Chapter 36: Midnight Runs
"'Cause I can't continue pretending to choose
the opposite sides on which we fall
the 'loving you laters' if at all
No right minds could wrong be this many times."
-Sara Bareilles. Between the Lines.
Tyki and Lulu had managed to make it to his bed. Their limbs were intertwined fully, with Lulu on top of Tyki, her hands roaming his chest up and down. It was thrilling. It let his senses run wild, filled him with a sensation of desire that he had long suppressed in Rei's interest. It felt good to no longer restrain himself, and considering that he had been sexually inactive for quite a few weeks, the constant touch of Lulu's provocative lips and fingers was greatly welcomed.
But there had been a time for that, and that time had long passed. Rei did not linger far from Tyki's mind, and every kiss that he succumbed to only amplified his conscience's nagging. His quickly beating heart stilled as Lulu's lips moved from his lips to trace down his collarbones; he took in a deep breath, trying to clear his head. What had been happening for the last ten, fifteen, sixty minutes was wrong. Good as it felt…wonderful as it felt…
There was still Rei.
Tyki let out the breath he had been holding and subtly reached his hand under his pillow, where he knew he'd stashed a gun only hours before. Lulu didn't seem to notice anything, for her hands were as eager as they'd been before, slipping over his abdominal area and embracing his waist. Straddling him, she lifted herself a bit up above him so she could look properly at his face. A smug smirk crept to her lips.
"Eh, Tyki?" she whispered. "Tired already?"
She leaned in for another kiss, but Tyki brought the gun he'd secured to the side of her head, digging it against her temple none too gently.
Lulu looked at him, surprised.
"Sorry," he said. "Playtime was over a long time ago."
"…Really, Tyki?" she said skeptically, unfazed by the weapon and lying against his chest comfortably. "You didn't seem too against it."
"I wasn't," he admitted, "at first. But, you know, there's a limit to how far I could go without feeling guilty for cheating on my girlfriend. We passed that point with the first kiss—"
"You certainly let it get much farther," interrupted Lulu.
"Sadly enough. Rei will have my head now," he said, sitting up and pushing Lulu off of him. His gun was still pointing steadily at her face. "Tell me what you want, Lulubell. I don't understand your motives."
Lulu looked at him impassively. "My motives? What do you mean?"
"I know you're angry about my deal with the Earl. The question is why? Even Cyril—head of this family—did not overreact as badly as you did. Once the Earl agreed, Cyril was fine with the deal. But why are you so angry? It's beyond me."
Lulu narrowed her eyes, but she did not say anything in return. Upon this close inspection, Tyki realized that there were minor physical aspects of hers that he hated. Her eyes were thin and cold; never once in their time of acquaintance had Tyki seen her eyes soften, or at least not contain that calculative shine in them. Her lips were full and lovely, but shrewd, if lips could be shrewd at all. Always too sexy, too seductive, too manipulative.
She blinked, the glitter of her golden eye shadow especially eye-catching.
"You wouldn't be expecting me to say that I am jealous of that little girl, do you?" she said.
Tyki scoffed. "Of course not. We know that if there's anyone on this earth who is completely devoid of emotions, it's you." He tested the trigger of the gun, causing Lulu's eyes to widen in alarm. A cold smirk tugged at his lips. "If you still think you have me safely wrapped around your little finger, you're wrong. Someone replaced you a long time ago."
"Just what is it about this girl?" demanded Lulu. "Eiji says she is nothing special. I've seen it with my own eyes—she is nothing special. Her looks now above average, thanks to your little crew and their fake plastic aesthetics, but nothing compared to other potential girls. Her senses dulled thanks to the modeling life. Her personality contains an insufferable immaturity that I can't stand. She's just a little girl—"
Tyki's finger slipped—on purpose or not, he wasn't sure himself—but the gun was angled past Lulu's ear by a centimeter and the bullet shot straight past her, shattering a vase across the room and lodging itself in the wall. Unhurt though she was, Lulu looked stunned.
"…Tyki —"
"Accident," he said coolly, cocking the gun again. "Don't insult her, Lulu. She's younger—less mature, surely, but you'd be surprised what she's like in more serious scenarios. And special? You've met a girl like that before? Reactions like that, energy like that, an energy that makes you feel alive when you're with her?" The gun dangled dangerously close to her face. "Why don't you ask yourself that question, Lulubell? What is special about you? Your unwavering faithfulness to the family? Your coldness, your manipulative nature, your cruelty?"
"You—"
"Why I'm attracted to her—I'm not sure," he continued calmly. "But why I was attracted to you too—that's the real question. You have a fiancé, Lulubell Kamelot. You can stop toying with me now."
The expression that Lulu had was cold yet furious at the same time. And though Tyki knew he had crossed the line this time with his words, the fact that he had seen her so riled up gave him no little satisfaction.
Yet once the door slammed behind Lulu as she left, Tyki sank against the pillows of his bed, laying an arm against his eyes as he breathed in deeply. He'd nearly slipped back. It was that kind of mistake that could cost him major trouble during a mission. And he already didn't know what to say to Rei about it, even though she didn't know—most likely would never know. But guilt still frothed in his chest—he still didn't feel right, knowing he could hide it from her.
He got to his feet, sighing. He needed to prepare for the mission. This mission…he knew what it'd consist of. Guns, sniper material, tracking systems. A dead body, some hushed up media. The royalty always got away such things. Political clout. Rei would hate it. She'd hate every little thing he was going to do, even if it was for her. She'd hate it even more because it was for her.
