Rating: R due to "graphic nature"
Major Pairing(s) for this chapter: Kai/Rei (M/M)
Minor Pairing(s) for this chapter: Kai/Takao (M/M)
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade or its characters.
This chapter is a little rocky and shifty, so beware. I really do not know much about the Japanese culture, especially not about their law enforcement, so I probably have quite a few things off. I know it seems like I am not doing any research for this fic, but I am! I truly am trying to make it… well, not shit.
Chinese Used:
shèng- prefix indicating holiness; I took this one to be like "-sama"
-dàren suffix for a higher ranked official
-jūn suffix for a male friend
-jī or -gūniang suffix for a female friend
This chapter also has Japanese honorifics.
The Agency is not real (as if you thought it was). I am not sure why I am using the names from the Japanese version, but I am. This chapter also explains… nothing. Also, Kai's bird is a Sunconure. Picture: http/www. velocity. net/jenee/images/SunConure. jpg (remove spaces)
Again, pay attention to dates, otherwise the story will be quite confusing. I even baffle myself when writing it as I forget when I dated something.
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Part 3 – My Weakness
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September 12, 2002 - Monday
Faces stared down the deserted, darkened hallway, lifeless faces that almost glowed in the moonlight streaming through large, glass windows. Some were rough to the touch; others were smooth. It depended on their creator. Was he violent with his brush strokes? Was she graceful with hers? Faces, so many faces, all watching and waiting with empty happiness, with false anger. Their emotions were merely reflections of someone real.
Heavy foot falls echoed through the halls, reverberating off the walls. Sharp, deep gasps of breath and the chime-like rustle of metal rose with the lopsided gait – he was limping. Eventually, he appeared at the end of the hallway, falling against the stone wall and leaning over with his hands on his knees, face red from running and still gasping for air.
A small trail of blood led away from him, trickling from his left leg. He was an overweight man, late fifties and completely bald. His uniform hung to his sweat covered body like a tight body suit, a ring of keys around his belt. He winced, unwanted tears of pain gathering in his eyes. His leg burned like it was on fire.
Whimpering quietly, he pushed away from the wall, leaving a red handprint on it and a small puddle of blood on the floor. He searched the hallway frantically, eyes darting about nervously. Where were they? Had they finally left, or would they return to finish him off?
He walked, limped, as quietly as he could down the hallway, too afraid to run again for fear that he would run straight into his pursuers' hands. It was so eerily quiet, so entirely creepy with all the paintings watching him, mocking and laughing at him silently. Too quiet, it was simply too quiet.
A shadow moved here, and another was cast there… Where were they hiding? He had no means of defending himself anymore. They had destroyed his handgun, as well as his associates, with simple flicks of their wrists. He was an aging man; surely they would not care about him?
The pain was incredible. The fire had moved from his calf to his thigh like poison, making him cry out and collapse to the floor. The noise seemed so loud against the silence. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he jerked his head around to make sure no one was following him, even though he knew they were following him. They stalked him from the shadows, watching, waiting.
Heart beating wildly, he broke into choked sobs. He was not ready for death, not yet. He had grandchildren that were waiting for him to return home unscathed, return home from another unexciting night of guarding the museum. Nothing ever happened; no one wanted to break into such a boring place.
Until now. The full realization of it had not quite reached him until he had seen those three agents get slaughtered earlier in the hour.
The smooth sound of fabric sliding reached his ears and he lifted tear-glazed, terrified eyes to the dark figure of the cement statue before him. Landing without a sound, a person crouched on the very tip of the statue, balancing effortlessly. Momentarily, the man wondered if he was staring at some sort of cat-human hybrid. What seemed to be pointed ears were perched above two glowing yellow eyes, a tail swinging back and forth below.
Then the person moved into the moonlight, gliding easily off the statue and onto the tiled floor, never once making a sound. Now the old guard could really see his stalker: a young man with his long bangs pushed up by a small, but thick, ribbon-like band, causing the bangs to stick out and creating the allusion of the ears. The rest of his hair, which was also considerably long, was tied and wrapped into a thick cord and flowed behind him with every step he took.
The guard tried to scoot away, but the pain in his leg was too much. All he could do was sit, bleeding, and wait as the young man approached him, appearing to float over the ground. He tried, but he could not hear the steps of the man, making him wonder if he was delirious from the loss of blood.
No, not delirious. The man was before him, standing over him. He could see everything plainly now: a simple outfit that allowed grace and rested over a sleek, feminine looking body, the silky, white material glowing in the moonlight. Slender hands with nails sharpened to a deadly point, and pearly white teeth that looked sharp in the dim light when the man tilted his head to the side and smiled.
"Don't kill me," the guard begged hoarsely, reaching out to take the man's hand. "Please! I'm just the security watch! I can't do any harm!"
The man kneeled down in front of the guard, lifting his free hand to cover the guard's hand that grasped so tightly to his own.
"Please!" the guard pleaded. "I have a family…"
A gentle squeeze.
"I don't want to die, not tonight," he continued, blubbering. "I don't want to die here, alone. I don't want to die…"
"Shh," the man whispered, his voice barely audible. "It will be quick."
A trail of shivers ran down the guard's spine at the words. He watched the young man's face with trepidation, watched those yellow eyes slowly lift to something – someone – standing behind him. Heart pounding in his ears, he slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder.
His eyes widened in terror; he barely had time to scream.
-----
Tuesday
With a frightened cry for help, Hiwatari Kai sat straight up in his bed, hand reaching forward to catch the person from his dream that danced just beyond his fingertips. The blackness of the night melted into his gray walls as he slowly began to recognize his bedroom. The terrified screams that haunted his dreams died into the scream of the alarm clock beside his bed.
