Author's Note: Hello, all! I have been working on this for some time now and finally feel like I can publish it for you all to see! This is my first YuYu fanfic and I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing it! Please let me know how it is! This is a slow burn romance, so buckle in and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters besides the one I created!
A Pinky Promise
Chapter Six
She had laid in bed for what felt like half the day. She had woken up hours ago, but was stuck on her phone scrolling through the few apps she kept on it. Only when her wrist started to cramp did she think about getting up to start her day. She sat up and rested her feet on the cold ground and took a moment to look around her room. There wasn't much to it; just a bed, dresser and a small closet that stored her most prized jackets… and the giant pile of laundry she had been avoiding for some time. She glared at it, knowing there was only one thing she could do to get rid of it.
Stretching her arms over her head as she stood, she belted out a loud yawn and started towards the discarded clothes. The door to her room creaked open and she jumped around, startled. She was not expecting Han to be awake yet. He had been out late, and up even later down in the garage. But, it was not her brother standing in the doorframe. Instead, she came face-to-face with hazel eyes. They were glaring at her with a rage she was not prepared for so early in the morning.
"Good morning," she tried a friendly tone to hopefully ease the tension suddenly filling the room. "Are you ready for breakfast, Hansamu?"
Instead of a reply, the glare intensified and he turned away from her with his nose in the air. She huffed at his rudeness and continued collecting her clothes to get them to the washing machine down the hall. She was thankful that there was not much in her room to collect or organize. With the years on the run, she had learned to travel light. There was always a chance she would wake up one day and have to move on. So, holding value onto something made it more difficult. She looked around her room and found the only thing she did find dear tucked into the mirror over the dresser. It was a picture of her mother from many years ago. It had made it overseas, across many countries, and countless close calls. If anything were to happen to it, she would be devastated. She gave it one last look, admiring how beautiful her mother was, before turning away to continue her chore. It was too early in the morning to get into her emotions.
Once the laundry had been started, she turned to the kitchen to start breakfast. However, all she found in the fridge was an opened carton of milk. Lucky for her the date had not passed and there was a box of cheap cereal in one of the cabinets. Today was going to be a good day, she concluded getting her meal together on the counter. A thought struck her, and she reached for the second bowl and collected her goods together once more. Marching through the living room, she knocked against the door to Han's room with her knee. Hopefully it would be loud enough to wake him.
When no noise came from the other side of the door, she thought aloud. "Must be in the office." Before she left, she turned and shouted out to Hansamu, who had retreated back into the apartment. "I'll have to get more food for you, please don't break anything!"
She was in the elevator next with her arm starting to tingle with the milk pressed into the fold of her elbow. Excitement was brewing in the bottom of her stomach and she did not feel the pain. It had been some time since she and Han had a meal together and it would be like old times sharing milk and cereal. If his mood allowed it, she started thinking of things they could do today.
The metal doors to the elevator opened and she walked into the garage. Already there were people working on their vehicles. The shrill scream of a drill trying to remove a stubborn bolt from a tire filled the garage. The smell of engine oil and fuel hit her nose. She marched through the shop, pajama'd and arms full of breakfast food, cutting through raised cars, and machines until she reached the door to Han's office. She knocked again with her knee, and this time she heard the muffled sound of a 'go away.' Instead, she turned the door knob with her elbow and then kicked the door open.
"MORNING!" She yelled entering the dark room.
Han was sitting behind his desk with books and notepads laid out in front of him. The only source of light was the lamp that hung over the small poker table. The last card game from the previous night was still spread across the green soft orange glow from the lamp illuminated her brother's face and she could see the dark bags under his eyes from the door.
"Made you breakfast," she softly shut the door behind her and approached his desk. He had a soft glare as she made herself comfortable in the leather seat across from him. She divided out the cereal into the bowls, but left the milk for himself to pour. He took a moment to put down his pen, as if debating which was more important. After he sighed deeply, he reached for the bowl left on the desk. "What are you working out?" She indicated with her spoon to the books.
He answered after swallowing his mouthful of cereal. "Balancing the books."
She realised one was significantly smaller than the other. It was more of a notebook with hastily scribbled notes, versus the other was a uniformed tracking sheet. Her grey eyes flickered from the page to Han. "Do you think D.K. will catch on?"
Han chuckled softly, barely able to hear over the clanking of the spoon against the bowl. "D.K. is very confident that his numbers are adding up, so he doesn't look close enough to see how."
Hana had never liked D.K. and did not like the idea of Han being partner's with someone leading a branch of the Yakuza even more. Stealing from him fell into the same category. There was a thin line they were toying with. It was either genius or pure idiocy to steal from D.K., which really meant stealing from the Yakuza, the most feared gang in Japan. It was absolutely unthinkable, which made never getting caught a possible thing. But, if they did get caught outsmarting D.K. there was no amount of running they could do to keep them safe and that did, but she would never admit outloud to Han, scare her.
