be using Audiomatic 6.5."

She nods. "Additional note: She is, but with hacked plug-ins."

She walks towards the main podium that's decked in neon yellow, green, red, and blue. "8:21PM. Making my way towards the Nights' main DJ podium. No guards have been stationed inside the building."

She shoves past dancing individuals. "Special note: Missions have to follow through the work week. Weekends are impractical."

"8:23—"

Her target shouts into the microphone, turning the electro-pop music into a punk-rock cover. "Well, isn't this a surprise everyone? We've got a new face around here!"

She lowers her hand from her ear-mic. She whispers, "Cover blown. Shit."

Akari eyes the unfamiliar face strapped to her chair. They're inside her pseudo-office. "So, little miss SCEPTER4." Akari notices the logo carved into the case of this girl's PDA. "What brings you to this majestic haven of mine?"

Her purple eyes stare into Akari murderously. "You're under arrest."

Akari chuckles. "What makes you think you can do that?"

"You've been laundering money from the government treasury and putting it in your bank accounts."

Akari tests this girl's wit. "How many?"

"All five of them."

Akari smirks. "Correction. Thirteen." She thinks SCEPTER4's database has been messed up. "Geez, and I thought I was bad."

The girl exclaims, "Excuse me?"

Akari pats the girl's bare shoulder. "Look sweetheart, girl, your boss has been up my neck since I first set a bomb to explode five years ago."

She shouts, "Criminal!"

Akari leans back, and nods, "But we're on good terms now, I play by his rules and I'm good as gone."

"Rot in jail!"

Akari sighs, this girl is some real work. "Really? You're going to give me that?"

She struggles through the bonds on the wrist and ankles. "Release me!"

Akari can't handle a whining girl right now, so she thinks of a proposition. "How's about this, I treat you to a couple of drinks and you drop charges on me. Sounds good, right?"

The girl pauses and looks her straight in the eye. "You have three hours."

They're seated in a private booth in the VIP bar. By the girl's third glass, and second story, the tension between them has lessened. "And then—wham! He ran into the glass and damn was it hilarious."

Akari takes a sip of her Bloody Mary. "You know, we've got lots of things in common."

The girl doesn't let up. "Like what, huh criminal?"

"Name's Akari."

The girl gives her full name, "Watanabe Akane. So?"

"We both drink."

Akane snobs her off, "Lots of people drink, if you haven't noticed."

Akari doesn't like Akane's high-class appeal, with her Paulista and her Red Carpet. "You've got keen observation skills, like me."

Akane eyes her suspiciously. "Prove it."

"Alright. Who do you want me to read?"

"Me."

Akari lowers her drink. She knows she's see Akane's profile from their database. "Lemme see. You're 24, older than me. You hate the color blue. You hate this club because of repetitive music. You went here alone and on your own initiative. Judging by the way you sit, I'd say you'd rather come in here with a trench coat than a cocktail dress." Akari adds this, "And—you're in love with your boss."

Akane blushes and looks away to her drink. "Liar."

Akari smirks, she's right. "No, really. What do you see in that block of ice, anyway?"

"He's not a block of ice! Don't insult him so casually."

She laughs. "He is and you defending that fact is a sign that you're obviously enamored with him."

Akaned downs a third of her Paulista. "I'm not."

Akari knows this. "Did he tell you to come here? I don't think so. He's not the type to let his pawns go on alone."

"I'm not his pawn."

"Then what are you? His queen?"

Akaen bites her lip. "…don't—"

Akari raises a hand in defense. "Then he's not a block of ice. He's a stick in the mud, if you'd prefer that."

"Why do you hate him so much?"

Akari plays with her. "I don't hate him. Not at all. In fact, I think I love him."

Akane shrugs it off. "Hm."

"Got you all tense, huh? Makes you want to slap me in the face, right?"

She closes her eyes. "Not really, no."

Akari leans in. "Then I'll tell you this—he loves me."

She acts indifference. "Who does?"

Akari says clearly and slowly, "Your boss. That stick in the mud. He adores me."

"How can you say that?"

Akari smirks, planning to get Akane as uncomfortable as possible. "He's having dreams about me, and I tell you, it's not all chains and warrants."

Akane thinks of all the wrong (but apparently right) things. "Oh my go—"

"Don't worry. He doesn't go public about them. He's a closeted sadist."

Akane coughs. "Can you stop? Just, please, stop."

"Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"The thought of him—"

Akari feigns sympathy and leans back. "I know. It's extremely disturbing."

Akane straightens up and stares at Akari expectantly, she's seen through the "dirty mind" tactic. "But you're lying."

"I'm not."

"I haven't heard you say his name."

Akari stops, then says, "Munakata."

Akane smirks. "His first name."

"What's so important about that?"

"Just say his name."

Akari stops again, then speaks, "Reisi."

She nods. "I see."

"What?"

"You don't love him and neither does he love you."

Akari would congratulate Akane. "So you've seen through it, huh?"

She sighs. "Obvious lies."

"Took you long enough."

There was a bout of silence as they sip their drinks.

Akari doesn't like the silence, the hazy atmosphere of the VIP bar is uncomfortable enough, even with the jazz band. "So what now?"

Akane hypothesizes, "You've got someone else on your mind."

She raises a brow. "Well, miss detective, why don't you tell me who it is?"

Akane doesn't like the way Akari's breath is heavy on alcohol. "I have a feeling it has something to do with alcohol. The stench in your breath gives away the fact that you're alcoholic."

"I love my alcohol."

"Love your alcohol, huh?"

"So tell me, who's the lucky man on my mind?"

