*Author's Notes: Yeah, I upped the rating because of the increase in
profanity and the suggestion of sex (the whole level two thing). Anyway,
this chapter was so long I broke it up into two parts. Why's it so long?
Well, I guess you could call this chapter a chapter of foreshadowing. The
next six chapters will somehow explain how each Ryuugekitai became involved
with Dilandau (without stopping the motion of the actual fic, with luck),
so be alert for all the implications I've scattered about each of them. I
hope no one thinks that Ryuugekitai are acting too mature for their ages
(they're just really bad kids) or too mean (cuz maybe they are), but later
chapters will show you that they all do actually like each other. From the
slight mention of the girl in Dilandau's dream again, you can tell that she
will pop up again... Maybe in two chapters? Not sure. Well, enjoy please
(and don't be too harsh on me; I've never been to a club before!)
Chapter Two: Dilandau in the Night, Part One
Ideas just came to Dilandau--like a sixth sense. He didn't have to sit around all day to formulate plans; they just came to him. This was true when he had looked at a gadget magazine and came across the "books" that he had used in the lovely library prank. It was certainly true now as he and the Ryuugekitai set forth on another prank. However, this one, unlike what they had done in the library, would have greater consequences if they were caught. Yes, if they were caught; Dilandau never planned for that to happen and if it did, he manage some way out of it. He'd be damned if he'd serve time or do community service.
Dilandau watched as Miguel and Guimel set up the den they planned to ruin. Dilandau had been in the neighborhood before and noticed that this elderly couple never locked their windows. Some nights they would leave their downstairs windows right open. It was a direct invitation to burglars, but Dilandau had no desire to steal what the ancient couple possessed. The only thing of real value in the house was the television. The furniture looked twice as old and worn out as the couple. Hopefully, Dilandau had thought, the old couple would have a heart attack from what they planned to do.
The two Ryuugekitai closed the door leading to the adjacent living room, the door that led to the hall between the stairs and the dining room, and finally the door that led to the kitchen. The door to the kitchen was one of the reason Dilandau developed the plan. There weren't a great many houses that could completely shut up their family room. As Guimel and Miguel began stuffing sheets they had brought under the doors, Dilandau clicked on the walkie-talkie he held in his black gloved hand.
"Any changes, Shesta?"
Shesta, on the other side of the house, viewing the couple's bedroom, dropped the binoculars hanging around his neck. "Iie," he said into the receiver. "They're still sleeping soundly."
Dilandau smirked, wondering if anything would wake up the old geezers. He glanced over his shoulder at the neighboring houses to make sure no one was onto them yet. Even if they were seen, their all black attire would keep their identities secret. Even their faces were concealed with ski masks which required them to put a different spot of color on each person's mask for distinguishing.
"Finished," Miguel said softly, wearing the mask with the brown spot on it. He motioned to his friend with the yellow spot and they exited through the window Dilandau was kneeled next to.
"Are we waiting for the other three show up before going through with the next step?" Guimel asked, now standing by his leader with the red spot.
"Iie, I think they'll be prompt," Dilandau said, making a thin smile. Knowing what Dilandau meant by that the other two snickered.
"Saa, bring the hose around from the side of the house," Dilandau said. He clicked on the walkie-talkie. "Keep us posted of any changes, Shesta."
"Hai, Dilandau-san," the walkie-talkie said as Shesta's voice came through. Miguel left after that to retrieve the hose.
"Um, Dilandau-san?"
"Nan da?" Dilandau said casually. Usually would give a curt response to any inquiry that began like that, but tonight he was in an especially good mood.
"Well, not that your judgment isn't always right," Guimel said, trying to prevent a slap before he could finish, "but there is there a reason you sent Gatty and Dallet to do the 'dirty work' this time?"
The light smile that was on Dilandau's face turned into a wide grin. "Perhaps I'm giving them a chance to redeem themselves," he said. He shrugged as if he really didn't know. "After all, the best of us to do a job quickly are those who are already on bad terms for a time issue, desshou?"
Guimel nodded and hid the smile he wanted to give. He knew Dilandau's statement meant no guarantees Gatty and Dallet would be let off the hook. Rather, he figured Dilandau wanted them to mess around again, so he could get them twice as badly.
"Hai (Here), Dilandau-san," Miguel said, handing him the hose.
"Yoshi," Dilandau said. He nodded and Miguel went back so that he could turn the water on.
Dilandau positioned the nozzle so that it was hanging over the window sill of the window they had opened. The water began pouring out quickly, causing Dilandau to have to hold it for support. By the time Miguel came back from the side of the house there was a nice puddle forming on the wooden floor. The three took much delight in watching the gradual spreading of the water. The rug in front of the couch, soon becoming soaked, looked as though it were worth something, so to see it drenched was quite amusing. Dilandau wasn't sure if the plastic covers they had put into the electric plugs would prevent an electric shock. After all, if electricity was surging through the water when the others arrived, it would minimize the quality of the plan. He would find out in about twenty minutes or so with the rate the water was pouring onto the floor. There were four outlets about a foot from the floor.
When the water finally was touching the whole floor, Shesta's voice came over the walkie-talkie. Dilandau, missing what he had said, took it with his free hand. "Nan da, Shesta?" he asked.
"The others are coming."
"Sou ka?" Dilandau said. He looked behind him to see three black figures approaching. He grinned to himself. "Just as I thought…"
The purple-spotted one reached the house first. "Are we on schedule?" Viole asked, plastic container of brown water in his hands.
"I'd tell you if you weren't," Dilandau said, his eyes on the blue and green spot behind him. "I think we'll wait for the water to rise a little more." They all nodded in agreement, except the blue-spotted one who seemed to be distracted. Even though Dilandau's grin was limited to the small hole, when he curved his grin so that it seemed wicked, only a small part of it needed to be shown to the Ryuugekitai for them to realize that.
Dilandau motioned for Guimel to take the hose and the red-spotted one stepped up closer to the blue one. "Doushita, Gatty?" he said, placing a hand on his hip. "You look so grim."
Gr…grim?" Gatty repeated. He wasn't surprised because it wasn't true; he was surprised because Dilandau could tell with so little of his face showing. The others murmured their amazement of Dilandau's level of perception.
"Sou, grim," Dilandau said. "Masaka, you don't think this is a good idea?"
"I…iie…" Gatty shifted uncomfortably. "This is a great idea."
Dilandau put a hand on his shoulder, nearly chuckling at how stiff his friend became when he did that. "Then act like it," he said.
"Hai," Gatty said, unable to look away from the two pools of blood that were Dilandau's eyes.
"Good, we all need to have 'fun' on our last days of summer," Dilandau said. He removed his hand from Gatty, relieving Gatty of some his tension, and turned to Guimel. "How high is the water?"
"About a foot now," Guimel said.
"That's good enough." Dilandau turned back to the three. "Go ahead."
Viole, Gatty, and Dallet proceeded to the open window and carefully poured the contents of their containers in the room. Frogs (including tadpoles), worms, crickets, lizards, tiny snakes, and other swamp creatures they had collected either floated or sat in the shallow water. The water was already beginning to make a black ring on the white wall it touched, giving the prank a nice touch. While Dilandau and the other three Ryuugekitai were laughing and commenting about the scene, Dallet pulled Gatty aside toward the adjacent closed window.
"Dilandau-san's in a good mood; we don't have anything to worry about," Dallet said.
"I know him a little better than you do, Dallet," Gatty snapped. "You think our trip to the swamp was his payback? He was pissed off at us at the library."
"Don't you think he would have slapped us or said something that showed he was angry?"
"Not then and there--we were in the middle of a prank!"
"Yeah, and we're in the middle of one right now."
"Later we're--"
"--going to the club. You know Dilandau-san will be too busy with his own activities to worry about us."
Gatty sighed and held back the urge to punch Dallet in his face. He had meant to from the moment he put them in Dilandau's line of fire. Yet, he couldn't; that was one of Dilandau's rules. He didn't mind if they fought on their own time, but his time was precious. During a prank the Ryuugekitai needed to work as a team.
"Dallet and Gatty."
