Authors Note: Hello Lads and Ladies
Today I present to you as you can read by the title, Cosmo! It was loads of fun to write and I am very thankful of Foxy that we are able to show this to you guys now. You have to wait one more chapter before things start to happen that I myself did not predict, and it's gonna be great fun I tell you. The last week has been a literal nightmare so I hope that this Is the one positive thing from this awful period. I'll tell you guys more when I got stuff figured out.
Enjoy it and have a good one. It was tremendous fun to write this and finally delve into one of the most interesting side characters in the entire series. At least from my perspective.
Enjoy!
Editor: SuperAverageFoxyboy
-Portal
Chapter 16: The Marvelous Female in the Cage
"That doesn't- matter now-" Bill jogged along the pathway beside the main street. The pitch-black night brought with it a fog that got colder every day. He wore a second jacket over his usual one to give slight warmth. That, plus his exercise, was more than enough to warm him up. He spoke on the phone, taking short breaks every few words to take a breath.
"Just get-. The damned thing-. It can't be- That hard-" Hayato had called to inform him of a delay on one of his item requests. An item requests that Bill made in preparation for what was to come.
"I know- Hayato- I can wait- Just- Get it-…. I need it-" Bill heard his rabbit friend promise it to him.
"See you- Soon- Bye-" He held the phone in front of his face and pressed the red button. It sank back into his pocket, and he made his way further down the road to the bridge over the canal.
Edobutsu was filled with canals and the bridges leading above them. It made for beautiful walk routes, but for a terrible place to exercise.
These routes pulled up and down, every turn leading to an incline for the next bridge, which got worse the more you went from the hill that Cherryton stood upon. And the black market was between the shipping docks and the city center, which meant downhill. Going back at ten would be annoying, but something necessary for the war that was soon to rage on school grounds. One carnivore to another.
Bill turned the next corner and jogged over the next bridge by one of the canals leading beside the hill. A chill rose up his neck as the freezing cold passed through a layer of his clothes.
His thoughts wavered around the factoids of the last few days. How terrifyingly easy the anger had seeped into his system. And how neatly it all fits into it. As if his mind was built to be lead by anger. It had overtaken his system like your hand slipped into well-fitting gloves.
It was the kind of knowledge that would make most people shiver to realize how the carnivore mind was really built for aggression, at least in Bill's case, but it was ultimately monumental information for Bill. The first step in catching the shadow.
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles" was the philosophy that Bill had underlined multiple times in his notebook. Of which he bought for the very reason of documenting the process of catching the shadow.
The checklist in preparation wasn't particularly long. A few points needed to be done before the real process of finding that fiend would commence.
Point one was already taken care of. He had ordered the object in question from Hayato. Who would take a bit longer to get it but assured him that he would, in fact, get it.
Point two was what he was in the process of doing right now. Training, training, and more training. Gouhin was the mentor for the mind, so Bill would be the mentor of his physical attributes. Which weren't too bad, to begin with. His workouts and pretty straightforward diet put him at a beginning advantage with that. But he would still need to become stronger.
And Point three was a point that would come in due time. Get Legosi and Louis on board. He knew what Legosi could do when people he cared about were at risk. And Louis was the key to the whole matter. The binding person with contact to the higher-ups.
If anyone complained about anything, it was Louis's voice that would be heard. It was Louis's well-being that the school cared about. And it just so was that Legosi and Louis were best of pals now.
Bill didn't notice the smile beginning to form on his face as he constructed his plan further. Soon enough, he had made his way to Gouhin's clinic.
After a week of training, today was the first real test that Gouhin would take him on. And Bill would be lying if he said he wasn't excited.
After the first round of meditation, Gouhin had advised him to put on a coat and made for the door. Bill's pulse heightened when he saw the panda also grab for the rifle in the gun closet. They had taken a two-minute walk down to the alley junction where they stood now. Bill listened intently to the panda with stone-cold fascination and interest.
