Hello loyal readers!
Bi-weekly update is here! This week brings a new perspective, some action, and a character a few of you have been asking about! I've updated the mailbag since the original post last Saturday, so you can find that below.
If you loyal readers could leave a quick review, I'd be very grateful for any motivation. I feel that my muse to finish this story is lagging a bit. Not quite sure what it is, but most likely just the sheer busyness of life right now.
Hope you all enjoy the chapter!
-x-
CH8
Sho's evening had been a mixed bag. He didn't know whether he wanted to snap at his father or thank the old man for strong-arming him into attending this event. On one hand, Sho had been forced to fake a smile and pretend to care about every boring old fogey his father had dragged across his path.
Networking. Hah! Sho had no need for networking. He was getting out from under his father's thumb at the first chance he got.
Not only that, but he had been forced to watch his dim-witted and naïve childhood friend get swept up in the claws of some hot-shot super spy who was bound to drop her as soon as a more buxom woman waltzed into his life.
Fortunately, the bright point of Sho's evening had played out right before his eyes. Just when he was considering crashing through the bamboo to stop the sickly lovey-dovey melodrama unfolding before his eyes, he had caught the most wonderful sight.
The Bastard – named such in Sho's mind because he literally had no idea what the man's name was, aside from Agent T, so "The Bastard" worked just fine.
The Bastard had been firmly shut down by Kyoko.
The wealthy hotel heir had been so distracted, doubled over and smothering his snorting laughter with one hand and pounding the ground with his other, that he missed the conversation that followed. By the time he had picked himself off the floor and dusted off his tailored Italian suit, the Bastard was trying to explain away his actions to that gullible twit, Kyoko.
Sho was having none of that. Now, as he stood in front of the two secret agents, 007, Mission Impossible – whatever they were – Sho couldn't help the victorious smirk that crawled up his face.
Kyoko was furious. Even as her childhood friend, Sho had never seen Kyoko angry before that fateful night when she had been kidnapped instead of Mimori. All she had ever been was boring gentle smiles and girlish giggles. Now, her eyes flashed with an unquenchable fury and her mouth twisted into a menacing snarl as she flew to her feet.
Frankly, the girl was scary, almost frightening.
However, Sho was smirking because instantly, by his very presence, he had managed to transport Kyoko to a place where that Bastard couldn't reach her. In her rage, in her thirst for revenge, Mogami Kyoko belonged to Fuwa Sho.
More or less, just like old times.
"What are you doing here, you thief and trampler of the hearts of innocent maidens?" Kyoko spat at the tall blonde.
"I got a proper invite," Sho shot back. "Unlike you, most likely—!"
"Unlike me!? I was properly invited to the festivities—!"
"Hah! Yeah right! Are you sure you didn't come for janitorial duties afterward?"
Sho allowed Kyoko to ramble angrily as he shifted his taunting gaze to the man sitting, forgotten, on the bench behind her.
For a moment, the heir's blood ran cold.
A long time ago, during his first semester in private school, Sho had to hold his own against a group of bullies who'd thought they'd found an easy meal ticket. Only three black eyes and a couple bloody noses had convinced the bullies to never mess with Fuwa Sho ever again. Sho had learned that day the demeanor of lesser men who picked on the weak to prove their strength to themselves. Scavengers.
But now, the steely, murderous look on the face of the man sitting before Sho was not that of a scavenger. This was an apex predator.
Sho felt a nervous twitch at the corner of his mouth, and his smirk widened on defensive reflex. Always better to bluff than run away.
"—properly working. And I have enough to worry about without you interrupting me," Kyoko snapped and poked an angry finger into his chest.
"What?" Sho cut in, now desperately ignoring the enraged man behind Kyoko. "Is all this dancing really supposed to help you get your sweet, sweet revenge on me?"
The young woman opened her mouth to retort, then stopped short. She looked away, almost guiltily. Her amber eyes grew dark, conflicted. "I…"
"Hah! You aren't forgetting your vow so soon, right?" He scoffed. "That you were going to dig up some dirt on me that was so terrible that it would – what did you say – 'turn my dreams to dust'? Eh, Kyo—?"
