Disclaimer: He's not mine! They're not mine! I wish they were, but they're not...
A Sudden Dose of Reality
Chapter 1
By: Penybright
Orchid eyes flickered about the crowded room, taking in the details. His eyes caught on a figure wrapped in shadows before sliding over to the ballroom entry doors. As he had suspected, he was still being watched. He'd managed to infiltrate the group easily enough months ago, but they still distrusted him. It was beginning to get irritating. Did they think he didn't know he was being followed everywhere he went?
Vibrant red bangs fell over lilac irises, shadowing them from view as his expression darkened. They had reason to distrust him; even fear him. Fujimiya Ran, and the lethal blade of his katana, would be the last thing they saw before the fires of hell consumed them.
'If they ever stop watching me,' Ran sighed mentally. This mission was not his cup of tea. It was more along the lines of something Yohji was suited for. But as luck would have it, Yohji was stuck in bed with two cracked ribs from their last mission, Omi was too young, and Ken would never be able to pull the undercover aspect off.
"Abyssinian."
Ran glanced over at the man who had stated the name he was using.
"Imari-san," Ran nodded respectfully.
"Why don't you go have a little fun?" The older man smirked, a gleam in his cool gray eyes.
"My priority is your protection... Imari-san, not having fun."
"Very well," he sighed. "I just wish you'd enjoy the finer points of life."
Ran internally seethed as he watched his Boss saunter away. The man was so... arrogant. It didn't help that he thought nothing of taking another's life. Imari Hoji was a ruthless man.
Once Imari was lost in the sea of people, Ran flipped his wrist to glance as the face of his watch. It would only be a few more minutes until the hit went down. He surveyed the room once more, looking for anything suspicious or out of place. His eyes caught on a young woman making her way to the balcony. If she went out there now... Ran quickly began to weave his way through the masses, trying to reach her before she saw too much. Just as he reached the balcony doors the man who had been following him all night, Torshi, stepped in his way.
"Where do you think you're going, Abyssinian?"
"Outside."
"You're suppose to be heading out to the parking lot."
"I'm just checking to make sure there are no loose ends before I go," Ran deadpanned. Torshi seemed to consider his explanation.
"Very well," Torshi replied, sending a suspicious glance back Ran's way as he melted into the crowd. Ran leveled a glare at his retreating form before slipping out the balcony's double doors. As soon as the door softly clicked shut behind him, he heard the muted sound of a gunshot, and knew he was too late.
`````````````````````````````````````
The harmonic notes of Faure's Berceuse floated softly through the open archway, framed by dark, carved mahogany doors. Sounds of muted chatter drifted to Iriai's keen ears as she approached the entrance of the large ballroom. With a resigned sigh, she straightened her back, squared her shoulders, and stepped into the dimly lit room. Green eyes flecked with amber surveyed the mass of people, darting around the room and coming to rest on one person. He seemed an oddity among the sea of black tuxedoes, red hair contrasting brightly against the morbid black. Her eyes slid from the unusual man, to the people surrounding him. Iriai's eyes narrowed in recognition, before returning to normal as she skirted the buffet table and disappeared into the crowd. Tonight was going to be a very long night indeed.
Mita Iriai was a young woman of 20 years. She had been invited to the posh party that evening due to her recent success. She was now the author of a national bestseller, and possibly an international bestseller. She had been reluctant at first, knowing that she wasn't a very social person. Her friends had pushed and prodded her until she had given in, and here she was. She was miserable, her feet were killing her, and she could feel a migraine approaching ominously. To make matters worse, several young men in the room had decided to make her their target for the evening.
'With fame and fortune comes leeching men who want your money,' Iriai groaned mentally.
"Excuse me miss, but---"
"I'm terribly sorry," Iriai cut in. "But I need a breath of fresh air."
The young man nodded, melting back into the sea of people. The first notes of Warlock's Cariol Suite picked up as Iriai wove her way to the balcony, letting out a breath of relief as cool air touched her warm skin. Once safely outside, she allowed her arms to uncross and relax. Formal dresses were always to revealing for her taste, and the one she was wearing was no exception. It was a sleeveless ordeal, cut to low for her taste, with a rather form fitting bodice and floor-length skirt. The color was about the only thing she liked about the dress. It was made of a satiny material that shimmered in the dull light, sometimes appearing black and sometimes a deep blue. Her long reddish-brown hair had been pulled up to show off her back, which the dress showed plenty of. She couldn't remember how her friend had managed to convince her to get the thing. The more she thought about it, the more she loathed what she was wearing.
