Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
A/N: This is the first of three parts in the lead up to the end of the story! Let the finale begin!
Chapter 11: Two Ways To Ruin A Party…
What did people find so wonderful about high heels? What was the appeal about putting your feet through such pressurised torture? Was it height or the fascination with calf shape? Uriko pondered over these thoughts, cringing as the back straps of her shoes rubbed against her ankles as she tried to keep up with Alice as they walked towards the posh hotel hosting the W.O.C.'s dinner. Her usually exuberant nature had been quelled completely for the time being as she inwardly cursed the concept of footwear fashion. She would be glad to get back into her trusty sneakers again, but for now was forced to endure these dainty fiends to just look pretty for the night. She didn't want to imagine what her feet would look like in the morning.
She would be the first to admit she was clumsy, and putting her in such tedious footwear was a recipe for disaster. She had to maintain an intense focus on putting one foot in front of the other proficiently. They were an enemy that she had to defeat before they defeated her – which would probably be her landing unceremoniously on her face. And it didn't take much for her to do that even in flat shoes!
But gone was her casual attire for the evening, every aspect of practical comfort gone. She was dressed in a sweet baby blue dress layered down to her knees, her shoes matching in the same colour. They were pretty shoes, but secretly deadly – she kept a narrowed eye on them as she walked.
In the next instance, she barely avoided tripping on a slight bump in the pavement. She growled at herself, took a deep breath and carried on walking. She had to pick up her pace to keep up, praying to whatever God was in the sky to stop her from falling before she'd even reached the venue. Luckily – as if answering her prayer – Kenji appeared with a supportive hand, gently escorting her up the steps of the hotel as they reached the entrance. The spring came back somewhat into her tentative steps as she clung tightly to the boy, nuzzling like a kitten against the creaseless shoulder of his suit jacket.
"My hero," she tittered, batting her eyelashes at him. He gave her a broad smile in response.
Alice led the two youths up to the entrance, where Yugo was just stepping out of the large sliding doors, adjusting his tie with a not-so enthusiastic look on his face.
"Damn thing," he muttered, trying desperately to get it to sit straight. Alice's hands gently took over as she reached him, and with a quick tug, she had it perfectly aligned and flush against his shirt. He blushed with embarrassment, muttering a 'thank you', though not before getting a good look at the woman in front of him, simply lost for words by her glamorous attire. Clad in a sparkling sapphire dress clinging to her curvaceous form, she was beyond stunning; he couldn't help but admire her exquisitely defined contours.
"Is everyone here?" The rabbit Zoanthrope asked, breaking the silence.
Yugo regained his focus, secretly wishing he could ogle her for longer. "Almost; we're just waiting for the Prince himself. Gado and Jenny are arriving with him."
Uriko's stomach grumbled loudly, which turned everyone's attention towards her. A nervous laugh escaped as she slapped a hand over her offending belly, giving it a little pat.
"I didn't have much lunch so… I hope we won't have to wait too long for food."
"Silly, Uriko," Alice scolded jokily. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Yugo looking out distantly at nothing in particular and frowned somewhat with concern. "What's wrong?" She inquired softly, resting a hand on his forearm.
"I was just wondering…" He uttered despondently, breaking off for a moment with a grunt as he tried to gather his thoughts. He looked at Alice seriously. "I hope Nagi will make it tonight? I'm just worried about her. We haven't spoken for days now."
"You shouldn't worry too much. Nagi can take care of herself." She patted his arm, smiling assuredly. "She's probably just running late."
"Yeah, I know how you girls take forever choosing what to wear… OW!" Her nimble fingers pinched his earlobe hard. He whimpered, stepping back from the pouting woman.
"Don't make such assumptions, Yugo!"
The distinguishable sound of a car pulling up to the curb behind them grabbed their attention and they noticed that Gado, Jenny and Cronos had stepped out of the vehicle flocked by security. The Prince wore traditional formal Indian garments – looking exceptionally regal, while Gado wore a near identical suit to Yugo, and Jenny... needless to say, barely seemed dressed at all. The amount of cleavage and leg on show was truly astounding.
"Shall we step inside now?" Kenji asked his brother.
"We can now Cronos is here." He mentally hoped Nagi wouldn't be too late arriving as he greeted the three newcomers and lead the entourage into the hotel.