"Koiso-san."
Sho's head snapped up. Agent T was standing, and Sho braced for the violent onslaught sure to come his way. Instead, Sho noticed the man had completely changed appearances. The murderous rage had been wiped as neatly off his face as a coffee ring under a damp cloth.
Rather, the tall, dark-haired man tucked his gloved hands politely behind his back and tilted his head to the side, inquiring.
"Koiso-san, I do not believe that I am acquainted with your… associate," the man stated cordially, a polite smile on his face.
Sho inched a step back, disturbed. He quickly turned back to Kyoko, hoping to regain control of the situation by restarting his argument with her. Instead, Kyoko had somehow morphed into yet another stranger.
His childhood friend still had familiar aspects about herself, but her bearing was completely different.
Mature, intelligent amber eyes calmly looked him up and down, and a displeased sigh left her lips, but that was it. A graceful hand smoothed back her hair, and deft gloved hands repined the awry wisps.
Kyoko – or this girl, whoever she was – didn't even look at him as she waved a careless hand his way and stated shortly, "Fuwa Sho, friend of a friend. Never got along with the guy."
"W-wha—!"
"I don't know, Ryota-kun. He's just some rich punk who hung out with one of my college friends."
Sho stood agape. He didn't even know where to begin. Kyoko was still in high school, if she was even still attending school! And what was up with this fake backstory?
"Well," mused The Bastard with a small bow. "I suppose it's nice to meet you, Fuwa-san."
Sho felt his fingers curl into a fist at his side. He didn't know what this feeling was, but he didn't like it.
It felt like getting lost on the way coming home. It felt like the day his father told him that he was never going to be a musician. It felt wrong. Wrong in a hundred ways.
"You…" Sho broke into a wide sneer at his childhood friend. "You coward."
Kyoko froze, then open anger began to flood her face again. She was becoming more recognizable by the second as her facade melted away. "What did you say?"
More confident, Sho announced with a punctuating jab of his finger, "Yeah! Go run away into your fantasyland of make-believe. Anything to make you feel better, because you know that you'd never be able to drive someone like me into a corner!"
"You—!"
"Fuwa-san."
The hotel heir startled as he felt a strong hand clamp down on his wrist. When had that Bastard moved?
"Fuwa-san." Agent T's voice was even, but his eyes held a hardened glint. "I would recommend that you refrain from speaking to Koiso-san in such a manner."
Realization struck Sho, and it suddenly felt as if he had swallowed a pile of rocks.
The only reason a man like Agent T, an apex predator who could have anyone he wanted, would be so possessive over Kyoko was because he actually… liked her?
This, Sho could not allow to stand. Kyoko was his. His to taunt and manipulate. His to enrage. She was his.
"Oh yeah?" Sho snapped and wrenched his wrist from the operative's grasp. He glared (only slightly) upward at the other man who glared right back. "Anything you do to me, once my dad hears about it—!"
The agent chuckled darkly. "Hmmm? Hiding behind your father's back?"
"Um, Ryota-kun—" Kyoko insistently tried to interject.
"One moment, Koiso-san."
"I am not! I can fight my own battles without that shitty old man!"
Kyoko tried again. "Ryo—"
But Sho talked over her, "Besides, you're the real pathetic one!"
"I am very curious," Agent T responded, "how you think I'm the pathetic one here."
"For example!" Sho declared haughtily. "I can't believe you fell in love with such an ugly, boring girl like her."
A pregnant pause lingered in the humid night air. Both men slowly turned to face the subject of their conversation.
Luckily or unluckily, she was no longer there.
-x-
Agent M double tapped the flesh-colored comm link in her ear. She crouched and rolled her head around the corner to take a peek down the long hallway. Regal crimson carpet stretched from the elevator behind her down the well-lit corridor.
Empty.
"Yashiro-san," Kyoko hissed. "I'm breaking cover."
