A Smile for You
Chapter 2
Millia often wondered if her grandiose office was necessary. It reminded her of the many high priority men she had to eliminate in her old profession. Lavish offices with stiff security and just enough openings to guarantee a successful mission. Presently, Millia could only hope some money hungry cut-throat did not have the same idea to send anyone after her.
The vast office was not all bad, of course. The large window panels displayed the Illyrian city streets and roads in its never-ending hustle. The different merchants or workers to the buses and coaches flowed simultaneously like clockwork down below. Her elevated status only reinforced her position as director. Whatever information that passed through the Post War Administration Bureau's doorstep was meant to insure peace. The pressure was daunting, but Millia was no stranger to such situations.
In comparison, sitting in the large office with her large, luxury red brown wooden L-shaped desk completing her work was less than a chore. To make both the Assassins Guild and P.W.A.B to appear more responsive, Millia choose a new path of cooperation with the help of Zato. This meant keeping tabs on infamous factions to protect Illyria's citizens.
So far, there was nothing to report. This was to Millia's liking considering that the world brushed death's shoulders because of Happy Chaos and I-no. She figured that even mafia bosses needed a moment to collect themselves after such an event. However, Millia rarely sat on her hands waiting to make a move. There were several assignments that needed government intervention from drug smuggling to weapons trafficking with leftover leads to trace.
Although not a major priority, Millia also noticed a gradual increase in youth arrests. Specifically, young men from teen to adolescents were detained on possession of drug charges. Her Executive Director brought it to her attention before the I-no fiasco on basis that young men were organized. Millia did agree to the possibility of organized crime but waited to the contents of the illegal substances. Each report stated the juvie dealers destroyed the evidence before police intervention. Without a concrete sample of a potential new drug, Millia kept this case on the back burner.
Still, even without doing the groundwork herself, reviewing cases were tiring all the same. When she had originally arrived, there was still daylight to work with. Now, the busy Illyrian streets were operating with the sun slowly losing light through its landscape. It was not unusual for her to spend days like this locked into her busy work with the door closed.
Millia hardly associated with the agents outside of a short greeting or a nod. The only person who openly spoke with Millia at length had not contacted her in several days. She was the furthest thing from clingy, but even her self-isolating had limits.
Millia ran through the juvenile organized crime documents once more before a series of soft knocks echoed across the room. She glanced at the digital clock on the lower hand of the screen and saw the display read 5:17 pm. The likelihood of any lingering agents was low, especially on a Monday.
"It's open," Millia causally prompted.
The door opened with a deadpan voice laced with subtle sarcasm. "My what a surprise. I didn't know I would find you here."
Millia did not need to look from digital screen to place the voice but did so anyway. She took at his long, elegant blond hair and strong face. His red and black blindfold that whispered to others the price he paid for his ambitions. The outfit he wore was still black as his Forbidden Beast with its shoulder-less turtleneck, form-fitting pants, and a large gold belt buckle on his waist. His attire was complete with black arm sleeves that had an equally dark trench coat hanging off his arm.
Millia contemplated thanking the universe for listening to her thoughts or to be annoyed with the timing. She could decide later as her eyes returned back to the screen."
"You mean to find me here actually present instead of you sneaking in like last time?" Millia said matching the small jab.
"In my defense, I was only waiting for you to return."
"In the dark?"
"Force of habit."
Millia stopped scanning her work and finally faced her longtime companion with slight curiosity.
"Well, I'm certainly glad you have learned to use the door this time. Mind telling me what this visit is for, Zato-ONE?"
Zato stepped into the office shutting the door as he faced Millia. "I was not aware that we were on an informal basis at your workplace, Madam Director Millia Rage."
Millia could not help to give a slight, unamused pout. "Dodging the question is certainly not doing this sudden arrival any favors."
Zato thought of teasing her further but decided to move on, "For lack of a better phrase, to fetch you."
"Really? I don't remember sharing my bodyguard with anyone else. Is Slayer requesting you to summon me?
"No request. I simply wanted to walk you home this evening."
She unconsciously furrowed her eyebrows. Rare was hardly the word anymore. This behavior was non-existent. In the many years of their complicated relationship, the two barely went out in public. The last recent excursion of theirs was visiting Venom with his chauvinistic, robot head after surviving I-no. And that was Millia's idea.
She was cautious of Zato's sudden active request. However, she could not deny that she was curious. "Tell me, how were you able to discern my schedule?"
"Well, I watch you whenever I get the chance."
Millia lazily raised her eyebrow in contained disgust.
"Nothing in private, of course. I strictly kept to watching this building to make sure of your safety."
"You can always come in through the front, Zato. You understand that keeping your distance in the shadows is a rather unhealthy trait."
Zato held out his arms in a harmless gesture. "I apologize, that was worded incorrectly." He turned one of his hands over to an inviting pose. "Consider it a request from your partner."
Had the offer come from one of her coworkers, it would have been tempting. Zato's intentions always ranged from questionable to good. It was a chore to keep up with what side of the spectrum it fell under at the given time.
