After few months of recovery, Shuichi got finally fit again. He got a text from Gin this morning and was hyped to be back on the field.
Shuichi headed to the meeting place early as usual. He found a motorcycle parked in front of the abandoned warehouse. He wondered to whom it belonged and got inside in search of an answer.
Dai's footsteps echoed inside the spacious place. There, he spotted vermouth sitting on a chair in the middle of the big interior. Vermouth was an actress, so it was no wonder that she had that movie star look, willowy and breathtaking. Her platinum blonde hair laid perfectly on her shoulders accentuating her undeniable beauty. She sat in her place and eyed the agent as he walked towards her.
"Somebody's early." Shuichi said, walking confidently to the inside.
"You're early too."
"I'm always early." He responded, looking proud of his punctuality.
Vermouth has been in Japan for five days during which Gin didn't visit her once. It kind of angered her. Usually, he'd come, unless it was Sherry. Of course! Sherry's the only person that could cause Gin to forget about her existence. She might as well make him angry for doing this. If he traded her for another woman, then she might as well trade him for another man.
"If that's the case, then I'll make sure to never be late for a meeting." She voiced.
Dai eyed her for a second before lowering his gaze to his wristwatch.
"What time is it?"
"Five thirty."
"Then we still have time." She grinned, tilting her head to the side and looking him up and down. "Now we could either waste it in silence, or we could invest it in something more… interesting."
Shuichi stopped walking when he thought he was close enough to her.
"I prefer silence." His deep voice responded.
"A man of few words, just as I heard."
Vermouth stood up with a small grin and started walking towards him seductively, biting her lower lip with determination. She was wearing a black leather motorcycle suit that traced her curves tightly, keeping it unzipped at the top for a final sexy look. Her blue eyes glimmered, staring at Dai with desire.
Shuichi just stared at her in silence. She stopped right in front of him, a little too close, and stared him into the eye. He looked at her back calmly. He was sure that Gin told her he had someone before, so why is she all over him now?
"Vermouth, If you're hinting at what I think you're hinting, then I'm still seeing someone."
The blonde just laughed for a moment. "I'm not hinting for you to marry me. Come to think of it, I do have someone too." Her voice lowered as she went on. "But it's always fun to try it with another someone when they're good enough, you know, each one has their own flavor."
"Vermouth, I…"
At that moment, she walked closer and pressed herself against him. Her fingers touched him in a way that no man could resist, if he weren't to have really really incredible self control, he would've been drowned in her acts. Dai placed a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back and taking a step backward out of her reach. Just when he did, a sound broke through the silence.
"What do we have here?" Gin grinned in amusement. He turned to Shiho who was standing next to him. "You might wanna tell that to your sister, Sherry."
Shiho stayed silent but her narrowed eyes burned holes in Dai. Dai stood in his place looking back at her before he could move his gaze to Gin.
"It's not what you think." He said.
"It's what I see." Gin countered. Shuichi tried to protest, but Gin beat him to it. "As for tomorrow…"
The silver haired man kept talking about their upcoming mission, not giving Dai a chance to explain.
(~)
Shuichi rode the elevator to the fifth floor with one goal in mind; explaining things to Shiho. It was all a stupid misunderstanding not worth ruining his relationship with his long-term girlfriend for. Akemi didn't call him so she probably hadn't known yet.
Soon as Shiho caught the eye of him at her office door, she mouthed. "What are you doing here?"
Knowing that she might get loud, Shuichi got inside her office and closed the door behind him.
"About earlier, it's not what you think." He calmly said.
"I saw you with my own eyes. But the last thing you expected was to see me...You're no different than Gin." She replied. Her tone was much drier, much angrier, and much louder than his.
"Hey, don't compare me to that bastard." Shuichi tried to keep his calm despite her last words triggering him a little. He didn't even do anything wrong to deserve this.
"There's too much to compare." She retorted.
"At least I don't abuse my girlfriend." And he attacked back.
"Oh yeah?" This was between him and Akemi, she won't let him turn it about her. "Don't even mention her… you don't deserve her."
"Don't talk to me like that! I told you it's a misunderstanding."
"Bullshit!" She raised her voice. "I saw you, you only stopped when you heard us walking in."
"I did not even hear you!"
"Then why'd you stop?"
"Because I never intended to do it in the first place, she came up to me."
"Maybe she did, but you sure as hell enjoyed it." At this point, Shiho forgot about Akemi and was fighting him solely for her own purpose, because she loved him and she was jealous! Gin always left her for Vermouth and she can't have her take away Dai too.
"It didn't last, I stopped her soon as it started. Shiho, I love Akemi, I would never do anything like this to hurt her."
Of course, he loves Akemi! There she got another confirmation. Now it came straight from his mouth to her ear, shattering any hope she had. She doesn't even want him to 'not love Akemi', she doesn't want to hurt her sister. But despite knowing it's wrong, she couldn't help but feel jealous, which mixed with anger fueled her.
"Stop acting as if you're some saint. You would never do that, you would never do this, when all you do is shit."