The two addressed stopped the glare-down they had started and turned their attention on Dilandau. He wasn't frowning (a good sign), but one could never quite decipher one of his grins. A good guess was he was plotting against you, but it was possible he was genuinely amused. They hoped it was the latter.
"Am I boring you two?" Dilandau was met with two immediate responses in the negative. They stood with the others and Dilandau nodded. "That's better. All right, let's proceed to the final step."
"I'll do it," Dallet volunteered. He ignored the look Gatty was giving him.
Dilandau nodded again and Dallet went around to the front door. Dilandau clicked the walkie-talkie on again. "Shesta, we've begun the final step."
"Hai, Dilandau-san."
Dallet began ringing the door bell furiously while the others (excluding Shesta) waited for the last part of their prank to begin. Shesta watched the old man of the house get up from his bed as if someone had shoved him out of it. He said some words to his wrinkled and alarmed wife and began to leave the room. Shesta clicked on his walkie-talkie.
"The old man's left the room," the blonde reported.
"Ii yo," Dilandau laughed as he received Shesta's message. He grinned at the others. "Here we go."
"This is gonna be good," Miguel said.
Shesta had moved to another window so that he could continue to see the man moving toward the stairs. "Okay, he's coming downstairs now."
"All right, that should be enough," Dilandau said. As the man descended the stairs, Shesta joined the others by the window.
The man initially headed for the door that Dallet was still ringing its bell, but he stopped when he saw shadows by the kitchen window. The fossil hobbled over to the door that led into the den. He stepped back as he noticed water trickling into the kitchen.
"What in the world…" The man began to push the door open, finding that was an uneasy task. "Come on…"
Outside Shesta, who was the furthest right to the window the others were looking in and closer to the kitchen window, was able to see the old man struggle to push the door open. "He's having problems getting the door open."
"Let me see," Miguel said, moving so that he was in view of the old man. "Ha ha! Just opening the door might tire out the geezer!"
"Hmph," Dilandau said, gazing over Miguel's shoulder. "Baka."
After a minute or two, the old man was able to get the door open and let a great deal of water pour into the kitchen. The man screamed as if being assaulted and a few bugs stuck to his pajama pants as the water moved past him. His slippered feet were totally soaked and he hopped up and down, shrieking about the swamp water. Dilandau and his crew's laughter could be heard through the window, but the man was too busy hollering to really notice. Obviously Dallet had noticed the man's shouts because he joined the rest of the Ryuugekitai as the man began to notice his ruined den.
"Wow, he's pissed," Dallet said with mock surprise.
"My den!!" The man's shout could be clearly heard through the window. He held his head as if in pain and moaned at the wrecked floor and rug. He cringed at the frogs sitting on the furniture and the little creatures swimming in the thin layer of water and was cautious around the little snakes slithering around.
Dilandau's delighted laughter was cut short as Gatty tapped him on the shoulder. "Nan da?"
"The neighbors' lights are turning on."
"Shit, just when things were getting good," Viole said.
Dilandau pulled back his sleeve to reveal his watch and pressed the button for its light. "It's not too early to get ready for the club," he commented. "Iku zo (Let's go)."
The man suddenly noticed the dark figures again and saw that they were retreating. Ignoring the wet feeling he experienced and the most of the creatures in his den, he went over to the window the Ryuugekitai were fleeing from. The old man slid up the glass easily and poked out his head.
"Come back here, you vandals!" he shouted hoarsely.
More lights at other people's houses were turning on, so the seven had no time to turn back and comment on what the man said. This was on of Dilandau's favorite things: running away while leaving someone ruined. The yelling of someone angry, yet helpless, the exhilaration of running in the darkness with his friends, the thrill of getting caught but never getting caught--these all made Dilandau feel alive. Well, there were other things that made him feel alive, but these were what he'd call "cherished" moments. He'd relish the day when he was older and could reveal all the things he got away with, but could never be punished for now. These things among the distant cries of the old man made Dilandau grin like a serpent as he ran.
*****
There weren't enough words in the dictionary to adeptly describe how beautiful Dilandau was. Beautiful? He was gorgeous, stunning, had looks that shamed the gods… God, even the vanity he possessed for his beauty wasn't adequate enough--he needed a shrine to himself, people worshipping his flawless qualities. His name deserved to become a word for perfection in looks. An Adonis? More like a "Dilandau. [1]"
"I love mirrors," Dilandau said, staring at his reflection. He delicately arranged his snow-like bangs at his temple.
Tonight he had decided on his red and black look or "poker chip" look as Gatty had once told him. He doubted he would have let any of the other Ryuugekitai get away without being slapped for saying something like that. However, Dilandau was a bit more lenient on Gatty because they had know each other the longest. In reality it didn't really matter whether or not anyone liked what he wore; Dilandau liked red and whatever he wore looked good on him anyway. He believed this to be true as he adjusted the collar of his black shirt; Dilandau wanted the silver chain around his neck to be uncovered by the red fabric of his jacket.
"Maybe I should be a model," Dilandau said, his eyes never leaving the mirror. He grinned, mostly so he could see how perfectly straight his teeth were, and drew in a breath. "Masaka (Yeah, right)…"
Dilandau commenced to admiring his hands which were softer and better manicured than most of the opposite sex. The examination of his hands drew him to flex his arm's muscles. He laughed thinking it ironic that a man with such beautiful, delicate hands could easily snap someone's neck if he wanted to. And he had wanted to on several occasions.
Gatty, though clearly in the mirror's reflection as he entered the room, knew that unless he spoke, Dilandau would not notice him. He wouldn't call Dilandau self-absorbed--of course not. That wasn't a strong enough word. In Gatty's opinion mirrors were a portal into Dilandau's own universe. Once his jewel-like eyes gazed upon a mirror, the rest of the world disintegrated.
"The rest of us are ready, Dilandau-san," Gatty said, not expecting Dilandau's mirror image to meet eyes with him nor to get a response immediately. However as he finished his words, Gatty was firmly staring back into the eyes of his leader.
"Sou ka na (Is that right)?" Dilandau murmured as if in a trance. Gatty stiffened and Dilandau smiled and turned his glance back upon himself. "I see you're trying to match your car tonight."
Gatty would have retorted with something about his "poker chip" look, but he kept his mouth closed. He halfway regretted his decision because had he upset Dilandau, the narcissist might have lost interest in himself. Gatty simply sighed and waited patiently.
"Gatty, do you realize the reason I'm going to hell has nothing to do with the terrible things I do?" Dilandau said in a voice less mesmerized. Gatty didn't reply, but Dilandau was speaking in rhetoric. "The greatest sin in the world must be to look as incredible as I do."
Gatty held back a smile. It wasn't that he doubted that Dilandau had the looks he claimed; it was just that in some way he believed that Dilandau had meant to be funny. The curve of his lips was no kind of indication whether or not this was true.
"What do you think?" Gatty knew these words Dilandau had spoken were not in rhetoric. It was truly rare when Dilandau asked someone's opinion (outside Dallet concerning girls), but when he did, he'd better like it. It reminded Gatty when Dilandau had asked his opinion of how he'd look with a certain shirt on. For some reason Gatty told him the absolute truth: the shirt didn't suit him at all and frankly made him look odd. Gatty almost cringed at remembering the result of his truth--a swift elbow to Gatty's middle. However, by the time Gatty had been able to stand and breathe normally again, Dilandau had decided the shirt wasn't good enough for him. That was inconsequential; Gatty wasn't going to ever risk an assault like that again.
"I'm sure if I was a girl, I'd be fawning hopelessly over you," Gatty said with a hint of jest. He couldn't help it; it was an odd conversation to begin with.
"Hmph." Gatty was relieved to see Dilandau's smirk; no attack would come his way. "You don't need to be a girl to admire my beauty; I'm good- looking enough to attract both sexes."
Gatty smiled just slightly, imagining himself asking Dilandau if he was insinuating he was bisexual. If all was well between him and Dilandau, he wouldn't have feared too much repercussion and asked, but this wasn't so. Dilandau, keen on most of the Ryuugekitai, figured what the blonde was thinking.
