I should really finish 'Reveal Cain Heel'. But this (and a bunch of other Skip Beat! plot bunnies) will not stop annoying me.
This may be overly dramatic, but I blame all the K-dramas I've been watching of late.
Warning: Swearing, violence.
(88)
"Fucking hell!" Murasame swore. "That damned foreigner is late again!"
While the rest of the staff around him agreed (a two hour wait was not pleasant), no one said anything, nor did they show agreement in what Murasame said. No, it would not be wise, particularly with Setsuka standing at the further end of the room, her offensive gaze focused on a spot on the wall. Granted, they did not like working with the Heel siblings, but they weren't going to make the experience worse by attracting their attention.
But Murasame was still irritated. He stormed up to Setsu, who was waiting for Cain to come out of the wardrobe section of the set.
"What's up with you and your brother? Hah?" He interrogated, unknowingly allowing his gangster expression to slip onto his face. "Have you guys no consideration for the people here and the customs of this country? Hell! What is wrong with you! And your bastard of a brother!"
Setsu tilted her head up at Murasame, her cool gaze slicing through him. "Ch... So easily riled up. The guidebook was wrong about the Japanese being calm..."
This only irked Murasame all the more, but his temper had cooled off by this point. It wasn't really Setsu he was angry with, but Cain. That arrogant, cocky little bas-
The doors to the set burst open violently and all eyes swung in the direction of the entrance. A small crowd of young men stood there, an odd mixture of leather jackets, tracksuits and a yakuza-style suit. The posture of these men happened to mirror that of Setsuka's – relaxed to the point of offence.
"Heh~" The tall, artificial blond of the group stepped forward, his hands slipping into his trouser pockets. His gaze settled on Murasame. "Yo! Murasame! Been a long time, no?"
Murasame stood frozen in shock at the sight of the five men occupying the entrance. The colour had drained from his previously red face and the glazed look was just beginning to recede from his eyes.
The blond strode up to Murasame and ducked his head to look up at the actor. "Oi," he said, waving his had in front of Murasame's shocked face. "That's no way to greet your old friend."
"Ha- Ah, y-your right, boss," Murasame responded, his voice sounding a little hollow. "Long time not see, huh..."
The rest of the gang sauntered up to Murasame and created a half-moon formation around him and Setsu, who was (apparently) paying little attention to the event unfolding before her. She may not have noticed Murasame's discomfort, but for the subtle shifting of her feet so that the gang were to her side.
"Ke ke ke!" The blond leader swung his arm around Murasame's neck. "And you've gone and become so big and famous! Me and the boys were so happy to hear about your success in landing this big movie role!"
The other four made noises confirming their leader's words, all nodding, and trying to look pleased, but for a hard gleam in their eyes.
"Ah, thank you." Murasame shifted uncomfortably under the tattooed arm. "You shouldn't have troubled yourself, bo- Yamada-san."
"Pssh! None of that formal crap, Murasame-kuuuun~!" Yamada tried a cheery tone, but the threat underneath it was still evident. "It's only been, what? Three, five years since you left the group... without the proper ceremony."
Murasame swallowed uncomfortably, all the more aware of the dangerous situation he was in. He could no longer look up at Yamada, but nervously sized up the other four. The tall Yamada was boring into Murasame's skull with determined, unkind look. Tanaka and Ueda were grinning unpleasantly, with a gleam in their eyes that had Murasame flashing back to his youth, when the duo had the same look before beating and slicing members of opposing gangs (that usually were alone, or in the smaller gang). Tsukuda was as small and muscled as ever... and he still had that brainless look about him. It really struck Murasame then that he was in trouble.
He had boasted before about being in a gang in his younger days (not to say that he was old now), but he had not been very vicious even when he was a part of the gang. He could defend himself well enough against the average gangster, but on more than one occasion he had needed help from those in his gang – he wasn't like Noburu, who had once taken down five yakuza members in fifteen minutes. Looking back, he had been lucky to get out when he did. He had only been an average fighter, a part of the group for the entertainment he generated and girls he attracted, and if he had continued to stay with the gang, he would have ended up scarred, mutilated or, at worst, dead.
He had talked about his days as a delinquent mainly as a way to distinguish himself from the other wannabe bad-boys – he made it appear as if there was a foundation to the image his company sold to the teenage girls of Japan.