Kunimoto watched the W.O.C. group as they walked towards the hotel entrance from his rear-view mirror. His eyes had a darkness about them that was unnerving.
He had his boys on every corner, watching the group and tracking the security surrounding the building. There weren't as many in his ranks after ShenLong's attack, and even some on hand were still nursing tender wounds from their beating. Dedication is what the Sabre's needed, and he was somewhat proud of his men, though not much. They were merely tools to assist him in the culmination of his schemes.
He could almost smell victory in the humid air. There was something on the breeze seeping in through his partially open car window that gave him reassurance. The W.O.C. weren't prepared for what was coming, their weakness a beautiful aroma. Confidence rose with each breath as he fought to keep the smug grin from his face. Tonight, his plan would come to fruition and a kingdom would crack at the foundations. He wanted to shout from the rooftops, declare himself King, but that would have to wait until he had success fully within his grasp.
Thoughts aside, he took note that Kirakira hadn't showed up when expected. He wanted her more than most to see him put an end to a monarchy. As a matter of fact, he hadn't heard from her for a few days. It hadn't helped they'd had a bit of a dispute the same night they'd initiated the deadly attack on Ryou. She had most likely been avoiding him while having a strop. She'd left him a text message on his phone the night before saying she'd call to make arrangements over rendezvousing that night. She hadn't.
He huffed to himself pompously. "Stupid woman. Why do I put up with your pathetic whining? Well, never mind. I don't need her screwing up my plans anyway. She can sit in the wings for now."
He climbed out of his car, kicking the door closed behind him. His TK-Sabre's turned to look at him expectantly.
"It's almost time to make our move. Get to your positions."
ShenLong ran his hands with admiration over his brand new formal suit jacket. His sharply pressed, creaseless outfit had that familiar 'new, right off the rack' scent, something he didn't have the pleasure of experiencing very often. There were very few opportunities for him to wear a suit, and honestly when he thought about it, he'd never worn one, and while it felt a little awkward as he did up his tie, something about how dignified he looked didn't make the experience all that bad.
To add a finishing touch, he splashed on a dash of musky cologne. Koneko peeked around the corner into the bathroom, wafting her hand playfully in front of her nose.
"Kami-sama! That stuff stinks!" She said, crinkling her nose.
He put the cologne back behind the bathroom mirror and turned to regard the girl, dressed in a cosy fluffy red sweater over a puffy black satin skirt. She'd done her hair up into two high braided pigtails, entangled artfully with red ribbons. She didn't have many expensive clothes, so wore the best her wardrobe could provide. Despite recent events, she still managed to find a smile, one that reached from ear to ear.
He gracefully approached the doorway, leaning into the arch in front of the young girl.
"Don't you like the scent, Bobo-hime? It's very spicy…" He leant in towards her, sneaking an arm behind her. "… Very manly, no?"
She squeaked, taking a step back into his arm, which only pulled her against him. "Kami-sama! That's creepy!"
Continuing his playful torment, he pressed his face to the top of her head, loudly inhaling the scent of sweet forest fruits. "I'm sure you'll learn to enjoy a man's fiery aroma. One day you'll be rolling in it. The sharp sweaty scent..." He leaned back, giving her a leery eye. She had turned beat red, staring up at him flabbergasted. "… A scent, little Bobo-hime, that will make you a real woman…"
Her squeal echoed around the building. Breaking away from his hold, she bolted off as quickly as she could.
"CREEPY! CREEPY! CREEPY!" He heard her yowl, prompting his laughter as he left the bathroom and made his way down into the back rooms of the bar.
"Tormenting my daughter again, ShenLong?" Hou said, loading some glasses into dishwasher in the compact kitchen. ShenLong grinned, prompting a shake of the head from the man before he headed out to the front of the bar to collect another set waiting on the side.
ShenLong followed him out chuckling to himself and sat on one of the stools at the bar. "She's just such an easy target."
Hou shook his head, smiling. "You're both as bad as each other. You're like children seeing how far you can goad each other. But I suppose I should be grateful that you distract her into keeping out of trouble... well, most of the time."