"Do you think anyone would believe I was bi?" he asked. Dilandau met eyes with Gatty and laughed shortly at his uncomfortable expression. "Shinpai shinai de (Don't worry), I won't hit you for your answer. Shikashi, if you don't answer I can't guarantee that…"
Gatty wondered if Dilandau took the time to carefully plan to put others in tense situations or if he happened to just create them. "Not if they sawyou at the clubs," he finally said. Dilandau's laugh in response assured him that he had answered well.
Dilandau turned away from the mirror. "Not a bad answer at all," he said. "I thinkI'll take that as a compliment."
Gatty let out a mental sigh. "Are you ready now?" he asked.
"Sure," Dilandau said as he walked toward the door. "I think I've made you squirm enough."
Gatty raised a brow as he followed Dilandau down the stairs. It was odd that Dilandau would admit he was doing something as he said. Usually it was obvious what he was doing, but he'd never openly admit it. The others were waiting in Gatty's den, Viole and Dallet watching the television. Miguel was outstretched on the couch as if he'd fall asleep any moment, while Guimel leaned against the back of the couch. One foot in the den was enough for Dilandau to realize who was missing.
"Shesta wa doko (Where's Shesta)?" Dilandau's hand rested on his hip, a sigh that he meant "this better be good."
"He went to--" Viole began.
"He had to change," Miguel interjected. He now sat straight on the couch, ignoring the resent on Viole's face.
Dilandau's brows lowered. "Naze?" he asked.
Most of the Ryuugekitai gave a shrug, but none gave a verbal reply. Gatty saw Dilandau's fingers curl into a fist which made him feel the need to handle the problem. Gatty had known Shesta as long as Dilandau had, so he had an idea of what happened.
"Let me guess: you guys dissed his clothes, so he decided to change," Gatty said. The hidden smirks of his friends suggested it was true.
All the Ryuugekitai had some clothes at Gatty's; Dilandau, aware that Gatty's father wouldn't dare interfere with them now, had decided that Gatty's house was the best location for "dressing up." Had Shesta needed to return home to change clothes, Dilandau might have gotten angry about it. Since that wasn't the case, Dilandau was mildly amused, indicated by the relocation of his hand from his hip to his chin.
"Naru hodo (I see)," Dilandau said. He smiled and nodded. "Fine. We'll give him five minutes."
"We don't need to wait, I'm ready now," Shesta said, walking into the den. The Ryuugekitai stared at him as if he were a stranger that suddenly approached them, but Shesta either pretended he didn't notice or was ignorant of their reaction. "I know how you hate to be kept waiting, Dilandau-san."
The silent stare upon Shesta continued even when the blonde finally was urged to ask what the problem was. All of them knew that Shesta wasn't a punk, even if he dressed like one [2]. The joke was that Shesta always looked like he was going to church when they went out. He never wore any chains, had no piercing (most of the Ryuugekitai did somewhere), and his look was almost always neat. At school Shesta would dress less formally (or dorkily), but when they went clubbing, he never put on anything that made him seem like he was part of the Ryuugekitai. The innocence that was suggested on his face didn't help his image either.
Although every aspect of Shesta's new attire was equally shocking (the silver chain outlining his neck, the tight pleather pant, the silver cuff on his ear), his shirt, which revealed more of Shesta's chest than they had seen save an outing to the beach, was the most noteworthy. It was a short-sleeved (more like half of a regular sleeve) black mesh shirt [3]. It wasn't surprising that Shesta was built (all Ryuugekitai worked out), but it was surprising he never liked to show off what he had.
Dilandau's mouth, previously slightly open, began to twitch as he tried not to smile. He failed in this and gradually began to laugh. The others joined in shortly and Shesta stood with little indication he was embarrassed. While the Ryuugekitai poked fun at him, Dilandau approached Shesta and put his arm around his shoulders. With his leader doing that and mimicking a cat with his grin, Shesta had to frown to avoid showing blatant signs of humility.
"Shesta, that's one of the reasons I like you," Dilandau said. He paused to laugh again and shake his head. "Your outfit is the direct opposite of your 'angelic' façade."
Shesta slowly smiled, only because Dilandau had said it to point out the irony of it all. Had one of the others said such a thing, he would have taken offense. Shesta knew they thought it was funny he had difficulties looking menacing.
"My advice is never wrong," Dilandau said below the noise of the other Ryuugekitai. Shesta nodded in agreement; Dilandau had told him if he tried dressing differently just once, the others might back off the next time.
"Oi, Dallet," Viole said, nudging him with his elbow, "Shesta might distract all the girls away from you tonight." All but Dallet laughed at that comment.
"Yeah, right," Dallet muttered under all the laughter.
"Mou ii (Enough)," Dilandau said, "let's get going."
As the Ryuugekitai left the house and went to get into the two cars, Dilandau grabbed Gatty by his arm. Gatty turned to look at him with careful wonder.
"Nani?" Gatty asked.
"Give Dallet your keys," Dilandau instructed.
"Ee? I'm not riding with you?" Dallet said. Usually he, Shesta, and Miguel rode with Dilandau in his car. The rest rode with Gatty.
Gatty wanted to know the reason as well, but followed Dilandau's orders regardless. "Gatty, you're driving my car," Dilandau said, ignoring Dallet.
"So, that means…" Guimel said, arching a brow.
"They're the designated drivers, desshou?" Miguel said.
"Sou desu," Dilandau said, heading to his car. "Enough talk--let's get going."
"Gatty gave Dallet a look of "see what I mean," but hesitated no further to do as Dilandau had said. Dallet, however, was the last to get into a car. He balled up the keys in his hand.
*Shit!* he thought. *Dilandau usually makes Shesta and Guimel the ones who can't drink! Maybe Gatty was right, as much as I hate to admit it…*
Dallet didn't know which he hated more: the fact that he was one of the designated drivers or Guimel and Viole laughing at him from the back seat. Two minutes of their jeering while he drove after Dilandau's car and he decided on the latter. Giving his friends the finger in response only resulted in further ridicule.
*****
Club Zaibach or the "Z" was one of the hottest spots in the city, unless you didn't know about it. The underground establishment was highly clandestine and even if you discovered it, there was no guarantee you'd be let in. Of course, you might be let in if you had it like Dilandau had it. From time to time the Ryuugekitai had even worked at the Z, so they were all pretty well known there.
An alley between two abandoned houses in downtown Zaibach was the location of the initial entrance to the club. However, if one wasn't knowledgeable of the place, one would have never guessed the entrance was there. Dilandau, at the head of their group, casually walked down the dim, dirty alley as if it were the most ordinary thing to do. A man on a dingy blanket sat at the end of the alley, the butt of his cigarette the only illumination in that area. He looked up slowly from the rags that were surrounding him as Dilandau's shadow covered him. Dilandau grinned and the man took another drag from his cigarette before speaking.
"You must be Dilandau and the other Ryuugekitai," the "bum" said.
"You must be new if you don't already know," Dilandau returned. "Never seen you before--where's Smalls?"
"He got promoted."
"Hmph, sou ka." Dilandau ran a hand through his hair. "Have I been away from the Z that long?"
"It's probably that trip we took to Atlantis a week ago," Shesta said. As he spoke the "bum" rose and pulled back the blanket he had sat upon. "I think that's the last time we were here."
"We used to come every other day," Miguel commented.
The man began to lift up the door he had concealed and then stood back to allow Dilandau and the others to pass. The narrow doorway forced the Ryuugekitai to descend single-file. Like always, the other six boys waited for Dilandau to go first before going down themselves. The man above shut the door back after Dallet had been the last of them to enter. Lights lined the railing of the stairs and as they neared the "basement," the roar of the music flooding from Club Z could be heard. Now at the underground floor area, the line waiting to enter the doors underneath the neon-lighted "Club Zaibach" could be seen. The prominent, ill-mannered bouncer stood at the great doors, frowning at the mass of people trying to enter.
"They lettin' anyone in tonight?" Viole said, looking at the length of the line. He smirked. "I almost feel sorry for them."
