Drei-
The sun hung high over her head in the blue sky, a typical blue sky for the typical warm summer morning in Tokyo, Japan. Manni Lorenz wasn't quite sure she liked it all that much, even after the seven months that she had lived in the city. At home in Germany, there had always been more rain than sun and the days were most certainly colder. She found that she would much rather be tolerating the dreary weather rather than surviving in a constant heat wave.
The heat itself was enough to bear, and that was leaving out the brightness of the sun (which never seemed to hide behind the clouds) and the omnipresent blue sky. She stretched out a long white arm, eyes narrowing as the sunlight glinted off of her paper-white skin creating a glow that hurt her sensitive eyes. She frowned suddenly, tucking her arm behind her back and twisting her fingers with those of her other hand as she remembered Draven's jokes about her being an albino, and how she was so white she would "get lost in the snow."
"Thank God it never snows around here. Right Draven?" She mocked in a dry tone, her nose scrunched up as she imagined kicking her arrogant lover square in the head. She found herself frowning as she blamed him for him for her early morning walk she was now engaged in, when she should be in bed resting. But of course, he had invited himself over to sleep at her place last night and had inevitably drunk himself silly with the other two members of the band when all knew full well that the two girls both Manni and Torii had to work the late-shift the following evening.
She had woken up just after seven, to the silent dance of the sun as it peeked through the window in her room to play with the shadows of the sakura trees on her floor. She watched it blankly for a bit before the beer-stained breath of Draven and snoring of Torii and Rhys drove her out of the apartment.
Morning walks however weren't a complete stranger to her, rather, a lost friend that she had not heard from in ages. When she had first moved to Tokyo, she would wander out every morning, exploring the district and getting her "daily exercise." But the longer she stayed in Japan, the less she went out. When asked, she would simply say she had visited all the shops and there wasn't much more to see, so she'd just sit around in her apartment and jam on her drums, sometimes doing a duet with Torii and her guitar when no one else was around.
Manni sighed pushing the darker thoughts out of her head and raising her face to the sky. She stretched her arms over her head, her shirt rising over her navel with the motion, revealing a tattoo of a Celtic cross. She lowered her arms with a sigh and her shirt slid back down, hiding once more the design. The clunk of her boots thudded heavily on the ground, echoing loudly through the empty streets and giving her the illusion that for once in a long time, she was completely alone.
She walked on, coming to Keiori Park. Light dew still clung to the shards of grass that reached up towards the flowers that grew strong and tall around the empty benches. It was quiet now, but usually it was filled with young love, poets, and the occasional chatter of school girls as they walked home from class. Manni didn't feel right about disturbing the park's stillness, so she continued her trek, wherever it was going.
Again the rhythmic pounding of her boots filled her ears and she stared blankly at the pieces of chewed gum that were spit carelessly upon the sidewalk for someone like her to step on. A purple splotch on the ground caught her attention and her lips parted as amethyst eyes and ruby hair passed through her mind. "Who could he have been…?" she asked her self quietly, her brow furrowed in thought. "He can't be one of Kristian's men, because the man who grabbed me was one of Kristian's. I recognized him." She sighed, kicking a stray stone that lay in her path. "Whoever that red-head was, he must have had an ulterior motive. After all, who in their right mind would risk themselves just to save a drummer from a second-rate band that could only find a gig in a foreign bar, not to mention having to work in the same bar to make a living." She sighed again and wished that whoever he was, he had just left her to the dogs, to die a fate she was destined to. If she was dead now, she wouldn't have to go back to a dead end job and failing music career and she wouldn't be in debt twenty thousand deutsche marks.
Tears stung her eyes. There was no way that she could get that money. What money she did earn through bartending and music was all poured into living expenses. Even with Torri, Rhys and Draven put together, she wouldn't even have a fourth of what she owed, However, had her friends had they money, she could never had asked to borrow it. "I never should have made that deal!" she cursed herself brushing away tears just as they slipped from her eyes.
Blinking her eyes to clear her blurry vision, she slowly realized she had wandered into an unfamiliar area. "Sheiße," she growled under her breath, her debt now forgotten as she struggled to figure out where she had wandered to. Tall buildings loomed over her and a maze of narrow alleyways surrounded her. She wondered how long she had been walking along while thoughts clouded her mind, and grey cement her vision. Unsure of whether to move forward or turn around and go back, risking getting further lost either way, she decided to trudge on ahead, hoping to come across people. A group of friendly people preferably.
The heat of the day was rising, the light film of sweat covering her body was proof. The familiar sound of her boots bounced off the walls of two buildings, as she entered another alley. She quickened her pace, a dampening feeling following her. Stumbling in her sudden rush, she heard off beat footsteps slow to a stop behind her. Turning her head around to peer behind her, she caught a glimpse of a tall blonde behind her. Green eyes widening she regained her balance and started to walk forward again, a bit faster.