Kai breathed in deeply to calm his nerves, and then exhaled with a sigh. He slowly pulled his extended hand back to him, unclenching the other that grasped at the fabric over his chest.
The memory had been so much more real that time, the glares more intense and the cold spears of the rain more painful. The terror etched in the unfamiliar faces seemed more vivid and harder to bear, and the mud was deeper, slipperier.
A crack of thunder echoed outside, a hazy fog covering the windows. Kai closed his eyes and willed away the memory from his conscious mind with a shudder. The dread that had gathered in his chest while he was asleep was gone by now, leaving only a trace of its terror and the promise of more in the coming night.
Suddenly noticing the noise of the alarm clock, Kai swiftly turned it off, causing the room to be enveloped in silence. He stared at the plain red numbers glowing in the gray of the morning, his thoughts drifting elsewhere. He began to tremble as he remembered something, something highly important that had kept him awake for the better part of the night and most likely brought about the nightmare when he finally fell asleep.
A loud squawk and flutter of feathers at Kai's feet drew him from his dark thoughts, his anxiety disappearing for the moment. Kai's eyes drifted to the bird, which had apparently found a way to escape from its cage… again. Its beady, black eyes stared back at Kai briefly before pecking sharply at his toes underneath the sheet.
"Ow! Get back to your damn cage, bird!" Kai growled, jerking his feet closer to his body as he scooted backwards and waved his hands at the bird. It only opened its beak threateningly and attempted to bite Kai's hands as they swung by.
Kai sighed and leaned back against the wall. He watched the bird slowly began to walk toward him, pausing in front of him to let out another squawk, though much softer and more inquiring than the first one. It tilted its head to the side and blinked at Kai expectantly.
A faint hint of a smile flashed across Kai's face, and he, giving in to the little beast, slid out of bed to get it some food. As he walked out his bedroom doorway, it flew after him and landed on his shoulder, taking Kai's earlobe in its beak and tugging gently.
"Stop that," Kai murmured, brushing the bird with his hand. It followed the hand with an open beak until the hand drifted back down Kai's side.
When Kai entered the kitchen, he first looked to the birdcage that hung in one corner, frowning when he saw that the thin strip of fabric he had found and used to tie the cage shut the night before was ripped in half. He turned his head to glare at the bird, but it stood arrogantly on his shoulder, ignoring him.
Shaking his head, Kai made his way to a locked cabinet where he kept the bird food – the bird could break into any of the unlocked cabinets if it wanted. He retrieved a small dish from beside the sink and poured the food into it, setting it down on the table. The bird leapt from his shoulder to it at once.
Another small smile graced Kai's face as he watched it eat. There were times when the thing certainly got on his nerves, but it was nice to have the entertaining company when he woke up in the morning after a sleep bothered by hateful dreams.
Glancing at a clock on the wall, Kai's smile faded. He needed to leave for work in twenty minutes, and the idea of going there reminded him of his earlier thoughts before being distracted by the bird. He was torn between the hard curiosity that urged him to get to work as soon as possible and the frightened part of him that recalled the memories of his childhood. Did he truly want to know what had happened?
Yes, Kai thought, and a numb feeling spread through him. I have to know.
-----
The building was tall, taller than any of the ones that surrounded it, and it stood out against their bleak and faded bricks like a sharp shard of gleaming metal. Its windows were large and so clean that they sparkled in the morning sun, but were blocked by dark shades on the inside. Its doors were guarded to keep its contents safe from the public. It wanted to be unseen.
But the building stood out among the older and unimportant ones. Everyone knew why it was there and who it belonged to, so passerby's would pause briefly on the sidewalk in front of it to let their eyes drift over its smooth surface as they wondered what sort of thing was happening on the inside; wondered how much the Agency kept from them.
-----
The office was crowded when Kai stepped off the elevator, but it was quieter than usual. Various agents from other departments had come to their floor, hoping to get their opinions on what they expected to hear at nine that morning. They were, after all, the homicide unit. They were expected to have better guesses than any other department in the Agency.
Some gazes shifted to Kai as he walked toward his desk, but most continued to whisper quietly amongst their groups. They were all as anxious as Kai, checking their watches every minute to see how much longer they had to wait. The room felt heavy with fear and it seemed that everyone in it shivered as one entity.
There was already somebody sitting in Kai's chair when he made it to his desk. The person looked up and offered a small smile to Kai, his hand freezing in mid turn of a page inside of one of Kai's files. "Hey," he greeted, his voice as soft as all the others. "You're late."
"I know," Kai replied, eyes narrowing. "Get out of my chair."
Kinomiya Takao chuckled lightly and slowly rose from the chair, stretching his arms above his head and yawning, ignoring Kai's annoyed glare.
"I've asked you not to dig through my stuff," Kai snapped as he dropped into his chair. He closed the file on his desk and swiftly put it back to where it was before, safely locked away. Well, not too safe, as Takao had been able to access it.
"Don't give me a key," Takao said with a grin, and reseated himself on the side of Kai's desk. "I was looking for those photo records on the Hans case since you seem to forget that we're partners and that we're supposed to share information."
Kai simply opened his locked drawer again and pulled out an envelope, tossing it to Takao without saying a word.
"Thank you, my generous friend. I can see my therapy has been working. You're only a few days late this time," Takao joked. Kai still did not respond. Takao began to trace his finger over the words written in big red letters across the envelope, his eyes dropping from Kai. "So… What do you think?"
There was a pause before Kai snapped, "What do I think about what?"
Takao jerked his head up to give Kai his own irritated glare. "You know what. Don't be an ass."
