From Paris: Kabukicho, Japan:
It was an unfortunate evening for rain. Locals and tourist crowded under awnings, and greeted street vendors to bargain for warm meals before retiring home. A constant drizzle on the backdrop of sunset hummed with the noise of cars and business trucks. The droplets hit the polluted sidewalks, mixing with the stench of urban life and back alleys. But most this went ignored by the crowd, anxious to relieve themselves of the daytime stresses with nighttime adventures.
Through the back alleys and neon signs of the Kabukicho district, huddled under an awning to escape the tedious drops, La pulled the collar of her coat closer around her throat. She surveyed the area through tinted red-framed sunglasses, though the sun was close to hiding behind the horizon. Shifting her weight to the right, in particularly high black heels, La chewed on her stick of mint gum and watched as two men glanced at her and tried to avoid a slowly forming puddle of water. She smiled at them and waved as they disappeared into the red light district, with a little reluctance from one of them. Once they were out of sight, her smile faded.
The light drizzle made the smells of garbage more potent, and La hated the way muddy bits splashed against her bare legs as she walked down the alley. It was enough to make her turn back and abandon this whole mission. She'd comforted herself with the thought of killing Burstien when she caught up to him. An entertaining thought that lasted only for a moment. Killing him won't due just yet, whatever information he had, La needed. Instead, La reveled in thought of finding Mat first, then killing Burstien slowly for indirectly degrading her in this moment.
She slowed her pace to resemble that of a lost tourist. If the rumors where true, and this place capitalized from lost foreigners, particularly women, surely she'd be a target. That and, the knee-length black jacket and red sunglasses should draw enough attention in and of itself. La rummaged through the front pocket, retrieving her cellphone and reviewing the last message Hei sent. Don't get yourself killed. She snorted. The likelihood of her, a contractor, getting killed in a place like this was very slim. Hei knew this but the warning was well received and, in the event of an unlikely emergency, Mao was playing lookout on the rooftops.
La paused, looking up to see if she could spot the contractor dog on the shingle rooftop of the buildings surrounding her. At the moment, she could hardly see anything as darkness crept in and her view was blurred by rainwater.
"Oi," La stiffened at the voice, but played deaf as the footsteps approached from behind, "Eh there."
She forced the tension to leave her shoulders. Gradually, La lowered her head and looked over her shoulder, one delicate hand rising the glasses up to her forehead.
"Moi?" she asked, forcing her already deep French accent to stand out more.
The man was rather disappointing in her opinion. He was skinny and tanned by the looks of it, but she attributed that to his nationality. The man's accent wasn't exactly Japanese. His hair was a wild mess of flyaways, some flatted from the drizzle. He scrubbed at the stubble on his chin, a cigarette dangling between his lips and stopped just a few feet in front of her. La was unimpressed.
"This ain't the best spot to be daydreaming," he said fishing in his pocket for a lighter. When he found, he lit his cigarette, turning his head to blow the smoke away.
La turned further to him, pushing the sunglasses up on her head, "I guess. But I was looking for a friend."
He sniffed and rubbed at his nose with his thumb and the knuckle of this point finger, "Ain't gonna find him up there."
"Oh," La looked up again, "I know. The shingles just look nice with the water dripping from them like that, you know." She directed her attention back to the man who'd taken a special interest in her bare legs. Unconsciously, she crossed one leg over the other, "I better get going though. I fear I might be lost."
He balanced the cigarette between his teeth and took a step closer, "Where were you meeting your friend? Maybe I can help."
La, against her persona, sized him up. The man looked rather bored with this whole encounter but shady enough that he might be of some use. Her glaze shifted to the left where two men across the street walked slowly by, seemingly uninterested in their conversation.
Her eyes flickered back to the man as he took another step forward. "I'm Jun, if that makes you feel better."
"I think I can find my way," La finally said, noticing how the two stopped suddenly, "But thank you."
She took a step back and turned on her heels to walk away, but Jun grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him.
"Eh, now, I'm just trying to be nice here and help you." He said, a hint of agitation in his voice. Jun smelled of cheap liquor, aftershave and tobacco. With all her willpower, La forced herself not to use her contract on him.
"Please, let me go" La whispered and stood still. She faked fear, forcing her limbs to rumble slightly in his hold.
"Be quite," he warned and La peeked over her shoulder at his expression, "You see those guys over there?"
She followed his line of sight. Her expressions blank as she watched the two men across the street and nodded. They lingered for a few minutes before carrying on their way.
Jun held her for a few more seconds before turning her to face him, "Those guys are always out, looking for lost idiots like you. If I'da let you leave, they probably would have," he paused shaking his head, "they'da done some bad shit."
La was silent, unsure of whether she should be grateful or annoyed with Jun's heroic interference. She blinked at him. Jun took a long drag from his cigarette before discarding the butt on the pavement.
"C'mon, there's a small restaurant around the corner. I'll get you drink and we can find your friend. You look pretty shaken up" He said and waited for her to accept his offer.
La didn't move immediately, and Jun sighed impatiently, rubbing his hand through his hair, much to her amusement. "Either come with me, or wait for a guy to rape you."
"Okay," La said slowly, glancing behind her before looking back at him, "Let's go."
Jun didn't waist time in grabbing her hand and practically pulling La through the damp streets. The restaurant was literally around the corner, tucked away between what looked like two shady brothels. There was no sign indicating it was an eatery but Jun pushed open the doors and the telltale smell of fried foods filled her sense.