Akane takes a long look at her. Akari's hair has been dyed black, but the jagged, obviously uneven cut remains the same. Her clothing has remained as well, with bright colors layered on top of each other. Akari leans back in her seat, and slouches. "Telling by the way you move, speak, dress, and drink—you're a soft kind of masochist. You aren't the type to do sweet words or expensive flowers or imported chocolate. You're more of a crazy, club-hopping, bar-wrecking mess. You like your alcohol strong, and your hangovers alone."

She smiles. "Right-on."

"As for your men—I can see something about abuse. You've been hurt, badly damaged mentally. You've lost your sense of control and you just let whatever flow through you."

Akari knows it's true, even with—nevemind."And?"

Akane clears her throat and lowers her voice. "You haven't had sex in weeks."

She feels embarrassed a little. "Wow. You can tell?"

Akane rolls he eyes. "You've been ogling men since the past hour."

"As if you haven't."

She notices Akari's glances at the bar. "You like your bartenders, huh?"

She notices Akane's look at the guards posted by the entrance. "You like my bouncers."

"Smooth-talking, lazy-staring bartenders."

"Rough-handling, sexy-smirking bouncers."

"Those who look dead-sexy in shades?"

Akari got excited. "The ones with the malicious smiles?"

"I got it."

"Damn. Well, who is it?"

"I have a feeling it's your bartender. The one who works in the VIP bar."

"Musouko? The one in black and white and has a lock of yellow in his hair?"

She nods. "That's the one."

Akari prevents a laugh. "He's gay."

"But you like him."

She shrugs. "I did. Before. Three years ago. I kissed him just before he confessed that he was gay."

"You aren't lying, are you?"

"I'd be lengthening my story if I was."

Akane hates this feeling. "So I'm wrong."

Akari rolls her eyes. "Ain't got sympathy for the heartbroken, do you? Hypocrite."

She defends herself. "I'm not. I'm guessing who it is."

Akari gives up. "Then here's to lessen your effort. He's in HOMURA."

Akane's angrier with herself than she is shocked. "No."

Akari tips her glass to Akane. "Oh yes. Cheers."

They toast, and Akane whispers, thinking she might hurt Akari's feelings. "He's going out with Awashima-san."

Akari knows that isn't true. "She's with someone else, but the guy's still in HOMURA. If you haven't noticed, she's going easy on him."

Akane connects names and events, faces and voices. He jaw drops open. "She's… but he's her—"

Akari thinks she's finally gotten it. "Oh yes. It even makes for an even more complicated love story. She likes her boys hot and on fire—literally."

"What about you?"

"Me?"

Akane doesn't smoke. "That smoker?"

"Haven't even paid him for a single thing, and he lets me."

Akane raises her brow incredulously. "You love him for that?"

"I love him for everything."

Her shoulders fall. "Really."

"Well, mostly for the drinks me makes, and the bottles he gives me."

"Wow. Never thought he'd be that thoughtful."

"He isn't. Unless I force him to, and that's another thing I like about him."

"You're really weird, you know that?"

Akari's smile grows with each word. "He calls me a liar, insane, crazy."

"Then I guess he must be right."

Akari closes her eyes and breathe out. "I think he's finally in love with me."

"Can't say he is."

"No one's stood with me for that long."

Akane shrugs. "Well, he might."

"Says the one who's broke her own heart."

"What?"

In one sentence, Akari doesn't like Reisi in a way most people would think. "You're in love with a complete block of ice. He's cold when he wants to be and he's cold even he doesn't want to be."

"He's straightforward."

"To a fault. He'll insult you just like that and expect you to follow him around."

"How do you know that?"

Akari honestly wants to be rid of him, but he's too fun to leave alone. "I've been working with him, if you've forgotten. All I need to do is to play by his rules and then I'm free to go."

"He's a user."

Akari knows this. "He might use you, take advantage of that poor heart of yours and then rip it right in front of you after he takes your breath away."

"He hasn't."

"Not yet."

"I trust him."

"He only trusts himself."

"Then I'll make him learn."

Akari blinks twice before saying. "You're really eager, aren't you?"

Akane sighs and stares into her glass. "He's just so alone."

"Maybe that's how he likes it."

Akane uses Akari's words and looks up at her. "Says the one who's going to get burned in the end."

"I'm a masochist, what can I say? He's bound to love me."

"What if he doesn't?"

"He will. They always do." They always leave as well—Akari thinks.

"I don't believe you."

"Neither does he, but I guess it's just hesitation."

Akane has a silent prayer for her. "I hope it is." She downs the rest of her drink and stands up.

Akari lifts her drink to Akane. "Good luck on your quest to melt that block of ice."

"Thank you."

"I'll lend you a flamethrower, if you'd like."

She thinks about love and care and sympathy. "No thanks. I've got all the firepower I need."

"I've got a gallon of gasoline and a spare lighter just in case."

"You're going to need the lighter. It's your bartender's birthday in a couple of weeks."

Akari grins. "I know. I hack into SCEPTER4's database every so often."

"Give him a lighter."

"I plan to set his apartment on fire."

"Oh, the irony."

Akari lifts her hand to Akane. "Nice meeting you, Akane."

They shake hands. "You too, Akari."

They're friends now. "You're not going to arrest me, are you?"

"I haven't got his approval, yet."

Akane leaves with a smile on her face and a phone with three unread messages and two unanswered calls.

Akari downs the rest of her drink.

"I'm sorry, alright? She's absolutely crazy. I can't get it out of her, but I have another thing that I suppose you'd like to hear."

It's five in the morning and Akari is woken up by the sound of her phone ringing.

"Good morning to you, too. Dreamt of me? Oh… But—? Really? Sounds awful. I'm joking. Yes, I know.. Fine."

She proceeds to sleep the rest of the morning.

A/N: Review? Hey, I can see all of you guys, and I want to know what you really think about this story. Please? *gives a big smile*