Tyki headed to the bathroom, greeted by a much colder and sterile atmosphere in the black-tiled room. He twisted the handle of the sink and let the ice cold water run over his hands before splashing it over his face. It had a wonderfully refreshing effect.
Rei didn't know about the Earl's orders, but considering the amount of time Tyki would have to dedicate to it, she'd find out sooner than later, especially if she dug around when she was suspicious. He managed a little smile. She was a rather distrustful character, and surely, if she found out, she'd trust him even less. A bad turn of events, especially when they'd just re-stabilized their relationship.
Perhaps a little break was in order. Give them both some space so Tyki would have time to work, and for Rei to…for Rei to spend more time with Kanda? Tyki scoffed. It was probable. Who knew what they were doing at the moment.
He looked at himself in the mirror; the tiny water droplets clung to strands of his hair the way drowning people clung to a lifeline before finally letting go. A break was going to have to happen. Rei needed time too, to finally decide.
She wasn't going to lie. She did relax. Something was enjoyable about the situation she was in. Kanda's soft breaths resonating by her ear. His lips against her cheek. His strong arms around her waist. His surprisingly firm chest against her back, where she could feel each solid thump of his heartbeat.
With the embrace came an influx of memories and faded emotions that she had buried away since that disastrous night in the hospital. The fact that they were not together was his fault remained. He could not blame her; she was not willing to wait forever for a man who had showed obvious signs of interest but could not commit to them. So what, in his opinion, if she had moved a bit too fast?
His lips moved lower, down to her neck, pressing against her skin and causing it to prickle into gooseflesh. Kanda had always been physically cooler than others, and the bare contact sent shivers down her spine. He must have noticed, for his arms tightened around her waist, his hands slipped up her sleeveless arms.
But it was all obviously very wrong. Morally. Ethically. Romantically.
She stepped out of his embrace, trying to distance herself from him. He caught her wrist before she was even a foot away and spun her around to face him. Rei opened her mouth to say something, but he kissed her again, this time properly on the lips as his hands trailed down her bare arms and to her waist, holding her in place.
The kiss lingered, sending an indescribable sensation down her spine. Her mind, though, remained clear, and guilt pinged that same sensation that chilled her to the bone. The kiss jolted her back to reality, away from the dreamlike state she had slipped into as Kanda had hugged her.
Rei stepped back, pushing Kanda away, and took in a harsh breath of the cold conditioned air. The window's filtered lights from the night scenery were reflected in Kanda's blue eyes, along with anger and warning.
Rei breathed in again, letting it out slowly, before removing her hands from his chest and taking yet another step back. She wasn't angry. Could not be angry. Because she had let his hug linger, had let herself enjoy that instant of emotion that he so rarely displayed, but should have displayed ages ago.
"I can't do this," she said.
"You obviously can," he replied silkily. His voice was more controlled than she had expected, but that might've been because she herself was controlled. "You let me do it. You remained still. You didn't protest. For three and a half minutes. I counted."
She could not help but feel amused with his paranoid meticulousness, but did not let it show.
"I was taken back," she answered.
"For three and a half minutes?"
She didn't answer.
"You enjoyed it," he continued. "You want it."
"I don't," she said quietly. "I wanted it months ago. You didn't give it to me. I was taken back by the hug because I began to think of what I felt back then; that was why I...I did enjoy it. But then I remembered—what happened just now should've happened ages ago, Kanda. I've already told you, I've moved on."
"If you've moved on," he nearly snarled, taking a step towards her, "then don't lead me on—"
"I didn't lead you on," she snapped, the first signs of anger surfacing in retaliation to Kanda's. "In no way was I trying to lead you on—"
"Dinner together? Consenting to stay in the same room together, overnight? You really think that's not leading me on? What else does it imply, Matsumomo? What else does it mean?"
"Dinner together can happen between friends. Staying in the same room only happened because Tyki was concerned for my safety—and believe me, Kanda Yuu, that I wouldn't have stayed if he hadn't been so serious about it. Everything means nothing, Kanda. You are still as insufferable as you always are, you're still that tactless—"
"Tactless? Matsumomo, do you know—I never bring people tea!"
Had it been some other scenario where she had just been playfully bantering with him, she would've laughed. She would've laughed so hard at his sheer innocence, his obvious lack of tact, at his self-deemed considerateness on his own part. But he—and she as well—was deadly serious, and so they remained in stony silence as Rei bit back a biting response and instead tried to address the situation more sincerely. It was an instant fail.
"Good to know," she answered, still unable to keep the acidic sarcasm from dripping in her voice like poisonous honey. "Good to know that bringing me tea—because bringing tea to people is so nice that I should be thanking you on bent knee every time you bring me tea—" She stopped, took in a deep breath, and continued away from the rant. "That's not the point. We were fine, Kanda. I was starting to relax around you—something that hasn't happened in who knows how long."
"You're naturally relaxed around me, if I'm…nice," he said sourly.
"There's the catch," she said dryly. "If you're nice, which is once in a blue moon, and we all know how hard that is on your part. Kanda, you knew as well as I did exactly how to ruin a comfortable atmosphere between us. And lo and behold, you did exactly that—"
"What the hell do you expect me to do?" he said angrily, his voice starting to grow louder. "Not do anything? Just sit here and be in the same room with you without Mikk around and really not do anything?"