It was fairly empty, save a few unruly people in the corner. Jun kept her close to his side until they were seated at the bar. An older woman presented a paper menu that saw better days. La thanked her but it was Jun who ordered the drinks and appetizer.
La glanced at him, he was lighting another cigarette. She directed her attention to the others there. A woman was sitting on a man's lap giggling as he whispered something to her. Two other women, American La assumed, were sitting rather close. The blonde on the right had her leg outstretched over the other's thigh. The woman on the left, brunette toyed with a drink at her lips in one hand, the other place casually on the outstretched thigh. La watched as the woman sipped the remainder of her liquor, and her tongue slithered through the glass until it circled around a piece of ice. She reached up, cradling the other's neck in her palms before pulling her in for a kiss, the ice passing from one tongue to the other. Then, almost without warning, the woman's glaze shifted to La, as they pulled apart.
She licked her lips and La looked away quickly, just as their food as placed in front of them. Their drinks, two shot glasses of saké and La was grateful for Jun's choice. She grabbed the glass and, despite herself, glanced back in the direction of the women. Both of them had their eyes fixed on her. The brunette caressed her hand from the back of the blonde's neck, down the side and over her breast, all why eyeing La.
"You into that?" Jun's question caught her off guard and she jumped with genuine surprise and looked away, a faint blush on her cheeks.
"No, I was just…" La stammered, taking advantage of the food and eating some so she wouldn't have to explain. Jun chuckled, downing his shot in one go and flagging the bartender for another. La grabbed her drink and finished it almost as quickly as him. Keep it together. She thought and licked the residue from her top lip.
"Expect that stuff in Kabukicho," Jun said and nodded at his new drink, "That's nothing."
"You've visited this district a lot?"
He snorted, "I work in this district, mademoiselle."
La raised a brow at his teasing and this new information. The bartender also brought La another and she drunk it a bit slower, aware that being drunk would not fare well with her plan. "You knew I was French?"
Jun nodded, "I have a cousin from Viet Nam. He moved to Nice some years back. I visited him," pushed his shoulders back and down and cracked his neck, "I didn't care for the French too much."
"I'm sorry to hear that," La smiled, propping her elbow on the counter and resting her chin there, "So, let me guess, Thailand? You don't look Japanese."
Jun licked his lips, lighting another cigarette and turning so that he was facing La fully. He shook his head in the negative, "Cambodia."
La hummed aware of how his shifted position decreased the distance between them, "Cambodia," she let the words roll from her tongue, purposely crossing her leg over the other, knowing that it would raise the hem of her jacket and brush against his pant leg, "Why come to Japan?"
Jun signaled for more drinks but kept his eye on her, "I gotta have a reason?"
"No," La said, toying with her drink glass, "I suppose you don't. So you work in the Kabukicho district, huh?"
Jun leaned forward a little, dropping his hand on her exposed knee, "Yeah, I'm a delivery guy."
La blinked, her eyes feeling a bit heavy for having only on two drinks. She titled her head at him and squinted at the hand on her knee. Jun just smiled, the first time all night and gave her knee a little massage with rough hands.
"By the way," his voice was foggy, distant and low, "Where is your friend again? I wouldn't want her to start worrying"
La swayed, blinking rapidly at the sudden heaviness in her head and her blurred visions. She looked up at Jun who faded in and out of focus. The glass slipped from her fingers and tried, in vain, to shoo the hand from her knee. She teetered and tried to stand but Jun caught her by the waist.
"Japanese wine can be strong if you never hand it before," his breath tickled her ear and La tried to push him away with what little strength she had left. They were standing now, Jun holding up her weight with his. He practically dragged her towards the staircase in the back of the room.
"P—put me," her voice was strained almost hoarse as she fought the urge to faint, "down…let me go."
Jun grunted and propped her up against the wall and bent down, "Loose my job if I did that. What'dya say you're name was, again?"
La didn't answer him. She gazed at the bartender who was wiping the counter where they just sat, then to the couple in the corner who seemed oblivious. Finally, to the two woman who were still smiling in their direction.
He wrapped his arms around her thighs and hoisted her over his shoulder. The movement as too swift for La and she nearly throw up the food she's just eaten. They walked up a few stairs and into a dim lite room before Jun dropped her to the floor.
Everything was spinning and hazed and La tried to blink the dizziness away. She looked up at the ceiling fan above her while distant footsteps drew closer. From the rhythm, she assumed it was two people. La extended one of her arms and twisted so that she was on her side. She tried grabbing at anything, though she could hardly see, but through the haze two pair of boots stopped in front of her and La craned her neck to get a view of their faces. It was hard to do but she could barely make out an outline. She did, however, make out Jun who walked from around her. The men talked in a language she couldn't understand but knew it was an oriental language. One of them dug in his pocket pulling out she assumed was cash and handing it over to Jun.
Once the transaction was done, Jun bent down, "You remember my friends from earlier right? The one's across the street? Eh, put your hand down. These guys are gonna take good care of you, mademoiselle."
La resisted whatever Jun had given her for as long as her strength allowed. She wasn't particularly fond of being drugged but succumbed to its effects nonetheless. It was the reason she came her right? "Damn it," she murmured and let go.
A/N: Don't try this abroad kids! There is a reason they came out with the movie Taken and it's sequel! LOL
-Cece ~.^