"Don't dig through my stuff," Kai answered coldly. They glared at each other momentarily, and then a grin broke across Takao's face and Kai shook his head in exasperation. "I'm not sure what to think. I want to expect they did well, but I feel as if I know they didn't."
"Yeah, I feel the same way," Takao admitted. "I hope everyone's okay and the White Tigers are out of commission for good, but deep down inside, I think we got screwed."
The White Tigers…
The nickname drifted through Kai's mind with an eerie ring, making his entire body tense. He glanced at the clock on his desk. It's time…
The elevator doors opened and everyone in the room fell quiet. A man with an old, hard face stepped out, cold eyes drifting across the room, jumping from face to face. They were all staring expectantly at him, waiting to hear what happened. While none of them were given details, they were at least allowed the knowledge that the agents on the White Tiger case were to be waiting at the museum for the White Tigers, something the public would not know until after the event took place.
Clearing his throat, the man began:
"As you all know, the Agency recently received information related to the Chinese assassin group and their next strike. That strike, as you have been told, was to be last night at the North City Art Museum. Unfortunately, they must have learned that we were to be there, for they were expecting us. Last night's raid was a failure."
There were a few gasps, but most simply hung their heads. It was expected; the White Tigers always seemed to win.
"We lost a lot of men. Their deaths will be grieved," the man made this comment with a bored expression and empty voice, as if honestly uncaring about his coworkers' deaths. However, when he continued, his voice caught a strange sort of delight that most bosses get when admonishing their employees. "I have noticed that a lot of you are not in the correct department. I trust that you will return to your proper places and that this failure will go through none of your minds for the rest of the week, considering it has nothing to do with your own jobs."
The man gave them a hard stare before turning back to the elevator to leave. Even when he was gone the room was silent, and those that did not belong to the homicide branch of the Agency departed. Those who did, including Takao and Kai, went back to their desks and continued their work quietly.
Another defeat. They were all thinking about it, despite what they had been told to do. How could they not think about it? Were they supposed to ignore the fact that their friends and coworkers had been murdered? Were they expected to think that the White Tiger case was just like any other case, because it most certainly was not.
The White Tigers… The name, given to the assassins by the press, kept passing through Kai's mind as he tried to concentrate on his own case. It seemed fictional, in a strange way. It was a name that had become the Agency's nemesis, and come to make people cringe in fear at the sound of it. Yet it was so much more than just a name; it was pain, it was terror, and it, so far, had grown to be an unreachable goal for Kai.
He had been following the case as best he could for the past fifteen years, but the Agency never told the press anything worth value, which was why Kai had joined the Agency in the first place. He had hoped to get more information, and he did, but not enough to count. Those that were working on the White Tiger case were not allowed to discuss the case with anyone not working on it.
It was boring and uneventful, having to work on cases that were unimportant to him, but he remained at the Agency in hopes of one day hearing… well, something. Kai was not sure what he wanted to know, just that he wanted to know it.
An envelope landed in the middle of Kai's desk, startling him. It was the same he had given to Takao earlier. He looked up sharply to see Takao standing over him with an uneasy smile. "What now?"
"Well, I know you've already heard bad news today, but…" Takao drifted off, considering his words.
"Well?"
Takao took a deep breath. "Ah, well… you see, Takenouchi-san is…"
"Whatever he needs help with, forget it," Kai said harshly, grabbing the envelope and moving to put it away.
"But he asked for us, Kai."
"He asked for us?" Kai frowned accusingly at Takao. "Damn it, Kinomiya, that is your fault. You're always volunteering us, even when we're already busy with something else. You've made friends with that old bastard and now he's going to want us every time he goes into a paranoia attack."
"That old bastard pays a lot of money to have us sit with him," Takao said defensively. He folded his arms stubbornly and looked away from Kai's piercing eyes. "Besides, it's not like we're busy this time. What would it hurt?"
Kai lifted a hand to rub his temples, sighing deeply. "Takao…"
Takao sighed as well and sat down on the corner of Kai's desk. "Kai, the man is old and he's losing his rational thought. We've had to baby-sit him enough times that he trusts us now. And it would be good for you to get out."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kai demanded, narrowing his eyes.
"What do you think? I know you coop yourself up in that apartment with that hateful bird whenever you're not working. I know all you do is think about them, and that's not healthy," Takao replied firmly, finally looking Kai in the eye again. He gave a small grin when Kai looked away. "I think you'd have fun with this. You don't seem like the type to go to a party on your own incentive, but once there, you could have fun."
"Wait. Party? Explain."
"Oh, didn't you know? It's his wife's birthday this Friday," Takao said, his grin going from small to wide. "He's going to have a big celebration for her, and is convinced that his 'stalker' is going to attack during it."
They stared at one another.
"Forget it."
Takao gave an aggravated cry, drawing the attention of a few other agents. "Come on, Kai! Don't be an ass!"
"Forget it."
"Kaaaii," Takao whined. He grabbed the armrests of Kai's chair and stared at his partner with a most pathetic expression. "Come on, Kai. Please?"
It was a battle of wits, Kai kept telling himself, but with Takao looking at him like that, making him feel incredibly guilty, he caved. "Ugh. Fine. I'll go."
"All right!" Takao, arms shooting into the air, exclaimed, gaining a few glares from the people around them. He grinned triumphantly at Kai. "You see, Hiwatari, this is why we're partners. Not even a sour ass like you could possibly resist my charm."
Kai scowled. "Don't push your luck. You're supposed to be getting me those video files for the Hans case, so unless you want to get fired before Friday even gets here, you had better hurry up."