But now, it seemed his past had caught up with him... He regretted ever saying anything about his teenage year. He regretted not changing his name on entering the industry. He regretted ever having gotten involved with the maniacal Yamada in the first place...
"Yeah, I should have shown you more respect than that boss," Murasame commented, struggling to keep his voice from betraying his anxiety. "I hope you and the gang have been doing well these days."
"Well, things are tough enough these days, don't you know?" Yamada replied. "People not willing to pay for services you provide, despite how good you are at it."
Murasame was confused. What services could Yamada and his thugs provide.
"So, of course, as we were no longer in their employ, they were no longer protected. It's one awful way of having your legs and thumbs broken," Yamada continued, finishing with a dramatic sigh.
Murasame tried to chuckle, only a pathetic sound came from his throat. 'They're now in the protection business?! They're more like yakuza now than plain delinquents!'
"Hey!" Yamada exclaimed, his tone lacking all sincerity. "I know! Murasame-kun, how about helping out your old friends?"
"Oh?" Murasame replied, shifting uncomfortably. 'This is so embarrassing and terrifying...'
"Yeah. Y'know, us being bros and all," Ueda finally spoke up. "You got a nice, cushy life – no harm in helping us out, now is there?"
Murasame was a little overwhelmed by their dark gazes and twisted smiles. 'So this is what it's like to be on the receiving end...' Even though their looks didn't strike terror in his heart like Cain Heel had, their eyes promised all-too-imaginable pain should he not cooperate.
"Well, you know me, guys. I'd be more than happy to help you out," Murasame said. "It's just that now isn't the best of times... how about later we meet up, and we can talk about how I can help you in more detail."
"Hn." Yamada grunted. "I'm afraid that doesn't suit us. We should just sort it out now – by cheque or card is good for us."
Murasame's heart sank. His plan to stall had not worked. He could sense the staff and actors behind him shrink away from the gang, and he felt so alone. Where was security? Why did this have to happen while the producer and director were off talking to that bastard Cain? Why was this happening at all?
Yamada must have seen the reluctance on his face, and seemed angry. His arm slipped from Murasame's neck, and he finally took notice of Setsuka, who had not moved from her spot. She seemed disaffected by the charged atmosphere about her.
"Heh~" he turned to look at the punk-styled teen. "And who might you be?"
Setsu barely made any effort to look at the guy – she merely rolled her eyes in his direction. "Ah. I am Setsuka Heel," she replied in English.
"A foreigner? No, with a given name like Setsuka... you're a halfer, right?" Yamada said. "And a pretty cute one, if you don't mind me saying so."
Setsu barely acknowledged Yamada's comment, and Murasame was terrified that the crazy gangster would attack the teen. For all his anger towards the Heel siblings, he didn't want anything to happen to Setsu – the guilt would be too much for him.
Yamada trapped a lock of Setsu's hair between his forefinger and thumb, and cocked an eye towards Murasame. "These the kinds of girls you're getting now you're all famous and shit?"
Murasame tried to laugh. "Aha, ha, no. She's an interpreter for one of the actors on set..."
"An interpreter, huh? Pretty sexy for an interpreter," Yamada smiled evilly. "Don't ya think, boys?"
A round of dirty laughter followed.
'Shit!' Murasame was in serious panic mode now. 'Holy fucking shit! What do I do? What the hell can I do in this situation? I know that look – he's gonna take out his knife soon! Hell, what if he's gotten a more dangerous weapon?'
"Oi. Bastard." Setsu addressed Yamada now in Japanese. "You might want to get your hands off of me before my brother gets back."
"Wha- Oi! Bitch! That's no way to address me!" Yamada drew himself up to his full height and Ueda and Tanaka shuffled behind him to complete the fierce image.
Setsu raised an eyebrow. "I was telling you for your own safety. Stuuuupid."
Yamada looked like he was going to explode.
"Ah, boss, you should ignore that one," Murasame jumped in. "She's got no manners whatsoever. Herself and her brother are halfers that have no respect or consideration for anyone or this nation. Pay her no mind."
"Regardless of all that shit," Yamada cracked his knuckles, "she might need to be taught respect by a fine teacher such as myself."
'So he still uses those crappy lines,' Murasame noted. "Ah, please, boss – she's harmless. Just one of those idiots with verbal diarrhea. Now, how about I meet up with guys tonight, and we sort out your problems?"