A scuffle below interrupted her inward thoughts, and she peered over the chiseled balcony to see better. Iriai clapped a hand over her mouth as she saw the dull glint of metal, and recognized it to be a gun. Eyes wide with horror, she watched as the gun was fired on a man being held down by three other men. Swallowing convulsively, she took several steps back, letting out a strangled squeak as she bumped into something. Whirling around, she saw the red head she had noted from earlier. His cool lavender eyes sent chills down her spine, and she did the first thing that came to mind; she tried to flee.
A yelp of pain permeated the evening air as he caught her arm, yanking her along with him. Tears sprung to Iriai's eyes at the painful grip like a vice on her arm. Thoughts ran through her mind in an incoherent jumble as panic began to eat away at her. She stumbled along behind her captor, a small whimper of uncertainty escaping her lips.
"W- who are you?" Iriai stuttered, trying to twist free. "What do you want?"
She was answered with silence and the grip on her arm tightening. Why wouldn't he speak? How long had he been behind her on the balcony? What was going to happen to her?
Iriai stumbled forward as her arm was released, maintaining her balance just before she would have toppled to the pavement.
"What have we hear?" an oily voice rasped thickly.
"She saw."
That was it, two words. Two words that let Iriai know her life was hanging in the balance. She glanced quickly between the two men, trying to glean some insight as to what was to be done with her.
"It's unusual of you to let someone live that's witnessed one of our jobs," the man said thoughtfully. An unsettling pair of gray eyes scrutinized the young woman standing in their midst.
"Do you have some use for her?" he asked with a leering smirk. Iriai choked, her eyes blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay. Surely they wouldn't...
"Hn."
She felt her knees go weak as she sunk to the pavement. Death was a far better option. She didn't want to be... This couldn't be happening!
"Please..." Her voice was barely a whisper, choked and strained. The gray eyed man laughed at the pitiful display she made.
"You expect us to let you go?" he mocked, chuckling darkly.
"I don't expect anything from murderers," Iriai spat venomously, a few tears spilling down her cheeks.
Without a word, the red head grabbed her arm once more, hauling her to her feet.
"Show respect to the Boss," he intoned, before yanking on her arm and dragging Iriai away with him. She found herself roughly shoved into the back-seat of a car. A nice car, too. The seats were leather, and it appeared to be fully loaded, along with the added bonus of a sunroof. She could have cared less about the car though. Her mind was furiously thinking of ways to escape. She knew that if she didn't at least try, there would be no hope for her. If she knew who her captor really was, she would never have even consider escape, but Iriai was unaware of his true identity. To her, he was an enemy and her executioner.
`````````````````````````````````````
Ran slid quietly into the drivers seat. He hadn't heard a sound escape the young woman since her little outburst. She shouldn't have been out on the balcony. He had tried to intercept her before she went outside, but had been waylaid by a fellow member. By all rights, she should be dead. He should have killed her, like the Boss said. But, she was an innocent. He was supposed to protect people like her, not murder them. And that was where his problem lie. How was he going to keep her safe after she had witnessed one of their hits? He had half a mind to drop her off at the Koneko with a note for the others. He didn't want to have to deal with a hormonal female while on an undercover assignment. Taking her to the Koneko would draw attention there, though, and he couldn't afford that. He couldn't chance the possibility that he would be discovered. Too much rested on this mission.
A quick glance in the rearview mirror revealed that she was... glaring at him? He almost smirked at her naiveté. Did she honestly think that glaring at him would do her any good? She had no idea who she was dealing with... Their gazes connected in the mirror and sparks flew, amethyst clashing with emerald. Ran had finally met an equal in the glaring department. It was like a slap in the face and blow to his pride.
"You should watch where you're going," she intoned without breaking her gaze. Ran blinked and pulled his eyes back to the road.
'Damn...'
~ Poor Ran... his death glare was countered by reason. What a shame... *snicker*