Lorenzo stared at the files scattered all over his desk. His eyelids felt so heavy to the point where it was unbearable and it was a struggle to keep his head up. He had a lot of things to organize, not to mention the time limit he was facing.
And he had just been hit with the mother-lode of all secrets. Something that all of his subordinates around him had yet to realize. Something that they would have to be informed of sooner rather than later.
They're whereabouts was no longer a secret.
And, using all reasonable logic, if the agency knew his location then him being able to worry at all is a medical anomaly.
After all, he should be dead.
This was no longer a simple matter of pride, or a race to beat the clock. This was a matter of life or death.
Because it made Lorenzo cringe at the thought of some punk ass rookie being the one to take him out simply because he had his back turned, having a plaque made in his honor for ridding the world of the most brilliant Anti-Agent to ever grace it's surface.
"What are you thinking?" asked Josh, suddenly, breaking into his thoughts.
"I'm thinking…that I'm living on borrowed time." Lorenzo answered, telling the truth.
He never saw the need to lie. It took up too much time, and less got accomplished that way.
Joshua nodded. He seemed too calm and it set Lorenzo on edge all the more.
"So, this…Tamaki Suoh? And Maria Standford? Do we know their motives?" Lorenzo asked.
Josh simply shook his head, "We never do. They like to keep that to themselves."
Lorenzo sighed. Nodded. And Josh was gone to tend to some other business before it was too late and he was rendered incapable.
Lorenzo spent twenty more minutes handling paper-work, than he called the Director, or, for all intended purposes, Anti- Director. He knew the Director well, being Vice and all. But, it was more than that. They connected on a fundamental level, one that wasn't all business.
After all, they both were at the highest positioning in the agency, as well as at the highest level of danger, yet they both held the most childish fears.
This ridiculous, unfathomable fear of death.
Everyone died. But that was not a comfort, nor his concern has he dialed the phone and got answered by a comforting voice that would remind him of a time where things were…less frightening.
But that time doesn't matter. It is no longer valid.
"Hello, Lorenzo," said the Vice-Director, "Any news in your sector?"
And when the Vice-Director was greeted by silence the knowledge hit the leader full-force.
"Oh God…you mean…breath, Lorenzo. We'll work it out. You'll make it out of this one alive." the Vice-Director said assuredly.
He trusted the Vice-Director more than he trusted either of his parents, and he genuinely believed it might, just might, be alright.
Two agents who were functioning as scouts for their larger unit awaiting news, stood outside of the warehouse, looking for any sign of activity. Just then, they saw the face of none other than Joshua Grant, glaring out of a fourth story window. They knew Josh saw them too. One of the agents lifted up his gun, hoping to shoot Josh before he could alert everyone else of their location, but it was too late.
A blaring alarm had been sounded off, the kind of alarm used to alert people of danger. One of the agents talked into her communicator.
"This is agent 4-321. Yes, they are present. Move out."
At that moment, every single agent marked their fate.
After pulling the alarm people inside of the warehouse did not run into chaos like expected. All of them, calmly enough, began to collect important data, and file out of the warehouse from several different exits.
Some were designated to protect the people leaving. The people of hire ranking fled to safety first.
Among them should have been Lorenzo.
But instead, he was among the fighting ranks, protecting his comrades, taking down every last idiot who thought they would be stupid enough to try and kill him.
He may have been afraid to die, but there was no part of him afraid to fight.
It was a blood bath. Blood lined the walls and soaked through the floors. Dead bodies were all around, as well as dying, as well as the people who wanted to be one of the former.
After the first batch of people fled to safety, it was time for the defense group to make it out themselves. So, leading the march, Lorenzo and the rest of them left, dodging the foolish ones who got in their way.
After a while, the agents finally realized that they seriously underestimated the anti-agents, and that, if they ever hoped to raid them again, they better have stronger-forces available.
The warehouse went down in flames. Fire-fighters got there that night, and they were told false stories of a gang-fight.
They would never know the truth. And that was just as well.
Anti-Agents who survived, which was most of them, each held their communicators, and made promises to regroup once a new hide-out was found.
Lorenzo, on the other hand, was in desperate need of a bath as well as a change of clothing. And if we were in any danger before, the danger had certainly tripled.
He walked as far as he could, but after a while he called the only person he could trust to deliver him to safety.
"Suoh? I need to be picked up. Now." Lorenzo ordered.
Tamaki groaned. He had been having the most wonderful dream about winning the ITOM, a music competition that he had participated in previously, and lost.
"Why are you always out so late? I'm pretty sure you've been advised against that." came his reply.
"You were not hired to ask questions. You were hired to protect me. I require protection at this moment." came Lorenzo's snappy reply.
"Can't I protect you later? I'm a little busy, at the moment." Tamaki whined. Later on he would swear it was the sleep talking.