"It would be boring around here if we didn't have her hyperactivity." He shrugged to himself, picking up a clean beer mat, which he flipped between his fingers artfully. "But it's only for me to pick on her, nobody else. She's like family to me."
It was a touching thought to Hou and he stopped for a moment to regard the other man. "You're a diamond in the rough, ShenLong. At times you seem like a scoundrel, but you've really shown yourself to have a good heart behind all that backchat. I'm glad a man like you is around to look out for my daughter."
ShenLong waved off the compliment, turning away so that Hou couldn't see his cheeks colour, if only a little. That was soon washed away as people began to enter; they were those who were going to join the fighting cause against Kunimoto. They were led in by a perky looking Kei, who was in a little better shape than before thanks to his Zoanthrope genetics. He hopped up onto a bar stool next to ShenLong, though he was jittering with excitement, barely able to keep himself seated.
"This is it, man!" Kei exclaimed. "We're finally going to let Kunimoto have it! We've got quite the crew on our side. He's not going to know what's hit him!"
"Did you take some speed or something?" ShenLong said noticing how energetic his friend was. "You're getting too overexcited. Besides, it's not like we're just turning up to a party for drinks and dancing. Bad shit is going to go down for sure."
"Oh, don't get me wrong, that's got me jazzed up! But I got some other good news," Kei explained. "The hospital called. They said Selia's going to be fine! They're going to monitor her for a few days, and then they'll release her to recover at home!"
"That's great news!" Hou said, returning after taking away the other glasses. "In light of everything, it's a miracle really."
"Yeah, and I'm going to finally get back those punks once and for all for what they did to her!" Kei slammed his fist against the bar aggressively. "It wasn't enough just to wipe their faces before. I just want this to be over so we can go back to card games and drinking in peace!"
Hou nodded with understanding. "I would accompany you, but my body isn't what it used to be. Age and arthritis are not a welcomed combination." He sighed, feeling a little useless. "It seems I spend most of my days now counting the illnesses I'm accumulating. I'm lucky to have you boys around to fight for this place, and for all the other Zoanthropes in trouble."
"You almost make us sound like heroes or something," Kei said quite proudly, content on the idea.
ShenLong rolled his eyes. "I'm no hero. I'm just doing what's right for me in the end. I just want this over with so I can go back to drinking without interruptions."
"Honest if nothing else," a soft voice came from behind them. "But I'm sure your efforts will be appreciated anyway."
ShenLong swivelled in his seat, coming to admire the woman across the way in all her accentuated glory.
Nagi strode across the bar, her silky red strapless dress glimmering under the low lights. The floaty material danced around her legs like a whisper as she manoeuvred herself into his awaiting arms. It didn't take long for his hand to go in search of the top of her stockings, just peeping out between the high split of the right-hand side of her garment. His fingers brushed the lace, lifting just a little further to find smooth skin to pet affectionately.
"You look delicious," he seductively approved. "If I didn't have a few asses to kick, I'd take you upstairs right now and ea-"
"Guys..." Kei cringed into his hand. "Can you save the sexing up for later? Nobody needs to see you screwing on the bar..."
Nagi raised her finger to the Japanese man, just inches from his nose. "Nobody asked you to watch."
"For fucks sake..." There were a few murmurs of laughter between the people in the room.
Nagi parted herself from ShenLong's embrace, turning to take in the other people starting to file into the bar, all wanting to fight back against the TK-Sabres. Koneko appeared after a short time, hopping up onto the bar, crossing her legs as she looked around at everyone gathered about.
"Wow, I'm surprised!" Koneko said in awe. "Lots of people want to help us; so much more than I thought. I mean, Kunimoto scared so many people away."
"This is proof enough that people want things to change," Hou said, gesturing at the many faces he recognised from years of running the bar. "Kunimoto thinks he can swan about causing chaos and make people bow to his whim. Well, no more. Whatever kingdom he thinks he's getting is hands on is a delusion stuck in that messed up head of his. People aren't going to stand around being afraid anymore. And let me tell you, I'm so proud of everyone here tonight. I hope you manage to stop his madness before it's too late."
Koneko turned around to face her father. "Well, I'm definitely going too! I want to see him pay for what he's done!" Before Hou could protest, she covered his mouth with her hand. "You can't stop me. It's something I have to do. I want to be there to help my friends! If you could, you'd do the same. I'm a big girl now! You don't have to worry about me!"