"Yes!" Rei said furiously, her mood mirroring Kanda's as it grew in intensity. "Yes, I did! Because I'm trying my damn hardest not to instigate anything, but you—why can't you just be considerate for once in your life, Kanda? Why can't you just let things stay the way they are?"
"I have been more than considerate as of late—"
Rei gave a hollow laugh. "Considerate? After practically telling Kate that she's a whore?"
"Schrödlich isn't you—"
"That's not the point!" she shouted. "You can see it, can't you? You can see the problems I'm having right now! Having dinner with you, walking back with you—it was calm! It was so peaceful—I was so thankful that you'd let me calm down, work things out and for once in the last twenty-four hours, not think about something that just stresses me out and makes me want to shoot someone—I was so glad that you weren't just adding onto my problems, and instead giving me some relief. But now—you just had to give me one more thing to stress me out, to make me worry…and I don't want to deal with it…I don't want to deal with anything anymore…"
Her voice had diminished significantly from the start of her tirade, finally ending at some measly desperate whine. Rei crossed her arms uncomfortably and looked the other way, disgusted with herself. Her words always came out the wrong way. Her mind was too weary, her thoughts too jumbled for her to explain herself properly. But her words—though ugly and crude—got the point across. She didn't want to deal with Kanda. Didn't have to. In a purely practical, logistical point of view, Kanda's emotions didn't have to be on the top of her priority chart. Surely her problem with her father came before that.
But the emotional issue that Kanda posed was even more taxing than any twist that the Noah could throw at her. She knew that no matter how much she wanted to justify herself, she'd always be guilty. Of hurting Kanda, of screwing up their relationship, because the words that he'd said to her so long ago, that they could never be "friends" and that there was no middle ground for them, they were undoubtedly true.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I don't want to lead you on. I just can't…"
"I get it," he said icily. "You still have Mikk."
"…Right."
"…What was that word?" he said with mock thought. "Is it…obligation?"
Rei's eyes hardened at the familiar term that she had used so scathingly with him.
"No, it's not just obligation," she said frostily. "But if thinking of it like that makes you feel any better, then go ahead."
"Che."
"It's not so simple," she said acerbically. "Have a taste of your own medicine, Kanda. Now you know how I felt back then."
She didn't quite feel like mentioning that giving up on an engaged relationship was not as easy as she had hoped it would be for Kanda back then either.
Rei was asleep. Or at least trying to be. She kept dozing off, not fully lapsed in slumber but not fully awake either. She was conscious of things happening around her. Like the light finally flickering off around midnight as Kanda went to sleep as well. Like how his shadowed figure was abnormally stiff, indicating that he was obviously awake too. Like the air stilling into a suffocating dense conglomeration of brooding sullenness, anger, guilt. A failure to understand.
Rei found herself waking up completely a few times every hour, gasping for air because it seemed like she'd ended up holding her breath out of tension. She caught Kanda's profile turning slightly at her sheets' louder rustles, but she always looked away from him to avoid discussion. The fifth time that she got up though, he finally sat up with her as well.
"What's wrong with you?" was the brusque inquiry.
"Nothing," she mumbled. "I'm fine."
"Go to sleep," he answered, lying back down. "It's two in the morning—you're keeping me up."
"No one asked you to stay up," she snapped, letting her frustration get the better of her.
"No one can help but stay up," he returned in the same tone. "Not with you making a racket."
"Screw you," she muttered, lying back down on the bed, her mind beginning to obsess with things she didn't want to think about.
They remained in silence for a long, long time. The digital clock silently ticked by, and just as Rei started to drift off again, her phone rang suddenly, its normally dulcet tones killing the silence and snapping her out of her reverie.
"…Fuck," said Kanda, his tone too weary for there to be any anger in it.
"Sorry," she said, hastily grabbing for the phone and silencing it with one push of the side button; she looked at the glowing screen to identify who the hell was calling so early in the morning.
It was Tyki.
"Hello?" she whispered tiredly, rolling out of bed and heading for the bathroom.
"Are you fucking serious?" said Kanda irately, now more awake with the extended amount of noise. "It's now three in the morning and you're going to answer a call?"
She ignored him and ducked away behind the door, closing it gently behind her.
"Hello?" she said softly again.
There was a pause at the other end of the line, then a sigh, causing a rush of static to blow into her ear.
"It's late, isn't it?" said Tyki's weary voice.
"Y-yeah," she said, sitting at the edge of the bathtub. "It's late…"
"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I didn't mean to call you so late—that was really thoughtless—did I wake you up? I'm sorry."
"No, I…I wasn't sleeping well anyway," she said with a weak laugh. "Why are you up so late anyway? Can't sleep?"
"Sort of, I guess. I really didn't notice it was so late. I guess that's why no one out on the roads…"
"…Tyki, are you driving?" she said, stunned.
"…I'm sort of on my way to your hotel," he confessed. "I wanted to see you—I guess I forgot the time. But it's all right if you want to go back to bed. It was really senseless that I called so late—what the hell am I on…"
"No, no," she said, standing up. "I'll come with you—I'll just get ready now and wait in the lobby for you."
"…Seriously, sweet? Is something wrong? It's late—you don't have to force yourself."
"No, I'm fine," she said distractedly, looking around the bathroom and trying to find something to wear. "I'll see you when you get here then, all right? Bye then."
She hung up and left the iPhone on the bathroom counter. A suitcase had thankfully been left in the bathroom when she'd showered, allowing her to find something to wear that would be somewhat publically presentable.