"A suit in this part of town?" she wondered silently debating whether to run or act indifferent. Daring one more glance over her shoulder, she took in the dark glasses, broad shoulders, and square chin and determined he was definitely of German blood. Doubtlessly one of Kristian's best. Cursing again, she took a right turn at the next corner. Commercial noise sounded from somewhere in the distance, a promising sign to her quickly heightening pulse.
Daylight shone like a door way at the end of a long alleyway. Glancing once more behind her she still found the man following her, silently and almost innocently. "Maybe I'm just paranoid and he's just…going the same way." She sped up none the less, anxious to find people. "Who am I kidding? Kristian is harassing me and no one dressed like that wanders these parts of town." She broke into a sprint, jumping over puddles of god-knows-what and piles of trash, her heart set on reaching the opening that stood before her, so close but so far.
Lacking the courage to take one more look at the man behind her, she didn't know for sure that he was running after her, but her instinct told her he was. Pushing on an extra dash of speed she burst from the alleyway and into the afternoon shopping crowd. Immediately her purser stopped, watching her melt into the flood of people and out of sight.
Manni found herself walking dazedly through the rush of people, taking in many storefronts. Swimming as through caught in a river, she made her way over to the far side and entered the nearest shop. A gentle chime sounded above her head as she pushed open a glass door and let it slide closed behind her. The shop was quiet except for a gentle tenor voice bantering softly with a deeper voice in the background.
Planters hung from the ceiling with many different types of flowers and flowerless plants dangling over the edges, some with shoots long enough to tickle her hair. She allowed a smile to steal her lips a moment as the mad rush she had just escaped drown behind her. The plants were all around her, she realized before long and she paused a moment to cup a lily in her hands and smell it's sweet scent.
"K'so! Youji -kun! Let go!" The bantering in the back grew louder until it was followed by a crash, and the light tenor laugh. Manni crept up towards the back of the shop and peeked around the corner to see a brunette man laying on the floor with some potted plants that he had obviously knocked down when he fell. She couldn't see far enough around a display case however, to see the tall red head that stood over him at the counter, his arms crossed and his face set in a scowl. The brunette seemed undaunted.
"Anou, Aya-kun, lighten up! I was just kidding."
"Hnn." Aya didn't look at Youji. The latter just smirked and shook his head as he stood, brushing himself off and settling back into a chair with a magazine in hand. Manni stepped forwards a little and gasped when she caught a glimpse of Aya, recognition setting in instantly. Aya looked up at her upon hearing her and narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"
"Mou! Aya! So rude!" Youji tossed his magazine away and stood up. He looked at the Manni who stood before them, eyes wide like a trapped rat. "Can I help you?" Youji glided forward and was stopped when Aya placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Stop Youji." Aya took a long pause as if trying to figure out what he was going to say next. "What are you here for?"
"I just stumbled in here. I…I am sorry." She backed up and ran into a column holding a plant. It began to teeter, ready to fall. Youji moved forward and steadied it, looping an arm through her elbow.
"Masaka! You're Delirium!" Youji smiled excitedly and led her over to the table, offering her a seat.
"Yes…" A blush crept into her cheeks and she sat down.
"Youji, she is the girl from…last night. The waitress…" Aya looked down, almost angry. Youji ignored his anger and took a seat beside the girl.
"Hai…so she is." Youji offered a friendly smile, and it took a little bit of the quiver out of Manni. "What are you doing here?"
"I…well, I was being followed, and as I said, I just stumbled in here."
"Followed?" Aya decided to speak and looked down on her, suspicious and curious.
"Yes." Manni suddenly glanced up and around, remembering that she was on the run. "Can you tell me where I am? I'm afraid I am lost…" She paused and bit her lip, not giving them enough time to answer. "Who are you guys?"
"Aa…First things first." Youji chimed in. "Who is following you? Are you in trouble?" The door chime sounded at the other end of the shop, halting all conversation. Manni visibly jumped, and her pale face grew white. "Aya…take her into the backroom." Aya nodded once, giving an affirmative grunt.
"He's German." Manni whispered in Youji's ear as she stood up. Aya latched a hand around her upper arm and they exited out of the shop and into a store room. Youji draped himself over the cash register with a bored look on his face. A blonde man in a black business suit walked up to the counter with a certain affirmation in his step.
"Has a blonde girl come in here?" He spoke in rough English and Youji arched an eyebrow. He understood a little English, but not much more than he needed to seduce an American girl into bed. The man repeated himself slower, still in the foreign tongue.
"Blonde…girl?" Youji tried to say the words as he grinned but they came out in a muddled insult to the English language. The German barely understood him. "Yes. Yes I have one last night!" Youji grinned wider and laughed, slapping the taller man on the shoulder. The German frowned.
"Not last night. Now. In here." The man gestured around the room. Youji cocked his head to the side and gave the other a funny look. "Listen!" The German reached into his pocket and began to pull something out. Youji's demeanor suddenly changed and his sense of danger grew.
"Not here." He removed his own weapon from behind the desk, allowing it's presence to be known, but keeping it a mystery as to whether it be a knife or a gun. He pointed towards the door. "Out." The man slowly backed up, murder on the tip of his tongue. He released his grip on the gun in his pocket.
