Disclaimer: Chapter one.
Well, it seems this story is coming within eyeshot of the ending. Don't worry, it's not this chapter, and probably not the next. And even when it does end, I've got some sequals (and maybe a prequal) to work on. There's a sequal even all ready finished so you can have your fix (that's kind of awkward, huh?). Oh yeah, there's a lot of violence in this one. Is that a lime? I don't know what that means...
"I wasn't sure how, but I didn't find myself with much time to mourn until St. Patrick's Day came. When we entered the bar, the whole place was strung up with green streamers and 4-leaf-clover decorations. Even though it was barely afternoon, the place was packed. The other bartenders were working full shifts as well, since business was predicted to be so tremendous that day.
"I felt Jin grab my arm and pull up to my ear. 'The party at Jailbait starts at midnight, so we'll slip out before then.' She whispered. I nodded and we went behind the bar, her elbow interlocking with mine. Really, this was her first sign of affection that she would show since that kiss the night before. It didn't take long for Uwaki and Shuran to begin complaining about it. But this time, in stead of getting into a huge argument with the usual flare of contradiction, we'd only pull each other closer, not giving much more than a laugh towards them, and turn away.
"Nama refused to let us work much, even though all the bartenders had night-long shifts. If he thought we had been on task too long, he would insist that we take a break while he cover us. Time to time, he would pass us a drink during these intervals.
"On our 5th break, which was awkwardly long, we were sitting in a booth off to the side. When we would usually talk idly until our turn came up again, we were enjoying almost one drink after another, singing and laughing, and having one another in a sort of loose embrace.
"'Dorai,' Jin said after a moment of stillness between us, not looking up from her glass.
"'Yes?'
"'This glass is empty.'
"I lifted a brow to her atypical tone. 'It is. You want another glass, Jin?'
"'It's just... a reminder. The glass shouldn't ever run out tonight. It should remain full until we can't stand it anymore.' She lifted her head and turned her face to me. 'Do you know what I mean?'
"Looking at her, I saw a rare smile depicted by her lips. That with her eyes, which seemed to glisten more than usual with a sort of heavy wet, gave a bittersweet expression. I felt a pull. 'That face doesn't match you, Jin.'
"'Neither does yours. I see sympathy.' Her eyes shifted away. 'Or empathy. To tell you the truth, I never really saw the difference between the two.'
"Kami-sama, you bastard, I thought. He was right this time. I pushed those thoughts aside, then leaned in and kissed her." Chi-Chi did another one of her schoolgirlish squeals, which I ignored. "It was extended, even seemed to be amaranthine.
"'Umm...' A voice called, followed by a pair of light giggles. 'Do you two want another drink before your shift starts?' We broke the kiss and saw Mari and Taifu, looking at us with knowing airs.
"Taifu sat beside us in the booth. 'I knew it! You two are going off together after you leave, aren't you?'
"I must have been blushing violently. 'W-why are you here, anyway?'
"'Nama told me! My goodness, I was right. You two make a lovely couple!'
"'Y-you're misunderstanding something,' Jin shook her head. 'We really are going separate ways after tonight.'
"'What? I don't believe that. You two should stay together! You're perfect! Why, even that kiss looked like something a great master would've painted!' Taifu exclaimed. Mari nodded in agreement, even though she was blushing, too.
"Taifu ordered a drink as we explained some of our situation, telling her about how we've both got things to do that required us to leave, which seemed to satisfy her.
"As she tried to hail Mari down again for another drink, Jin turned to me again. 'Dorai.'
"'Hmm? Yes?'
"'Why do you suppose St. Patrick's Day is only two days after the Ides of March?'
"I blinked, then began laughing. 'To accommodate Calpurnia's depression?'
"Mari came up. 'So, Taifu-san wants a Dream Weaver. Jin-san?'
"Jin smirked. 'A Caesar.'
"'Et tu Jin?' She smacked my shoulder for the bad joke. 'Make that two.'
"'Hai!' Mari smiled and hopped to the bar.