Yamada turned his attention to Murasame now. "Eh, not as convenient as I'd like... but it looks like it'll just have to do."
Relief coursed through Murasame's blood like a sweet drug, and his knees shuck beneath his baggy trousers. "Yes, yes. Please, take my number," he offered up a little card.
"Well, aren't we fancy now?" Yamada and his crew guffawed.
Yamada turned to Setsu and grabbed her by the chin, forcing her eyes on his. "Well, now, missy. Should we ever run into one another again, you had best be on your best behaviour, understand?" He violently relinquished her chin with a push, and turned on heel to exit the building with his gang members.
The five turned only to be greeted by the deadly glare of Cain Heel.
(88)
Ren had already settled into the character of Cain when he opened the door and saw a thug handling the innocent Kyoko. The side of himself that he labelled Kuon rose up, and along with the character of Cain, was ready to give these gangsters a thrashing.
However, his gaze was caught by Setsu's and she sent him a furious, cutting look – a warning that promised dire consequences should he engage with the gangsters.
Cain strode toward Setsu, brushing past the five men, paying them no attention whatsoever. "I'm bored. Sick of having to deal with these people," he stated plainly to Setsu.
"Hn. I'd like to play hooky and go shopping," Setsu monotonously replied with a little smirk. "Buuut, we've wasted enough time as it is, ne, brother?"
"Heh... so that's the brother of that skank," Yamada commented loudly. The sound of a dropping pin could have been heard with the silence that followed.
The staff of 'Tragic Marker' tensed up, all terrified as to how Cain Heel would respond. He's nearly killed a man last time! If he killed these guys, what bad press would the movie get? What if it suffered as a result?
"Hey! Cain Heel!" Murasame shouted (somewhat desperately). "You think you can just come in this late and-!"
"Shut it, Murasame!" Yamada barked.
"Cain," Setsu addressed him in English. "Don't get pulled in with these losers. I wanna go shopping."
Cain's eyes flicked over at Yamada, as if assessing him. There was something about the action that pissed Yamada off.
"What is it, you foreign fucker? Hah? Think a li'l stick like you could take me on? Hah?!"
"B-Boss!" Murasame was worried. He couldn't let 'Tragic Marker' become tarnished due to his (much boasted about) past. "Please! Be careful! This guy nearly killed me-"
"Shut it! Anyone could take a weak little shit like you! Pah!" Despite Yamada's declaration, the other four members of his crew sized Cain up with more caution.
"You're annoying," Cain spoke in English.
"Wha? What did you say?" Yamada yelled. Like hell was he going to let this punk-ass nobody make him look weak. He turned and grabbed Setsu by her leather lapel. "What the fuck did Creepy there say?"
Setsu sighed, as if bored with Yamada's antics. "He said that you're annoying. And let go, this is designer." She smacked his hand off of her jacket.
"Disrespectful half-breed!" Yamada roared, as his hand swung into action.
Setsu took control and stepped forward, in beyond the reach of Yamada's hand, and dug her thin heels into his sneakers.
He let out a roar of anger as he staggered back against his comrades.
But Kyoko was never far behind after Setsu did something rash. She was now less absorbed in the role, and watched in fear behind Setsu's apathetic eyes.
She felt herself being dragged back. Setsu allowed it to happen as it was her brother who was pulling her. Kyoko allowed it because she thought she may be in over her head.
In perfect Japanese, Cain addressed the thugs. "If you continue acting so stupidly, you will have to face the consequences... that is, me. Seeing such petty idiots always annoys me. So get the fuck out of my sight."
Kyoko honestly didn't know what Ren had hoped to achieve with such a statement – did he hope they would be intimidated and leave, or that they would be incensed and fight? Was it that darker side of him looking for a fight?
"Bastard," Ueda stepped forward. "Looks like you need to be put in your place."
Kyoko could only stare on in horror as her sempai stood between her and the vicious, scarred thugs. Sure, she had seen Ren cope easily with those guys last time, but these guys... these guys were in a whole other league.
She wanted to scream, shout and beg for Ren to back down, to get away from danger, but her throat was tense and aching, not allowing a sound out of her. Setsu would not allow her to act in such a manner.
Then Ren's leg shifted back as he took a fighter's stance...
(88)
Yeah, I have a feeling this is going to be quite melodramatic. I hope that doesn't disappoint.
Review, please!