"Well, I'm sorry that my dad is a multi-millionaire and I have people trying to kidnap me every five seconds! I guess that's my fault that I have parents that could care less about me and that I have strangers trying to hurt me all because of my Dad's career choice! I guess, it is also my fault that I was forced to move out here from Italy because my Dad wanted to expand his business, and get even more money, even though he has money pouring out of every orifice of his body. I am sorry that my existence is a burden for you. I think I will go die now, to get out of your hair."
"…." Silence.
"W-Well, don't do that." Tamaki said at last.
Lorenzo smiled a million dollar smile, even though no one could see.
"I'm awaiting your arrival at the street corner by the really huge super-market near your school. I can't see the name but I trust you know what I'm referring to. Thanks for all your help, Suoh. I mean it." As if to further push his buttons, he made kissy-noises into the phone to further show his gratitude.
Tamaki resisted the urge to growl, and hung up. He was afraid his Grandmother had the maids listening in on his phone calls like they used to. If they were, he really hoped they didn't hear that last part. Didn't sound too good when you were meeting an odd person on a street-corner, and they were making kissy noises at you.
But…that was just Lorenzo. Nothing "sounded too good" with him.
In a couple of minutes Tamaki was driving a car (he did not have a license but the agency had successfully forged one for him) and picking Lorenzo up at the "street corner".
Lorenzo rushed in, thankful for the shelter, and the tinted windows that hid his identity from people who he'd rather stay ignorant. Tamaki tossed him a burger from a fast food restaurant. He took a bite, shuddered in relief. When was the last time he had eaten a decent meal?
"Suoh, why so quiet?" he said in-between bites.
"It's just that…we can't have you…wandering around like this." Tamaki said, pausing to make sure he wasn't colliding full speed into a tree, or running over people. Driving wasn't his thing.
"Well, we can't have you prying into my business, can we?" Lorenzo answered, patting him on the shoulder, "We know what happens when people find out too much."
Tamaki nodded, and stayed silent for a little while longer, staring straight ahead. Unbelievably enough, they got stuck in traffic. And he could not bear to stay silent forever.
"Lorenzo, you're home-schooled, right?" Tamaki asked.
He nodded, and he definitely didn't like where the conversation was going.
"Well, your parents suggested that you should—"
"My parents can kiss my ass." Lorenzo interrupted, hints of his accent becoming more pronounced in his passion.
"You should," Tamaki continued, talking through clenched teeth. Although Lorenzo might have been older than him, he had the mentality of a twelve year old at times, "Enroll in Ouran Academy. You have the money for it, it would be safer if I could keep a closer eye on you, and…"
Tamaki paused. He wasn't completely sure if he exactly wanted to go there with Lorenzo.
"And…I think you'll like it there."
Out of the limited time Tamaki had spent chaperoning Lorenzo from place to place, and accompanying him to malls and restaurants, he had realized one thing: Lorenzo did everything alone.
Lorenzo started chuckling, "Well, look at you. Trying to play the good guy. Acting as if you actually have my best interest at heart. It's all the same with you agents, always looking out for number one. So, what was the bounty? What exactly did they pay you to join up?"
"Nothing."
Lorenzo frowned, "Then, what's your shtick? There's always something up with people like you. Always having to do with money."
"I have more money than I can use in a life-time." Tamaki responded solemnly. The road in front of him started to look blurry.
"Sex, then. You thought being an agent would get you all the chicks, am I right?" Lorenzo questioned. Again, Tamaki shook his head, and then the traffic started to lighten up.
Lorenzo was quiet for a while again, which started to put Tamaki at ease until he said, "I give up. What is it?"
"They…made a promise." Tamaki answered, leaving it at that.
"What kind of promise can make you put up with little shitheads like me? Fame? A car? Maybe a trip to Madrid, or Paris?" Lorenzo said jokingly.
Tamaki gripped the steering wheel tighter, bit his lip.
"This is your stop." Tamaki whispered, head down, "I'll be here to pick you up for school Monday morning."
Lorenzo wanted to argue, but thought it was enough for one night, then got out of the car. Tamaki watched him get into his household safely.
Then he leaned his head against the dashboard. He began to whisper a few nonsensical words. Maybe they were curses. Maybe they were prayers. Or maybe they didn't mean anything at all.
And then, it happened so suddenly that it surprised even him, he began to cry.
Maria's POV
"TAMAKI! I REQUIRE YOUR ASSISSTANCE!" I yelled, as if I were literally yelling at him from a couple of blocks away instead of talking to him with a phone that was a couple of inches away.
He groaned. He hadn't slept well, I could tell, "Why do you hate me?"
"I love you so much I can't bare it. Now come here so I can kick your ass." I said into the phone.
"What did I do this time?" he asked.