Han was too busy with his breakfast to notice Hana pulling the smaller book towards her. She went over the numbers, but having no idea what they meant. She did know, however, that they were her clients and she was the one in charge of making sure payment was collected. Anything beyond that, and how Han was using his connection from D.K. to fuel their secret operation, was a foriegn language to her. If it were anyone but Han, she would have made a better effort to learn this stuff, out of fear of being double crossed. However, since it was Han, she trusted him with her life and never once worried if he was doing any funny business of his own to her. There was nothing she could do to ever pay him back, even after all of these years.
Her eye caught an empty slot amongst the lines. That little detail she did understand. "What's this?" She slid the book back towards him.
He didn't need her to point out what she was questioning. With a mouthful of cereal, he explained, "a missed payment."
"So, why haven't we gotten payment yet?" She looked up, but he was eyeing the cereal box beside her. Rolling her eyes, she pushed the box towards him. "It's clearly past due."
"It's too risky," he simply explained, filling up his bowl for the second time. "Should not have taken the client in the first place."
"Too risky?" She repeated, never hearing such a thing from Han before. Her reply was a simple shrug as he dug deeper into his cereal. She deadpanned, "please, stop. You have given me way too much information."
He rolled his eyes before answering her. "It's someone tied to the government. If they were exposed by the media, we would definitely be revealed. Meaning, it's too risky for us to go and collect from her."
"I would say we're far more complex, for every day villany, to get caught so simply." She pointed to the books with her chin. "The only people keeping such detailed notes is a bank."
He shut the book, possibly harder than necessary. "Someone trying to not get caught does. It would be an absolute waste to get caught over something so minimal."
For that amount of money it doesn't seem such a waste… She wanted to voice her opinion, but decided against it. She said out loud instead, toasting her cereal to him. "I appreciate all the hours of scrutinizing you have put in."
The corner of his lips raised into a half smile. She was ready for a famous Han rebuttal and she planned for a counter. A small spot in her chest warmed. She missed these moments with the man she called her brother. Since coming to Tokyo these moments have come few and far inbetween, unlike their time in the states or while on the run. After they had said their early goodbyes to someone very dear to the both of them, they had come to Japan as different people. Han was here trying to chase any sort of escape from his guilt, and Hana was right behind him to make sure he would not do anything too stupid. If there was anything she could to make him happy, she would do it. She wanted her brother back, so they could sit over cereal and banter and she would not have to hold onto the moment like it was a rare artifact.
A yawn tore through the room and Hana almost jumped out of her chair. From under the poker table a girl, still in a shimmering dress from the previous night, crawled out. She stretched her long arms over her head. "Good morning, Han." She nearly purred, but startled when she found Hana glaring at her. The girl straightened and her light brown eyes sharpened as they returned the glare. The girl crossed the groom in only a few strides and, as if claiming her territory, draped her arms around Han's neck. She acted like she was whispering something into his ear, but spoke loud enough for Hana to hear. "Why didn't you wake me?"
Hana rolled her eyes at the girl. Han didn't seem to notice Hana's disgust with the affection that was being rained on him. Infact, he pulled the girl onto his lap. She gave Hana a 'this is mine' kinda look and the warm spot Hana had in her chest extinguished. It was replaced by exasperation. "Sorry, but you're barking up the wrong bitch tree, you birch." Hanna stood from her chair, enough glare for the both of them. "I'm his sister."
He didn't try to stop her as she stormed off and out of the office. To be annoying, she left the door open and marched across the garage. She was still angry and decided to skip the elevator and stomped up the stairs. It helped her anger subside to slam her feet, even though it did not have the desired sound effect with the slippers on her feet stifling the noise. Her anger was still boiling when she reached her room and found her phone.
"Himari," she was nearly growling when they answered. "I need your help with something."
She shifted uncomfortably in the back seat of the car. The innocent driver she had rented for the evening glanced at her in the rear view mirror and gave her a polite smile. She meekly returned it before turning to look out the window. She was more nervous than she wanted to be. Han's voice, now much more ominous than it had been this morning when she spoke with him, played over and over in her head. 'It's too risky.' She had been so determined to prove him wrong after she stormed out of his office, she never thought about what would happen if she was caught.
