HEVN waiting nervously at the airport for her parent's and sister's plane to arrive. A storm out at sea had delayed the arrival, giving her more time to pace the terminal. She hoped her deodorant could hold up to how much she was sweating out of sheer nerves, as the suit she was wearing was new and she didn't want to stain it after just one wearing.
Where the heck was Akabane? He was supposed to meet her at the airport, and not only was her family's plane late, her fake fiancé was late. "I knew I never should have trusted something so important to… to… a transporter!" she spat, her hands curled into such tight fists that her fake nails were pressing into her palms and drawing blood.
"HEVN-san?" a familiar cold voice inquired. She looked up, eyes practically flaring with anger.
"Where the heck have you- whaaaaaa…." HEVN found herself caught in mid-sentence.
Akabane reached up and nervously fingered his hair. "You don't like it? I spent a lot of time combing it out last night… I even went through the work of getting it cut, and I'm not fond of letting people who aren't me handle parts of my body with blades."
HEVN frowned, as she honestly couldn't tell that the length had been changed. It was definitely neater than usual, slicked slightly back with a sweet smelling gel. His hat and coat looked like they had been cleaned recently, too, and his pants were more neatly pressed than usual.
"You don't look half bad when you take the time to take care of yourself," she smirked.
"I always take care of myself," Akabane replied indignantly, "but there are things more important to me than my physical appearance."
"That's odd; from the way you dress I'd always figured you for the vain sort despite the near dreadlock spikes…"
"Are you making fun of my hair?"
"Well, you do always have a pretty bad case of hat hair."
Akabane blinked at her. "Be careful, HEVN-san, insulting me may cause me to spontaneously mention that I'm not the person I'm pretending to be."
HEVN narrowed her eyes at him, then reached out. "Hold still, your tie is crooked," HEVN said, grabbing onto it and pushing it up so tightly that Akabane involuntarily gagged slightly. "You just keep in mind that if you don't behave yourself, I know Ban and Ginji, and last time I checked they could both kick your- MOM! DAD!" she cried, releasing Akabane's tie and pushing him aside. "Welcome back to Japan!"
"Welcome nothing," her father grunted. He was a relatively short, hunched man with gray hair and wrinkles. "Imagine, having to ride all that way next to some slob and not even getting a horrible airline meal to make it better. What are they charging you for anyway, more security? Those security guards couldn't find my metal hip with both hands in rubber gloves and a flash-"
"Dear, please, I know you're upset about your recent prostate examination but there's no reason to bring it up in a public place," HEVN's mother begged. She looked exactly like HEVN probably would in another twenty years. "This must be your fiancé. We've heard so much about you, Mr… Mr…. that's funny, I don't think she's ever told us your name."
Akabane looked at HEVN, patiently waiting for her to introduce him. "I didn't?" she asked, blinking. "Sister, I told you my fiance's name, didn't I?"
"No," her sister snorted, flicking her hair back. The girls could have been twins, other than her sister's short hair and green eyes. "All the reason to believe that you don't really have one."
"Excuse me, but he happens to be standing right here. This is… umm… Akabane Kuroudo. Kuroudo Akabane, you'd say in America."
Her father looked over Akabane. "Does it speak English?" he asked.
"Daddy! Don't call my fiancé an it, and it couldn't matter if he speaks English. I know you haven't forgotten your Japanese by now, have you?"
Her father waved her off dismissively. "Why should I speak the language of some little island when he can speak the language of a greater America?"
HEVN felt a vein popping out in her head. "Akabane-san, do you speak English?"
"A little, but not enough to understand anything your father just said," he answered.
HEVN turned back to her father. "He said he doesn't understand enough English to have any idea what you just said."
Her sister, Marci, grinned. "That means we can talk about him and he won't have any idea what we're saying."
"And I suppose your fiancé speaks Japanese, Marci?" HEVN snapped in response.
"Of course not, but I do, and if you make fun of him…"
"Well, I speak English, and if you make fun of my fianc"
Meanwhile, Akabane was trying to figure out from the few clues he could interpret between the girls what they were talking about. Fun, English, speak, and fiancé were the words he managed to catch. It is fun to speak English with your fiancé? Your fiancé has fun speaking English? Your fiancé does not speak English, that is fun?
"Akabane, are you paying any attention?" HEVN asked, jarring Akabane back to reality for the moment.
"Sorry, I became distracted."
HEVN sighed, not wanting to know what could have been going on in Jackal's head to lead him to become distracted. "Mom and dad want to take a taxi over to see my… workplace. They don't trust the trains that run in the area of Shinjuku, and we have to take their luggage to the hotel first. Anyway, we're not all going to be able to fit in one taxi, so I was wondering if you'd be willing to ride with my sister's fiancé.