Instantly, she heard the comforting click-clack of furious keyboard typing. The junior agent knew that Yashiro was bringing up her tracker and corresponding video feed on his screens back at HQ.
"Kyoko-chan, what's wrong?" Yashiro responded. "Did you see something?"
"Yes. Can you review the camera feed for Hall 2B from the last minute?" Kyoko whispered and took another glance down the hallway, counting. The hall branched off into five doors. Most likely meeting rooms. "I'm following two males. One adolescent and one older, around 20 years-old. Both with dark hair."
"Give me a second. Where's Ren?"
Kyoko paused before she whispered, "He's preoccupied right now."
Thankfully, sparing her further inquiry, Yashiro's computer beeped. "Last door at the end of the hall. They went in 42 seconds ago."
With one hand, Kyoko hiked her skirt up, and with the other she reached down to pull her firearm from her thigh holster. The modified Glock 0.40 semi-automatic handgun shone dully in her hands as she quickly checked that the safety was still on.
Rubber bullets soothed many a Japanese politician's worry when PSIA agents first started arming themselves, and the gun allowed Kyoko to feel much more at ease as well, especially with the Taser built into the gun's handle.
"I'm just going to check. Watch my back, please."
"Will do. Be careful."
The agent crept forward, one silent step at a time. First was a pair of doors on her left and right; Kyoko stopped to listen at both, placing a light hand on the doors to detect any subtler vibration produced by whispers, before moving on. The door to her right indicated quite a few voices, mostly male, talking quickly in hushed tones.
Kyoko quirked a brow. A secret political meeting of some sort? Not her priority right now.
"I'm going to ping Ren," Yashiro murmured into her comm. Kyoko could only nod so he could see on the security camera.
Fortunately, the last set of doors nearest to her target was silent. No voices, no vibrations. The operative knew that she didn't want many people nearby since she was uncertain about the situation's outcome.
Trying to let her dress rustle as little as possible, Kyoko shifted so that her back was against the wall closest to the final door. She heard voices from this door, two distinct male voices. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head toward the door and allowed the audio-enhancing program in her earpiece to amplify the sound waves.
Static… "what are… doing here…?" Thump. A yelp. "Work... don't want… interruptions…" Silence. "No, wait! Stop! STOP!"
Kyoko's eyes flashed open. She didn't need the amplification program as she heard the screams clearly from the other side of the door. And she recognized those terrified screams.
"Yashiro-san, I'm going in—"
"Kyoko-chan! What? No, wait! Ren knows where you are. Stay put until–"
Ignoring him, Kyoko already had one hand on the polished door handle. Her other hand held her gun behind her, hidden in the folds of her skirt. Better to take the attacker by surprise than to prompt a hostage situation.
Yukihito was still talking to her.
"He said he's less than three minutes away. I repeat, stay put—"
Another scream— blood-curdling this time. Kyoko stopped hesitating and turned the handle, pushing the door open.
A black void greeted her; the lights in the room were off.
"H-hello…?" Aiko called out timidly as she stepped into the room, her eyes adjusting to the darkness too slowly for her taste.
A figure faded into view.
"Who…?"
He was immediately recognizable. After all, Natsu had tormented him only two weeks ago. And Natsu would be loathe to admit that Takemura Ryuji now seemed much more terrified than he ever had in her care.
Ryuji stared at Koiso Aiko with wide, frightened eyes, his expensive tuxedo torn and bloodied. He was hog-tied with what looked like an expensive designer tie. Black dress socks stuffed into his mouth muffled his screams for help. Judging by his bare neck and feet, Kyoko guessed that both clothing items were his own.
He must have come with his father for the PM's birthday, noted Kyoko from a distant portion of her mind.
"Do stop struggling," intoned a voice. Aiko's head snapped up.
Another man loomed out of the darkness. He cast a withering glare at the teenage boy writhing, bound and gagged on the floor. Kyoko's quick eyes observed the tall, lanky man leaning against the room's conference table. Dark black hair and purple eyes gleamed in the scant light from the hallway.