"This building here is a restaurant. One of humble yet high-quality talk. And like many businesses in the meat supply chain, it gets the whole cut of meat and cuts it fresh for every dish served. The rest is stored in the freezer which is under constant surveillance." Gouhin walked around past the back door. The end of the alleyway was a large open archway built for the supply trucks. Gouhin came to a stop in front of a garbage pile.
"Bone marrow is something of a snob indulgence from the general consensus. But meat addiction has no standards." He lifted one of the bags to reveal claw marks on the ground.
"They hide in the garbage pile until the kitchen staff throws out the freshest scraps. And then they take off with their winnings, as they see it. Now, Bill, your morning meditation and scent training are put to the test with your first real case. Use the senses available and find our patient."
Bill looked to Gouhin and walked forward. He stopped in front of the garbage pile, black bags stacked upon each other. Bill took a deep breath of concentration, registering all his surroundings.
When Bill was on the way home from the first meeting with Gouhin, he had made an oath to himself that now played repeatedly in his mind.
Whatever I must endure or learn to fight against it is a fair fight to be fought. No matter how hard things are or how hard a task. I will prevail. You best do things yourself if you want them to be done right.
Light cones were beset on the stone passage between the buildings, leading right to the main market stretch. Adults chuckled and laughed from the restaurant. Doors were opened and closed, footsteps, and conversations sounded from the main path. The faint sound of cars on the highway passed by in a faint glimpse of detail. And the place reeked of savagery and uncontrolled instinct.
The bone marrow smelled strongest, pungently plucking the air full of its own aroma. And it mixed seamlessly with the smell of spice. A southern spice that evoked pictures of water holes and prairie.
Bill raised his head against a specific corner. He turned towards it. Gouhin followed with a few steps till he stood beside him.
"Hyenas," uttered Bill as he began to walk once more. Gouhin followed the tiger with interest, his rifle drawn.
The two of them marched down the increasingly darker alleyway. The leading of the two walking with a lowered and angled head, following an invisible trail with concentration. His only light in the darkness was his sense of smell. Gouhin followed closely, suppressing the urge to light a cigarette. It would surely alert the assailants that were steadily growing closer as his own sense of smell told him.
Gouhin thought that Bill was already doing a well enough job for an amateur. Not a professional by a long shot, but a very acceptable start. The idea of writing him up as the first employee on the staff registry sounded like a fine thing. But like everything, it would take time to get used to things. Atrial period, he supposed.
And yet, it felt unnatural. He couldn't shake the thought that things were going too well almost. Life moved at its own speed, sure, but that didn't stop him from feeling wary of the kid's determination. It seemed highly reactive and ready to blow at any minute.
Bill stood still, looking at the dark corner in front of him. The hunched shadows were unmistakable. The smell of bones was more than obvious now. It stank. Gouhin pulled at the safety of his gun. Bill's hand landed on the barrel, lowering it. He shook his head.
"No need, doctor." Gouhin gave the tiger a look of surprise.
"Bill, no. We haven't trained nearly enough in combat yet," whispered Gouhin as he grabbed at his shirt, pulling him closer to himself. Bill looked at him with apathy on his face and fire in his eyes.
"Learn by doing. Don't you think so, doc?" Gouhin stared at him and found the most peculiar thing. He couldn't say anything at all. He wanted to tell him how stupid and foolish his eagerness was. But that would be telling himself in the face how stupid his own eagerness to better people had become. Wasn't that why he had left his wife and child without saying goodbye? Because it was his destiny to help others, and they would never understand that in their selfish desire of family.
His hand eased up. The tiger smiled at him and turned around strutting forward to the two meat-crazed garbage looters, currently busy eating their winnings. And as to prove the point, Bill quickly began to make short work of them.
Gouhin supposed he had boxed for a while before his first meeting with him, but that was only a secondary thought as his head filled with memories of his family. His boy hadn't been older than six when he had left.