"It shouldn't be a problem," Akabane answered. When he was certain her parents were busy cooing over a silk kimono on display at the airport, he leaned in closer. "HEVN-san, don't you think if you're supposed to be engaged to me, you should be referring to me by my first name?"
HEVN jumped a bit, realizing the mistake she'd been making all along. "Thank you for pointing that out. It's just weird to think of you as anything but… Akabane-san." She only hoped her parents or sister hadn't noticed her mistake yet. The last thing she needed was for even a single grain of suspicion to be planted into their minds.
The taxi ride turned out to be even more awkward than expected. Akabane stared at Clifford, Marci's fiancé. Clifford stared back at Akabane. Akabane didn't speak English very well. Clifford didn't speak Japanese at all. Finally, Clifford pointed as they drove past a small black cat walking along a fence. "Cat," he said.
Akabane rolled his eyes again, grateful that his hat concealed the gesture. Just because he didn't speak English didn't mean he needed a grade-school less in English.
"Neko," he replied, his tone of voice indicating that he was correcting Clifford.
Clifford's eyes narrowed slightly, suggesting that he'd picked up on Akabane's condescending tone of voice. For a moment, both parties were silent, and then Clifford pointed harshly to a little brown dog. "Dog," he said, trying to get the last word in.
Akabane was tempted to say inu, but he realized that with Clifford's lack of Japanese skills, there were more fun words to substitute. "Nihonjin," Akabane grinned at Clifford. Akabane was enjoying this game. Next thing Clifford pointed out was getting called "toilet."
Unfortunately for Clifford, by the time they'd reached the Honky Tonk, if he'd retained any of Akabane's "teachings", he'd learned that dog was Japanese person, telephone booth was toilet, convenience store was brothel, and small child was delicious, among other things.
"This is my secret government facility," HEVN said, introducing the Honky Tonk. She'd talked the plan over with Paul, and he'd agreed to let her pretend his computer room was her research facility if she'd pay off Ban and Ginji's tab. It had come to much more than she had expected, but it was worth it for the benefit of fooling her sister and parents.
"It looks like an ordinary bar," Marci snorted, clinging to Clifford's scrawny arm. "I feel like there are criminals all over this neighborhood, just waiting to take advantage of my supple young body! How can you work in such a terrible environment?"
"That's the beauty of it. Low rent, and you know how the government likes saving money. Besides, who would suspect a lowly bar of being a secret government facility?" she asked, pushing open the door.
She was barely inside when Ginji pounced on her head. "HEVN-saaaaaaaaaaaan, did you bring us a job!?"
"GAH!" HEVN cried, pushing the door shut in her father's face. "Paul, what are they doing here? We agreed that…"
"That I'd keep them out, yes, but you were late. I sent them on an errand, and they came back. If you'd been her on time…"
The door was thrown open from behind her. "HEVN, what is the nerve of slamming a door on your own father? I thought I raised you better than that, girl!"
HEVN stammered. "Da-daddy… mommy… these are… Midou-san and Amano-san! They're the security guards! They look like ordinary roughians, don't they? It's all part of the clever disguise."
"Disguise?" Ginji asked, making a chibi-face at HEVN's parents.
"It's all right, Ginji, you don't have to pretend that you don't know about this place actually being a secret government facility, I got clearance from the big boss man to tell them and show them just the computer room. Remember, Midou-san? Our discussion?"
For some reason, Ban actually seemed to catch on, and be willing to play along. Oh, he's going to make me pay for this later, HEVN thought as she made a sour face. The fact that Ban's grin only increased when she made her face let her know that yes, he definitely intended to make her pay. "Oh, of course, HEVN-san. Go right ahead and show your parents the computer room. I'm sure they'll enjoy it."
HEVN began herding her parents towards the hidden room. "Come on, hurry hurry, I agreed you'd just take a quick look and then we have to be at the restaurant or they'll cancel our reservations…"
"Wait, where's your fi-an-ce?" her sister asked, loud and sing-song.
Ban and Ginji's faces went flat. "Fiancé, HEVN-san?" Ginji asked.
HEVN grabbed her sister. "You idiot, we're not allowed to talk about our personal lives in front of one another, lest terrorists be able to use the information against us."
"Oh, come on now, HEVN-san, it's not that big of leak," Ban cooed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you introduce us to your illustrious fiancé? We'd love to meet the man bright enough to steal our HEVN's heart."
"I thought your fiancé worked with you, dear?" her mother questioned.
"Yes, and it's been really hard to keep the fact that we're engaged secret from the guards. We could get fired for sharing personal details in front of them, mom, so please, let's not mention this any more and just go look at the computer room…"
"Come on now, what harm could it be to tell the that you're engaged to Mr. Kuroudo Akabane?" her sister smirked, grinning so broadly that it looked like her lips extended straight up to the corners of her ears. "Oh, my, they seem surprised by that information."