Dilandau laughed with the others in agreement. "It reminds me when I handled the lines," he said. The group began to move past the lines, outside the velvet rope, to the entrance of the club. Several people recognized them as they went, most trying to convince the Ryuugekitai to take them in with them.
The bald, bulky bouncer hadn't noticed Dilandau and his crew yet, trying to get a girl in front of him to realize she wasn't getting in. Seeing this reminded Dilandau of only admitting people who could solve his riddle (a riddle with no answer). He had really enjoyed that job at the Z; it was like playing God.
"Who you supposed to be--Mr. T?" Dilandau said, distracting the bouncer's attention from the girl.
"Who da--" The bouncer stopped as he met eyes with Dilandau. "Albatou! When they let you out, man?" He exchanged dap with the younger man.
"What are you talking about?" Dilandau said, loving the sound of his "last name." When he had made his fake ID some years back, he had chosen "Albatou" as his false identity. Personally, he thought it was a million times better than "Schezar" could ever be. Dilandau enjoyed his last name so much, most of the "underground" people knew him as Dilandau Albatou. "You couldn't have been out of jail more than a week."
The bouncer laughed and pulled the velvet rope out of the way so Dilandau could proceed. "Shit, you know I ain't ever got caught by no popo [4]," he said. He slapped Shesta on the shoulder as he passed and whistled at the boy. "Damn, boy, you run out [5] tonight!"
The others snickered at Shesta while they moved past Club Z's doors. The place was large enough to be a hotel or some sort, containing three levels. The ground level contained the dancing area, bar, and lounge while the two levels above were "special" rooms. The middle level, level two, was reserved for those who needed to escape to private rooms for "various" activities, and the highest level, level three, was where one could find a room that was specified for one of the many popular drugs, available for Z guests to use (for most at a great fee). The saying went at Club Z; "you wanna get high, you better go up high. [6]" The person who coined this phrase was unknown, but any Z regular knew of this phrase.
The spectrum of lights that flashed over the majority of the club was like spotlights for the Ryuugekitai. Most places they were the unknown vandals of Zaibach, but at Club Z they were like celebrities. Several people (half they knew) came up to them as they went, wondering where the seven had been. Shesta again was commented on his apparel, but it was mostly positive (a few girls told Shesta they'd be on level two in a hour if he was interested). Dilandau could only briefly amuse himself with that; he was distracted by the people trying to talk to him. Gradually, he was able to diminish the number.
"Yo, D!" Dilandau had just finished talking to a female acquaintance of his when he spotted another acquaintance--this time someone he knew from school.
"Maurice," Dilandau said, giving him the special handshake they had developed. "I don't think I've seen you in a month."
The boy rubbed his low cut hair. "Man, some fuckers been sweatin' me, yo," he explained. He smiled as heard Dilandau's laughter. "So, what's up with you, D? You and yo crew still at large?"
"No doubt," Dilandau said, outlining his chain with his finger.
"Yo, you gonna roll with us next Friday?"
"Friday?" Dilandau raised an eyebrow.
"Pete--you know, from Freid--he got a shitload of that 'stuff.' We gonna light up Friday, dog!"
Dilandau smirked. "Naru hodo," he said. He gestured to Shesta to pull his attention away from some people. "Shesta, how's next Friday for us?"
"Hmm…" Shesta said, pulling out a digital planner amazingly from his tight pants. Dilandau was a bit surprised he was carrying that with him.
Shesta quickly pulled up their calendar and checked it out. "We have those park 'incidents' planned for that day and night," he said, quickly replacing the electronic planner in his pocket.
"Oh, yeah…" He snickered impishly.
"Damn, D, you got a schedule and everything!" Maurice said. Dilandau shrugged and Maurice shook his head. "All right, I'll check you later, D-- Peace!"
Dilandau grinned after he left and then looked at the rest of the Ryuugekitai still in close proximity. "We'll leave around four or five," he said. "Is that okay with everyone?"
Dilandau smiled to himself as they gave the usual response, wondering what he'd exactly do if any of them were foolish enough to give him a negative answer. He imagined saying "oh, really" with mock interest and then punching him in the face. Dilandau would ask him again, and he'd guarantee the Ryuu would never answer him like that again. What, did they actually think they had a say when they left? Not unless it was an emergency, of course…
"All right then," Dilandau said, targeting his two "favorites" again. "It's understood that you two, Gatty and Dallet, are not to drink, right?"
"Hai, Dilandau-san," the two said. They glanced at each other as if a fight would soon ensue between them.
"Ii yo." Dilandau chuckled at their animosity and placed a hand on Shesta's shoulder. "Come with me to the bar."
"Uh, hai…" Shesta said, following his red-clad leader.
Viole, Miguel, and Guimel laughed at the two before they separated themselves. Gatty stared back at Dallet, wondering if he should fight the long-haired boy. Yes, he wanted to--badly--but he wasn't sure if that wasn't all part of Dilandau's plan. Maybe that was one of the reasons they hadn't been slapped; if Dilandau could make them want to fight each other, they'd get their lickings then. Gatty figured he could take Dallet on easily, even though the Ryuugekitai rarely fought each other (despite their constant bickering). This was mainly because of their constant gang business, but Viole and Miguel had had a serious fight once. Viole won, but Miguel could have done the same, had he been as pissed as Viole had been.
"Hmph," Gatty said. He faced the direction of the lounge and began walking toward there.
"Oi!" Dallet caught up with him and grabbed him by the shoulder. He met Gatty with the same austere gaze they had been giving each other from before. "No 'I told you so' or 'this is all your fault, Dallet?'"
"I think that goes without saying," Gatty growled. He shook Dallet's hand away.
"What the hell's your problem?" Dallet demanded. "We outta be grateful."
"Grateful?" Gatty balled up a fist, finding that the more his fellow Ryuugekitai talked, the more Gatty began to reconsider fighting him.
"For whatever reason Dilandau-san has gone easy on us," Dallet said, smirking as he spoke. "We could have been slapped or worse or even yelled at, but we weren't. Sure, we had to specifically go to the swamp, and we're the designated drivers…which pisses me off…but I guess Dilandau-san wasn't as angry as you imagined. We're off the hook now and it isn't that bad, so why don't you chill out? He's not going to do any more to us."
Gatty's hand relaxed at his side but he didn't give Dallet a response. Rather, he turned to leave as he had previously intended. Dallet's smirk remained, sensing Gatty agreed with him to some degree.
"Jaa, dou suru (Well, what are you going to do)?" Dallet called after him.
Gatty stopped but didn't face Dallet again. "I had planned to have a couple of drinks and relax," he said not caring if Dallet could hear him over the music from the distance they were apart, "but obviously I can't do that. So, I'm going over to a table and have a few smokes instead before I end up exchanging punches with you." Having said that he walked on, having no need to check to see if he were heard.
Dallet managed to pick up enough of what Gatty had said to receive an answer to his question. "He's so boring," he said. "I'll never understand how he and Dilandau are such good friends."
--To be continued...
--Some footnotes:
[1] -Uh, yeah, maybe that little paragraph with Dilandau's narcissism was a little too much, but I wrote it mostly because I thought it was funny (and I think that Dilandau looks really good ^_^).
[2] -The word "punk" here means a wimp or (as my friend said when I asked her what she thought it meant) a gay guy (I don't think it's used for girls). Anyway, this is just slang I hear around so I added it just so this fic sounds more contemporary.
[3]-I made Shesta wear this because I had watched the second half of Weiss Kreuz (if any of you are familiar with that anime) and noticed that the sweetest looking person in that organization, Omi, was wearing this weird see-through shirt! It looked cool, but it didn't really go along with his personality (well the one outside killing people), so later on I decided I do the same thing to Shesta. I had to do something to counter how nice Shesta appears to look. ^_^
[4]-The "popo" are the police, just in case no one knew that or could guess that.
[5]-The phrase "run out," if you didn't know or can't guess that, means to do something bold, outrageous, or surprising.