To think about Rey while at work was usual business. He often lost himself in memory of his life before the day that he realized that he would have to work in the betterment of carnivores. He had fought with her, her arguments standing strong on the foundation that a boy would need his father while growing up. She never understood that there were so many more lives on the line as that one family life being held together was enough to balance it out.
The pained huffs and groans as Bill knocked out the first two patients in the night were only background noise to Gouhin. He was in an emotional daze, gripping his rifle absent-mindedly. He was sure he could hear her voice. On the night when he left. She was happy then. Happy because he had picked up Hanoi from school. She was happy when she saw him all those ten years ago.
Bill was in a different universe while Gouhin was swept up by his long past family life. He was busy beating up the two shadows that were in no way any match against him. His fists threw them backward, the meaty impact satisfying the deep hatred that had swept through every fiber of his rage-filled being.
He wasn't beating two meat-crazed hyenas that had lost all stability of life because of an addiction. He was beating shadows born of the loss of control. Vile creatures that he felt deserved no remorse for their own weakness which would sooner or later cost lives to abide.
After a particular loud yowl of pain after repeated impact with the brick wall, the second hyena sank to the floor, unconscious. The first looked down at his companion, snapping out of the instinct-filled stupor he was in as he recognized who it was.
Bill's fist struck his head, sending him off to dreamland like his brother laying beside him.
Bill breathed heavily with adrenaline, brought about not from physical exertion but, more aptly, emotional release. If his friends would've seen him in such as state, they would have had a hard time recognizing him. Gouhin realized as he returned to reality, that the point of no return was indefinitely crossed.
Meanwhile, as Bill was detaining the first two patients of his career as a medical assistant, the new and improved Shishigumi were back to work.
The lions made their way into another store on their list of re-acquainting. And as was to be expected, the first expressions that greeted them were faces of fear among the younger folk, and disdain among the older and more seasoned market dwellers. Henry was one of the seasoned market owners, the snapping turtle leading his shop for almost 21 years.
"New management? By who? Scrooge McDuck?" He chuckled to himself as he crossed his arms. Ibuki had known this would be to be expected.
"No, by us." Free spouted, standing straight with his own arms crossed. Ibuki grabbed his shoulder.
"You must excuse Free. He isn't used to taking orders." Ibuki's eyes darted from the turtle to him, disapproving of his arrogance. Free's face turned into an annoyed huff that was close to turning into a full-on pout.
"New management by someone you have yet to meet, Mr. Henry." He slid the envelope over to the turtle.
"But the orders come from someone of direct importance to the black market and the city. If you have any doubts, call the number on the back," Dope added, standing to the left of Ibuki, the rest of the lions set out behind them.
"But do note that he is a very busy animal. So getting an appointment will take its time," spoke Ibuki and turned around, starting to walk back out of the store.
"Thank you for your time and hospitality." Ibuki bowed down respectfully and then followed the rest of his brethren. Henry turned around the enveloped and leaned on his counter, shouting after them.
"Tokugawa? Who in the hell is that?"
Free stood in the door frame and looked back. A smile spread on his face.
"The owner of the black market, you genius." Free left the snapping turtle to gape at them in surprise as he left the store.
The group stood in the streets, bathed in the streetlight. It felt a bit as if halos were forming around their heads, a new age for the black market rolling around. The outside world may suffer, but the black market, of all places to exist, would surely bloom. It was a rule of nature itself. When something was falling, something else was rising.
Ibuki thought bureaucratic work to be tiring, but now he fully understood why he did it and why it was important. He liked Tokugawa. He liked the cougar that was always dressed to the nines on any business meetings. His suits always a liberal light color. Whites, grays, or the color of a slightly foggy blue sky. He was the perfect mentor that leads with an iron rule of understanding and care while never losing the authority of the situation. He jumped from charming to angry to intimidation to gratefulness in a matter of seconds. And he did it with a marvelous elegance all the while, never losing any of the noble grace of an accommodating and quite humble boss.