"I will be back." The chime of the door signaled his leave. Youji smiled and walked towards the back room where Aya had taken the girl.
"Goddamn foreigners."
"Who is the man after you?" Aya asked in his demanding way. He was leaning against the wall in front of Manni who was sitting on a box of clay pots. She kept her eyes cast down to the ground, both intimidated and embarrassed at being scrutinized so closely. Even when she did try to meet his eyes, she couldn't hold his gaze long before her cheeks turned pink. "His eyes are so pretty…" she thought. She blushed again and Aya repeated his question. She jumped with a start.
"I don't know who he is!" the words rushed out of her mouth in a jumble. She covered her mouth with a hand and blushed deeper, letting her hair drop to cover her face. "A…are you going to kill me? Like you killed that man last night?" The door creaked open and Youji slipped in taking his place beside Aya on the wall.
"Mou, he didn't kill anyone last night." The girl looked up, confused and ready to accuse him of lying. "How could he have killed a man with you in his arms?" Youji continued, grinning all the while. This time Aya blushed, his pale cheeks turning a light pink. When he finally regained his composure he glared up at Youji, eyes narrowed and lips pursed like a pouting little boy. "And no, before you ask it, I am not going to hurt you. I can't really vouch for the stone there though." He jerked a thumb at Aya and winked. "Let us begin simple, did that blonde guy have anything to do with last night?"
Manni paused for a long time before even trying to phrase an answer. "Why do you need to know?" She managed at last, keeping her weary face downcast still.
"Well, I am assuming, my dear, that you are in need of help. And it is more our business than you know." Aya threw Youji a look of fire and had to resist the urge to hit the older man along the side of the head. Instead, he quickly tried to cover Youji's mindless error.
"…He means-"
Manni cut him off. "I do not need to know." She sighed and looked up, measuring each man carefully. "After all that you have done for me…I have no choice but to trust you." She bit her lip. "I believe I owe you at least an explanation." She fidgeted before beginning to unweave a net of information to the two, informing them of major details and events that would allude up to the present.
"It all begins years ago in Berlin. I worked for a man who was involved with some…strange dealings. I never have been sure what they were, but I knew it wasn't anything good. I wanted out of the position I was in and every time I tried to quit something went wrong. Eventually I talked to him about leaving and he agreed to allow me to leave if I paid him twenty thousand deutsche marks in exactly a year." Manni stopped there and pressed her face into her hands.
"You had to pay a man to leave Berlin?" Youji asked, brow furrowed in confusion. "What kind of work did you do for him?" Aya tossed the older man a look that plainly said What do you think asshole? Youji frowned back and tried to cover his last remark. "I take it you have not paid him back?" The girl shook her head.
"I've tried everything. I tried to get the money, I moved out of the country for god's sakes and he still hunted me down!" The two florists watched her silently. "It will be a year two weeks from yesterday."
"Why don't you go to the police?" Manni sighed and looked up at the two.
"Kristian is a powerful man." Youji moved from the wall and dropped down on a box beside her, slinging a lanky arm around her shoulders. He threw a suggestive gaze to Aya, and the redhead knew exactly what he was thinking. He offered no protest.
"If Persia or Manx finds out Youji…" Youji nodded to Aya's quiet warning.
"Hai, Hai. I know. We're in it. But Aya…" Youji knew Aya had a good heart hidden inside his ice cold attitude, and knew that he would agree to letting the girl stay. He was sure that Ken and Omi would happily oblige as well, knowing full-well that both of them would do anything to help someone in need. "Hai?"
Aya nodded and started to go out door they came in, but paused and turned around, looking the girl square in the eyes. "If we let you stay here, under our protection, your mouth will stay shut, and if it doesn't, I will kill you myself like I should have last night when you saw us kill that man." The girl nodded slowly, a smile slowly creeping up on to her face.
"Hai! Hai, of course! Thank you!" she finally burst out and grinned widely. Aya wisely left the room, the fear of the girl pouncing on him and hugging him great. She turned to Youji and beamed up at him. "Doomo Arigatou Gozaimasu…" She paused, unsure of his name.
"Kudou Youji." He offered peeling his arm away from her shoulders and offering his hand. Manni took it gratefully and the two stood up, shaking hands.
"Lorenz Manni. Hajimimoshite." The two talked quietly to each other and Youji led her back into the main shop. Glancing around the small flower shop she knew at last that everything was going to be alright.
**Authors note** Anou: Finally chapter three. *eh…it is three ne? GAHH*
It's taken forever to write it but I got ill and took a couple days off school and here it is. I suppose it is ok. It is a second draft and the only thing I hate about doing second drafts is that sometimes there are things from the first drafts that you'd like to put in but you just cant and they get left out. I dunno. I'll shut up. But uhm. Hope you enjoy it. Comments & criticism welcome. Danke Schon.
*note* 20,000 dm is roughly 10,000 American.