[6]-Uh…maybe I was high when I wrote that part. J/K. I don't know anything about drugs, as you can tell from this fic…
--Next, Part Two of Dilandau in the Night: Dilandau makes sure that Dallet never gets up to level two (because Dilandau is hardly satisfied with his payback) and uses all the Ryuugekitai, except Gatty, to do this. But what does he do to Gatty? Shesta shows he has a low tolerance for alcohol, Miguel reveals how wily he can be, and Viole and Guimel stir up trouble for no good reason. And let's not forget that Allen has some things to say to his little brother… Please continue reading if it doesn't suck already.
Chapter Two: Dilandau in the Night, Part One
Ideas just came to Dilandau--like a sixth sense. He didn't have to sit around all day to formulate plans; they just came to him. This was true when he had looked at a gadget magazine and came across the "books" that he had used in the lovely library prank. It was certainly true now as he and the Ryuugekitai set forth on another prank. However, this one, unlike what they had done in the library, would have greater consequences if they were caught. Yes, if they were caught; Dilandau never planned for that to happen and if it did, he manage some way out of it. He'd be damned if he'd serve time or do community service.
Dilandau watched as Miguel and Guimel set up the den they planned to ruin. Dilandau had been in the neighborhood before and noticed that this elderly couple never locked their windows. Some nights they would leave their downstairs windows right open. It was a direct invitation to burglars, but Dilandau had no desire to steal what the ancient couple possessed. The only thing of real value in the house was the television. The furniture looked twice as old and worn out as the couple. Hopefully, Dilandau had thought, the old couple would have a heart attack from what they planned to do.
The two Ryuugekitai closed the door leading to the adjacent living room, the door that led to the hall between the stairs and the dining room, and finally the door that led to the kitchen. The door to the kitchen was one of the reason Dilandau developed the plan. There weren't a great many houses that could completely shut up their family room. As Guimel and Miguel began stuffing sheets they had brought under the doors, Dilandau clicked on the walkie-talkie he held in his black gloved hand.
"Any changes, Shesta?"
Shesta, on the other side of the house, viewing the couple's bedroom, dropped the binoculars hanging around his neck. "Iie," he said into the receiver. "They're still sleeping soundly."
Dilandau smirked, wondering if anything would wake up the old geezers. He glanced over his shoulder at the neighboring houses to make sure no one was onto them yet. Even if they were seen, their all black attire would keep their identities secret. Even their faces were concealed with ski masks which required them to put a different spot of color on each person's mask for distinguishing.
"Finished," Miguel said softly, wearing the mask with the brown spot on it. He motioned to his friend with the yellow spot and they exited through the window Dilandau was kneeled next to.
"Are we waiting for the other three show up before going through with the next step?" Guimel asked, now standing by his leader with the red spot.
"Iie, I think they'll be prompt," Dilandau said, making a thin smile. Knowing what Dilandau meant by that the other two snickered.
"Saa, bring the hose around from the side of the house," Dilandau said. He clicked on the walkie-talkie. "Keep us posted of any changes, Shesta."
"Hai, Dilandau-san," the walkie-talkie said as Shesta's voice came through. Miguel left after that to retrieve the hose.
"Um, Dilandau-san?"
"Nan da?" Dilandau said casually. Usually would give a curt response to any inquiry that began like that, but tonight he was in an especially good mood.
"Well, not that your judgment isn't always right," Guimel said, trying to prevent a slap before he could finish, "but there is there a reason you sent Gatty and Dallet to do the 'dirty work' this time?"
The light smile that was on Dilandau's face turned into a wide grin. "Perhaps I'm giving them a chance to redeem themselves," he said. He shrugged as if he really didn't know. "After all, the best of us to do a job quickly are those who are already on bad terms for a time issue, desshou?"
Guimel nodded and hid the smile he wanted to give. He knew Dilandau's statement meant no guarantees Gatty and Dallet would be let off the hook. Rather, he figured Dilandau wanted them to mess around again, so he could get them twice as badly.
"Hai (Here), Dilandau-san," Miguel said, handing him the hose.
"Yoshi," Dilandau said. He nodded and Miguel went back so that he could turn the water on.
Dilandau positioned the nozzle so that it was hanging over the window sill of the window they had opened. The water began pouring out quickly, causing Dilandau to have to hold it for support. By the time Miguel came back from the side of the house there was a nice puddle forming on the wooden floor. The three took much delight in watching the gradual spreading of the water. The rug in front of the couch, soon becoming soaked, looked as though it were worth something, so to see it drenched was quite amusing. Dilandau wasn't sure if the plastic covers they had put into the electric plugs would prevent an electric shock. After all, if electricity was surging through the water when the others arrived, it would minimize the quality of the plan. He would find out in about twenty minutes or so with the rate the water was pouring onto the floor. There were four outlets about a foot from the floor.
When the water finally was touching the whole floor, Shesta's voice came over the walkie-talkie. Dilandau, missing what he had said, took it with his free hand. "Nan da, Shesta?" he asked.
"The others are coming."
"Sou ka?" Dilandau said. He looked behind him to see three black figures approaching. He grinned to himself. "Just as I thought…"
The purple-spotted one reached the house first. "Are we on schedule?" Viole asked, plastic container of brown water in his hands.
"I'd tell you if you weren't," Dilandau said, his eyes on the blue and green spot behind him. "I think we'll wait for the water to rise a little more." They all nodded in agreement, except the blue-spotted one who seemed to be distracted. Even though Dilandau's grin was limited to the small hole, when he curved his grin so that it seemed wicked, only a small part of it needed to be shown to the Ryuugekitai for them to realize that.
Dilandau motioned for Guimel to take the hose and the red-spotted one stepped up closer to the blue one. "Doushita, Gatty?" he said, placing a hand on his hip. "You look so grim."
Gr…grim?" Gatty repeated. He wasn't surprised because it wasn't true; he was surprised because Dilandau could tell with so little of his face showing. The others murmured their amazement of Dilandau's level of perception.
"Sou, grim," Dilandau said. "Masaka, you don't think this is a good idea?"
"I…iie…" Gatty shifted uncomfortably. "This is a great idea."
Dilandau put a hand on his shoulder, nearly chuckling at how stiff his friend became when he did that. "Then act like it," he said.
"Hai," Gatty said, unable to look away from the two pools of blood that were Dilandau's eyes.
"Good, we all need to have 'fun' on our last days of summer," Dilandau said. He removed his hand from Gatty, relieving Gatty of some his tension, and turned to Guimel. "How high is the water?"
"About a foot now," Guimel said.
"That's good enough." Dilandau turned back to the three. "Go ahead."
Viole, Gatty, and Dallet proceeded to the open window and carefully poured the contents of their containers in the room. Frogs (including tadpoles), worms, crickets, lizards, tiny snakes, and other swamp creatures they had collected either floated or sat in the shallow water. The water was already beginning to make a black ring on the white wall it touched, giving the prank a nice touch. While Dilandau and the other three Ryuugekitai were laughing and commenting about the scene, Dallet pulled Gatty aside toward the adjacent closed window.
"Dilandau-san's in a good mood; we don't have anything to worry about," Dallet said.
"I know him a little better than you do, Dallet," Gatty snapped. "You think our trip to the swamp was his payback? He was pissed off at us at the library."
"Don't you think he would have slapped us or said something that showed he was angry?"
"Not then and there--we were in the middle of a prank!"
"Yeah, and we're in the middle of one right now."
"Later we're--"
"--going to the club. You know Dilandau-san will be too busy with his own activities to worry about us."
Gatty sighed and held back the urge to punch Dallet in his face. He had meant to from the moment he put them in Dilandau's line of fire. Yet, he couldn't; that was one of Dilandau's rules. He didn't mind if they fought on their own time, but his time was precious. During a prank the Ryuugekitai needed to work as a team.
"Dallet and Gatty."
The two addressed stopped the glare-down they had started and turned their attention on Dilandau. He wasn't frowning (a good sign), but one could never quite decipher one of his grins. A good guess was he was plotting against you, but it was possible he was genuinely amused. They hoped it was the latter.
"Am I boring you two?" Dilandau was met with two immediate responses in the negative. They stood with the others and Dilandau nodded. "That's better. All right, let's proceed to the final step."