Listening to Tokugawa talk about the future of the market and the new etiquette on their various visits was invigorating. Ibuki felt filled with purpose and knowledge of where to go for once in a long time since that tyrant was so violently and justifiably dethroned.
Today was the second day of what Tokugawa had referred to as "Re-acquainting with the Market."
The Shishigumi had already begun making many visits to the small shops and businesses of the Black Market. In fact, as of this moment, they were on their way to the last establishment on the list. The building's exterior looked ordinary enough except for the huge blinking neon sign above the entrance.
'Jungle Palace' blinked apathetically beside a bright pink neon sign of a cage.
"What a name for a strip-joint." Miguel laughed at the sign. Its only response was to keep blinking.
"Contrary to what you believe, this place is actually quite good." Said Hino, to the shock of at least one member of the group.
"You go to strip clubs?" Agata asked disbelievingly. This earned him chuckles of all but Ibuki, who was still concentrated on the club's neon sign.
"Since when are you such a prude, Mr. Fox-Fucker." Free teased. Agata growled at him.
"Her name is Jenny, and she's more to me than just a vixen, you prick." Free held up his hands in a mocking gesture of surrender.
"Sorry to cross the line concerning your girlfriend. You're still a fox fucker to me."
The ensuing fight that would almost escalate with Agata brawling with Free on the street was all white noise to Ibuki. He was staring up at the neon sign that shined brightly in its incredibly synthetic color. He had heard about this place. The guy talk at the bar was only gossipy when it came to the theme of sex. The most savage need next to hunger. Although sex could be linked to love, which was the most civilized of feelings around, the guy-to-guy talk in a bar about it was different.
The sort of talk in which any married fellow would fall still because when thinking about it, they, of course, thought of their partner, not the nature of the act itself. Any civilized or just plain stuck-up individual would wince at the sheer mentioning of that simple brutally persistent instinct. There was no more savage talk than drunken slurs among lonely single men. And truth be told, most single men were more than lonely. And with every carnivore and as one wouldn't believe, herbivores too, when an instinct was left unanswered and forgotten, the voice would grow louder and meaner.
The vilest thing you could hear was any mammal starved for attention of the more sensual kind fantasize over intimacy.
And Jungle Palace talk combined two things to one. Because of a certain fact that delighted carnivores. An Okapi stripper with an incredibly delicious figure… in more ways than just one. The stories to behold of the fantastic Cosmo.
Herbivore strippers were an incredible rarity among the majority lot of strip clubs. Herbivores more liked to tend to themselves, watching mature movies in the privacy of their home, or not indulging in said practices at all. But carnivores, like in so many areas of living, were much more unrestrained.
A herbivore stripper in such ways was like winning the lottery. The talk about them spread far and wide as to let people know about their existence at all. To have one in your town was lucky. It combined two of the most heinous themes of society together into one.
But even rarer, a herbivore stripper in the middle of the Black Market.
And as to prove the rule, the jungle palace was the most often visited in all of Edobutsu. Working-class people, college students on their graduation parties, and even spread in between a few businessmen with a specific set of fetishes.
The Jungle Palace's owner, of course, enjoyed the status his club held, pouring in thrice fold of his normal revenue. None of the money seemed to pour into restoring the building which was still in sleazy conditions though.
"I'll beat your fucking face in you piece of shit," Agata screamed at Free, being held back by Dope and Dolph.
"Then come here, you scared little Fox Fucker!" Free, on the other hand, was held back by Miguel and Jinma.
"I'll beat the shit out of both of you if you don't get a grip," Ibuki shouted at them, bringing them to immediate silence. The two looked on at the lion that had very quickly filled his role as leader. The light shining from the club made him look like a shadow of an even larger being, strength unrivaled.
He adjusted his glasses and straightened his back. He turned to Agata.