Indeed, Ban and Ginji had both turned several different shades of white and green. Ginji was shaking and looked like he was going to throw up, and Ban just looked pissed off. HEVN could see his hands, rolled into fists, shaking slightly.
"You… you can see another reason I… never told them," HEVN said, her voice turning into a weak squeak.
Fortunately, Paul had been watching the situation from upstairs, and rushed to the rescue. "HEVN! What are you doing talking about personal information in front of the guards? You know that if the boss found out, he'd…"
"Oh, yes, Mr. Wan. I'm so sorry; my parents spilled it because I forgot to brief them about the rules. Please don't let me be fired for this error."
"I will if everyone just forgets about it," he said threateningly, casting his eyes at Ban and Ginji. "That is, unless some people never want to be able to enjoy a pizza here again. I'm afraid, however, that your family has to leave right away. We can't risk the boss finding out about what they said."
"You heard the man!" HEVN said, shoving her family back out the door.
"Darn it, I wanted to see where you worked!" her father snapped. "I wanted to test your super computers at a game of chess."
"They're not… programmed to play chess, daddy…"
"Hump, then they can't be that super of super computers. You know I only let you continue working at such an ugly job is because of all the rich, single men…"
Akabane rejoined them, walking in step slightly behind HEVN. "Why didn't you follow us into the Honky Tonk?" she asked quietly.
"I could smell Ban's blood, and I knew I wouldn't be welcome there in his presence."
"I can see where you're coming from, and I believe you made the right choice. A fight is the last thing I want right now."
"What are you two whispering about?" Marci mocked, holding her bleach-blonde boyfriend's hand. "Your plans to keep tricking us into thinking you're really engaged?"
HEVN's eyes clouded over with black rage, so much so that she had to put her head down and take several deep breaths to avoid exploding. Her sister was so close to the truth, and yet only saying it to get under her skin. It was making HEVN ready to blow into pieces.
She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and looked up in surprise to see Akabane's blood-freezing cold smile. "Don't let her get to you, HEVN-san. Seeing you two fight reminds me of the fact that I actually used to regret having no siblings when I was younger."
She grabbed his gloved hand, intending to throw it off her shoulder, then noticed her mother looking directly at them. Sighing in resignation, she just let her fingers slip off of his. "I don't need your cold comforts," she whisper-snapped, walking faster to get away from him.
Akabane found himself distinctly bored at the table. HEVN and her family were speaking in English, and Clifford was merely giving him what was either death glares or I'm superior to you because I speak another language glares. He didn't have the energy to interpret Clifford's actions, as he was incredibly bored. Bored enough to do things that would later be regrettable, had he not had a great capacity for self-control.
Mainly, he was noticing the lack of things on the menu that his very specific dietary needs would allow him to actually consume. Well, there was always plain sushi, even if HEVN's father had indirectly ordered him to buy something expensive to celebrate the occasion.
"After all, it's not every day we fly to Japan to see our daughter," her father laughed, holding a cup of sake in the air.
"Darling, please mind your manners," her mother practically whispered. "Japanese people are more reserved."
He slammed the cup down on the table, having already had perhaps a bit too much. "Ah, come on, dear, drink up. I'm paying, and I'm shelling out like I haven't in years. After all, we gotta decide what the will's gonna say tomorrow, so I might as well blow as much of what's supposed to be in it tonight as we can."
HEVN began coughing on her drink. "To-tomorrow? I thought we were going to decide the will after the theater."
"Is there a problem with deciding the will tomorrow? As in, your fake fiancé was only hired for one night?"
"That's- that's not it!" she cried, even though that was exactly it. "I just haven't checked his schedule; he might be working tomorrow night. He works unusual hours, being in the large-market transport business and all…"
"Oh, of course he is. Do pizzas count as large market?"
HEVN felt the throbbing vein in her forehead growing even larger. "He's not a pizza delivery boy! I'm glad he can't understand what you're saying!"
"HEVN, Marci, please sit down! Don't embarrass us in front of the locals," her mother pleaded.
They're only here for a week, HEVN thought to herself, taking deep breaths. They're only here for a week… I can make it. I've dealt with Ban and Ginji all this time; I can stand my own family for a week. They are my family, I love them, they are my family, I love them, she repeated in her head, trying to convince herself that her thoughts were true. She looked over to her left… and saw an empty chair.
"Eh? Mom? Dad? Did you see where Kuroudo went?"
Her whole family and Clifford looked to the empty seat. "Maybe his meter expired," Marci snorted.