"Right, right," Takao muttered, waving Kai's statement off with his hand as he turned to leave.
"And Takao?"
Takao paused. "Yeah?"
"My bird is not hateful."
Takao snorted resentfully. "Whatever. Oh, that reminds me. It's a costume party, so pick something fun."
And with that, he was gone, ignoring Kai's furious shouts for him to come back.
-----
Wednesday
The wind brushed against the trees, causing a rain of orange, yellow, and brown to follow it. The leaves scuttled across the ground, dancing in little whirls of wind and adding color to the fading green of the grass. The colors were beautiful together, and the wind blew just perfectly for an autumn day. It was his favorite time of the year.
Dressed in the usual white flow of material, his long hair swaying with the breeze, Rei looked like a ghost wandering amongst the trees. An expression of despondency graced his features, his eyes as dim as the hidden sun. He sighed every few steps, the normal grace of his stride now jerky and languid, but still light enough to prevent from crushing the leaves.
He came to a field that was surrounded by the trees on three sides, opening into another, larger field on the fourth. The wind had pushed the colorful leaves all across the clearing, and Rei's eyes fell to the ground where more leaves rolled past him to join the others. Another sigh escaped him before he pressed on.
In the middle of the clearing a small marble stone rested, words etched into its surface. Rei dropped informally beside it, not choosing to be refined at the moment. He stared at the stone, subconsciously lifting a hand to brush against his cheek where an unseen bruise lay. It hurt when touched, but Rei did not care about the pain.
He drew the hand away from his face to examine it with vacant eyes. Filling with hate, his hand curled into a fist, and he slammed it onto the ground with an anguished cry. The sound vibrated across the clearing, startling birds from their perches. Then it was quiet again, and the wind seemed to be holding its breath, everything watching the figure in the clearing.
Rei fell back in the leaves that lay on the ground, staring at the gray whisks of clouds in the sky, eyes once more vacant, lifeless. He was vaguely aware of the footsteps coming toward him, of the leaves crunching under the heavy feet of those who were not trained to be as delicate as him. The barest of shadows fell over him, but he did not acknowledge the two new comers.
"You shouldn't be out here," one said, but made no move to bring Rei back to his feet.
"You should never go out alone," the other said, her voice wavering between the coldness of a partner in crime and the worry of a friend.
"He'll get angry at you for wandering off," continued the first, a tinge of fear hidden behind the words.
"He'll be mad if you get dirty, lying on the ground like that," the other reprimanded.
"You shouldn't be out here," the first repeated. "He doesn't like it when you come out here."
Rei still had not moved, the rise and fall of his chest being the only thing that convinced the two that he was indeed alive. They glanced at each other, and then sat down beside Rei, watching his face for emotion. The second lifted her hand to brush against Rei's cheek.
"He didn't mean it, you know," she whispered. "You angered him, is all. You're still his favorite. You're still his son."
She didn't have time to react. Rei caught her hand as he sat up, faster than either of the two had expected. They both looked surprised by this sudden movement, and then shocked at the hatred burning in Rei's eyes, startled by the growl that rose in his throat.
"Don't ever say that again," Rei said in a deathly quiet voice filled with so much venom that it made the other two shiver. He squeezed her hand, forcing the bones closer together and making her cry out.
"Rei-jūn! You're hurting me!" she gasped, trying to wrench her hand free.
Rei's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am not his son."
"Rei-dàren! Please stop! Stop it now!"
A hand reached for Rei, but he quickly let go of the girl's hand and leaned away before it could grab him. He finally acknowledged the presence of the other man, glaring at him coldly. The man stared back at him in a mixture of alarm and mild anger. The girl cradled her hand against her chest, tears streaming from eyes that stayed warily on Rei.
After a frozen moment, Rei sighed and flopped against the ground again, returning his stare to the clouds. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Mao-jī."
The girl nodded, understanding his sudden outburst. They were becoming more frequent, she had noticed, and more violent. She could tell Rei was having problems keeping his feelings in when in front of the others. Today was a result of such problems. Mao simply wished Rei had chosen someone besides shèng-Yen to break in front of.
The man sitting beside her seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Of all people to snap at… You're going to get in a lot more trouble if you keep this up, Rei-dàren."
"I couldn't help it," Rei groaned, rolling onto his side so that his back was to the two. "He was talking about her like she was still alive, like he had nothing to do with what happened."
"Then ignore him," the man said sharply. "Don't let him get under your skin like that."
"I can't ignore him, Lai-jūn! If I only saw him a couple times a day, maybe I could, but he keeps me around unless he's angry with me." Rei curled tighter into himself. "Sometimes he treats me like a son, but sometimes… Sometimes I feel as if he wants me to be her. Like he wants me to take her place."
"What do you mean?" Lai asked. "Take her place? Haven't you already done that?"
"No. I mean, yes, but…" Rei shook his head. "Forget it."
Lai and Mao exchanged equal looks of confusion, but followed Rei's advice and dropped the subject.
"You need to get back," Mao said, gently running her unharmed hand through Rei's hair. "He'll be expecting you. I'm sure he's not angry anymore."
"Yes, perhaps you're right," Rei agreed quietly, yet he still made no movement to leave. "Perhaps he'll be expecting me."
-----
Thursday
Kai was sitting at his kitchen table, papers spread all across it, when his bird suddenly lifted off of its cage and flew from the room. He glanced at it as it fluttered out, and then stared at the doorway in which had had exited through. He had heard the front door open the moment the bird had taken off, and now he waited expectantly.
He did not have to wait long.
"Ow! Damn it! Get off of me you stupid bird!"