"Of course, we are gonna tease you for dating a fox. Since when are you so sensitive." Agata shook himself out of the grip of his brethren and gave an angry glance at Ibuki and then at Free, who smiled in return. Before he could give any ironic quip, Ibuki was talking again.
"And since when are you opposing inter-special dating? The gal you visit from time to time sure doesn't look like a lioness to me. Come to think of it, I can't remember if she's a carnivore at all."
"Shut up, you prick," hissed Free. Ibuki marched towards the two, pulling both against each other with force. Their heads banging together with a comical thump, and they both recoiled with a hand at their aching foreheads.
"Both of you idiots get a grip and let's just get this job done. I'm sick of your constant fighting, Free, and I am sick of your naive behavior Agata, grow up both of you." He whispered in cold aggression. The other clan members stood around and watched with amazement the spectacle of who was the new alpha of the group.
"We got a new boss to satisfy. Let's not disappoint him." He pulled them upwards to his muzzle, almost lifting Agata off the ground.
"Do you understand?" Moody silence from the two lions. The strong hands on their shoulders let go and moved to the back of their heads again, smashing them together for a painful impact a second time.
"DO YOU IDIOTS UNDERSTAND?" Agata and Free stumbled backward with heads throbbing in pain.
"Yes, Ibuki."
"Of course, Ibuki."
"Good, now off to the club, you dumb-asses." Agata and Free walked past him and into the club, still rubbing their heads and cursing under their breath. The rest of the Shishigumi watched him with surprise. The power hierarchy had just changed. Ibuki glared through his glasses, anger still lighting through them.
"Did I stutter?" The others looked at each other and stepped towards the club in a hurry. Even Sabu, who was the hardest to scare of all, walked faster than usual.
Ibuki followed them with a strut forward, walking in the direct and aware way only an angry animal walked.
The entrance area was lit in purple mood lighting. Lustful music played through the speakers from the main room, the chatting of the adults growing quieter when the announcer declared the entrance of another actress, as the establishments so sensibly called them. The frontman in the little cabinet of a front desk charged no admission fee for the lions. The jackal behind the glass pane, that couldn't be older than 16, was enthralled in a manga on the counter. A small silver bell stood in the opening of the glass to the cabinet, inviting one to press it if the front desk was unmanned, or as right now, currently occupied.
The lions slowly walked into the club, observing the feline dancer currently on the stage, circling the iron bar with one leg hooked around it. Her performance was enthralling enough for most of the guests and a few of the shishigumi, but not enough for all.
Free and Agata were sitting by the bar, drinking cocktails while holding ice bags to their foreheads. They exchanged glances every now and then, still in angry silence. But as Ibuki knew them, they would forgive and forget soon enough. Free liked to bring up things of the past for the fun of it, and Agata would be annoyed, of course. But right now, they were taken care of. Like children you had to bribe with alcohol instead of candies.
Ibuki walked back to the glass-pane and knocked on the glass. The Jackal looked up at him while chewing gum apathetically.
"Entry is 1650 yen, mister." He leaned on the counter, and Ibuki smiled at the completely careless youngling in front of him.
"I'd like to speak to Kaleido. Could you call him out front?" The boy kept chewing his gum, looking indifferently at the lion. He pointed to the red sign behind him.
-No Refunds
-No Private Shows
-No Brawling
Ibuki kept up his smile as he flicked a card into the window and watched as the jackal kid picked it up and examined it. Ibuki meanwhile grabbed his gun from his waistband.
He watched as very badly concealed fear splayed on the boy's face. He looked up to see directly into the barrel of Ibuki's gun and began to shiver nervously. The lion now smiled, presenting his teeth.
"Give me your employee key. No funny business." He cocked his gun and watched the kid move slowly and carefully, sweat running down his head. He placed the key in the glass pane opening, his hands moving under the counter again. Ibuki pushed his gun forward and tapped the glass. The kid froze as if the noise of the tapping glass was a gunshot in of itself.
