Chapter Three

Keeping a close eye on Iku from over her shoulder, Shibazaki made her way back towards the bar, intent on chatting up the cute bartender from before. When she reached the counter, she leaned over it and gave the man a quick wave, smiling flirtatiously when they made eye contact.

"Hey there," he greeted as he approached, offering the petite brunette a suave smile as he wiped down the counter beside her with a white towel. "Did you lose your friend already?"

"No," Shibazaki replied with a small chuckle, sparing another glance over her shoulder at the blonde birthday girl still on the dance floor. "She's just busy trying to forget about a certain man in her life."

And from the looks of the small grin that had formed on the Iku's lips when her companion leaned down and said something only she could hear… the Task Force member was succeeding.

Across the wooden bar from her, the bartender hummed knowingly. "Well, a bar's not a bad place for that… and it looks like she's having fun."

Shibazaki couldn't help but agree with the observation. The sight of Iku's flushed cheeks and wide smile in the presence of another man - and a rather cute one at that - was a welcomed change. It made Shibazaki smile and believe for a moment that Iku really was going to be able to move on one day from the Sergeant she currently loved so dearly.

"The name's Kenta, by the way."

Surprised by his forwardness, Shibazaki turned her attention back to the handsome bartender and smiled. "Shibazaki."

Kenta offered her a charming smile. Then, reaching for another champagne glass, he asked, "So, what'll it be? Another peach bellini or a sympathetic ear to vent to?"

Impressed by his perceptiveness, Shibazaki set her elbow on the polished wooden surface of the bar and placed her chin in her hand as she leaned forward with a teasing smile. "That depends."

Interest piqued, Kenta took the bait. "On…?"

Shibazaki tilted her head to the side innocently. "On what you think I want to vent about."

Chuckling softly, Kenta placed the glass he was drying upright on the metal counter behind the bar before turning around and grabbing a bottle of shochu from off the shelf behind him. "That's a dangerous guessing game, Shibazaki-san, one that I'm not brave enough to play."

Amused, Shibazaki watched the blond add yuzu extract and club soda to the glass. "Humor me," she said lightly.

Stubbornly, Kenta set the complete cocktail in front of her instead. "Why don't we start with this first." Crossing his arms, he then leaned on the counter behind the bar and watched expectantly as she took a sip, eagerly waiting for her feedback.

"Lemon chuhai," she said with an appreciative hum, "not a bad choice."

"Nothing beats a classic," the bartender replied with a bright smile as he watched her take another sip.

It was a look that reminded her distinctly of Iku when the blond was studying to familiarize herself with stacks early in her career as a TF agent. Back when she would nervously wait to find out whether or not she would be forced to eat more punishment chocolates and was absolutely elated when she was told that she wouldn't.

Giggling to herself at the memory, Shibazaki took another sip and found herself considering some of the bartender's other features. From the deep green of his eyes, which shared an oddly striking resemblance to the Task Force's combat uniforms, to his strong jawline and muscular build; not to mention the sinfully low cut to his black V-neck t-shirt. Objectively, it wasn't hard for Shibazaki to rank the man amongst some of the finer male specimens she'd come to know over the years.

The only downside was that he had a hard time keeping his gaze above her shoulders.

Nevertheless, beggars can't be choosers and he was the only decent company she had available at the moment. She might as well try to enjoy herself.

And, unfortunately for Kenta, distracting her with a new drink also wasn't enough to deter Shibazkai from using him for her own amusement. A fact he quickly realized when she slyly reminded him that he'd yet to give his opinion on what was seemingly bothering her.

Sighing reluctantly in defeat, Kenta picked up another glass and began drying it as he tried to come up with answer. At last, after finishing his fourth glass, he hazarded a guess.

"Well," he said, glancing hesitantly from the amused woman in front of him to the leggy blonde on the dance floor, "if you're trying to help your friend forget about a guy… maybe you'd complain about her ex?"

To his credit, it was a surprisingly good guess, but Shibazaki was neither the type nor in the mood to discuss her best friend's love life with a bartender she'd just met. So, instead of confirming his suspicions, she shook her head. "Try again."

Unbothered, Kenta shrugged the response off and reached for another glass. "Maybe you're just bored, then," he suggested. "I mean, your friend is busy and you're sitting here by yourself."

Humming softly, because she really couldn't deny him that one, Shibazaki lazily traced her finger around the rim of her glass before glancing up at the blond and asking, "What do you suggest I do then? I'd feel bad if I were the one to ruin her fun."

Quick to catch on, the blond met her gaze confidently and responded with an amused smile. "Buy another drink and stay awhile," he suggested, his eyes roaming over her figure as he continued, "I'm sure we could find plenty more to talk about to pass the time."

While her goal tonight was to make sure that Iku stayed safe and had a good time, Shibazaki couldn't resist the urge to accept the invitation. After all, a little harmless flirting with an attractive man certainly wasn't the worst way to spend part of her evening.

Peeking over her shoulder once more to check on Iku, and finding the blonde still dancing - much less awkwardly now - in the arms of the man she'd left her with, Shibazaki turned back to the bartender and smiled.

"Sure, why not?"

Kenta flashed her a bright smile. "That's the spirit!"

However, before either of them had the chance to shift the topic of their conversation, movement arose from the far end of the bar and caught their attention.