No, she stopped herself from thinking of all the ways this could go wrong. All you have to do is go in, find the woman, get the money, and then get out. She recited that mantra a few more times before feeling somewhat more confident to pull out her phone to go over the information that had been sent to her from Himari once more. She would be looking for Merle Ueda, who was the wife to the American ambassador in Japan. Merle was throwing a party for the elite of Tokyo, and thanks to the fabricated invite Himari had made, so was Hana. Once she got inside, all she had to do was find Merle, possibly after a few drinks, and find her in the restroom and explain the situation and walk out with a purse full of yen. It would be easy-peasy.
The car was pulling through a gate with an armed guard that led to a long, cobblestone drive. At the end was a large, four story home that had more windows than Hana could count. Her face was almost plastered to the window when the car came to a stop and she had to remind herself that she needed to blend in, and gawking at something, yet so marvelous, would not cut it. She went to reach for the door, but the driver called out to her.
"No, miss! I will get that for you!" He got out and ran to her side of the car and opened the door for her. She hesitated at the extended hand he had offered her. "Ms. Melissa Change," he had no idea that was the cover name she was using for the evening. The driver was young, but seemed to know what he was doing.
"T-thank you," she hesitated to get out of the car. Out of everything she did to prep for tonight, she did not get a second to learn to walk in heels properly. She gulped, not prepared whatsoever to spend the next few hours in the death trap for shoes.
She put her hand in the driver's offered hand and he helped out of the car and onto her feet. It took her a moment to steady herself and he gave her a worried glance. She had to turn away before she could convince herself this really was a stupid idea. When he returned to his seat and started to drive away, Hana turned towards the house and up the immaculate stairway. It was stone, and lined with little pebbles and lights and flowers that she had only seen in magazines. There were twelve steps she needed to conquer before reaching the door. She recalled Neela's advice, the one and only friend she had that knew her way around makeup and dresses, who she had called for just a few hours ago for help.
"Put your heel down first," her friend had instructed while swirling a makeup brush across her face. "Then follow with your toes."
Hana straightened knowing she had to at least pretend that she belonged, but maybe stay against the wall… just in case. She couldn't help but one last worried thought before starting up the stairs.
Once she passed under the large and wooden archway she walked into the welcoming hall that was floor to ceiling marble. An elegant chandelier hung above her head, and a set of stairs that she saw once in the 'Gone with the Wind' movie faced her. Large, expensive looking, pictures lined the wall when there was no window. There was a sound of a string quartet somewhere, but it echoed off the marble all around her.
A man in a snazzy suit appeared from a small door she had not originally seen. Behind him was the clattering of a kitchen. He was walking towards her with a worried look. And suddenly her stomach was in one, mighty knot. Knowing how easy she could fail in this moment hit her hard. All it took was this man to know that she did not belong and she would be kicked out. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears and she prayed that the amount of makeup Neela had put on her would hide the immense heat she felt on her cheeks. She just had to get pass this part.
"I am sorry for the invoicence. We thought everyone invited had arrived already." He was probably ten years older than she. There were small lines in the corner of his eyes and lips. "We should have had an escort for you outside."
"Itismyfaultforbeinglate," she said it like one, indistinguishable word and almost crumpled to the ground. Out of all she had put into this evening, ruining it with her greeting was just great. Of course he would realize she wasn't meant to be here, the party of the century for the near royal of Japan, and would ask her to leave. If only Mia was here, to talk her through it like they did in their past heist. It was strange going into such an elaborate plan without any backup or someone speaking into her ear to guide her through it. She really was alone on this mission, but she would prove to Han that she was abled.
He took a moment to translate the mumbled words she had used. When he collected himself, he gave her a smile. "Or, perhaps, everyone is just very early?" She nodded, trying to make a sound that resembled a laugh. He didn't seem to sense her disequilibrium and he continued. "Do you have your invitation, Miss…?"
He waited politely for her to catch on. When she did, she almost jumped out of her shoes. Act normal! She had to scream at herself as she fumbled in front of the man. She reached into the small clutch that she had the tightest grip on, and pulled out the envelope that had been forged less than an hour ago.
"Chang. Melissa Chang." She repeated her fake name for the evening and handed him the invite. She watched, breath held so tight, as he slipped the invite out of the envelope and started reading the intricate print, that was made to appear like actual handwriting by Himari.
She prayed to all the gods and spirits around her. This took ages. So long she feared she would lose consciousness from holding her breath. Finally, when his dark brown eyes skimmed the last line of the invite, did he bow to her. The sense to cheer raged through her, but she had to bite her cheek to keep her feet on the ground. When he straightened, he extended his arm to guide her down the hall. With his back to her, she could not hold back the triumphed smile. All that panic for nothing, she chided herself.