"I'll do it," Dallet volunteered. He ignored the look Gatty was giving him.
Dilandau nodded again and Dallet went around to the front door. Dilandau clicked the walkie-talkie on again. "Shesta, we've begun the final step."
"Hai, Dilandau-san."
Dallet began ringing the door bell furiously while the others (excluding Shesta) waited for the last part of their prank to begin. Shesta watched the old man of the house get up from his bed as if someone had shoved him out of it. He said some words to his wrinkled and alarmed wife and began to leave the room. Shesta clicked on his walkie-talkie.
"The old man's left the room," the blonde reported.
"Ii yo," Dilandau laughed as he received Shesta's message. He grinned at the others. "Here we go."
"This is gonna be good," Miguel said.
Shesta had moved to another window so that he could continue to see the man moving toward the stairs. "Okay, he's coming downstairs now."
"All right, that should be enough," Dilandau said. As the man descended the stairs, Shesta joined the others by the window.
The man initially headed for the door that Dallet was still ringing its bell, but he stopped when he saw shadows by the kitchen window. The fossil hobbled over to the door that led into the den. He stepped back as he noticed water trickling into the kitchen.
"What in the world…" The man began to push the door open, finding that was an uneasy task. "Come on…"
Outside Shesta, who was the furthest right to the window the others were looking in and closer to the kitchen window, was able to see the old man struggle to push the door open. "He's having problems getting the door open."
"Let me see," Miguel said, moving so that he was in view of the old man. "Ha ha! Just opening the door might tire out the geezer!"
"Hmph," Dilandau said, gazing over Miguel's shoulder. "Baka."
After a minute or two, the old man was able to get the door open and let a great deal of water pour into the kitchen. The man screamed as if being assaulted and a few bugs stuck to his pajama pants as the water moved past him. His slippered feet were totally soaked and he hopped up and down, shrieking about the swamp water. Dilandau and his crew's laughter could be heard through the window, but the man was too busy hollering to really notice. Obviously Dallet had noticed the man's shouts because he joined the rest of the Ryuugekitai as the man began to notice his ruined den.
"Wow, he's pissed," Dallet said with mock surprise.
"My den!!" The man's shout could be clearly heard through the window. He held his head as if in pain and moaned at the wrecked floor and rug. He cringed at the frogs sitting on the furniture and the little creatures swimming in the thin layer of water and was cautious around the little snakes slithering around.
Dilandau's delighted laughter was cut short as Gatty tapped him on the shoulder. "Nan da?"
"The neighbors' lights are turning on."
"Shit, just when things were getting good," Viole said.
Dilandau pulled back his sleeve to reveal his watch and pressed the button for its light. "It's not too early to get ready for the club," he commented. "Iku zo (Let's go)."
The man suddenly noticed the dark figures again and saw that they were retreating. Ignoring the wet feeling he experienced and the most of the creatures in his den, he went over to the window the Ryuugekitai were fleeing from. The old man slid up the glass easily and poked out his head.
"Come back here, you vandals!" he shouted hoarsely.
More lights at other people's houses were turning on, so the seven had no time to turn back and comment on what the man said. This was on of Dilandau's favorite things: running away while leaving someone ruined. The yelling of someone angry, yet helpless, the exhilaration of running in the darkness with his friends, the thrill of getting caught but never getting caught--these all made Dilandau feel alive. Well, there were other things that made him feel alive, but these were what he'd call "cherished" moments. He'd relish the day when he was older and could reveal all the things he got away with, but could never be punished for now. These things among the distant cries of the old man made Dilandau grin like a serpent as he ran.
*****
There weren't enough words in the dictionary to adeptly describe how beautiful Dilandau was. Beautiful? He was gorgeous, stunning, had looks that shamed the gods… God, even the vanity he possessed for his beauty wasn't adequate enough--he needed a shrine to himself, people worshipping his flawless qualities. His name deserved to become a word for perfection in looks. An Adonis? More like a "Dilandau. [1]"
"I love mirrors," Dilandau said, staring at his reflection. He delicately arranged his snow-like bangs at his temple.
Tonight he had decided on his red and black look or "poker chip" look as Gatty had once told him. He doubted he would have let any of the other Ryuugekitai get away without being slapped for saying something like that. However, Dilandau was a bit more lenient on Gatty because they had know each other the longest. In reality it didn't really matter whether or not anyone liked what he wore; Dilandau liked red and whatever he wore looked good on him anyway. He believed this to be true as he adjusted the collar of his black shirt; Dilandau wanted the silver chain around his neck to be uncovered by the red fabric of his jacket.
"Maybe I should be a model," Dilandau said, his eyes never leaving the mirror. He grinned, mostly so he could see how perfectly straight his teeth were, and drew in a breath. "Masaka (Yeah, right)…"
Dilandau commenced to admiring his hands which were softer and better manicured than most of the opposite sex. The examination of his hands drew him to flex his arm's muscles. He laughed thinking it ironic that a man with such beautiful, delicate hands could easily snap someone's neck if he wanted to. And he had wanted to on several occasions.
Gatty, though clearly in the mirror's reflection as he entered the room, knew that unless he spoke, Dilandau would not notice him. He wouldn't call Dilandau self-absorbed--of course not. That wasn't a strong enough word. In Gatty's opinion mirrors were a portal into Dilandau's own universe. Once his jewel-like eyes gazed upon a mirror, the rest of the world disintegrated.
"The rest of us are ready, Dilandau-san," Gatty said, not expecting Dilandau's mirror image to meet eyes with him nor to get a response immediately. However as he finished his words, Gatty was firmly staring back into the eyes of his leader.
"Sou ka na (Is that right)?" Dilandau murmured as if in a trance. Gatty stiffened and Dilandau smiled and turned his glance back upon himself. "I see you're trying to match your car tonight."
Gatty would have retorted with something about his "poker chip" look, but he kept his mouth closed. He halfway regretted his decision because had he upset Dilandau, the narcissist might have lost interest in himself. Gatty simply sighed and waited patiently.
"Gatty, do you realize the reason I'm going to hell has nothing to do with the terrible things I do?" Dilandau said in a voice less mesmerized. Gatty didn't reply, but Dilandau was speaking in rhetoric. "The greatest sin in the world must be to look as incredible as I do."
Gatty held back a smile. It wasn't that he doubted that Dilandau had the looks he claimed; it was just that in some way he believed that Dilandau had meant to be funny. The curve of his lips was no kind of indication whether or not this was true.
"What do you think?" Gatty knew these words Dilandau had spoken were not in rhetoric. It was truly rare when Dilandau asked someone's opinion (outside Dallet concerning girls), but when he did, he'd better like it. It reminded Gatty when Dilandau had asked his opinion of how he'd look with a certain shirt on. For some reason Gatty told him the absolute truth: the shirt didn't suit him at all and frankly made him look odd. Gatty almost cringed at remembering the result of his truth--a swift elbow to Gatty's middle. However, by the time Gatty had been able to stand and breathe normally again, Dilandau had decided the shirt wasn't good enough for him. That was inconsequential; Gatty wasn't going to ever risk an assault like that again.
"I'm sure if I was a girl, I'd be fawning hopelessly over you," Gatty said with a hint of jest. He couldn't help it; it was an odd conversation to begin with.
"Hmph." Gatty was relieved to see Dilandau's smirk; no attack would come his way. "You don't need to be a girl to admire my beauty; I'm good- looking enough to attract both sexes."
Gatty smiled just slightly, imagining himself asking Dilandau if he was insinuating he was bisexual. If all was well between him and Dilandau, he wouldn't have feared too much repercussion and asked, but this wasn't so. Dilandau, keen on most of the Ryuugekitai, figured what the blonde was thinking.
"Do you think anyone would believe I was bi?" he asked. Dilandau met eyes with Gatty and laughed shortly at his uncomfortable expression. "Shinpai shinai de (Don't worry), I won't hit you for your answer. Shikashi, if you don't answer I can't guarantee that…"
Gatty wondered if Dilandau took the time to carefully plan to put others in tense situations or if he happened to just create them. "Not if they sawyou at the clubs," he finally said. Dilandau's laugh in response assured him that he had answered well.