Hou pulled her hand away, appearing displeased by how deeply his brow was furrowed. "I don't like it, not one bit, but I won't stop you… Just promise me you'll be careful. Don't do anything foolish. Kunimoto is not a man you want to mess with."
"I know. And I will."
"Good to see we've got the backing," Nagi said to ShenLong. "They look ready for a good scrap."
"After everything, they're more than ready." ShenLong snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her close so he leaned in to rest his chin atop her head. "How about you? Are you ready? That dress, I must say, isn't exactly the best outfit for fighting. Though, it's still fucking sexy…"
She laughed – a short and rich 'hah' sound – petting his cheek with gentle taps. "I can fight wearing anything from a cat-suit to a potato sack. Don't worry about me. A dress won't stop me breaking someone's face." She turned in his hold. "By the way, I have something to show you." She gave a 'come hither' finger to Kei as well as she parted from her lover and headed for the back door. The two men looked at each other with confusion before following after her. Koneko was quickly behind them, her curiosity peaked.
A cardboard box sat in the middle of the back alley. It had a nice big ribbon wrapped around it. ShenLong and Kei curiously glanced at each other then back at the box which Nagi proudly stood next to.
The box jolted.
Both men stepped back with surprise.
It did it again.
"Okay, what the hell?" Kei bluntly exclaimed.
Koneko stepped out from behind them, blinking with shock as the box shook. The three were taken back by a muffled yelp from inside.
"It's a nice little present for Kunimoto." Nagi undid the ribbon and unfolded all four flaps on top of the box, revealing inside Kirakira, tied up and gagged.
ShenLong eyed the muffling woman, trying to break her tight bonds, and then up at Nagi who tucked a stray lock behind her ear innocently.
"I'm guessing she didn't just fall into a box," ShenLong said, not sure at first whether to be amused or frustrated. "Care to elaborate?"
"It's not really much of a story," she casually stated. "I wouldn't want to bore you with the details."
"Uh, isn't this technically kidnapping?" Kei asked, eying a clearly disgruntled Kirakira. Koneko leaned in to look as well, sticking her tongue out at the woman upon seeing her.
"Yeah, I'd say so," Nagi agreed without any regret. "Honestly, she deserves a whole lot worse to happen to her. By my reckoning, kidnapping is not as bad as what this bitch-" Nagi kicked the box hard, causing her captive to whimper. "-Has done. She played her part in getting Ryou killed and putting Selia in hospital. She better pray that I don't decide to send her back to Kunimoto in smaller packages."
"So, what's the plan with her?" ShenLong asked, folding his arms.
"She's coming along for the ride. I'm going to show Kunimoto just how pathetic they really are. That we can play just as dirty if needs be to protect what we cherish." Nagi folded the box lid closed, ignoring the whining protests of the woman within. She retied the ribbon in a neat little bow, quite proud that it looked so dainty despite the contents.
After a moment of contemplative silence, ShenLong finally burst out laughing. "I can't believe you did this. What gave you the idea?"
Nagi grinned. "The bitch has been asking for it from the moment we first met. After everything she's got away with, I wanted her to see things from the other side; to feel the fear and the pain, understand what it's like to suffer helplessly." She ran her hands down her dress, removing any creases she could see. "At first I just wanted to slap her around for a while, but I knew if that was all I did, she'd just run back to her man, blubbering little a baby until he sent someone around to cave my skull in, or someone else's skull seeing as they are so indiscriminate. So I figured I'd borrow her for a prop and return her special delivery when the time was needed." She reached down to pluck a large brown envelope from the side of the box. "Right, I've got a taxi booked. ShenLong, I think you'll find it easier than me to throw the cargo into the trunk when it gets here." She kicked the box again, which emitted a sharp wail. "You don't need to take care; the contents aren't as fragile as the printing says. Oh, and Koneko…" The girl straightened up when Nagi addressed her. "Can you post this for me?" The girl nodded and accepted the envelope.
"What's that?" ShenLong nodded towards the envelope that Koneko was rushing off with.
"It's Yugo's evidence." Nagi sat carefully on top of the box. "He can get it tomorrow through the post. I'm not answering for myself tonight."