It was much too late or early for Rei's head to function properly. She tiredly pulled out a pair of cuffed jean shorts and a white collared short-sleeve, changing into them quickly, looking in the mirror all the while. Her complexion was awful, but she hardly cared at this point. She ran a brush through her hair and slipped out of the bathroom, her phone tucked securely in her pocket.
Rei shuffled around in the dark for her shoes, grabbing what felt like the sandals she'd come in with and trying to fasten the straps around her foot without her sight to aid her. Kanda seemed to have given up on asking what the hell she was doing, but when she opened the door, allowing a stream of light from the hallway to slide into their room, he sat up.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" he demanded.
"Out," she answered vaguely.
"Are you serious? It is three in the morning! Are you insane? Why the hell—"
"I might not be back for a while, or might not come back at all," she said. "I'll be fine though, so you'll be able to catch some sleep easier without me here."
"Rei—"
"I'm going out with Tyki," said Rei finally. "I'll be fine. Sorry for keeping you up. Go to sleep."
He didn't answer, and she didn't wait for one. She shut the door safely behind her and headed down the hallway to the staircase. The elevator was so slow. Now that she was wide awake, Rei took the stairs, jumping each level somewhat uncertainly as she swung over every rail. Her landings were solid though, which was a relief.
Rei arrived at the lobby, earning a confused look from the worn-out receptionist. She simply smiled at him and headed out to the front steps of the hotel where she waited, relishing the feeling of warm zephyrs brushing her hair this way and that.
A few minutes of waiting passed by before a sleek black motorcycle pulled up in the driveway; its driver wore a helmet that obscured his face, but when the valet came over to ask about the vehicle, the smooth Portuguese that flowed from behind the mask in response was undeniably Tyki's.
"Hey, Rei," he said as the valet bowed away. He handed her a smaller helmet. "Want to get on?"
"…We can't walk?" she said halfheartedly.
"No, of course not."
She put on the helmet and gingerly climbed on the bike's seat behind Tyki, wrapping her arms firmly around his chest. With a curt nod to the valet, Tyki revved the engine and the motorcycle whirred to life onto the roads, pelting forward at a speed that was unnecessary for the free streets.
"Slow down, Tyki," she said over the rushing winds. "You don't want to be pulled over by a cop for speeding in your own country."
"You're not one to lecture about speeding, Rei," he chuckled, but he acquiesced to her request and slowed down enough for their conversation to continue without elevated voices.
She let out a breath and laid her heavy head against his back.
"…Rooming with Kanda not going well, sweet?" he guessed.
"What did you expect?" she responded jadedly.
"Nothing better, I suppose," admitted Tyki. "But being annoyed is better than being dead."
"Not if I get annoyed to death. And besides, your family wouldn't kill me, Tyki."
He didn't answer to that.
Their conversation died as Tyki pulled up to a random parking lot that was right in front of the city's center, where a tall marble-based fountain illuminated the square. It was practically empty, save for the scarce passersby, and hardly anything could be heard except for the pitter-patter of the fountain.
Tyki killed the engine and removed his helmet, shaking his head and letting his long curls fall around his face. He looked especially bright-eyed at night.
"You're not scared people will recognize you, Tyki?" Rei said, taking her helmet off as well.
"It'd take a pretty dedicated paparazzi party to be up this late," he laughed. "No worries though, I brought a hat. And you one too."
He placed a frayed, gray baseball cap snugly around her head. His own hat mirrored hers.
"That serves as the crappiest disguise I've ever seen," she said dryly.
"Mm…oh well. Hardly anything can contain my beauty," he grinned, flashing his perfectly white teeth. "We can walk now. Would you like a tour of the city?"
"I went out a bit earlier with Kanda, since he got hungry," she said, letting Tyki lead her by the hand down an empty street that was lit by the buildings on either side of it, most of them restaurants and local eateries. "I don't really fancy an actual tour right now, sorry."
He glanced back at her, his eyes reflecting slight worry. He seemed to understand that she was at an emotional low, even though she wasn't crying all over him. The thought was a tempting one—she'd probably feel better after it. But Kanda was a stupid reason to cry. She'd cried more over him than anyone else in the entirety of her life. Including her dead mother.
Kanda was stupid in general.
Tyki tugged her towards him and wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her securely against his chest. His fingers toyed with her hair, sometimes brushing against her cheek in a soothing manner.
"How are you feeling?" he said gently.
"…Tired," said Rei, leaning her head lightly against his shoulder as they continued walking extremely slowly down the sidewalk. "I'm not sleepy though."
"…I'm trying to think which one has upset you more," said Tyki in that same gentle tone. "Kanda or your dad?"
"…I don't know," she said resignedly. "I'm just glad it's not you."
She thought his grip around her shoulder tensed a bit, causing her to look up at him in confusion. He met her gaze with a somewhat forced smile before turning his attention back to the vacancy in front of him.
"Why'd you call me out so suddenly?" said Rei.
"…Missed you," he said with a playful smile.
"Cheesy answer."
"…It's the truth?"
Rei rolled her eyes. "You're not really on anything, are you?"
"Baby—"
"Oh my goodness, Tyki," she said, shuddering. "Don't you ever call me that."
"Baby?" he repeated, perplexed. "Hm…I wasn't aware you didn't like that particular term of endearment."
"Dear is fine. Sweet is fine. Darling is a stretch. Baby is just…" Rei grimaced. "So superficial."