"I even gave you the lowest dosage and everything—. Oh, and now you've fainted…"
Kyoko took a precious moment to glance at the teenaged boy on the floor. His chest rose and fell slowly – too slowly for Kyoko's liking. As she looked back up at the strange man, she knew that she would have to get Representative Takemura's son medical attention, and soon.
But first things first.
The man eyed Aiko, clearly bored. "So… what? Are you going to scream and run or something?"
"I-I…" Turning to ensure her gun was still hidden, Aiko took a wavering step backward. Her high heel appeared to catch in the carpet and she stumbled.
He sighed and stepped toward her, lazily reaching out with long, spindly fingers.
Kyoko acted.
With her spare hand, she knocked aside the man's reach for her, then grabbed his wrist and rotated harshly. In a single fluid motion, Kyoko yanked his arm toward her while using her arm's momentum to propel her heeled foot into his chest.
"Oof!"
Planting her high heel squarely on the ground, she pivoted sharply. Soon enough, the man lay dazed on the floor, the victim of her Aikido throw.
Kyoko felt a small, sharp twinge on the back of her ankle, but thought nothing of it. She was right where she wanted to be – between her attacker and Takemura-kun. Having a hostage situation was much less likely now.
The man was coughing, and he tried to rise from the ground. Dropping her costume mask to the floor, Kyoko brought up her gun.
"Don't move. Stay on the ground. Hands where I can see them," she barked authoritatively. Then Agent M's eyes widened.
Her attacker's dark hair slid neatly off his head in one piece, revealing silvery, shoulder-length locks.
"Hmm. It looks like the wig came off," the tall man mused as he rose, completely ignoring Kyoko's commands. Facing away from her, he brushed off the sleeves of his dark suit. "Oh well. I really hated that thing anyway."
Blinking back her surprise, Kyoko flipped off the safety of her gun. "Hey, you! Visual kei guy! I said, don't move."
The light-haired man froze, then turned to look over his shoulder at Kyoko. A cold finger of fear traced itself down her spine. She swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly and inexplicably dry.
Leisurely, the strange man turned to face her and took a step forward, cocking his head to the side. "Why should I not move? Will you do something to me if I don't obey you, little girl?"
Kyoko didn't reply. Rather, she couldn't. Her brain sent the message to her mouth and tongue, telling them to form words, a retort, a scream – anything! But nothing came out except a weak, high-pitched rattle.
Her hands shook in her effort to pull back the trigger and fire the rubber baton round straight into the creep's chest, but the Glock, incredibly and inexplicably heavy, simply toppled out of her trembling hands.
"Hm. LME, I'm guessing." The man drew nearer. "You really are a simpleton for trying to take down the leader of the Vie Ghoul Assassins alone."
Nonchalantly, he kicked her gun aside with the tip of his shoe. Through a thick fog, Kyoko heard it skitter across the room. Her eyes wouldn't move, frozen and fixed on the silver-haired man.
He loosened his formal tie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt until his thin, pale chest peeked out. From his back pants pocket, he produced an empty syringe and waved it before her face.
Kyoko's thoughts leapt to the pain she had felt in her ankle.
"It's something of my own concoction. A fast-acting paralytic and slow-acting sedative…" He reached out to tilt her chin up. His nails were all filed to a sharp point. "It's so you can feel the utmost fear of losing control before you go to sleep, completely unable to fight back against whatever I do to you next…"
Kyoko tried with all her might to rip her face out of his clutches, but her body no longer obeyed her. Her mind was growing muddier by the second.
Yashiro-san… he had called Tsuruga-san… Had it been three minutes yet? Kyoko's consciousness wavered on a cliff's edge, the abyss reaching out with cold tendrils to take her.
"Now sleep, little boring girl…" She heard the man murmur. "I'm sure Delta can't wait to meet you."
'Delta? He's with Delta?' Kyoko thought groggily. 'But…Don't worry. Tsuruga-san is coming… He'll… come for… me…'
A thud, but not her body hitting the ground. Yelling. Scuffling, fighting, cursing. A hazy curtain started to close in from her peripherals. She was falling.