The next room he led her to was jaw dropping immaculate. The marble floors continued into the ballroom. Giant, marble pillars and diamond chandeliers dropped from the ceiling. The string quartet that she had heard earlier was actually a mini orchestra of twenty performers, who were stationed against the back wall. Performers clad in all black clothing , and black lace masks were scattered about the large room doing little shows for the cluster of people encircling them. She saw a stilt walker, a juggler, and on the largest chandelier, in the center of the room, was a girl creating strange shapes with her body and a hula hoop.
There was a tap on her shoulder that brought her attention away from looking any longer at the spectacles. Her escort was standing there, a big smile on his face, with a silk pillow in his hands. He offered it to her like it was a gift. She looked down and found a mask with intricate beading. Her jaw dropped again. The beads were actual bright, green emeralds! She wanted to touch it, to know how expensive it was, but she held back. Why would he be offering her this?
"Miss Chang," he seemed confused by her hesitation. "You can not attend a masked gala without a mask, now can you?"
He pushed the mask towards her once more, and she could not ignore what he was implying. He gave her a soft smile, as if he sympathized for her. Perhaps, he assumed she was new to this world, and not someone trying to break in. She hoped she could keep that facade up for the evening. Gingerly she reached for the mask and picked it up from the satin pillow. The man led her to a small table that was covered in black silk and, what she could only assume, was a pure silver-encrusted mirror and lonely, unpicked mask. She placed the mask to her face and tied the silk strings together behind her head and then approached the mirror to inspect her work. She gaped, the woman reflected back at her was not the same girl she saw every day in the morning. This stranger was gorgeous, and that was a word Hana had never used for herself before. Even though half of her face was covered by the mask, she could still see the work that Neela had done to transform her- especially her eyes. The green mask made her grey eyes a sultry silver and she thought about it wearing it every day.
"Just what I thought," her escort appeared in the mirror next to her. His large smile was still intact and his brown eyes were warm. "It really suits you."
She gave a quiet 'thank you' as he took the mirror away and turned her towards the party. Suddenly, her stomach was back in its knot again. She felt like a new kid walking into a high school.
He was giving her a deep bow before he slipped away. "Enjoy yourself this evening, Miss Chang. It was a pleasure."
There was suddenly a tray of tall glasses filled with something bubbling in her face that she felt obliged to accept. The waiter ushered her further into the room and by the time she made it across, and into a safe corner, she was stopped six times by waiters with trays of food.
A girl could get used to this, she thought to herself as she washed everything down with the glass that ended up being filled with champagne. She held the glass up to the light and realised there were flakes of gold floating within the rising bubbles.
Through the glass she thought she saw something familiar, but there was no way. Her stomach did another knot- even with the champagne starting to calm her down. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her. There was no way that Yusuke Uresmeshi was standing across the room from her. He was wearing a sharp suit and mask and almost blended in with the rest of the crowd. However, his brown eyes were darting between the dancers, and drinkers, and waiters behind a green mask. It was hard to not suspect him of looking suspicious. Perhaps he was here doing the same thing she was… or maybe he was back on the quest to reach Kamata and that sent a chill through her. The reason she was here, and she hated quoting Han, was risky but if he was here to find a contact with the mob boss… it would be jeopardous… redoubtable… deadly… or some other word she could not think of to describe it, but what she did know was that shit would hit the fan if people knew who he was and what he was doing.
She slammed the other half of her drink down and started marching towards him. His back was turned when she approached. She had to remind herself of their current location, and instead of demanding why he was here, she reached out and tapped him on the shoulder.
He turned and had a scowl that clearly read 'leave me alone.' His brown eyes were near slits as he glared at her through the holes in his mark. "What do you want?"
She crossed her arms over her chest, "manners, Uresmashi." The brown eyes looked her up and down. When realization set in, his jaw fell. Before he could say anything, she found his elbow and dragged him further into the corner. "What are you doing here?"
A stilt walker passed and she hoped he did not hear her hiss her question. Yusuke pulled out of her grip, and straightened his jacket.
"I could ask you the same thing." He sounded accusingly as he did one last look down of her and her dress.
"Ureshamshi," someone nearly sang in her ear. Another suite clad surprise curled an arm around her shoulder. "Who do we have here?"
Clearly, Kuwabara was not aware that they were whispering and nearly announced to the whole ballroom that they were hiding in the corner. She turned a glare towards the suit clad idiot. He gave her a cheesy grin, his grey eyes barely visible behind the light blue mask. "Sorry to break it to you, sweet heart, but my friend here is taken." He reached out and lifted Yusuke's hand up, showing off the golden band on his fourth finger.
"Good thing I'm not here to look," she rolled her eyes at him. "I'm here strictly for business."