"Honey? Princess?"
"Even worse."
Tyki chuckled. "Another thing to add to my extensive list on things that annoy you. Don't worry, love—" He paused a bit to see her reaction. Rei just gave him a stony look, indicative that the term was passable, and he continued. "I'm not on anything. I haven't been on anything since our lovely little cold shoulder game."
"That's good to hear."
He abruptly leaned down and kissed her firmly but quickly, straightening up immediately afterward with no intention of anything more. Rei managed a halfhearted smile and did not say anything. It was clear that she wasn't the only one carrying a rather heavy heart.
Kanda wanted to strangle someone. Who the hell went out at three in the morning with their ridiculous boyfriend for a sure-as-bloody-hell not romantic nighttime stroll? He couldn't have asked for a worse roommate. He really wanted to strangle someone.
The time now read three thirty a.m., and though he was physically exhausted, his mind didn't want to shut down. It was too full of…many, many insults to allow himself to rest properly.
Kanda readjusted his reclining position, trying to make himself more comfortable. His back ached. This additional pain only made him want to punch a baby even more. That would probably make him feel better.
He paused a moment in his thoughts. He wanted to punch a baby? What kind of ill-thought delusions was he having? Kanda had always thought of himself as a morning person, but it was clear that this early in the morning was too much for him, even.
He groaned and sat up, his hair falling messily over his shoulders. He needed a haircut. This length was getting a little ridiculous. Hell, it was bad enough that it took him longer to shower than it took Rei. But then again, she was hardly a feministic being.
Kanda stood up and flicked on the lights. The pale golden glow filled the room with a warmth that he despised; he shut off the lights and relaxed considerably more as he was once again engulfed in darkness.
So. He was irritated, to say the least. But she had relaxed in his hold. Her profile had remained against his chest for precisely a little more than two hundred ten heartbeats. The slow rhythmic beating of his heart against his ribcage. And Kanda easily could recall how he'd felt, how…how just right it felt with his arms around her waist, his fingers trailing up her bare arms.
He knew he had not been alone when he'd felt it. Every passing second, every breath taken in, everything had been right. For both of them. Did she ever feel like that when she was with Mikk? Kanda had to doubt it. That degree of…internal peace? Was that possible with two different people?
It just didn't seem believable. It was impossible that he was the only one to feel…right.
Kanda walked to the large window and brushed aside the curtains gently, letting a stream of moonlight mixed with electronic nightlight to illuminate his eyes.
Stubborn and ridiculous, that was what he was.
And he still hadn't gotten an ounce of sleep.
They kept walking. One step at a time. Tyki was so tall, his stride so long. One and a half of Rei's steps. But he slowed down. Made their paces match. Until their beats were perfectly in synch, each foot aligned, a block of cement covered one at a time. Tyki walked a little slower, Rei walked a little faster.
A compromise.
"We probably shouldn't keep walking," he said after what seemed to be perhaps half an hour of silence. "I keep feeling like a few people have recognized us."
"You," she corrected. She had felt the lingering eyes as well, and when she glanced back behind her nervously, she caught sight of a dark-clad figure ducking behind the shadow of a light pole, which ineffectively left his large Nikon camera in sight. "But you're right. We should probably head back."
A stifling room with Kanda was the last place she wanted to be right now. Even if the Japanese male was already asleep. Intuition told her that he wasn't though, that perhaps he was waiting for her to come back.
A small twinge of guilt.
But she still didn't want to return.
Tyki sensed her reluctance and gave her a smile.
"I have a few places here where we'll get a private parlor."
"At this time of night?"
"People will always open their doors for me, Rei," he grinned. "Being a prince is a good thing at times."
He guided her a bit quickly down the sidewalk and across the street. They paced themselves up to behind an alleyway, speeding up a bit as the footsteps behind them also quickened.
"Here, Rei," said Tyki, taking a card from his pocket and pressing it against a solid black square that was fastened against the brick wall beside an ebony door. A green light beeped and a lock unfastened. Tyki opened the door and pushed Rei inside just as she caught a glimpse of their followers rounding the corner; Tyki joined her in the room and shut the door behind him, looking completely unfazed.
The room they'd just entered was a small one that was dimly lit by red lanterns and candles. Like the Queluz palace, it had a Rococo kind of architecture, elegant and ornate. Evidently old.
"Alleyways are useful," Tyki remarked, tucking the stiff plastic card back in his pocket. "So many back entrances—just push the card against the ID screen and they automatically let you in. I've gotten away from quite a few fans that way. Now where are the servers?"
"We don't need anything, Tyki," said Rei. "Everyone's asleep, we don't need to bother them—"
Tyki pressed a silver button next to the light switch, and a buzzing sound resounded in the room.
"Tyki…"
"They're awake, Rei," he said consolingly. "It's a twenty-four hour service."
As if right on cue, an impeccably dressed waiter entered from a side door. He had a good-natured face with soft eyes, with his age most likely no older than thirty. His eyes landed on Tyki in surprise.
"Mr. Mikk!" he said enthusiastically, his English hardly hampered by his endearing accent. "Wonderful to see you back, sir."
"Good to be back…here, anyway," grinned Tyki. "Same room, Benedito."
"Certainly. Drinks?"
"Same as always."
"Of course. And for the lady?" said Benedito, addressing Rei with a bow.
"…Water?" she said hesitantly.
Benedito looked surprised.