Smirking, Kai went back to his work, listening with amusement to the anguished cries for help coming from the front hallway. A moment later Takao entered, arms waving about his head in feeble attempts to keep the bird from harming him any more than it already had. It easily dodged his strikes and continued to dive at his head.
"Hiwatari!" Takao cried frantically. "Call it off!"
"You didn't knock," Kai replied without looking up from what he was reading.
"You gave me a key!"
Well, that made enough sense. Kai, still not bothering to look up, said sharply, "Bird!"
The bird made one last dive at Takao before reluctantly moving away, unwilling to challenge Kai's stern voice. It landed gracefully on the edge of the table next to Kai, eyeing Takao threateningly while Kai moved to stroke its feathers. Takao gave it a dirty look before dropping into the seat across from Kai and studying his hands for any damage that needed to be dealt with immediately.
"Nice bird you got there, Kai," Takao muttered, shooting the bird another glare.
"I've told you before that she doesn't like strangers," Kai mumbled in reply as he jotted something down on a notepad.
"I come here every week now, and I used to come here every day! How am I still a stranger?" Takao demanded.
Kai merely shrugged. "I'm not a bird. I wouldn't know. Maybe she just doesn't like you."
Takao mumbled something under his breath. Kai paused in mid-sentence, and then set his pen down. He lifted his head to finally face Takao, looking at his partner firmly over his reading glasses. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Takao said, and quickly changed the subject. "So… Have you found a costume yet?"
Kai motioned toward the doorway with his free hand as he began to write again. "It's in the bedroom."
Takao got up and disappeared for a couple minutes. When he came back, he stared at Kai flatly until Kai looked up at him.
"What?" Kai asked irritably.
"You put a lot of effort into that, didn't you?" Takao said, exasperated. He rolled his eyes and shook his head disappointedly, dropping back into his chair and pulling something from his pocket. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you. Here, I found this in a box of Halloween stuff at my mother's house."
Kai glanced at the small tube of blue face paint that Takao threw onto the table. He scrunched up his nose in disgust. "How old is that?"
"Uh…" Takao looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe a few years? Just use it. It won't hurt you. And don't just put a little dot on your face. Try to do something interesting."
"Whatever."
-----
The room was plain with few items between its white walls. It was a special room nonetheless, one of Yen's favorites to use whenever he spoke to only a few of his men with the intention of sending them on a small, but important, assignment. Yet, he never truly spoke to the men in this room, instead having his most trusted advisor, Yuki Erii, speak for him.
He always sat at the head of the room, face emotionless as he watched the discourse between Erii and the others with an authoritative air. Their eyes would dart between him and Erii, watching him expectantly, anxiously. A childish anxiousness that had them shifting from foot to foot in delighted curiosity. Yen could not help but smirk inwardly at this, admiring his own ability to create such a group.
Rei sat beside him; he always kept his most precious and important member of his warriors beside him. Rei was attentive, perpetually noticing things others did not. A large amount of pride swelled in Yen's chest. Rei was perfect because he had made Rei perfect.
"We realize," Erii started, grabbing the attention of the four occupants besides Yen, Rei, and himself, "that we have already made our strike, but it has been decided that we cannot pass such an open opportunity as the one handed to us tonight.
"It seems as though an old friend has provided us with the occasion to finally get rid of him," Erii continued. "Takenouchi is giving his wife a birthday celebration. Chyou has informed us that the celebration will be large enough that no one will even know we are there."
One member stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with malicious evil. "Will there be anyone from the Agency?"
Erii raised his chin slightly, looking down at her with hard eyes. "Only two. You may do whatever you wish with them."
"Will they be watching for us?" another member asked.
"Chyou says they usually accompany Takenouchi, and are convinced he is merely paranoid. They will not be expecting a thing," Erii said offhandedly. "They'll be nothing for you. We imagine-"
"I want to go."
Everyone jerked their heads around to look at Rei and he stared firmly at Yen, hands gripping the older man's arm tightly.
Yen stared at Rei indifferently. "There is no need. This is a trivial task and not worthy of your time."
"Please," Rei replied, voice at a soft whisper. His grip tightened on the arm he held and his stare changed to one of pleading. "I want to go with them. Please?"
For a long while, they simply stared at each other. Then Yen's gaze finally turned soft, as it always did with Rei. He gently took one of Rei's dainty hands in his own. "Why is it you persist?"
An expression of blushing confusion swept across Rei's features and he bowed his head to avoid Yen's eyes. "I… I just want to go. I feel as if… as if there will be…"
"There will be…?" Yen prompted.
Rei shook his head, a familiar feeling of helplessness taking over him that usually came when Yen questioned him like this. He had a hard enough time understanding his thoughts; why did Yen have to ask him to explain them?
Noticing the defeated way Rei's eyes dimmed, Yen, overcome by a fatherly urge, closed his eyes and nodded.
"You may go, but only to watch."
-----
Friday
Kai stepped back from the mirror to look fully at himself. Satisfied, he turned on the faucet and ran his hands under the warm water to remove the blue face paint. It was not much, but at least now he looked like a… well, nothing, though it would have to suffice for the night.
At that thought, Kai groaned. It was going to be such a long night. Damn Takao…
"Ow!" Kai jerked his hands away from the water, glaring at the multi-colored bird that sat on the edge of the sink. "Damn hateful bird!"
It squawked at him and tried to peck his blue fingers again, sidling around the edge of the sink for better access. Kai swatted it with one hand, causing it to bounce back with its wings spread. He shot the bird one more glare before returning his attention back to his still faintly blue fingers. Knowing his luck, the stuff would not come off and he wind up at work Saturday with faded blue triangles on his face.