"Quarter after Eleven, it was safe to say that most, if not all, of the people there were intoxicated to great proportions. Jin and I snuck out with little trouble and made for Jailbait. When we entered, we were met immediately by smoke and lights. The place wasn't much better than the average underground punk club, but it was very popular. It was hard to keep together while going through the forest of shoulders and skinny teenage bodies, dancing to some blaring techno-music. She came close to my ear again. 'Do you have it?' She didn't whisper this, but no one else could hear past the beat anyway. I nodded and patted my right pocket.
"We reached a wall away from the crowded dance floor and, out of a notion, kissed again before we began watching the people carefully, trying to find Jiinzu or his lackey. From our position, it was possible to see almost the whole area (I imagine that the only better place to watch would be in the dancing cages suspended from the ceiling). Time to time, Jin would look at her watch and tell me the current time. Half past, I caught sight of the little follower, scampering around with a bag of tablets, trying to dump them into the glasses and open bottles of peoples' drinks. Five till, Jin spotted Kaaki by one of the smoke machines and ran after him, motioning for me to go after the assistant that was running out to the ally.
"The little cretin wasn't hard to catch. He was barely a meter from the door when I had him by his collar. 'Now,' I said pulling back my fist. 'I've got a little problem with you and your boss. You might not have realised this, but you're in the Devil's kingdom now.'
"'J-Jiinzu-san said you'd be here,' he said weakly, 'but he thought that you wouldn't leave your girlfriend's side.'
"'What?' I threw him hard against the wall. 'How did you--'
"He gasped for the air that he lost from the force of the blow before he said anything more, 'Jiinzu-san saw the records of who died and you weren't in there. He figured that you and your girl would do something to him tonight, so he's made the dosage stronger and is setting the smoke machine up with noxious fumes.'
"'Ammonium chloride, again?'
"'N-no. Chlorine gas. He's putting enough in the machines to gas the neighborhood.'
"'Chlorine gas?' I looked back at the door. Coming from inside, the mindless beats still sounded, but gargled with them were screams of pain and what reminded me of war cries. The drug, we knew, numbed pain to the point that it didn't exist. This would include the sensation of suffocation that the toxins gave.
"I grabbed his neck before he could make a run for it again and dragged him back in with me. He kicked and screamed all the way, but it was drowned out by the the scene easily. People were already ripping each other apart, literally. People who didn't drink from the bar or accept the tablets were choking on the ground, floundering like fish out of water. The girls that were in the dancing cages were now strung up in pieces hanging from the bars. I tried to scream for Jin, but my breath was already drawing short.
"Through one of the billows of smoke, I saw Jiinzu's frantic form appear, trying to escape something. He was immediately seized by someone with long, black hair, which I knew to be Jin. Before I could get her attention, however, her own shoulders were grabbed and she was pulled back into the oblique clouds. I tried, as well as one could in such a situation, to run towards her, for a moment unaware of the struggling man that I was pulling about.
"'Please! Let me go! Let me go, man!' he was yelling as loud as he could.
"'You want me to let you go? Fine!' I chucked him into a mass of drugged brawlers and saw him get torn apart through the corner of my eye as I scrambled ahead.
"I entered into a white mass of air and was able to see more bodies, perhaps even more barbarically mutilated, littering the glittered floor. Through all the noise, I heard, or perhaps felt, something hit hard against the ground several times. I saw a whole body, that of a very large, muscular man, practically fly by me. I went towards the direction it came and soon could make out a mass of silhouettes. A break in the vapors allowed me to see the legs of the one in the center, who was straining to separate from the others. The familiar black pants that was the uniform of a bartender at our pub were torn and soaked with blood, and one of the high- heeled shoes were missing. 'Jin!' I choked out.
"'The figure didn't take notice to me. However, I saw her shadow in the mist pull an arm from the sockets of one of her assaulters, then immediately use the limb to bludgeon the others. This allowed her to sprint away, apparently after Jiinzu. I followed, avoiding the mess of corpses around me."
Well, this chapter's another two-parter! And I made it bloody again. Now that's what Election Day's all about! And, once again, the humor didn't live long. Actually, I find it funny, but you know...