"We have plenty of other drinks as well, mademoiselle," he said, adding the French address with a smile. "Margarita? Martini? Shall I bring you a menu?"
"No…I, um, don't drink," said Rei, somewhat embarrassed. "Water is fine."
Tyki rolled his eyes. "Don't mind her, just get her water. We'll just be in the room, Benedito."
"I'll have it out right away, sir. Anything else?"
"No, we're fine. Thanks."
They all left the room, Benedito through the door he'd come in, Rei and Tyki through the staircase leading up.
"This place is…" she said, waiting for him to answer.
"An esteemed, five-star restaurant whose origins date back quite a few centuries," he replied as they climbed up the polished stairs. "The architecture obviously shows its age, but in terms of interior quality…it's really as good as new. They've been serving the royal family for years, allowing us to come in at odd hours if we want to escape from the palace."
"Or if you want to have an affair or two," said Rei bluntly.
"…True," he yielded.
"I assume Mr. Benedito has seen you multiple times with various women then?" said Rei wryly.
"…Yes."
"Of course," she muttered, beginning to feel out of sorts again. This had always been a subject that irritated her, even if she was the one to bring it up.
They stopped at the second level and entered the first room on their right, a room with maroon-colored walls and an overall warm color theme. A king-sized bed stood rigidly at the far end of the room, its crimson covers particularly beautiful.
Tyki led her not to the bed but instead to a cashmere sofa that sat quite a distance away from the bed, across from a flat-screen television set, complete with a stereo and an enormous collection of DVDs. Rei sat down reluctantly beside him, but pushed his hand away when he attempted to wrap his arm around her shoulders again.
Tyki let out a sigh and scooted away from her, to the opposite end of the sofa. She looked at him, initially bemused but then wary at the way he looked back at her.
"I have something to tell you," he said quietly.
Her stomach dropped. Her mind whirred. She had to think about the worst possible scenario.
"You're breaking up with me," she said.
Tyki's eye twitched with amusement. She was wrong.
"No," he said.
Next worst thing. He slept with Lulubell. She didn't want to think about that one, so she skipped to the next worst thing.
"You slept with Satsuma."
Tyki visibly blanched. Wrong again. Back to number two.
"You slept with Lulubell."
His slightly agape mouth closed and his face grew a bit more serious. Rei let out a near-anguished groan and turned the other way, her body already stiff as her heart began to convulse in that manner so common nowadays when she was put under some great stress. This was the worst news possible. Worse than a breakup—why was it that the Noah family always took things she needed away from her?
Tyki's hand slipped to her shoulder; she half-thought about shrieking at him but realized that she was much too exhausted to do so, and instead just jerked out of his reach.
"I didn't sleep with her," said Tyki gently. "I swear, I swear. Turn around, please."
Rei did, but her hands were already up in the air to slap him on both sides of his face for being an ass and joking about it; Tyki caught her wrists and held them in place, looking at her levelly.
"I didn't sleep with her," he repeated, "but I did make out with her. We got semi-close, but I…I stopped."
Tyki paused when he realized that Rei was no longer struggling with his grip and allowed it to relax a bit. Maybe her expression was one of indifference, because he looked surprised with her degree of control. He should've attributed her so-called "self-control" to the time of day. Her mind was too numbed by everything to think properly.
"You made out with her," Rei managed to say.
Tyki did not dodge the question, nor did he stutter. He simply looked at her resolutely and said, "Yes."
"…I see."
Tyki let go of her wrists, allowing them to slowly fall to her side.
"Now that you know the truth, you can hit me," he said politely. "As hard as you'd like."
If he really thought that she wouldn't hit him, he was dead wrong. Rei snapped back her hand and let it fly across his cheek with a stinging smack, precisely at the moment that Benedito walked into the room with his tray of drinks.
"Mr. Mikk!" the server said in alarm, nearly dropping what he was carrying.
"It's fine, it's fine," grimaced Tyki as he rubbed his cheek. "I said she could."
"Sir, you are a prince here and you cannot just let—"
"It's fine, Benedito," chuckled Tyki, motioning for him to place the tray down. "You can leave."
Benedito gave them a perplexed look but bowed away without another word. Tyki reached over and took the two glasses. Keeping the golden-colored drink for himself, he handed Rei the other colorless glass. She took it silently and watched as Tyki took a deep drink, draining it one gulp.
"Why did you tell me?" said Rei suddenly.
A smirk crawled to Tyki's lips.
"I was afraid you'd figure out the hard way," he said. "You'd be even more pissed off if Lulu told you, right?"
"She wouldn't have told me," said Rei determinedly. "Telling me would relinquish any control she has over my dad. If you hadn't told me, I would've never found out."
Tyki paused, then leaned forward and kissed her very gently on the cheek. He did not answer the question, though. Rei decided to approach the situation differently.
"I let Kanda hug me."
He stared at her.
"And we kissed."
Tyki's golden eyes widened by an infinitesimal amount. Rei returned his stare resolutely.
"You…can hit me too?" she offered. "Just not as hard as you'd like?"
He blinked at this statement.
"You know I could never hit you," he said incredulously. "Are…are you crazy? You can't just offer to let someone hit you—you're a girl!"
"You happen to be a prince, and you let me hit you," she said pointedly. "Would you like to answer my question now?"
"No, I will not hit you," he said defiantly.
"I didn't mean that one. Why did you tell me about you and Lulu?"
"How did it go from Kanda back to Lulu?"