I decided I'd mess with him while he was too tired to make up good comebacks, "You were so ridiculously sexy that I couldn't stop thinking about you all night, compromising my otherwise perfect eight hours of sleep."
He made a kind of hiccup/gasp sound into the phone, and then said, "Fuck you."
I smiled. Tired Tamaki was also what I'd like to call particularly vulgar Tamaki.
"No, but seriously. You were supposed to be my mentor for that stupid Life Science project and you skipped out on me, big time."
I heard him sigh, and then he put down the phone and began to shuffle with things in his room for a moment. After what sounded like a particularly painful collision with something solid, he picked up the phone and mumbled, "When is that due?"
"Stop playing. You know it's due tomorrow." I said.
"ZUUUUUUTTT!"
My guesses are he had no idea.
"This could cost me my grade. Get what I'm saying, dude?"
"Don't 'dude' me. I'm on my way. I'll be there in five." he said.
"Who's giving you a ride?" I asked.
He then laughed, and this made me nervous. Not one of those normal laughs, but he felt genuinely triumphant about something, and the laugh showed it in a mad scientist sort of way.
"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you..."
"Forgot to tell me what?"
"…" Snickering.
"What?"
More snickering.
"Tamaki Suoh, if you don't tell me right now…"
Now he was cackling.
"…I have a car."
I dropped the phone in my cereal.
He made it to my house, but Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi, Connor, and Stephanie were already there. Kyoya was Haruhi's mentor (I told her to stick with her boyfriend, but she knew what a bad idea that would be), Connor was Hikaru's mentor, and Stephanie was Kaoru's mentor. I got stuck with Tamaki by process of elimination.
The story of how Stephanie got to be Kaoru's mentor instead of Yuri (that girl in Connor's grade who Kaoru salivates for) is actually very complex and amusing, and involving black mail. But, we'll get to that some other time. Preferably never.
Anyway, the rule of being a mentor is that they had to be older than you, wiser, and a good influence.
….The only one who had a remotely good choice was Haruhi. And Kyoya was only a good influence when he wanted to be.
Stephanie was definitely not the typical citizen. She owns a gun shop in Canada, Texas, and Oklahoma, as well as some city in Germany that I can't pronounce.
Connor…likes fire. A lot.
And Tamaki…well…yeah.
"So, the assignment says we have to write an essay on when we met this person, how they influenced us, and have examples. We also have to prepare a slideshow of what this person means to us." read Haruhi, out loud.
"…We're going to bullshit the whole thing, right?" Hikaru asked, pointedly, "Because I don't even know if your hair is naturally that color." he said, looking at Connor.
"I still think Kyoya and I should switch partners." I said, "I mean, Kyoya taught me how to ballroom dance, but I've learned nothing from Tamaki. At all."
"How about you get your brother, and I get Tamaki?" Hikaru proposed.
"Who said I wanted you?" Tamaki asked him, squinting.
"Hmmmm…what have a learned from you, Ms. Clark?" Kaoru asked, innocently enough.
"…I teach Sex Ed. Take a wild guess, genius." she retorted.
And just when I was about to make the point that Sex Ed. was too inappropriate to include in the assignment, I heard a loud blaring noise. I swear, it was so loud a bit of my soul deteriorated along with my ear drum.
We turned to see Connor with a trombone, where he got it is beyond me, but he was blowing it. Hard. And thank goodness I didn't say that out loud.
"A simple 'be quiet' would have sufficed." Haruhi said.
"All of you guys, there's way too much arguing going on around here." cue Connor's charming smile, that I knew well enough to say it was false, "Chillax. We'll get this done, easy breezy, and maybe even have time to watch a movie afterwards. We're all smart people."
Then he glared at Hikaru, as if to say, except you.
"Plus, we can't do any switches since Haruhi and I are already half done. You procrastinators may argue amongst yourselves, if you'd like." Kyoya said, barely being able to contain his mocking grin.
And that started a whole new uproar of disapproval.
Out of Maria's POV
Blocks away, Lorenzo prepared for his first day of school that Monday. Normal people bought school supplies, got a new wardrobe, and maybe even studied a little. He, on the other hand, did none of these things. He was busy putting the final touches on his new software.
It was the tiniest audio bug, so small that one could not even feel it. It automatically attached itself to the skin, and camouflaged itself.
He planned on using it. Only one thing would be beneficial in this whole "school" business. Not only would Tamaki be able to keep an eye on him, but he would be able to keep an eye on Tamaki, too.
School work. Ugh. I feel your pain, Ouran students. ESPECIALLY, when it comes to group projects.
I had fun writing this, and I hope you had atleast a moderately okay time reading it!
No long lecture today. Song to listen to= Give Me A Sign by Breaking Benjamin. They're stuff= love 333