Dilandau turned away from the mirror. "Not a bad answer at all," he said. "I thinkI'll take that as a compliment."
Gatty let out a mental sigh. "Are you ready now?" he asked.
"Sure," Dilandau said as he walked toward the door. "I think I've made you squirm enough."
Gatty raised a brow as he followed Dilandau down the stairs. It was odd that Dilandau would admit he was doing something as he said. Usually it was obvious what he was doing, but he'd never openly admit it. The others were waiting in Gatty's den, Viole and Dallet watching the television. Miguel was outstretched on the couch as if he'd fall asleep any moment, while Guimel leaned against the back of the couch. One foot in the den was enough for Dilandau to realize who was missing.
"Shesta wa doko (Where's Shesta)?" Dilandau's hand rested on his hip, a sigh that he meant "this better be good."
"He went to--" Viole began.
"He had to change," Miguel interjected. He now sat straight on the couch, ignoring the resent on Viole's face.
Dilandau's brows lowered. "Naze?" he asked.
Most of the Ryuugekitai gave a shrug, but none gave a verbal reply. Gatty saw Dilandau's fingers curl into a fist which made him feel the need to handle the problem. Gatty had known Shesta as long as Dilandau had, so he had an idea of what happened.
"Let me guess: you guys dissed his clothes, so he decided to change," Gatty said. The hidden smirks of his friends suggested it was true.
All the Ryuugekitai had some clothes at Gatty's; Dilandau, aware that Gatty's father wouldn't dare interfere with them now, had decided that Gatty's house was the best location for "dressing up." Had Shesta needed to return home to change clothes, Dilandau might have gotten angry about it. Since that wasn't the case, Dilandau was mildly amused, indicated by the relocation of his hand from his hip to his chin.
"Naru hodo (I see)," Dilandau said. He smiled and nodded. "Fine. We'll give him five minutes."
"We don't need to wait, I'm ready now," Shesta said, walking into the den. The Ryuugekitai stared at him as if he were a stranger that suddenly approached them, but Shesta either pretended he didn't notice or was ignorant of their reaction. "I know how you hate to be kept waiting, Dilandau-san."
The silent stare upon Shesta continued even when the blonde finally was urged to ask what the problem was. All of them knew that Shesta wasn't a punk, even if he dressed like one [2]. The joke was that Shesta always looked like he was going to church when they went out. He never wore any chains, had no piercing (most of the Ryuugekitai did somewhere), and his look was almost always neat. At school Shesta would dress less formally (or dorkily), but when they went clubbing, he never put on anything that made him seem like he was part of the Ryuugekitai. The innocence that was suggested on his face didn't help his image either.
Although every aspect of Shesta's new attire was equally shocking (the silver chain outlining his neck, the tight pleather pant, the silver cuff on his ear), his shirt, which revealed more of Shesta's chest than they had seen save an outing to the beach, was the most noteworthy. It was a short-sleeved (more like half of a regular sleeve) black mesh shirt [3]. It wasn't surprising that Shesta was built (all Ryuugekitai worked out), but it was surprising he never liked to show off what he had.
Dilandau's mouth, previously slightly open, began to twitch as he tried not to smile. He failed in this and gradually began to laugh. The others joined in shortly and Shesta stood with little indication he was embarrassed. While the Ryuugekitai poked fun at him, Dilandau approached Shesta and put his arm around his shoulders. With his leader doing that and mimicking a cat with his grin, Shesta had to frown to avoid showing blatant signs of humility.
"Shesta, that's one of the reasons I like you," Dilandau said. He paused to laugh again and shake his head. "Your outfit is the direct opposite of your 'angelic' façade."
Shesta slowly smiled, only because Dilandau had said it to point out the irony of it all. Had one of the others said such a thing, he would have taken offense. Shesta knew they thought it was funny he had difficulties looking menacing.
"My advice is never wrong," Dilandau said below the noise of the other Ryuugekitai. Shesta nodded in agreement; Dilandau had told him if he tried dressing differently just once, the others might back off the next time.
"Oi, Dallet," Viole said, nudging him with his elbow, "Shesta might distract all the girls away from you tonight." All but Dallet laughed at that comment.
"Yeah, right," Dallet muttered under all the laughter.
"Mou ii (Enough)," Dilandau said, "let's get going."
As the Ryuugekitai left the house and went to get into the two cars, Dilandau grabbed Gatty by his arm. Gatty turned to look at him with careful wonder.
"Nani?" Gatty asked.
"Give Dallet your keys," Dilandau instructed.
"Ee? I'm not riding with you?" Dallet said. Usually he, Shesta, and Miguel rode with Dilandau in his car. The rest rode with Gatty.
Gatty wanted to know the reason as well, but followed Dilandau's orders regardless. "Gatty, you're driving my car," Dilandau said, ignoring Dallet.
"So, that means…" Guimel said, arching a brow.
"They're the designated drivers, desshou?" Miguel said.
"Sou desu," Dilandau said, heading to his car. "Enough talk--let's get going."
"Gatty gave Dallet a look of "see what I mean," but hesitated no further to do as Dilandau had said. Dallet, however, was the last to get into a car. He balled up the keys in his hand.
*Shit!* he thought. *Dilandau usually makes Shesta and Guimel the ones who can't drink! Maybe Gatty was right, as much as I hate to admit it…*
Dallet didn't know which he hated more: the fact that he was one of the designated drivers or Guimel and Viole laughing at him from the back seat. Two minutes of their jeering while he drove after Dilandau's car and he decided on the latter. Giving his friends the finger in response only resulted in further ridicule.
*****
Club Zaibach or the "Z" was one of the hottest spots in the city, unless you didn't know about it. The underground establishment was highly clandestine and even if you discovered it, there was no guarantee you'd be let in. Of course, you might be let in if you had it like Dilandau had it. From time to time the Ryuugekitai had even worked at the Z, so they were all pretty well known there.
An alley between two abandoned houses in downtown Zaibach was the location of the initial entrance to the club. However, if one wasn't knowledgeable of the place, one would have never guessed the entrance was there. Dilandau, at the head of their group, casually walked down the dim, dirty alley as if it were the most ordinary thing to do. A man on a dingy blanket sat at the end of the alley, the butt of his cigarette the only illumination in that area. He looked up slowly from the rags that were surrounding him as Dilandau's shadow covered him. Dilandau grinned and the man took another drag from his cigarette before speaking.
"You must be Dilandau and the other Ryuugekitai," the "bum" said.
"You must be new if you don't already know," Dilandau returned. "Never seen you before--where's Smalls?"
"He got promoted."
"Hmph, sou ka." Dilandau ran a hand through his hair. "Have I been away from the Z that long?"
"It's probably that trip we took to Atlantis a week ago," Shesta said. As he spoke the "bum" rose and pulled back the blanket he had sat upon. "I think that's the last time we were here."
"We used to come every other day," Miguel commented.
The man began to lift up the door he had concealed and then stood back to allow Dilandau and the others to pass. The narrow doorway forced the Ryuugekitai to descend single-file. Like always, the other six boys waited for Dilandau to go first before going down themselves. The man above shut the door back after Dallet had been the last of them to enter. Lights lined the railing of the stairs and as they neared the "basement," the roar of the music flooding from Club Z could be heard. Now at the underground floor area, the line waiting to enter the doors underneath the neon-lighted "Club Zaibach" could be seen. The prominent, ill-mannered bouncer stood at the great doors, frowning at the mass of people trying to enter.
"They lettin' anyone in tonight?" Viole said, looking at the length of the line. He smirked. "I almost feel sorry for them."
Dilandau laughed with the others in agreement. "It reminds me when I handled the lines," he said. The group began to move past the lines, outside the velvet rope, to the entrance of the club. Several people recognized them as they went, most trying to convince the Ryuugekitai to take them in with them.
The bald, bulky bouncer hadn't noticed Dilandau and his crew yet, trying to get a girl in front of him to realize she wasn't getting in. Seeing this reminded Dilandau of only admitting people who could solve his riddle (a riddle with no answer). He had really enjoyed that job at the Z; it was like playing God.