Well, it seems this story is coming within eyeshot of the ending. Don't worry, it's not this chapter, and probably not the next. And even when it does end, I've got some sequals (and maybe a prequal) to work on. There's a sequal even all ready finished so you can have your fix (that's kind of awkward, huh?). Oh yeah, there's a lot of violence in this one. Is that a lime? I don't know what that means...
"I wasn't sure how, but I didn't find myself with much time to mourn until St. Patrick's Day came. When we entered the bar, the whole place was strung up with green streamers and 4-leaf-clover decorations. Even though it was barely afternoon, the place was packed. The other bartenders were working full shifts as well, since business was predicted to be so tremendous that day.
"I felt Jin grab my arm and pull up to my ear. 'The party at Jailbait starts at midnight, so we'll slip out before then.' She whispered. I nodded and we went behind the bar, her elbow interlocking with mine. Really, this was her first sign of affection that she would show since that kiss the night before. It didn't take long for Uwaki and Shuran to begin complaining about it. But this time, in stead of getting into a huge argument with the usual flare of contradiction, we'd only pull each other closer, not giving much more than a laugh towards them, and turn away.
"Nama refused to let us work much, even though all the bartenders had night-long shifts. If he thought we had been on task too long, he would insist that we take a break while he cover us. Time to time, he would pass us a drink during these intervals.
"On our 5th break, which was awkwardly long, we were sitting in a booth off to the side. When we would usually talk idly until our turn came up again, we were enjoying almost one drink after another, singing and laughing, and having one another in a sort of loose embrace.
"'Dorai,' Jin said after a moment of stillness between us, not looking up from her glass.
"'Yes?'
"'This glass is empty.'
"I lifted a brow to her atypical tone. 'It is. You want another glass, Jin?'
"'It's just... a reminder. The glass shouldn't ever run out tonight. It should remain full until we can't stand it anymore.' She lifted her head and turned her face to me. 'Do you know what I mean?'
"Looking at her, I saw a rare smile depicted by her lips. That with her eyes, which seemed to glisten more than usual with a sort of heavy wet, gave a bittersweet expression. I felt a pull. 'That face doesn't match you, Jin.'
"'Neither does yours. I see sympathy.' Her eyes shifted away. 'Or empathy. To tell you the truth, I never really saw the difference between the two.'
"Kami-sama, you bastard, I thought. He was right this time. I pushed those thoughts aside, then leaned in and kissed her." Chi-Chi did another one of her schoolgirlish squeals, which I ignored. "It was extended, even seemed to be amaranthine.
"'Umm...' A voice called, followed by a pair of light giggles. 'Do you two want another drink before your shift starts?' We broke the kiss and saw Mari and Taifu, looking at us with knowing airs.
"Taifu sat beside us in the booth. 'I knew it! You two are going off together after you leave, aren't you?'
"I must have been blushing violently. 'W-why are you here, anyway?'
"'Nama told me! My goodness, I was right. You two make a lovely couple!'
"'Y-you're misunderstanding something,' Jin shook her head. 'We really are going separate ways after tonight.'
"'What? I don't believe that. You two should stay together! You're perfect! Why, even that kiss looked like something a great master would've painted!' Taifu exclaimed. Mari nodded in agreement, even though she was blushing, too.
"Taifu ordered a drink as we explained some of our situation, telling her about how we've both got things to do that required us to leave, which seemed to satisfy her.
"As she tried to hail Mari down again for another drink, Jin turned to me again. 'Dorai.'
"'Hmm? Yes?'
"'Why do you suppose St. Patrick's Day is only two days after the Ides of March?'
"I blinked, then began laughing. 'To accommodate Calpurnia's depression?'
"Mari came up. 'So, Taifu-san wants a Dream Weaver. Jin-san?'
"Jin smirked. 'A Caesar.'
"'Et tu Jin?' She smacked my shoulder for the bad joke. 'Make that two.'
"'Hai!' Mari smiled and hopped to the bar.