"Ah. Looks like I've got a few more customers to serve," Kenta said with sigh, his tone one of disappointment as he set down the dry glass and towel in his hands to pick up his notepad. "I'll be back in a little bit. If you need anything, just give me a shout."

Chuckling softly, Shibazaki gave the man a small wave as he turned away and headed towards the new customers. Then, finding herself alone once more with no one to talk to or keep her company, she turned her attention in Iku's direction once more.

After confirming that the blonde was indeed still enjoying her dance, Shibazaki turned back to survey the small crowd that had gathered at the bar. However, just as she turned her gaze to the far side of the bar where Kenta was busy passing out beers, she froze stiff, eyes wide. Dark brown eyes stared back her from several meters away, reflecting the surprise she felt deep in her chest perfectly.

Then, she fled. Leaving her drink, some yen, and her conversation with Kenta behind, Shibazaki slid of her chair and into the growing crowd of patrons, praying to whatever gods that were watching from above that she wouldn't be followed. Perhaps, if she could make it to the dance floor and grab Iku before she was spotted, they'd be able to escape the club unscathed. Unfortunately, it was as she slipped past a pair of giggling university students that she heard her name being shouted. She ignored it, hoping for once that the boorish man would take a hint and leave her be.

True to form, however, he caught up to her in no time, clapping a firm but gentle hand around her wrist right before she could disappear into the throng of people moving about the dance floor.

"Shibazaki, wait!"

Heels clicking to a stop, Shibazaki whipped her head around and fixed the tall man with a hard glare. Then, tugging with the arm currently caught in his hold, she pulled him down to her level and hissed. "If you don't let me go right now, Tezuka, Iku's night will be completely ruined."

Startled by the panicked undertone of her voice, Tezuka obeyed, releasing her wrist as if her skin burned to the touch. Then, before he even had the chance to ask what she meant, Shibazaki turned around and disappeared into the crowd, leaving him standing alone and confused at the edge of the dance floor.

For the next few seconds Tezuka simply stared in silence at the space where the small woman had just been standing before frowning. He had seen Shibazaki in a hurry before, and he'd also been on the receiving end of her temper and sharp tongue once before. This, however, was the first time he'd ever seen the librarian look anxious, like she desperately wanted to get away from him, and it bothered him… a lot.

He didn't have the chance to think about it, though, because moments after Shibazaki vanished, Komaki appeared at his side with two beers in hand and a look of concern on his face.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, handing over his subordinate's beer as he came to a stop beside him and surveyed the crowd of dancing people in front of them. "You rushed away from the bar so quickly… Did you see someone you know?"

Flipping the tab on his beer, Tezuka stared down at the pale foam that bubbled up from the opening in the aluminum can, debating on whether or not he should tell the older man that he'd seen Shibazaki. Her unusually flighty behavior was still bothering him, as were the words she'd snapped at him.

How would him stopping her from running away ruin Kasahara's night?

Maybe she and Kasahara had wanted a night out with just the two of them and his appearance would ruin that?

Then again… he hadn't even seen Kasahara yet.

Tezuka paused, frowning once more into his beer as Komaki waited patiently beside him for him to speak.

Now that he thought about it… it was strange that Kasahara hadn't been with Shibazaki. As far as he knew, they were typically joined at the hip when they went out together. What with Kasahara being the shyer and more conservative one of the two and Shibazaki being much more outgoing and adventurous. So… if Kasahara wasn't with Shibazaki… and Shibazaki was worried about him holding her back and ruining Kasahara's night…

Eyes wide, Tezuka's head snapped up to look at Komaki before looking around in concern.

Surprised by his companion's sudden movement, Komaki raised an eyebrow at the younger soldier and asked, "Tezuka, is everything alright?"

Meeting his gaze, Tezuka replied with his own question. "Sergeant Komaki… where is Sergeant Dojo?"

Blinking, Komaki looked behind him, then at the crowd of people in their general area, before frowning slightly. "Huh, I thought he was right behind me…"

Tezuka felt his stomach drop. Suddenly, it all made sense. Sergeant Dojo was missing and Shibazaki was running from him to try and save Kasahara's night out…

Shibazaki wasn't avoiding him… she was trying to get to Kasahara before Sergeant Dojo found her… because Kasahara must be somewhere else… and possibly with someone else.

Groaning in frustration at the complexity of it all, Tezuka rubbed an aggravated hand over his face and grumbled, "I'm never suggesting we go out ever again."

Watching the man beside him submit defeat to some sort of internal war, Komaki leaned forward tilted his head to the side in curiosity. "Say, Tezuka… Are you sure everything is okay?"

No... No, it's really not.

A/N: Heyo! We're back for chapter three! I hope you are enjoying the build up as much as I am enjoying writing it!

Typically, I write longer chapters, but I like the pace of this, so I'm sticking with it!

So... the boys (sans Dojo) have officially appeared and Shibazaki has gone off to try and rescue Iku before she runs into Dojo. Will Shibazaki make it in time? Will Dojo run into Iku first? Who is the mysterious guy that Iku is dancing with? WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT!?

Stay tuned to find out!

And of course, as always, thank you all once again for all of your support!

~Smash41KMF

P.S. Poor Tezuka... the one time he actually catches on first... lol