However, considering his past actions over the year being worthy of redemption, Millia found it harder to distrust Zato each passing day. She turned to her digital display and found the screen blurry to her eyes. A sign that her limit had already been reached for the day.
"Wait downstairs and I'll grab my goat," Millia instructed.
Had Millia not glanced in Zato's direction before he closed the door, she would have missed his hidden smile of relief.
The sun was halfway visible through the winding streets of Illyria. Mechanized horse cartridges and automated buses passed by their routine destinations. Local shop and food vendors laid in wait for more customers or packed their stands for tomorrow. The sidewalk was moderately populated from off-work employees or families returning from the park. The atmosphere mixed with the cold weather and warm weather was ideal for walking.
"I don't often go out like this," Millia started breaking the silence between them.
Zato nodded and said, "I assume you have a personal carriage?"
"A company issued one, yes."
"It's fitting for a woman in your position."
Millia made a noise in agreement and the mood went back to square one. They had done this inane, small talk two other times since they left the P.W.A.B building. Millia found it dull coming from other people, but with Zato it was edging on annoyance. They had never been like this in the past and yet, here they were speaking like a young couple about to break up.
Millia finally had enough after walking another block and said, "Why did you really come to me?"
Zato did not respond at first. He tilted his head to the side a couple of times weighing the words in his head. Finally, after being unable to take the piercing daggers from his companion any longer, Zato stopped in his tracks alongside Millia.
"I suppose, I wanted to confirm my feelings. With I-no making me shed tears, it came full circle that maybe I had not completely lost my emotions. In that prolonged moment when we all felt something through our tears, I felt… happiness."
Millia recalled the feeling easily. The event was bizarre and unprecedented. A phenomenon that should have caused humanity despair created hope. A moment everyone shared that was devoid of any restraints. A life of absolute freedom.
Zato continued, "After her defeat, everything feels different. I had a hard time coming to grips of the nuances in my life and found it when I was away from you." He directed his face to Millia to make her understand the importance. "You are my happiness. I am firm on that, and I would do anything to make you happy. Which is why I wanted to ask; how can I make that possible?"
Millia was completely off guard. It was like Zato had peered into her head this morning. Of all the questions to ask after some time apart, this was certainly heavy. Millia had almost forgotten to answer before stumbling out her response.
"My happiness… fall under my decisions. Having you here, by my side, helps…"
"But you require more," Zato finished.
"More like if I require it at all." She looks towards the street, secretly hoping for an escape. "What we were in the past can hardly warrant future happiness. I hated that life more than anything and made it a goal to separate myself from it. I rose to my current standing because I wanted to create a place for others to have a proper future." Millia turned back to meet Zato's face. "I accept this life of content. It is the one I deserve."
It was a faction of a second, but Zato grimaced. He stepped forward to close the small gap between them and kept his voice low enough for Millia to pick up.
"I will not stand here and let you feel this disdain. Not while I'm your partner. I also thought of myself unworthy to have anything else in this world. Until I remembered you."
Millia was unable to focus with the tension between them. Not akin to the days when they tried to kill each other, but like the past as former lovers. She did notice that Zato's hand began to move towards hers leaving her cheeks flushed with anticipation. However, something jolted him behind stopping Zato from advancing further. They both looked and saw a little girl on her backside rubbing her nose.
"Hm? Oh, a child." Zato stooped to the girl's level and offered his hand. "You're not hurt, are you? Can you stand?"
The small girl stopped rubbing her nose and looked at Zato with a beaming smile. "I'm great mister! My bad for running into you! I was running and didn't see where I was going and-," the girl stopped and her expression shifted towards panic as if she remembered why she was running at all. She hoisted her body upright and shouted, "My brother!"
Millia, having recovered from Zato's surprise attack, stood next to Zato and said, "Did you lose track of him?"
The little girl faced Millia and the two examined one another. Millia saw a girl with a round face, bright yellow hair, and vivid red eyes. In contrast, her eyes contained a limitless cheerful allure in comparison to Millia's jaded, blue stare. The smaller girl's clothes were closer to rags with a pale orange coat and tattered brown scarf. She also sported a beaten pair of dirty, white color sneakers and a pair of mittens with one mitten missing the thumb section. Despite her appearance, the girl never stopped smiling at Millia.
"Yuh-huh. I told him to hold my hand after we left the mall square, but he gets easily distre-, distracted." The young girl cupped both hands to her both and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Bartholomew! Where are you!?"
The small girl kept yelling two more times before listening for any acknowledgement. After a couple of moments, the trio made out a distant response in the alleyway behind them. The voice was small and shouted back, "Over here!"
"There you are, Barty! Here I come!" Without a second thought, the blonde hair girl dashed in the alleyway to assist her brother.
"Well then, shall we go?" Zato stood to his full height looking towards Millia.
Millia frowned before Zato followed with, "I apologize for the sudden confession. I felt like I was bursting at the seams if I did not tell you. I will keep myself more composed in the future."
Millia kept her frown for a beat longer before flipping a strand of hair behind her ear and moving toward the alley.
"Do whatever you want," Millia said before the pair followed the small girl.