Kai turned off the water and reached for a towel. He glanced at the bird watching him from nearby and flicked his wet hands at it, causing it to ruffle its feathers and shake. Kai smirked and wiped his hands on the towel before flipping off the bathroom light and walking out. The bird flew after him, landing on his shoulder.
The cage in the kitchen had wire resting on top of it, a new ploy to keep the bird in the cage. Kai held his hand up to the bird, and it willingly moved from shoulder to hand, ducking as it went through the door. After closing the door, Kai wrapped the wire around the door and part of the cage, twisting it tightly.
"Stay in your cage," he commanded before tossing a blanket over the cage.
An annoyed squawk came from beneath the blanket.
-----
"You… are a flower."
Takao grinned at Kai, one of his pink petals flopping in front of his face.
"A big flower," Kai continued, eyeing Takao's strange costume.
"I know. Isn't it great? I thought you'd like it," Takao chuckled. He brushed the petal out of his face and inspected Kai's outfit. "Well, not too exciting, but you'll pass this with a high C. In the meantime," Takao threw a leafy arm around Kai's shoulders, "we need to get in there before all the other guests arrive. Wouldn't want to be last."
"Whatever," Kai mumbled, letting Takao lead him toward the decorated manor.
At the door, Takenouchi Yuki and his wife were welcoming the guests, shaking hands and smiling brightly. At least, Takenouchi was. He was an old, thin man with a great bush of gray hair atop his head. His smile wrinkled his eyes and his laugh was booming. She was every bit as thin but quite a bit younger, and her hair was up in neat curls. Her smile was fake and strained, her eyes holding the man beside her in contempt.
Takenouchi's costume was too big for his body. The folds of fabric hung so low that they nearly touched the ground. It was supposed to be an elephant costume, or so Kai guessed. Too large ears were atop his head and a trunk hung off a string around his neck. His wife had a blue dress covered in sequins and one lone blue feather stuck in the curls of her hair. She had put out even less effort than Kai to dress up.
"Good evening gentlemen!" Takenouchi exclaimed when he saw Takao and Kai. "It is good to see the two of you again!"
Kai shot Takao a dirty look at that.
"It's good to see you again, too," Takao greeted back. He, unlike Kai, rather enjoyed the old man's company. The fabric leaves on his arm swished as he shook Takenouchi's hand.
"Why, that is a splendid outfit! Simply splendid! Don't you think so, Chyou?" Takenouchi asked his wife.
She smiled her fake smile. "Splendid."
"And you!" Takenouchi continued cheerfully, turning to Kai. His smile faltered a little as he studied Kai from head to toe. "You… What exactly are you?"
"He's a modern day human shark," Takao supplied quickly. Kai slowly turned his head to look at Takao.
"Oh! Oh, yes! I see it now," Takenouchi said boisterously. "Plain, but definitely creative, don't you think so, dear?"
"Oh yes," she replied dully. "Creative."
"Just go on in, boys! Oh, but wait. I'd like to show the two of you Chyou's present before I have them bring it down stairs. Could you meet me at the bottom of the staircase in, oh, thirty minutes?"
"Will do, sir," Takao replied.
"Good, good."
Takenouchi and his wife stepped toward the next guests as Takao and Kai began to walk up the stairs to the open front doors. Kai was still staring at Takao, and Takao, feeling weighted by the stare, stopped just in front of the doors, turning to Kai and demanding irritably, much like Kai had of him several times before, "What is it?"
"A modern day human shark?" Kai asked flatly. "That was the best you could come up with?"
Takao made a frustrated noise before turning back to the doors. "You didn't exactly give me much to work with."
Thirty minutes later found them waiting patiently at the bottom of a decorated staircase. They had spent the thirty minutes by the food table, Takao stuffing his face while everyone complimented him on his costume. Kai had stood nearby, watching in annoyance. Takao still had a plate of food in his hands even as they waited for Takenouchi.
He came bustling up, every bit of lively as he was before. For an old man, he certainly had a lot of energy, and when told so, he often laughed and said, "Why, it's because I have Chyou here to keep me healthy!"
"Gentlemen, good of you to wait. So sorry I'm behind my own schedule. You haven't been waiting long, have you?" Takenouchi asked, shaking both their hands yet again.
"No, we just got here," Takao said around a mouthful. "Haven't been waiting long at all."
"Good, good. Let's head on up, shall we?" Takenouchi asked. He beamed proudly. "I do believe you'll enjoy the gift I am giving Chyou. Simply wonderful, simply wonderful. After you, gentlemen."
He talked the entire way up the stairs, and he did it in that irritating bubbly way that aggravated Kai to no end. While he lingered behind, Takao kept pace with the old man, laughing at the lame jokes and even making some of his own. Kai was glad when they finally reached the top, mostly because it meant the constant jabber would be over with, but partially because listening to Takenouchi had made him slightly curious about the present.
"Chyou is going to love it!" Takenouchi all but squealed. He fumbled with some keys to open a large black door leading into his study. "She will love it!"
"I'm sure she will," Takao replied with a laugh, sending a wink in Kai's direction.
"Yes, yes," Takenouchi chucked. He finally managed to get the right key and unlocked the door with a ceremonious 'click.' "Ah ha! Come in and see, boys! Come in and see!"
Takao and Kai shuffled into the room, eyes almost immediately falling on what was most definitely the present, both amazement and confusion on their faces.
"Oh… It's… beautiful?" Takao offered at last.
"Isn't it? I made it myself," Takenouchi said proudly, moving to stand beside the large, stone statue. "Chiseled it and everything. Of course, an old man like me needed help on occasion, but I did most of it myself."
"What is it?" Kai asked flatly, earning an elbow in the side from Takao.