"Place your hands on the glass." Shaky hands of brown fur sat on the glass, the fear never leaving the atmosphere.
"What's your name, kiddo?" Ibuki grabbed the keys, pushing them into his pocket.
"Elijah." His voice cracked in adolescent nervousness. Ibuki smiled again, changed the gun into safety, and placed it back into his waistband. His hand dipped into his other pocket and grabbed a bright pink banknote.
"Next time, you give me your keys and don't ask questions, Elijah." The 5000 yen banknote fluttered past the boy, who flinched while still keeping his hands on the glass.
"Keep it for yourself." Ibuki left the sale window and walked down to the bar, not listening to the announcement of the new dancer arriving on stage shortly. He ordered Dolph and Dope to follow, the two lions quickly shuffling to his side, still in complete awe and fear of the large lion that had asserted himself as their leader.
The slightly warped employees-only door opened with a shove. Upon entering, the three marched down towards the employees only area.
The lions entered the back room as the door to the walkway had just closed. Dolph looked after the door in a yearn, wanting to have seen her at least once. But perhaps another time would arise, he told himself.
Kaleido was a small brown pine martin that played announcer on the large table overlooking security cameras. But as of now, he was standing on a stool by a switch on the wall. He looked over intently at the security cameras. Dope and Dolph followed his gaze and stared at the screen.
There she was, the marvelous and amazing Cosmo. She looked even better than any of the stories they had heard about her. Her figure moved entrancingly in the light, her upper width bulging against the cups of her bra. With a jump, Kaleido grasped the lever and pushed it down. At the same time, a cage rose from the ground up to encase her, protecting her from any trouble makers. The club area grew an awful lot quieter during her performance.
Now Kaleido spotted the lions, suddenly looking nervous.
"Oh, gentlemen! I haven't expected the Shishigumi here at such an unusual time. I hope my money order reached you."
The pine martin climbed down the stool and walked over to the middle of the room in an excited and equally nervous shuffle. He noticeably shuddered as he looked at them and realized their size in comparison to him. Ibuki waved off his inquiry about the matter being money-related.
"The monetary order is working absolutely well, but we came for different matters. Can we talk in your office for more privacy?"
Ibuki's eyes darted to a rather unsatisfied-looking ocelot dancer sitting in the corner of the room, looking at the screens with angry eyes.
"Of course," Kaleido accepted, walking towards the open door leading to his office.
A hardwood desk on which a much smaller desk stood upon was in the middle of a room that was nicer than the other ones of the place.
Ibuki suspected the actresses here were not well paid. The pine martin seemed way too money-focused to be a well-paying boss. The door closed with a resounding clank and left the lions alone with the pine martin sitting on his much smaller desk while nervously fidgeting his fingers.
"So, what do you want exactly?"
"We've come to tell you that your protection money will no longer be paid for the purpose of protection." The pine martin looked confused at the lion sitting in front of him.
"See it as new management. The price you pay to be allowed to keep shop here, including taxes, will be lowered." He slid one of the business cards given to him by Tokugawa towards Kaleido. "Transfer it at the end of each month to that bank account."
The pine martin read the name of the bank multiple times. It was a high society bank in the high-class royalty type district. Banking is done only by entrepreneurs, business magnates, and government officials. Kaleido huffed loudly and leaned back in his chair.
"Who in the world has that bank account, Oguma himself?" Ibuki had to smirk at the Pine Martin's comment. He placed the envelope down beside him.
"An individual of equal importance as you may see it. Maybe more. But for right now, the most important is that we give you the letter and let you know of the change."
Kaleido took his time opening the letter that was almost bigger than himself. As he read the first few sentences, his jaw dropped.
"A fifteen percent decrease? Holy lord, I think your new boss must be crazy." Ibuki suppressed a growl and continued.
"But there's a catch," Ibuki started. He held up his finger, and the Pine martin eyed him with interest. "A few conditions apply."