"What are you talking about?" Shuichi frowned.
"Just get out of my office." She shook her head.
"I'm not leaving until we clear this out, cause if you're planning to tell Akemi about this, you'll only ruin our relationship for no good reason."
"There are lots of good reasons to end this relationship, don't even get me started."
"As far as I'm concerned there aren't any."
"Yes, there is." She tightened her lips. "Solely the fact that she loves you when you are who you are is enough… You don't deserve what she gives you, you don't deserve her."
"What are you saying, Shiho?" Shuichi asked in a dangerously low voice.
"You're telling me you're different than Gin when you're exactly the same. What's the difference? Tell me?" Shiho pointed her index at his chest as she went on enraged. "If you forgot then I remind you, you're a murderer and your hands are stained in blood as much as his. My poor sister might not know, but how many lives did you take working for Gin? How many people have you killed?... I bet you even lost count."
The mention of that seemed to hit a nerve for Shuichi whose green eyes widened and lips pursed. Shiho could've sworn his skin turned pale almost immediately. Only when she saw how he looked at her that she realized how critical what she had said. She watched him turned around, get out of the office, and slam the door loudly behind him.
Her words had hit Dai much harder than she intended. Shiho regretted saying them immediately. She knew he had a good conscience and used it to get back at him, this was too low of her to do.
(~)
Shuichi supported his forearms on the balcony's fence. He was looking at the city lights when he felt a sudden emptiness inside of him, a bitter feeling he's been covering for as long as this infiltration took. He's been part of the organization for one year and a half now, and he's been dealing with shit since the first day. But all the incidents he had pushed to the back of his mind suddenly resurfaced and collected together only to come back to him all at once.
He waited for the sky to darken, making it a suitable time to get his usual bourbon glass like he does every night. He went to the inside and grabbed a bottle. Shuichi poured the amber liquid into the glass, filling it to the top. And then walked to his armchair.
He never lost count! He still remembers every soul he harvested as if it were yesterday. He could see them so clearly and he still dreams about them at night. In the morning, he tries to act casual, but they were eating him inside every night when he couldn't sleep. Sometimes he feels thankful for his insomnia because it prevented him from the awful nightmares, but other times he feels too exhausted he wishes for only one hour of sleep to recharge him.
Shuichi had always tried to convince himself that he was doing it for the better good, that he was different than those killers, he was a savior and he was trying to make the world a better place. But only when Shiho brought to his attention how similar he was to Gin that he realized it. Who was he kidding? He's no different! He's a murderer! Even a member of that damned organization looks down on him for that. He sunk deep enough that he transformed into Dai Moroboshi, he was not even faking it anymore, Akai Shuichi and Dai Moroboshi fused, and Dai was the one with the biggest share.
One glass of bourbon turned into two, two turned into four, a confused mind, and a dizzy balance. He needed to speak to somebody, he knew it all along but never wanted to admit it or take action. But now that he was drunk, the voice of reason was silenced and nothing but his feelings drove him.
Who could he talk to? Certainly not Akemi! He doesn't want her to hear details about the atrocity of his acts. And his FBI colleagues are out of the question for the same reason. The only person that already knows his doing is the same person that started it all, but at this point, he just doesn't care anymore.
(~)
Shiho didn't tell Akemi about the incident. She knew Vermouth and how she acts so Dai's argument of her coming to him wasn't really that farfetched. And knowing Dai, she could easily believe he was telling the truth.
Shiho walked next to her floor-to-ceiling window back and forth. She was so angry at herself for what she had said to him. He was the only one to feel guilt but she rubbed it in his face, he gets nightmares for it, but she spat it to him like venom. He must be feeling terrible now. Just the thought of it saddened her.
Shiho thought about going to Dai to fix what she had broke but she remembered Gin's warning. She headed to her bedroom instead, but she only kept tossing and turning for hours unable to sleep, until a vibration of her phone broke the silence. She turned and grabbed it from the nightstand.
Seeing Dai's name on the screen made her feel a little nervous. What could he want from her at this late hour after what she said earlier? She took in a deep breath and picked up.
"Dai san."
"Shiho." He said. She stayed silent for a while waiting for him to say more but all she heard back was his steady breathing.
"Is everything okay?"
"No, no Shiho, it's not." He slurred, and she immediately knew he was drunk.
"Is this about what I said earlier? ...Dai san, I didn't really mean it. I was just angry and wasn't thinking clearly… I'm sorry."
"No, you were right." He said, with full conviction.
"You do know that I don't really believe what I said, do you?"
He hummed without saying a word. After a moment of silence, Shiho spoke again.
"Okay, then, I guess I'll go now."
"Wait, Shiho." He stopped her. "Can you… Can you come here?"
(~)
Gin might've warned her but to hell with him. She messed up and she needed to correct it. Shiho got to Dai's door and knocked. Dai staggered to the door and opened. When his eyes met hers, she felt a little embarrassed by what she did, but she acted nonchalantly.
"I came, as you asked."