Kuwabara froze at the sound of her voice. She could see the wheels churning and she worried his head might explode. Slowly, as he pieced everything together, his jaw fell. "Hana…?" She nodded her head and he pulled her closer to him. "Damn, girl! You got hot!"
She pushed away from his chest, annoyed and worried he had messed up her makeup. "You really know how to flatter a woman, Kuwabara. Yukina is so lucky."
He laughed as if oblivious to her sarcasm. "Yeah, Yukina is doing good. But, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here for business," she finished adjusting her mask and fixed the two with a hard stare. "I'm assuming you're here doing the same?" Yusuke gave her a node, aware of all the ears that were around them that could be listening. She stepped closer, drawing both boys to her. "The Yakuza has eyes and ears everywhere. Be careful who you talk to."
Yusuke brushed her off with a boyish grin. "Yeah, yeah. We got the same lecture from Kurama."
"Kurama's here?" She sounded winded at the idea of the red head, and she was not pleased. She shook her head to get her thoughts back into place, she would deal with it later. "Just stay out of trouble, okay?"
"Right back at you." Yusuke nearly laughed, unconcerned at her warning. He straightened, back to business. "Where is your group?"
A waiter with a tray of champagne passed and Hana reached for another glass. "What I'm here for does not require one."
Kuwabara's elbow was suddenly nudging her in the side. "So, you're not here on a date?"
Aspirated, she sighed and resisted chugging the glass in her hand. "No, Kuwabara. Someone here owes me money."
"Who?" He was too excited for his own good. He was ready to follow her onto the next adventure, obviously bored with his current one. "Maybe we can help?"
Hana shook her head, letting the chill of the drink rake through her. The pit of her stomach was starting to warm, loosening its nasty grip. "I can handle this on my own."
Yusuke poked her cheek. "I forgot how lone-wolf you try to be."
She snapped at his finger with her teeth, which she barely missed. "What are the cover names you are using?"
They both glanced at each other, and she was slapping a hand to her forehead before their answers. "Yusuke and Kuwabara?" they said in unison.
"You don't have covers? What if you reveal yourself to the wrong person, aren't you worried about what would happen?" She almost swatted their shaking heads. "Haven't you seen a spy movie before?"
They both scratched the beach of their heads, either guilty because they failed to conjure up names or that fact that they were caught not having them. Yusuke recovered first.
"Well, what's your disguise, miss know-it-all?" He demanded, all but poking her in the chest.
"Melissa Chang," she answered but a gong was hit somewhere in the depths of the room before she could continue with the elaborate backstory she had created. The gong's song reverberated and caused the crowd to settle to a simmer. The masked attendants all turned to the center of the room, coming shoulder to shoulder under the chandelier where a magic show had started. She pinched the back of both boy's arms to get their attention. They turned to her, nearly howling, rubbing their sore spots. Appeased, if just a little, she wagged a finger at them. "Stay out of trouble. I don't have time to rescue you two idiots."
"Thanks, Mom." Yusuke gave her a single finger salute before turning away with Kuwabara.
She watched the two disappear into the crowd. Her anxiety was back, if possible, even worse than before. Knowing that those two were here and trying to find a contact with Kamata and what could go wrong replaced all the space in her head that stored the plan of finding Merle. Her eyes skimmed the crowd trying to find them, make sure they were not speaking with someone too dangerous that she might know. The thought almost made her laugh. Like she would know anyone else here.
She caught sight of a batch of red hair and her heart jumped a little in her chest. When she realized it was a girl in a beautiful white mask, she calmed down. It was strange knowing Kurama was out here, prowling the crowd, the same she should have been doing, to find his prey. She finished her drink and placed it on the passing waiters tray. It was time to get back to work. She shook her head to diminish the worry she had for the boys. She had been here far too long without any signs of Merle and she wasn't planning on staying out late.
The magic show ended and the crowd was returning back to their gossip and drinks. She started her round of the large room. Few stopped her to speak, as she was not known within this circle of Tokyo, so no one had anything to say to her. She tried to look under their mask, trying to find the middle aged Merle that had thrown this party, but was having no luck. What would she be wearing? Something extravagant that would make it clear that she was in charge? Or something modest to let the party speak for itself? She was realizing how annoying the masks were. At first, it was nice knowing that her identity would not be revealed, but now that everyone's identity was disguised, it was making it difficult to find her. The irony was not lost on Hana, and she took another drink of champagne to wash it down.
She thought about finding the man who had escorted her to the ballroom, thinking he had to have an idea of Merle and what she looked like or where she could be. He seemed nice and she could not imagine him being reclusive with information if she acted callowed to the scene around her. It was decided and she went upstream of the crowd as they started for the dance floor. A line of dancers had sprung out of a side door and gathered everyone's attention as they started an intricate looking dance. If she had time, she would have paused to watch, but she had to find the escort.