Kaleido stood tall, only a few inches on the table, but it allowed him to express his interest while hiding his actual excitement.Fifteen percent?! To think of the luxuries I could buy from that. So much money and all I can do with it.
"Of course, conditions." His tone showed disappointment, but his eyes didn't hide his excitement at all. They jumped from person to person every moment.
"A few conditions based on how you run your business, for example." The pine martin listened with interest and the slight hint of dismay as he heard what the lion was hinting at. He wants control over my entire business. What a slimy little businessman.
"For example, renovation work, stable wages for your staff, and of course inventory management." Now the pine martin didn't like the fifteen percent decrease so much anymore. The money saved from taxes and protection funds would, on the other hand, flow into the upkeep of the new rules beset on him.
"And what if I don't want to follow these rules?" Kaleido regretted his choice to speak up immediately as Ibuki leaned forward over him.
"Then you little greedy, ungrateful, penny-pincher can pack your things and vacate this building. Because your ownership documents are all phony." As much as Kaleido wanted to answer anything in opposition, he couldn't say anything. Any business deals bound by legal contracts were shaky at best and illegal in seven out of ten cases. The Black Market's owner was secretive to everyone's advantage, but all legal work was held to uphold because of just that.
"Ok, ok!" He retaliated.
Suddenly a cry emanated from the back room.
Ibuki and his brethren burst into the backroom to see the ocelot dancer clutch the lever of the cage mechanism trying to put the cage back up. The screens showed Cosmo, the great herbivorous stripper of the black market, laying on the ground, naked, without any defense.
"I just wanted to scare you. PLEASE, YOU GOD DAMN LEVER WORK!" She was crying, full of panic, most of the sentences leaving her mouth being nothing but a garbled mess.
A loud crack sounded through the room, and the ocelot turned around and presented in full shock the broken lever. Ibuki saw from the corner of his eye a few carnivores jumping up on stage, Cosmo crawling backward.
Ibuki marched forward to the stage door, ripping it open. He lunged it back, his immense strength breaking the hinges as the door hit the wall, now hanging askew.
The large lion entered the stage with thundering steps on the floor, the carnivore men- a polar bear, a wolf, and a tiger, were crouching over the defenseless women, their maws hanging open as saliva dropped to the floor and raging erections poked against their pants.
The loud impact of his steps made them all look up in surprise, their erections disappearing as they saw the enormous black shadow in the pink light of the stage.
Before they could react, the polar bear received a hard kick to the face, plummeting off the stage with a humorously loud impact. The wolf fell backward out of his kneeling position in surprise, his rear clipped the edge of the stage, and he followed the first assailant with a much quieter thud.
The tiger stood up straight, growling at him but then, a loud bang echoed through the room, and the tiger clutched his ear in pain. A precise strike to the face sending him down the stage as well.
For a moment the entire club fell silent, the only sound remaining to be the sensual music playing in the speakers. Everyone, including the still naked Okapi on the ground, stared at Ibuki as well as the approaching Free, gun in hand.
"Get over here and detain these savages…" The other lions quickly ran to the fallen assailants. Ibuki turned his head, overseeing the club.
Ibuki breathed hot breath through his nose and turned towards the herbivore. The okapi looked shocked, her face pale showing through her brown and cream-colored fur. A perverse surge of attraction plunged through Ibuki as his instincts twinged. She definitely got the body for showing off. He pushed up his glasses into his eye line.
"Miss?" His voice suddenly sounded low and composed, speaking softly. He pointed to the skimpy lingerie she had taken off during her performance, now simply red pieces of cloth on the ground.
"You might want to throw something on and go to the back room."
Ibuki's face remained stoic as she grabbed for the first article of clothing, his face breaking into a smile for just a moment before snapping his head away, looking ahead towards the main room, embarrassed to have been staring.