"Quarter after Eleven, it was safe to say that most, if not all, of the people there were intoxicated to great proportions. Jin and I snuck out with little trouble and made for Jailbait. When we entered, we were met immediately by smoke and lights. The place wasn't much better than the average underground punk club, but it was very popular. It was hard to keep together while going through the forest of shoulders and skinny teenage bodies, dancing to some blaring techno-music. She came close to my ear again. 'Do you have it?' She didn't whisper this, but no one else could hear past the beat anyway. I nodded and patted my right pocket.
"We reached a wall away from the crowded dance floor and, out of a notion, kissed again before we began watching the people carefully, trying to find Jiinzu or his lackey. From our position, it was possible to see almost the whole area (I imagine that the only better place to watch would be in the dancing cages suspended from the ceiling). Time to time, Jin would look at her watch and tell me the current time. Half past, I caught sight of the little follower, scampering around with a bag of tablets, trying to dump them into the glasses and open bottles of peoples' drinks. Five till, Jin spotted Kaaki by one of the smoke machines and ran after him, motioning for me to go after the assistant that was running out to the ally.
"The little cretin wasn't hard to catch. He was barely a meter from the door when I had him by his collar. 'Now,' I said pulling back my fist. 'I've got a little problem with you and your boss. You might not have realised this, but you're in the Devil's kingdom now.'
"'J-Jiinzu-san said you'd be here,' he said weakly, 'but he thought that you wouldn't leave your girlfriend's side.'
"'What?' I threw him hard against the wall. 'How did you--'
"He gasped for the air that he lost from the force of the blow before he said anything more, 'Jiinzu-san saw the records of who died and you weren't in there. He figured that you and your girl would do something to him tonight, so he's made the dosage stronger and is setting the smoke machine up with noxious fumes.'
"'Ammonium chloride, again?'
"'N-no. Chlorine gas. He's putting enough in the machines to gas the neighborhood.'
"'Chlorine gas?' I looked back at the door. Coming from inside, the mindless beats still sounded, but gargled with them were screams of pain and what reminded me of war cries. The drug, we knew, numbed pain to the point that it didn't exist. This would include the sensation of suffocation that the toxins gave.
"I grabbed his neck before he could make a run for it again and dragged him back in with me. He kicked and screamed all the way, but it was drowned out by the the scene easily. People were already ripping each other apart, literally. People who didn't drink from the bar or accept the tablets were choking on the ground, floundering like fish out of water. The girls that were in the dancing cages were now strung up in pieces hanging from the bars. I tried to scream for Jin, but my breath was already drawing short.
"Through one of the billows of smoke, I saw Jiinzu's frantic form appear, trying to escape something. He was immediately seized by someone with long, black hair, which I knew to be Jin. Before I could get her attention, however, her own shoulders were grabbed and she was pulled back into the oblique clouds. I tried, as well as one could in such a situation, to run towards her, for a moment unaware of the struggling man that I was pulling about.
"'Please! Let me go! Let me go, man!' he was yelling as loud as he could.
"'You want me to let you go? Fine!' I chucked him into a mass of drugged brawlers and saw him get torn apart through the corner of my eye as I scrambled ahead.
"I entered into a white mass of air and was able to see more bodies, perhaps even more barbarically mutilated, littering the glittered floor. Through all the noise, I heard, or perhaps felt, something hit hard against the ground several times. I saw a whole body, that of a very large, muscular man, practically fly by me. I went towards the direction it came and soon could make out a mass of silhouettes. A break in the vapors allowed me to see the legs of the one in the center, who was straining to separate from the others. The familiar black pants that was the uniform of a bartender at our pub were torn and soaked with blood, and one of the high- heeled shoes were missing. 'Jin!' I choked out.
"'The figure didn't take notice to me. However, I saw her shadow in the mist pull an arm from the sockets of one of her assaulters, then immediately use the limb to bludgeon the others. This allowed her to sprint away, apparently after Jiinzu. I followed, avoiding the mess of corpses around me."
Well, this chapter's another two-parter! And I made it bloody again. Now that's what Election Day's all about! And, once again, the humor didn't live long. Actually, I find it funny, but you know...