"Come in." Dai said.
Shiho's head moved slightly backward. The smell of bourbon was so strong in his mouth. This time, unlike the other time, he was clearly drunk. She stood inside and watched him close the door unsteadily.
"Why did you ask me to come?"
"I needed someone to talk to." He plainly answered. It was the best part of having a drunken Dai around; no beating around the bush, he goes straight to the point with all honesty.
But then why did he call her of all people? She was the one to cause him this!... Could it be he mistook her for Akemi Again? Although he did call her name on the phone, Shiho wanted to make sure.
"Why didn't you call Akemi?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
Now that this was cleared out, Shiho proceeded.
"Dai san, I didn't truly mean what I said. You're not really like Gin"
"I am just like him…I'm a murderer." He slurred. The conviction in his eyes worried her and as he spoke, she could feel the bitterness in his voice. How can she fix this now?
Dai turned on his heels and preceded her to the living room. She watched him stagger his way barely able to keep his balance.
"No, you're different than him." She said, following his steps.
"I'm no different." He said, falling heavily onto the couch.
Shiho stood beside him taking a look around. She noticed an ashtray on the coffee table filled with cigarettes, one of which still leaking the stinky smoke. And a half-filled glass of bourbon with a bottle next to it that didn't have much left. For her, this much alcohol signified liver cancer. The fact that this was all of her doing made her feel horrible.
She saw him reach for the glass of bourbon, raising it closer to his lips, but before he could sip, Shiho grabbed it from his hand.
"You should not drown your problems in alcohol." She mumbled.
Shuichi didn't protest, he just turned his head to look forward focusing a glassy look on nothing. Shiho joined him on the couch.
"Why are you doing this if you could just leave? I still don't understand...You're one of the good guys, Dai san, aren't you?" Shiho spoke softly. She figured now that he's drunk, she could try to extract information from him again after failing on the last time.
"I'm not a good guy." He ironically smiled for a second before turning all serious again. "I killed people, Shiho… I killed innocent people." He slurred and she placed a comforting hand on his elbow, gently tracing his upper arm. He was looking straight at her and the look on his face was pure agony. "How can I…? How?..." He trailed off.
This time, it was Dai who reached for a hug, pulling her faint body closer to his. How can he ever get over that? How can he ever forget that? How can he get help for his guilty conscience? Is what he wanted to say, but he couldn't finish the sentence.
He just encircled her between his long arms, burying his face onto her shoulder. Shiho felt him shrinking under her arms as she encircled him back. His back was hunched and his head was tilted downwards to rest on her shoulder where he hid his face in pain. For a second time, she found herself his companion at his weakest moments.
They stayed like that for a long time. Shiho felt her body weaken from his closeness. She inhaled his hair, it smelled sweet. Dai was all hers now, she had him so close, who knows when she'll ever get a chance like this again? She had to take in every moment of it. She lowered her head again and pressed her lips gently on his hair in a long kiss.
When she ended it, Dai pulled back and looked at her questionably. His green eyes in the poor lighting took their usual sexy shade. Shiho stared him back with their faces so close, he smelled of bourbon and of a delicious scent.
This will be her last chance to get what she wants. She's been thinking of Dai everyday for over seven months now and she longed for his touch, for his kiss, but she never wanted to stab Akemi in the back. But now, she couldn't hold herself, one kiss won't hurt, she thought. She might even deserve it for Akemi has him all for herself, so there's no bother in her getting something as little as a kiss from him.
Irresistibly, Shiho closed her eyes and printed her lips on Dai's. It took him only three seconds to kiss back and it immediately made her groan. How she longed for this! The taste of bourbon, Dai san, she felt like she's flying over the clouds as she grabbed his shirt tightly. This was nothing like the ones she shared with Gin, this was something heavenly! She felt her heart beating a thousand times per minute with her going and going, and with every second, her kiss got more demanding, more demanding than his, more demanding than all of the kisses she shared with Gin! She was hungry for Dai's taste.
After a while, part of her conscience awakened reminding her that she should stop this before it proceeds to other things. She was the sober one so she had to take the reasonable choice and end what she had started. But she just couldn't, she just kept going on and on, with her slender fingers on the back of his head holding him by his long hair, creating fists around his strands and pulling his head closer to her face. How could she deprive herself of that?
When Akemi crossed her mind, her motives grew. Shiho started slowing down before pulling back from his embrace panting. Dai blinked at her without comprehending why she'd stopped. Shiho cupped his cheeks. She was using all the self control she had in the world to stop herself from doing it again. She loved him so much! More than she ever imagined, more than she admitted to herself. She loved him so much that it hurts. She stared him deeply into the eye.
"You're a good man, Dai san." Shiho whispered underneath her breath before getting up and leaving.
Next chapter: Shiho suffers the consequences of her kiss.
Thank you everyone for reading! Hope you enjoyed :) Thank you to whoever had left me a review! Especially Ashly, 75aichan and My dear ShuShi...
(PS: This chapter was inspired by a dear reader of this fanfic:)