Fingers curled around her elbow and she almost jumped out of her skin. She held her breath, only imagining the worst case scenario. Was it security finally figuring out that she was a fraud? Or, could it be her lucky night and it was actually the escort and he was here to help her? Her dilemma mixed with champagne was making her head spin and she turned back to find Kuwabara. Even in her heels he still towered her and she craned her head back to meet his grey, worried filled eyes. It did not matter what he said next, she was already following him.
"What happened?" She was right behind Kuwabara, his hand around her wrist. He was having a much easier time cutting through the crowd than she, and she did not want to risk getting lost in the moment like this.
He looked over his shoulder and eyes, now a dark grey, worried her even more. "Can't explain here."
She could only imagine what it could be to make Kuwabara act so somber. The situations she conjured included Yusuke flirting with a mob boss's wife, locked in the basement and being tortured right under their feet. She urged Kuwabara to go faster, trying to push him in the back to move through the crowd. They hit a wall of people, and he was trying to squeeze through. When he was able to slip between two shoulders, he tried pulling her with him but the crowd did not seem pleased with someone pushing their way to the front and pushed her back. Kuwabara did not relax the grip on her wrist and he pulled with more effort than what was needed. She popped out between the people like a pea from it's pod. A shoe was on the train of her dress and she felt herself stumbling forward. She racked her brain for any sort of Neela advice for this particular situation as she fell. They had never gone over what to do if she did fall, just ways to avoid it. She swore she would get her revenge on Kuwabara as soon as they rescued Yusuke from the basement.
He was doing another round of the giant room, making sure to keep to the shadows. The masks made him uncomfortable, as if Jeremy, their next link to Kamata, had known they would be here and requested it. It did not sit right in his stomach and it didn't help that Koenma was adamant to let them know the extra work he had put in to get them invited to this soiree. Kurama feared the lecture if they failed again to find the contact. He grumbled turning towards the crowd once more. It did not help his anxiety that he had not seen Yusuke or Kuwabara with how large the room was, and how many people filled it. It had been a couple hours since they arrived and he had found no luck finding Jeremy, and no contact with the other two meant they were in the same dilemma.
Someone bumped into his shoulder, purposefully. He had seen the auburn headed girl a few times since their arrival. Each time he spotted her and the white mask, she was getting closer and closer. Finally, after an hour of agonizingly being followed, she made her move.
"Terribly sorry," she faked a gasp behind her hand. She had pale skin and a purple dress that fit her figure perfectly. Her blue eyes gleamed at him behind her white, laced mask.
"I should have been watching more carefully of where I was going," he feigned sincerity and gave her a small bow. When he straightened, she had two glasses of champagne in her hand and a devious glint in her blue eyes.
She handed him one of the glasses, "it's alright, stranger."
"Thank you," he knew not accepting it would be rude, so he took the glass from her offering hand. They clank their glasses together and he brought the cool, and bubbling drink to his lips. It was refreshing as it slid into his empty belly. This was the first he had paused since arriving and on an empty stomach, the blue eyes and bubbles could be dangerous.
"I've never seen you around before," she mused as she took her deep red painted lips away from her glass.
"That is correct. I am from out of town." He noticed she had taken a step closer. "My business partner invited me to the event."
"Surprise, surprise," she giggled and brushed her hand down his arm. "A vague answer from the mysterious man of the night."
The touch surprised him, but he would not let her know that. She was very forward. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you to be so interested."
Her blue eyes flashed from behind her mask and something stirred in his chest as if Yoko wanted to answer her challenge. He brushed it away. This was neither the time or place. In fact, he needed to get out of this corner and back on his search. With his next drink, he tried to take a gulp of the bubbling champagne to get out of here quicker.
However, she seemed to notice as the corner of her lips drooped. She took another step closer to him. "So, will you be asking for my name or not?"
Internally, he groaned and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Clearly she was not deceptive of people wanting to take their leave, or was ignorant to it. "My apologies," he said almost through gritted teeth. He was thankful for the black mask he had on to hide most of his frustrations. "My name is Kurama. And, yours?"
"Merle Ueda, but my friends call me Mary." she answered rather quickly, "now that the introductions are out of the way, I believe you owe me a dance for bumping into me like you did."
Her fingers dug into his arm before he could give her a denile. She was pulling him to the dance floor, half empty glass still in his hand. She seemed almost giddy when she turned towards him, took the glass from him and practically threw it at a passing waiter. She pulled his arms into position and started stepping to the music created by the string instruments. The performers had ended their show, and was pulling members of the audience to the floor and was dancing with them. Or teaching couples how to keep in time with the music, so Kurama did not feel as awkward.