Cosmo heaved herself off the ground, walking away towards the backstage with a hurried step. Ibuki's eyes drifted towards a few other guests, their eyes affixed to her form. He stomped the ground, the onlookers looking at him in surprise and fear.
"Show's over, piss off." His tone was cold aggressive and commanding.
One of the guests slammed the armrest of his chair with their fist, staring at the lion with anger.
"This place doesn't close till six. It's on the nocturnal shift, you prick."
Ibuki huffed in irritation and pulled out his gun. The previously rowdy guest sunk in his seat, holding up his hands in front of him in surrender. Ibuki threw his head back, the hairs of his mane leaving his face.
"I. Said. Piss. OFF." He shouted the last word, being at the end of his patience. The guest rose slowly, walking around his chair in calculating and dreadfully slow steps, a few of his friends following him in the same slow tempo. Ibuki pulled the trigger.
A shot rang into the ground a few inches from the guest's foot; he stood frozen like a deer in headlights. The others froze in the room as well, the other Shishigumi members looking up from the trouble makers they had bound. Their faces were full of more surprise and shock. Agata looked as fearful as a herbivore in the wrong district at night.
"Get a move on before I get antsy."
"Come on Ibuki, they didn't-" Agata tried to reason.
"Concentrate on your work and let me do mine," Ibuki said, his eyes following the guests leaving the establishment. He walked onwards to the back room, leaving the main room empty, all except for the lions and one other person.
"Why are you shooting at my customers in my establishment!" the pine martin shrieked, sending painful bolts of pain in Ibuki's head. He growled in rage, the anger immediately dropping from Kaleido's face. He looked over in the corner, the ocelot sitting with her legs pushed up to her chest. Dolph and Dope were standing around her.
"Keep an eye on her. She isn't leaving until we got this whole shit taken care of. Dope." The lion nodded at Ibuki.
"Call Tokugawa and tell him what's going on. I want this to be dealt with as soon as possible." Dope nodded and grabbed his phone. At that moment he looked at Cosmo.
"Are you ok, miss?" Ibuki stepped closer to the Okapi who had sat down in a chair by the corner of the room. She was wrapped in a beige coat, looking at the ground. She merely waved him off.
"I'm alright." She answered briskly. Still, she looked nervous and shaken up by the whole ordeal.
Ibuki stood straight and picked deeper into his pocket until grasping the small box. He pulled it out and flicked the cigarette box open, reaching over to Cosmo. She looked up to see the brown and white stick protruding from the box.
"No, thank you. I don't smoke." Ibuki shrugged and placed it in his mouth, lighting a match that caught the pine martin's eyes.
"You can't smoke here! This is a smoke-free area!" The lion looked at the pine martin indifferently. Kaleido raised his finger but soon saw the fire burning behind Ibuki's dark pupils and stopped before making further comment.
Ibuki took a long draw, the smoke almost hurting in his lungs. He rarely ever smoked. But a more fitting moment to calm down than this would be hard to come by. Ibuki rubbed his eyes and took off his glasses, breathing a concentrated breath of frustration out of his nose as Kaleido yelled in his own frustrations at the ocelot.
"You seem worried there, Mister...?"
Ibuki opened his eyes, seeing the slightly unfocused form of Cosmo sitting in her chair. He chuckled in response.
"It's Ibuki. Yes, I am nervous miss. My boss is to show up soon… and I don't know how he's gonna react to this mess… I would feel bad for your co-worker… if she didn't almost kill you with that stupid stunt." He pointed at the carnivore across from them and took another Draw. Cosmo only shook her head.
"All I want is her to be let go. Any worse punishment for her jealousy would be stupid. Everyone's jealous of someone." She spoke evenly and level-headed, at odds with the situation as if she didn't really care at all how close to death she had been just a few minutes earlier.
"As you say, miss, as you say." He drew another pull and looked across the room, feeling the headache marching onward in a full-throttle attack now. He grasped his head in pain, balancing the cigarette between his index and middle finger. He could already tell,This will be a long night.