ShenLong half smirked. "I'm sure that will piss him off."
"Undoubtedly," she confirmed. She lifted her hand to gently tug the sleeve of his jacket. "By the way, you look sexy in your suit."
"I thought so, too," he murmured, planting a kiss on her lips.
Kei quietly groaned, walking around to the side of the box, giving it a kick to amuse himself. The shriek from within was an entertaining enough distraction.
An hour had passed since the entourage for the W.O.C.'s dinner had arrived. They had started out in a side meeting room, undertaking a small presentation about what they had achieved, followed by much gushing praise for all parties involved. After which they were escorted to the large dining hall set out elegantly for their arrival.
Yugo kept checking his watch against the gold-plated clock mounted high up on the wall above the doors. Nagi still hadn't arrived. It might have been acceptable during the presentation portion, as she had very little to add on that front, but for the dinner part – it wasn't particularly impressive. But something was nagging at the back of his brain, something he couldn't quite figure out. He just hoped Nagi was okay. He really wished she had contacted him.
Around the hall everyone was happily enjoying meaningful conversation. Uriko was especially loud with constant bursts of laughter occurring every few minutes. Luckily, nobody seemed too bothered by this – most were rather charmed by her good-nature and humour.
The table was packed with high ranking officials from the local council, other significant Zoanthrope supporting organisations, plus a few other key figures within the W.O.C. ranks. Gado was there as the sole representative of the UN and Prince Cronos's business confidant. They had all come along way with their hard work; this moment sat together in agreement had made everything worthwhile.
Alice nudged Yugo's side with her elbow to draw his attention. Hailing him with her voice hadn't worked, so she had to physically 'call' him. He snapped around with a jump. Shaking her head, she leaned in so he could hear her above the many voices around the table.
"Don't worry," she said, practically reading his mind. "She'll be here before too long. And if she isn't, she'll have good reason not to be."
He nodded, but still felt a rising level of uncertainty.
The doors opened, and he was about to bounce out of his seat ready to both greet and scold the woman he expected, but it wasn't her. It was a gentleman entering to announce that food would soon be served. Yugo sighed quietly.
Damn it, Nagi. You better not be in a body bag...
In rolled the serving trolleys covered with an abundance of food. The gold rimmed plates were carefully set out before the guests and an aroma of fine cuisine floated around them delectably. Yugo's stomach grumbled quietly. He's been looking forward to this part of the night. Before he could even consider digging in, Gado had stood up, tapping his fork against his glass.
"My apologies," the old lion interrupted. "I know most of you would like to get started on the food, but before we do, our esteemed Prince Cronos would like to say a few words." He turned, indicating to the young royal that the stage was his. Cronos cleared his throat, shaking of any reticent thoughts as he stood confidently before the congregation.
"Thank you, Commissioner. Please let me begin by thanking everyone for being here tonight to celebrate our accomplishments as a united force. It has been the greatest pleasure to work with you on such a special venture. I hope that-"
A sudden commotion outside the main doors drew the attention of those at the table, cutting short Cronos's speech as the room fell into confusion. Unexpectedly, the doors burst inward, splintering with a horrible crunch as they slammed against the walls. The impact shook lamp fittings and dislodged paintings, causing them to fall with an echoing clatter onto the hard floor. The guests jumped from their seats in a mixture of shock and uncertainty, though Yugo particularly felt a rising fear and anger boil through him, knowing something terrible was about to happen.
A couple of security men were thrown into the room unconscious, having taken quite the beating to defend the group from assault – though clearly, they had been unsuccessful. The intrusion was led by a cocky Kunimoto, whose group had efficiently breached the hotel with precision without alerting the congregation any earlier than needed. The Sabre's began pouring into the room, an array of weapons at the ready – from baseball bats to machetes. They had the guests hemmed in.
Personal guards had quickly surrounded Cronos for his protection against potential violence. The young man couldn't believe his eyes, turning to Gado for some sort of explanation or reassurance. Gado was completely focused on the threat at hand, as was Yugo, who was staring intensely at Kunimoto across the way. The leader of the TK-Sabres did not seem daunted that he was faced with some of the best fighters in the world. His dark grin showed his self-reassurance.
Things weren't looking good…