Merle, or should he say Mary, tried to dance in some intricate pattern that Kurama had never seen before. He attempted to take the lead, guiding them into a basic box step, but even with the simple steps she could not keep up. She pulled herself closer to him and her perfume filled his nose and it was almost pungent. She smelt like cinnamon and cigars, even though she did not smoke them. Her smile was dazzling, but she stepped on his foot with her sharp, high heel and he had to muffle his groan with a cough.
"Are you from around here?" He asked when the silence started to become agonizing.
She nodded, "I travel back and forth to America ever so often, but my mother is a native and we spend most of our time in Japan."
Why did that story remind him of someone? Mary attempted to twirl under his raised arm, but turned the wrong way. When she returned to his chest, she huffed.
"You're not very good at this." He almost made a comment, but decided to keep it to himself.
"I am a bit rusty, I do apologise." He had to keep his eye roll hidden as she turned a pompous smile up at him.
"I'm sure my teacher can give you a few lessons." She attempted another twirl, despite the song not offering it, this time a little better. "Inoue is the best there is in teaching, have you heard of him."
Kurama nodded not knowing, or wanting to know, how to move the conversation forward. But, she still clung to him with her large, beautiful smile. After a few steps, he gave into the stodgy silence. "Have you been enjoying yourself this evening?"
"I should be asking you that." She huffed, trying to focus on keeping up with him. "It took forever to get everything planned."
His eyebrow raised, "are you the one who put this together? I thought it was planned by Jeremy Smith?"
She laughed, "like he could ever put something like this together!" When Kurama answered her with a puzzled look, she continued. A shadow fell over her face and smirk pulled at her lips. Clearly she was enjoying knowing something that he did not. "Jeremy Smith is my father."
"I thought you said your name was Ueda?" It's not that he did not believe her, but what were the chances that he was holding onto the daughter of the American Ambassador for Japan, Kurama's link to the Yakuza boss?
"That is correct," she was almost giggled, probably at his stupefied expression. "My mother and I did not take his last name, as you can probably guess why."
It took a moment for Kurama to process what she had said. Her father was Jeremy? The Jeremy Smith who he had been looking for all night? He had to keep himself from pulling her closer to him and keeping her as hostage. Finally, after months of grasping at straws, here was a ray of hope. It was unfortunate who it was, though. He pondered if she had any idea that her father was tied to the Yakuza? He had to play his cards right, this opportunity could not pass.
He nodded, suddenly very interested. "I can only imagine the pressure to do such a thing."
She did seem slightly caught off guard. "You are not going to run away now?"
"Why would I?" He pondered aloud, confused by her sudden temptation. She seemed so proud of it a moment ago.
"Usually when people find out who my father is, they go know, since he's..." Her blue eyes turned to slits as she met his gaze. She must have been onto him for the sudden interest of a powerful government official. He contored his expression, the best he could with the mask covering half of his face, to innocent interest. After a beat, she seemed to fall for it as her leeriness faded. "Never mind, you said you're not from around here so how would you know."
He nodded, switching gears on his plan. Instead of trying to get away from Mary, he would try to get in her favor. Perhaps even get a tour of this giant house and find where her father's office was without attracting any attention. The security of this near palace were armed and ready for anyone trying to sneak into places they did not belong. Even with his skill, he would be able to sneak into Jeremy's office, but he needed to know where it was, first.
He went to ask more about the party that she had planned, locking her into a conversation so she would not slip away at the end of the song. That was that plan, until Yusuke came burling out of the crowd and right towards him.
His brown eyes were wide. "I need you," he said urgently towards Kurama. He turned to Mary, without even a bow. "Sorry to interrupt, doll, but he is needed elsewhere."
Yusuke's grip on his elbow was enough to pause the anger radiating through Kurama. He waited until they were a few steps away before pulling out of his friend's grip, in case it was important. "What is going on? I just found a link to Jeremy!" He glanced back at Mary to make sure she was still there, which she was and appeared like she had taken a bite out of a lemon.
"You can worry about that later," Yusuke had grabbed his wrist and was pulling him again.
"What do you mean worry about it later?" Kurama tried to pull away, but his friend's grip was iron. "This isn't the time to be messing around, Yusuke."
Yusuke had dragged them to the edge of the dance floor. He paused and peered over and through the crowd of people. A beautiful song had started and more couples were being dragged onto the floor thanks to the dance crew. Yusuke turned to him with a wicked grin contorting his face. He jumped behind Kurama and braced himself.
"Yusuke, what are you-" Kurama tried to turn around to face him. He was over his friend's antics, especially since he literally just had the way to their contact in his grip just moments ago. But, Yusuke wouldn't let him move.