Takenouchi laughed his booming laugh. "Oh, Hiwatari-san, my dear boy, are your eyes deceiving you? Ah, yes, I suppose you have to be of the extra creative type to see what the art truly forms. You see it, don't you Kinomiya-san?"
"Oh… Oh, yes. Yes, I do," Takao stammered, turning his head to the side to see if he could get a better idea of what ever Takenouchi had carved. He realized then that Takenouchi was going to ask him to explain to Kai what it was, and quickly cut the man off. "Just keep looking at it, Kai. You'll see soon enough. I'd tell you, except I don't want to ruin the surprise."
"Splendid idea! Let him see it for what it is!" Takenouchi exclaimed, throwing an arm around Takao's shoulders. "Well, go on, dear boy," he said to Kai, "Take a few guesses."
"I don't guess," Kai replied, folding his arms and staring hard at the statue. "What is it?"
"All right, I'll tell you!" Takenouchi said giddily. "It's my Chyou! Can you see it now? Truly a masterpiece, if I do say so myself."
"Chyou…?" Kai mumbled, eyes widening as he scanned the statue. Takao caught his eye and mouthed, "Compliment him!" Startled by this, Kai stumbled over his words before finally managing, "Uh, it's very nice. Very… abstract."
Takenouchi squirmed with delight. "It took me a long while to finish. A long, long while, but I will do anything for my dear Chyou. Do you boys think she'll like it? Yes, she'll like it. I know she will."
Before he could say more, a shadow jumped from the loft above and landed on the statue, stabbing a double-edged sword into it and twisted, breaking off what was supposed to be the head. Takenouchi let out a pained cry, his hands flying to his mouth as he watched the head fall to the floor and break into several large pieces.
"Oops," the man murmured with a cruel laugh, his eyes narrowing on Takenouchi. His laughter was echoed by a more feminine voice as a woman too leapt off the loft and landed neatly beside the statue.
Kai and Takao both instantly reached for where their pistols usually sat around their waists before suddenly remembering, with inward groans, that Takenouchi had asked them not to bring the weapons for fear of startling the other guests. In any other situation, they would not have complied, but they had been with Takenouchi so much that neither of them actually expected anything to happen.
The man smirked and pulled his sword from the remains of the stone statue, and the woman pulled her own thin sword out, swinging it lightly in the air.
"Who are you?" Kai demanded, he and Takao moving in front of Takenouchi.
The two looked at each other and then began laughing once more. The woman smiled evilly at Kai. "Take a guess."
Kai's eyes ran over them, taking in the silky looking beige outfits they wore, the lengths and types of blades they held, and he noticed the almost invisible tattoo that ran around both their left wrists, the strange writing that held no true meaning. His eyes widened slightly. "It can't be…"
"What are you doing here?" Takenouchi squeaked at the two, cowering closer to Takao. "I gave you what you wanted! I told you what you needed to know! What more do you want from me?"
Takenouchi has had dealings with the White Tigers? Kai and Takao thought simultaneously. They both blinked stupidly, wanting to turn to the man that trembled behind them with incredulous looks, but not foolish enough to take their eyes away from the deadly duo that appeared to be already growing bored with the encounter.
"What's going on?" Kai questioned of Takenouchi instead, anger rising in his voice.
"I shouldn't have done it, but I didn't know what else to do, and now they're here to kill me! They've been wanting to kill me for so long!" Takenouchi wailed, hiding behind Takao. "I don't know why they're after me! Don't let them get me! Please don't let them get me!"
"Quiet!" the man snarled. His anger, however, quickly dissipated, his infuriating smirk taking its place once more. "We have wasted too much time with an annoyance like you."
They were quick. It was the only thing Kai could think about before having to dodge from under the sharp edge of the sword that swung so dangerously close to his head. He tackled Takenouchi to the floor, hoping Takao had enough to sense to move out of the way. Takenouchi screamed in a high-pitched way that distracted Kai just long enough that he barely made a second escape from under the blade as the second attack came.
The man had chosen Kai and Takenouchi to play with, only half-heartedly swinging his sword, as he enjoyed watching the old man and the agent scurry across the floor. Kai attempted to get back on his feet, but every time the sword would slice the air above him, keeping him down. He could see Takao having the same problem from the corner of his eye.
Aggravated, Kai glowered at the White Tiger who dared to mock him with a smirk, and, at the same time, glanced about the study for something to use in his defense. He caught sight of a lamp on Takenouchi's desk, and, in a frantic leap, grabbed the cord of the lamp, jerking it toward him. It flew off the desk and into his hands just in time for him to turn around to block another slash of the sword.
At least, he would have liked for the lamp to block it.
The blade sliced through the metal lamp as if it were paper, hardly giving Kai room to avoid being cut in half. The White Tiger laughed haughtily as Kai stared at the two pieces in his hands, but his laughter wavered when Kai looked back at him, not with the fear that such occurrences usually brought, but with a sort of apathetic cock of the eyebrow.
"That's a nice sword," Kai said, sounding unconcerned. His statement caught the White Tiger off guard for the briefest of moments, but it was long enough for Kai to make his own strike. He used the skills taught to him during the Agency's special training, and knocked the White Tiger off his feet.
The White Tiger fell backwards onto the floor, his head hitting the thin carpet with a loud smacking noise. His cried out, catching the attention of the woman still playing with Takao on the other side of the study. She momentarily forgot her prey to glimpse at the other battle, shocked at what she saw.
Taking the sword from the White Tiger was easy. Kai could see the man's eyes rolling all over the place in blurry confusion. The White Tiger tried to move, but only cried out again and fell back to the floor, blood staining the carpet beneath his head.