"To let you know that you're not the only one with…romantic indecisiveness."
He gave her a cryptic smile.
"I would like to give you a choice," he said simply.
"…What?"
"I told you about Lulu because I am at the point where I can safely say that Lulu has no more control over me. And that I have made my…decision, I suppose."
"What is this, a proposal?" she said with a slight wry smirk.
"Goodness, no," he chortled shortly, growing somber almost immediately after. "But…I…I've just decided, and…well…never mind." He paused, as if trying to reorganize his thoughts and come out with a more coherent statement. "…Even when I suggested you and Kanda staying together in a room, I was well aware—and still am—of the lingering…sexual tension, I could say, between you and Kanda." He smirked again at Rei's reaction to his terminology. "Don't give me that look—it's very true. There is an undeniable amount of attraction between the two of you, no matter how much I hate it." His smirk had turned wry. "But we both know that emotionally and mentally, Kanda is better for you."
"We've had this discussion before," said Rei sharply. "I still—"
"You don't understand," he cut her off.. "I…now that I'm back, here, there are parts of my personality that will be…undone…and you won't like them. So I want you to choose—"
"Between you and Kanda?" she said coolly. "What is this, some reality show? I thought it was clear a long time ago—"
"You don't understand!" he said, frustration lining his tone considerably. "I am giving you—one chance, Rei, because we all know how much I want to hold on to you—I'm giving you time to decide. There is no point in keeping you beside me when you hate it—"
"I don't hate it!"
"But you don't know that," he said. "You don't know—what would it be like if you were next to Kanda? Without any restrictions? Would you—" His voice hitched a bit, causing Tyki to clear his throat. "Would you fall back in love with him? He's better, after all—"
"Tyki!"
"I want us to take a break," said Tyki firmly, his eyes closing. "I'm going to Spain for a while—on business—which will give us time to be away from each other. I want you to decide. I want everything to be obligation-free, I want your decision to be completely logical."
"Logic defies the point of emotions," returned Rei. "You can't expect a logical relationship decision."
"You know what I mean."
Her green eyes narrowed.
"What are you planning?" she said coldly. "I know you're planning something—what's going on?"
"Nothing," said Tyki. "Absolutely nothing that would change what…what I feel for you."
Rei stared at him. His sentiment was unwarranted and unnatural, but she could not bring herself to say anything. It was clear what he wanted, and what he wanted was reasonable. He was no longer wavering. He was giving her time to reach that same point.
Tyki cleared his throat.
"When I come back from…Spain," he said, "you can tell me then. And if you do…decide on Kanda, then…" He cleared his throat again, looking visibly agitated at the prospect. "Yeah. We'll work it out from there. But it'll probably be a week or I don't know how long before I return, and—"
Rei kissed him. Not lingeringly. It lasted maybe a second, less, even. But it was enough to convey her consent, and her understanding.
Tyki gave a weary sigh, letting his forehead rest on hers.
"Thanks," he whispered.
Rei couldn't find the right words to say in return.
She would be stuck with Kanda. On a Ferris wheel. Alone.
With her kind of luck, Rei should've expected it. But it had seemed that they were going to be with Kate and Lavi in the same compartment when they'd counted off. But no. Kate and Lavi were now with Allen and Lenalee. And Rei and Kanda were alone. Not speaking to each other.
Oh, the joy.
Rei hadn't known that Tyki wasn't going to be here. She hadn't expected his sudden trip to Spain on behalf of the rest of the Noah family to be today. Business, he'd called it. A social gathering, he'd added with disgust. Of course. She'd wanted a day with him to study him a bit more. To get something out of what he was hiding. Because he was definitely hiding something.
Obviously, she hadn't been able to.
So Tyki hadn't been able to accompany her to the amusement park, but the rest of the group had been all for it, seeing as Cross still had no idea how to portray desperation for any of them. What a stupid topic.
Rei yawned as she leaned her head against the glass window of the little compartment. Kanda was sitting across from her at the other end, giving her the suspicious impression that he was trying to be as far away from her as possible. His eyes were closed, but Rei knew by now that just because his eyes were closed didn't mean he was sleeping. It just meant that he wanted to pretend that she wasn't there. To make things easier on his eyes, she could imagine him saying.
The wheel was moving up one compartment by one, and they were halfway to the top. Rei glanced at the one that Kate, Lavi, Allen, and Lenalee were in. The four of them were laughing and joking around. Rei was infinitely jealous. Nothing killed an afternoon like sitting with a sullen Kanda, alone.
But it was her fault. Not that apologizing would do anything. But that resolute fact remained. Rei gave a little sigh. Perhaps it would be worth a shot though.
"I'm sorry," she said, deciding to be straightforward and breaking the silence.
Kanda didn't even open his eyes. Rei frowned, scooting down her seat so she could look at him closely.
"Hey…hello?" she said softly.
Kanda's breaths were slow, even, and quiet. His head kept lolling to the side, hitting the window somewhat indecorously, but it was clear that he was actually asleep. Rei leaned back in her chair, surprised and guilty. He must've gotten no sleep the night before…she hadn't gotten much either, but Tyki had let her stay in the restaurant with him, and she had managed to salvage a few hours of sleep next to him. Rei winced. Hopefully Kanda had not been waiting for the entire night…
She cleared her throat uncomfortably and reached out, touching his pale hand experimentally. He didn't move—he was sound asleep.