"Who you supposed to be--Mr. T?" Dilandau said, distracting the bouncer's attention from the girl.
"Who da--" The bouncer stopped as he met eyes with Dilandau. "Albatou! When they let you out, man?" He exchanged dap with the younger man.
"What are you talking about?" Dilandau said, loving the sound of his "last name." When he had made his fake ID some years back, he had chosen "Albatou" as his false identity. Personally, he thought it was a million times better than "Schezar" could ever be. Dilandau enjoyed his last name so much, most of the "underground" people knew him as Dilandau Albatou. "You couldn't have been out of jail more than a week."
The bouncer laughed and pulled the velvet rope out of the way so Dilandau could proceed. "Shit, you know I ain't ever got caught by no popo [4]," he said. He slapped Shesta on the shoulder as he passed and whistled at the boy. "Damn, boy, you run out [5] tonight!"
The others snickered at Shesta while they moved past Club Z's doors. The place was large enough to be a hotel or some sort, containing three levels. The ground level contained the dancing area, bar, and lounge while the two levels above were "special" rooms. The middle level, level two, was reserved for those who needed to escape to private rooms for "various" activities, and the highest level, level three, was where one could find a room that was specified for one of the many popular drugs, available for Z guests to use (for most at a great fee). The saying went at Club Z; "you wanna get high, you better go up high. [6]" The person who coined this phrase was unknown, but any Z regular knew of this phrase.
The spectrum of lights that flashed over the majority of the club was like spotlights for the Ryuugekitai. Most places they were the unknown vandals of Zaibach, but at Club Z they were like celebrities. Several people (half they knew) came up to them as they went, wondering where the seven had been. Shesta again was commented on his apparel, but it was mostly positive (a few girls told Shesta they'd be on level two in a hour if he was interested). Dilandau could only briefly amuse himself with that; he was distracted by the people trying to talk to him. Gradually, he was able to diminish the number.
"Yo, D!" Dilandau had just finished talking to a female acquaintance of his when he spotted another acquaintance--this time someone he knew from school.
"Maurice," Dilandau said, giving him the special handshake they had developed. "I don't think I've seen you in a month."
The boy rubbed his low cut hair. "Man, some fuckers been sweatin' me, yo," he explained. He smiled as heard Dilandau's laughter. "So, what's up with you, D? You and yo crew still at large?"
"No doubt," Dilandau said, outlining his chain with his finger.
"Yo, you gonna roll with us next Friday?"
"Friday?" Dilandau raised an eyebrow.
"Pete--you know, from Freid--he got a shitload of that 'stuff.' We gonna light up Friday, dog!"
Dilandau smirked. "Naru hodo," he said. He gestured to Shesta to pull his attention away from some people. "Shesta, how's next Friday for us?"
"Hmm…" Shesta said, pulling out a digital planner amazingly from his tight pants. Dilandau was a bit surprised he was carrying that with him.
Shesta quickly pulled up their calendar and checked it out. "We have those park 'incidents' planned for that day and night," he said, quickly replacing the electronic planner in his pocket.
"Oh, yeah…" He snickered impishly.
"Damn, D, you got a schedule and everything!" Maurice said. Dilandau shrugged and Maurice shook his head. "All right, I'll check you later, D-- Peace!"
Dilandau grinned after he left and then looked at the rest of the Ryuugekitai still in close proximity. "We'll leave around four or five," he said. "Is that okay with everyone?"
Dilandau smiled to himself as they gave the usual response, wondering what he'd exactly do if any of them were foolish enough to give him a negative answer. He imagined saying "oh, really" with mock interest and then punching him in the face. Dilandau would ask him again, and he'd guarantee the Ryuu would never answer him like that again. What, did they actually think they had a say when they left? Not unless it was an emergency, of course…
"All right then," Dilandau said, targeting his two "favorites" again. "It's understood that you two, Gatty and Dallet, are not to drink, right?"
"Hai, Dilandau-san," the two said. They glanced at each other as if a fight would soon ensue between them.
"Ii yo." Dilandau chuckled at their animosity and placed a hand on Shesta's shoulder. "Come with me to the bar."
"Uh, hai…" Shesta said, following his red-clad leader.
Viole, Miguel, and Guimel laughed at the two before they separated themselves. Gatty stared back at Dallet, wondering if he should fight the long-haired boy. Yes, he wanted to--badly--but he wasn't sure if that wasn't all part of Dilandau's plan. Maybe that was one of the reasons they hadn't been slapped; if Dilandau could make them want to fight each other, they'd get their lickings then. Gatty figured he could take Dallet on easily, even though the Ryuugekitai rarely fought each other (despite their constant bickering). This was mainly because of their constant gang business, but Viole and Miguel had had a serious fight once. Viole won, but Miguel could have done the same, had he been as pissed as Viole had been.
"Hmph," Gatty said. He faced the direction of the lounge and began walking toward there.
"Oi!" Dallet caught up with him and grabbed him by the shoulder. He met Gatty with the same austere gaze they had been giving each other from before. "No 'I told you so' or 'this is all your fault, Dallet?'"
"I think that goes without saying," Gatty growled. He shook Dallet's hand away.
"What the hell's your problem?" Dallet demanded. "We outta be grateful."
"Grateful?" Gatty balled up a fist, finding that the more his fellow Ryuugekitai talked, the more Gatty began to reconsider fighting him.
"For whatever reason Dilandau-san has gone easy on us," Dallet said, smirking as he spoke. "We could have been slapped or worse or even yelled at, but we weren't. Sure, we had to specifically go to the swamp, and we're the designated drivers…which pisses me off…but I guess Dilandau-san wasn't as angry as you imagined. We're off the hook now and it isn't that bad, so why don't you chill out? He's not going to do any more to us."
Gatty's hand relaxed at his side but he didn't give Dallet a response. Rather, he turned to leave as he had previously intended. Dallet's smirk remained, sensing Gatty agreed with him to some degree.
"Jaa, dou suru (Well, what are you going to do)?" Dallet called after him.
Gatty stopped but didn't face Dallet again. "I had planned to have a couple of drinks and relax," he said not caring if Dallet could hear him over the music from the distance they were apart, "but obviously I can't do that. So, I'm going over to a table and have a few smokes instead before I end up exchanging punches with you." Having said that he walked on, having no need to check to see if he were heard.
Dallet managed to pick up enough of what Gatty had said to receive an answer to his question. "He's so boring," he said. "I'll never understand how he and Dilandau are such good friends."
--To be continued...
--Some footnotes:
[1] -Uh, yeah, maybe that little paragraph with Dilandau's narcissism was a little too much, but I wrote it mostly because I thought it was funny (and I think that Dilandau looks really good ^_^).
[2] -The word "punk" here means a wimp or (as my friend said when I asked her what she thought it meant) a gay guy (I don't think it's used for girls). Anyway, this is just slang I hear around so I added it just so this fic sounds more contemporary.
[3]-I made Shesta wear this because I had watched the second half of Weiss Kreuz (if any of you are familiar with that anime) and noticed that the sweetest looking person in that organization, Omi, was wearing this weird see-through shirt! It looked cool, but it didn't really go along with his personality (well the one outside killing people), so later on I decided I do the same thing to Shesta. I had to do something to counter how nice Shesta appears to look. ^_^
[4]-The "popo" are the police, just in case no one knew that or could guess that.
[5]-The phrase "run out," if you didn't know or can't guess that, means to do something bold, outrageous, or surprising.
[6]-Uh…maybe I was high when I wrote that part. J/K. I don't know anything about drugs, as you can tell from this fic…
--Next, Part Two of Dilandau in the Night: Dilandau makes sure that Dallet never gets up to level two (because Dilandau is hardly satisfied with his payback) and uses all the Ryuugekitai, except Gatty, to do this. But what does he do to Gatty? Shesta shows he has a low tolerance for alcohol, Miguel reveals how wily he can be, and Viole and Guimel stir up trouble for no good reason. And let's not forget that Allen has some things to say to his little brother… Please continue reading if it doesn't suck already.