As soon as Kai was on his feet, he had another sword being swung at him. The woman was obviously very angered by what he had done and moved so quickly that Kai had little time to consider his defensive moves. The sword he had taken from the White Tiger was a lot heavier than he had expected, and he had never used one before, so he had no idea how to fight back.
The woman's sword was considerably thinner than the man's. It was curved slightly and only sharp on one edge. It looked much easier to wield, but then, at the time, anything would have looked easier than the hulk of metal Kai held in his hands.
The woman herself was much stronger than she looked. Her strikes hit Kai's sword with incredible force, making the sword vibrate painfully in his hands and knocking him backwards. Yet, oddly, she kept flicking one of her hands, barely touching it to the blade as if it was sore.
Luckily, Takao chose that moment to reenter the fight, and caught the woman by the wrist before she could take off Kai's head. She gasped and struggled to free herself, but, no matter how strong she was with her sword, she was not strong enough to wrench out of Takao's grasp. Her strength, Kai figured, came from her speed, and once caught, she was nothing.
The sword dropped from her hands and Takao forced her against the wall. She growled something at him in another language, her eyes burning with hatred. The man had managed to drag his weakened body to the side of the statue and was lying against it, breathing hard and scrunching his eyes in pain. Kai slowly rose to his feet, eyes scanning the room for the suddenly quiet Takenouchi.
When Kai finally found Takenouchi, his breath suddenly seemed to stop coming. The old man was unrecognizable except for the large flap of ears that hung from the shreds of his elephant costume. He had been torn to pieces, fresh blood covering his feeble body, running from deep gashes that were all across him.
Takao could not turn around when Kai gasped since he had to keep the deadly female Tiger against the wall in fear that she would get a hold of her sword again. He could, however see Kai's face, see the utter mortification that shone in Kai's widened eyes.
"Kai, wh-"
A flash of black, white, and red stopped whatever Takao had meant to ask. It landed between him and Kai, and landed in the form of livid yellow eyes and sharp kick to the stomach. Takao slammed into the wall nearby, knocking the breath out of him. He could only make a strangled noise before collapsing to the floor, unconscious.
Kai knew that whoever had gotten between him and Takao was responsible for murdering Takenouchi, as the other two had been too preoccupied to get the chance. He didn't have time to stop the person from hurting Takao. If he had thought the other two White Tigers were fast before, this person made them seem like they were standing still.
What was strange, though, was that the woman looked every bit as shocked as he felt, and quite a bit worried. Not a worry for her life, but a motherly sort of worry for this new person. Kai, having backed away from the two, took the time that he was going unnoticed to scan the new person, noting the amount of blood that covered the person from head to toe. Apparently he enjoyed dicing Takenouchi to pieces.
The woman said something to the new tiger, the shock and worry disappearing from her face when she turned hateful eyes to Kai. She snatched her sword from the floor and made to attack Kai, but the other grabbed her wrist and stopped her. Kai could hear the whisper of a voice and knew the other tiger was speaking to her.
At first, she looked like she wanted to argue, but after a moment, she nodded and grabbed the other sword off of the floor and moved toward the only window in the room. She opened it, the cold wind of outside rushing in to meet her, and, with one final glare at Kai, slipped out the window. Kai had been to the study many times while sitting with Takenouchi, and knew the bedroom's balcony was right below the window, and he wondered if that was how the Tigers had gotten into the room in the first place.
He hastily drew his attention back to the blood covered White Tiger. He didn't know how well he would fare against this newest one, but from the way the tiger had hit Takao, he had a feeling the odds would not be in his favor. The Tiger shifted his head slightly, as if keeping Kai in his peripheral view.
They stayed like that for a short time, neither moving. The only sound was the struggles of the other remaining Tiger that was trying to stay conscious.
"Are you going to attack me or not?" Kai growled at last, his hands clenching into fists. The Tiger began to turn toward him. "If you think…"
Kai's sentence died away, a strange sensation overcoming his body as he stared into the golden eyes that haunted his dreams at night, the same golden eyes that he had stared into only twice before. Golden eyes that, like those other two times, regarded him in a soft, kind manner. Kai felt weak but somehow willed himself to stay on his feet.
The tiger tilted his head to the side and smiled at Kai. He smiled in response before he could stop himself, and soon the White Tiger was across the floor and standing in front of him. There was a brief pause, and then the Tiger had lifted his bloody hands to place them on the sides of Kai's shoulders, leaning forward and burying his face in the crook of Kai's neck, pressing his blood-stained body against Kai's.
The action confused Kai, yet he stayed frozen to where he was, wondering how he was supposed to respond to the normally affectionate, but somehow warped, gesture. The White Tiger did not appear to mind Kai not moving, though, as he pulled away with his smile still intact. His eyes were sparkling, a great amount of joyous excitement passing through them.
The Tiger stepped back from Kai, hands lingering on Kai's shoulders for just an instant. When he spoke, his voice was so very soft and melodious, but held a certainty that indicated he could speak in forceful and more powerful tones. "Goodbye, yān yǎn-jūn."
Then, the Tiger swiftly moved away, picking up his fellow White Tiger that still lay propped against the statue, somehow making the act of heaving someone into his arms look graceful. He dashed to the window, turning to give Kai a wink before disappearing into the dark of the night.
Kai gaped at the open window, wanting to call out to the White Tiger but his voice not working. He wanted to go after the Tiger, but his legs would not move. He felt numb, wondrous, and, in some way, refreshed.
His thoughts were still muddled and his body was still unresponsive to what he wanted to do when the large black door crashed open.
"Hands in the air! Now!"