Her fingers wrapped around his palm, gently, unconsciously.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I hope you know that I really mean it."
"Jas, Debi," said Tyki, entering a room on the lowest floor of the palace. Unlike the others, which were richly decorated with historical beautifications, this room was sleek and clearly modern. Nothing hung on three of the bare white walls; the last was covered by several large monitors that were powered by sets of supercomputers.
"Hey," said the twins simultaneously, not even turning around to see him. Both of their hands were furiously clicking at their own respective keyboards, pulling up various images on the screens. Maps, live streaming, addresses…everything seemed clearer, better, and faster on the screens than the last time Tyki had bothered to track someone electronically.
"These computers new?" he said, leaning between the two of them.
"From an American service," answered Jas. "Oak Ridge, actually. Works crazy fast, too. Great stuff."
"How much?" questioned Tyki.
"…You don't wanna know."
"Right," said Tyki, deciding to let the question linger in the air. "What have we got?"
"First, where's your girlfriend?" asked Debitto.
"Debitto, seriously."
"Just wondering," shrugged Debitto. "Lulu might find her and kill her when you're not looking."
"What the hell?" said Tyki, genuinely alarmed.
"Metaphorically, I suppose," admitted Debitto. "Lulu looked like she was about to kill someone this morning…"
"She always looks like that," muttered Tyki. "Whatever, give me the intel—who am I looking at?"
A picture of an Asian man pulled up on one of the screens right in the center. Typical of everyone in his race, he had narrow brown eyes, but bleached hair with blunt bangs and a braided ponytail. Tyki wrinkled his nose.
"Needs a serious makeover," the model-slash- assassin remarked.
"Name's Howard Link," chimed Debitto. "From China, I think. Works right under Malcolm C. Leverrier, who's the head of the yakuza."
"That name doesn't sound very…Japanese, you know."
"Damn, Tyki, have you been paying attention to anything that's been going on overseas for the last…ten years?" sighed Jas, pulling up a few more files on a separate screen. The image of a hawk-like man with a toothbrush-mustache was enlarged in prominence.
"Leverrier's from England," explained Jas. "He took over the yakuza a while ago, killed the main guy in charge at the time, which caused a lot of the Japs to revolt and whatnot, 'cause they didn't like him much. That's why we have Eiji."
"He came over because he didn't like what was going on in Japan?" said Tyki.
"Kinda. Didn't like the change in power, blah, blah," said Jas indifferently. "Boring stuff. Point is, this Howard Link guy works directly under Leverrier, so he's a top-notch assassin and agent, which in turn means that whoever he's after has to be big fish."
"His gear was bugged when he went through Portuguese security at the airport," said Debitto, swiveling around in his chair to meet Tyki's eyes for the first time. "Damn, man, did you get any sleep last night?"
Tyki blinked. "I look that bad?"
Debitto tugged his twin on the shoulder, causing him to turn around as well. The reaction was the exact same.
"Damn, man, did you get any sleep? Like at all?"
"What, is there an echo in here?" Debitto muttered. "But seriously, Tyki, you look a mess."
"A hot mess, maybe," added Jas consolingly.
"But still a mess," said his black-haired twin. "Go drink some coffee, catch like an hour of sleep or something. You're about to keel over and die. We'll call ya when he gets moving."
"Which would be now," said Tyki, his eyes fixated on the screen. He pushed his way between the twins and took over a keyboard, his fingers typing the command to zoom in on the red dot that indicated his target. It was moving steadily north from a hotel in the very south part of Lisbon.
"He's movin' pretty fast…" said Debitto seriously. "What time is it, twelve? Should be lunch rush hour—he's not in a car or bus. Probably a motorbike. Obviously can drive at that."
"North…" murmured Tyki. "What's north? Any major attractions, meetings, conferences? You sure it was sniper gear, not bombs or anything?"
Jas snorted. "Bombs? The government would get that, not us. Nah, it's definitely guns, and we're the only ones who know it."
"Did you guys get any potential targets?" said Tyki.
"Er…yeah," said Debitto, rummaging through a few papers in front of him. "These are in order of likelihood—Eiji Matsumomo, but we ruled him out because the yakuza know he's here with us, and they wouldn't dare make that move by attacking someone right in the palace. Besides, we're west of where this guy's moving. Next is Tohru Hitachi, some dude of the Japanese ministry who's shut down a few of the yakuza dealings, here for a talk of some sort…Ye Lin, from China, same as Hitachi, just overseas in Hong Kong—"
"I don't need the reason, just give me the names," said Tyki dryly as he typed in all the names to generate their locations.
"Fine, fine," said Debitto lazily, genuinely unperturbed by the potential danger in the whole situation. "Jing Liao, Hyun Lee Choi, and lastly, Yuu Kanda—"
Tyki's fingers froze.
"Hey, wait, isn't that the model? As in, our guy?" said Debitto, staring at the paper in front of him as if he'd read it for the first time.
"How did you not notice that?"
"He's at the bottom of the list! How was I supposed to remember? Besides, he just got here yesterday—there's no way the hitman could follow up that fast!"
"Where the hell is Kanda, right now?" said Tyki.
"I doubt he's after Kanda—"
"Where, Debitto?"
Debitto sighed. "He went with the rest of your crew. You know, to the amusement park?"
There was a silence after his words.
"Which would be," said Jas slowly, "in the…north…"
The twins stared up at Tyki uneasily. With nervous smiles.
These twins were brilliant.
Just really, really brilliant.