"He probably just went to the bathroom, dear."
"I bet he won't come back."
HEVN stood up so quickly that her chair toppled over behind her. A vein throbbed visibly in her forehead. "Stay here, I'm going to go find him." Without waiting for them to protest her actions, she ran off in the direction of the doors that led from the restaurant to the street outside.
About a half minute after HEVN ran out the door, thinking Akabane had fled, Akabane arrived back at the table. "Where did HEVN go?" he asked, noticing the toppled-over chair a waiter was attempting to make upright.
"She ran off looking for you. Where the heck were you?"
"I have allergies and wanted to check for a certain food item in what I wanted to order. I'll go retrieve HEVN now, if you wish." With that, he was also gone.
As soon as Akabane had left for the second time, Marci got up as well. "Something suspicious is going on here," she snarled, chasing after HEVN and Akabane.
"Marci, no! You don't know the neighborhood!" her mother cried, standing up to go after her. The girl's father grabbed her wrist.
"Neither do you. Sit here; they'll come back."
HEVN looked both ways across the street, not seeing Akabane. "Kuroudo! Akabane-san! You come back here! Damn it, we had an agreement!" Looking back and forth, she caught a quick glimpse of something moving down the side alley behind the restaurant.
"Come back here, you!" she cried, running after the movement. However, turning around the corner, she found herself facing only a scrawny black cat dragging day-old sushi out of the trash. She sighed. If Akabane wanted to be gone, she fully realized, he would already be too far gone for someone without superhuman speed to pursue.
A heavy hand suddenly fell on her shoulder, causing her to scream. "What's wrong, sister?" a familiar mocking female voice asked. HEVN turned around and shoved Marci's hand off her shoulder. Marci continued to smile. "Lose your fiancé?"
"You shut up! You've done nothing but make fun of me and him since you've arrived! What is your problem, anyway?"
Marci's eyes narrowed. "As if you don't know. Oh, HEVN has a fiancé! Why don't you have a boyfriend, Marci? Oh, you're engaged, Marci? That's nice, remember when HEVN got engaged? Wasn't that big news?"
"You're-you're jealous? Of me? After dad practically cut me out of the family entirely for choosing to stay in Japan and make something of myself?!"
"He didn't cut you out entirely, or we wouldn't be fighting over his will like this. Admit it, HEVN. There's something fishy about you and your so-called boyfriend!"
A man's voice laughed in the darkness, causing both women to start. "You girls shouldn't argue so loudly in an alley. Draws attention to you, exactly how dark it is, and how much pretty jewelry you're wearing."
Figures and shapes emerged out of the shadows, equally laughing. "Why don't you hand them over, girlie, and we'll let you go?"
HEVN put her arm defensively in front of her sister, taking what she hoped to be a strong stance. "Go away. This is a well-kept part of town, you won't get away without being caught on camera!"
"That's right, there's no way I'd let thugs like you handle my diamonds!" Marci suddenly shouted. HEVN looked back at her, a miserable expression on her face. She even seemed to have turned a shade or two of green.
"Thanks for telling us they're real, babes. Say, how about you girls have a little fun with us? You're real pretty; it'd be a shame to take just your shiny things and run away," one of the thugs smirked, brazenly reaching out to grab the girls.
HEVN grabbed towards her purse, having taken up carrying a stun gun after the kidnapping incident in the Infinite Castle. Before the man's hand ever reached contact with its intended target, the thug shrieked in pain and drew back, a bloody stump remaining where his hand had been.
HEVN yanked her sister further behind herself and Akabane. She'd reached her stun gun by that point, holding the humming black device in her hand. Akabane looked down at it for just a second, the oddest expression on his face. "I got it in Infinite Castle," HEVN shrugged. Akabane shrugged as well, seemingly satisfied by the explanation.
One of the would-be thieves took a step closer to HEVN before the bandana-clad man beside him grabbed his shoulder and held him back. "I recognize that man. Back quietly away from him. Don't run. If you run; you'll end up de-" the bandana thug looked about and realized the rest of his squad had already run away once it had dawned on them who they were looking at as well. "Eep," he muttered before also turning tail and running like a whipped puppy.
"That was… sadly easy," Akabane complained. "And here I was hoping for something to alleviate my boredom."
HEVN shook her head in frustration. "You really are a selfish bastard, aren't you?" When Akabane didn't justify her comment with a response, HEVN looked behind her. "Marci, you okay? Marci?"
Marci was shaking like a leaf, her eyes wide and one hand up on her mouth as if silencing a cry trying to be born. Her other shaking hand was pointing directly at Akabane's hand, glowing scalpels still sticking out of his clutched fist.
"He's… he's not human!" she screamed.
And now, because it was requested, a "To Be Continued".