"Kyoko!"
Something warm caught her. Kyoko blinked groggily, the dim light swimming before her. A face… She reached up to touch it, her fingers lightly caressing his jaw-line.
"Tsuruga…san… You came after all," she said, a small smile crossing her lips.
"… Goddammit… HEY KYOKO, SNAP OUT OF IT!" Someone was rudely clutching her arms and shaking her. And she recognized that voice…
The agent's eyes flew open, venomous and heady rage pulling her swiftly from the clutches of her attacker's sedative.
"Sho…TARO!"
To Sho's credit, he never imagined that immediately after almost fainting, Kyoko would have the wherewithal to slap him.
"Don't touch me, stupid Sho!" Kyoko snapped at him, picking herself off the floor, only a slightly trembling weakness in her limbs. "What are you doing here!"
"What am I doing here?" Clutching the red handprint on his cheek, Sho stumbled to his feet. "I'm saving your ass, that's what! Who is this creep?"
The poisoning Delta agent! Kyoko whipped around to see a huddled mass on the floor. The man's silver hair hung down around his face as he bent, doubled over and clutching his stomach.
"Hm." Kyoko raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "So you actually did learn something from those self-defense classes your father put you through."
"What!" Sho ground out, "Is that all the thanks I get after saving you from this pervert?"
Livid, Kyoko whirled on him and swept a hand through the air for emphasis. "I will never thank you. As long as I live, I live to bring you kicking and screaming down to the depths of Hell along with me! All your hopes and dreams in this life are mine to destroy!"
"Hmm? It turns out you're not such a boring little girl after all."
The two whipped around. Having straightened up while they bickered, the silver-haired man was reclining against the conference room's wall. He was still breathing heavily, but he smiled at Kyoko, a cold and cruel smirk. To her shame, her body instinctively took a small step back.
"It would seem your paralytic already wore off. But a treat for me… Your aura is so deliciously dark and thick with rage," the trained assassin murmured sensuously as he used the wall to stand to his feet. "The name is Reino. It's a pleasure to meet you."
-x-
No Japanese notes this week, but… Did you know that the effects of chemical sedatives can be overridden or ignored by the injected person if the person is experiencing a heightened emotional state? AKA: Kyoko getting furious at Shotaro. Hahaha
-x-
MAILBAG – 6 replies this week, since I'm late and there were a lot of great reviews last chapter!:
MWEH: Oh wow! You're right! That little possessive particle must have snuck in there via subconscious desires ;) "Her Tsuruga-san" indeed! Thanks for being so supportive and time-flexible! And hopefully this chapter shed a little more light on how Kyoko threatened Sho. Thanks as always for all of your reviews!
SilverInu93: You have no idea how happy your review made me! I feel like as a writer, I'm really lacking in the humor department. I know what I find funny, but I have a hard time figuring out what other people find "roll on the floor laughing" funny. Thanks for the compliment!
Aikori Ichijouji: Very cool! I used to watch Pride and Prejudice religiously with my mom when I was younger (the BBC version, not the Kiara Knightly one). The dances are so elegant and have so many political and social undertones. It does look like a good calf workout though! ;) Thanks for the review!
cleocat333: Haha, I'm really glad you enjoyed that scene! It was fun to write, just imagining how Kyoko would react in such a situation. If it weren't for the fact that she was acting at the moment, she might have melted into the floor!
Shizuhoe: Thank you so much for the compliment on the writing style. I've been reading my old fanfics and I like to think that as I have been maturing and growing as a person, so my writing style has improving over the years! Aaaaand, consider your question about Reino answered! ;)
JeremyVD: Did you see Kuon make a brief appearance in this chapter? Haha – And the great/terrible thing about Skip Beat is the romantic tension! It wouldn't be so MOE if it weren't for the fact that Kyoko and Ren were dancing around each other constantly (pun/irony not intended haha).