Kuwabara's large form came bursting through the crowd to his right. He seemed to be dragging something that was caught behind the line of people watching the dancers. He gave a mighty tug and stumbled backwards, almost running into Kurama. Whatever, or really it should be whoever, Kuwabra was dragging behind him popped out of the crowd like a cork out of a bottle. A blur of dark blue was falling towards him. Kuwabara had caught himself and was running away with Yusuke beside him.
Kurama went to glare at their retreating backs, but whoever was falling right towards him. He reached his arms out, catching them before they could hit the marble floor. He first saw their dark, almost black hair on the top of their head. Then, their scent, jasmine and coconut body wash, hit his nose. There was no way it could have been her! He curled his fingers around her, securing her against him and far from the floor.
He glanced down at the girl in his arms. Her dark hair was twisted into an elegant bun at the base of her neck. She had tried a new perfume, one that was very floral, and it toyed with his nose as she shifted to look up at him. Her silver eyes were lined with makeup and made them more beguiling than he remembered. They grew twice in size when they realized who she had fallen on to.
"Kurama," his name was just a breath, but it sent a wave of shivers through him. Why? He would blame the champagne for the following response of wanting to pull her closer and hear her say his name one more time. He shook himself and the thought away, but almost dropped Hana.
"Well, would you look at that, Kuwabara!" Yusuke was back. His hand clapped Kurama's shoulder, and he almost dropped Hana again. "Looks like these two want to dance!"
Kuwabara was almost giddy behind his blue mask. "It would be rude if we interrupted, Uresmeshi."
"Was this your emergency?" Hana pushed away from Kurama, after he had set her up right, and turned towards Kuwabara. "You idiot! I was actually worr-"
Kurama pulled her back, not trusting her clenched fists and anger. When she tried to wiggle out of his grasp, intent on reaching Kuwabara, he pulled her to his chest and whispered, not wanting to cause a scene with so many eyes here. "Perhaps for another time?"
She took a moment, processing the risk, before sighing in defeat. "Consider this your final warning, you two." Her glare could have melted the masks right off their faces.
Yusuke, unaffected by her threat after years of receiving them from his wife, nudged her so hard she almost tumbled over again. "Come on, you two are here and haven't danced once. You keep prowling around like you're on the hunt for something. Seems pretty suspicious, if you ask me."
She went to hush them, but the thought did make sense. Perhaps if she looked like she was a part of the fun, people would feel more inclined to approach her and she could find out where Merle was quicker. That isn't the worst idea I've heard tonight… She thought to herself, bringing her fist to her chin to ponder.
Kurama was still trying to understand what just happened. Hana was here? She knew that they were here? What had Yusuke and Kuwabara done while they were separated? The two were almost giggling behind their hands, but Hana seemed lost in thought. His plan for going back to find Mary drained from his thoughts as he realized Hana was wearing a dark blue dress that showed curves he had never seen on her before. But, the dress did not look like it was fit for her. It was slightly too short and the high heel shoes she was wearing could be seen, when he assumed the dress should have hit the floor. There was a diamond necklace around her neck that she kept fidgeting with, as if she had never worn it before. He straightened a little when her grey eyes turned towards them, afraid he had been caught staring. But, she seemed distracted and determined with her impromptu plan to notice.
"Think you can spare one dance with me?" She questioned and it was her turn to eye him up and down. "I can lead, so you don't have to worry."
"That's the spirit!" Yusuke cheered and Hana gave him a stern look.
He should have apologized and gone and found Mary, but that idea would not occur to him until much later. "One dance then, Miss Seol-oh."
"It's actually Miss Chang for the night." She explained rather briefly and stepped closer to the dance floor. The string instruments were coming to the end of their song but she wished they would go for just a little longer. There was a nervous jitter in her legs and she hoped she would not make a fool of herself in Neela's heels.
But, the song did end and she turned to Kurama with a meek smile. He returned it but extended a hand to her and led them to the dancefloor. When the maestro began the next movement, Hana positioned Kurama's arm and started them in a simple box step dance movement. She did not want to make him more uncomfortable with anything complicated. However, he shifted their arms and took the lead. He took them from the basic ballroom waltz to a foxtrot movement. Hana was glad for the mask that hid her surprise.
"I said I would take the lead," she almost stuck her tongue out at him, but he smirked at her and she thought of taking the lead again.
He was surprised at how smoothly she moved, especially in heels. He never would have guessed her to know how to dance, and for some reason that caused excitement to erupt in the pit of his stomach. Some new information about this girl, and he did not have to use his free question to obtain it.
"You know, I am still trying to figure out what happened a moment ago." He twirled her around and she returned back to his arms. "What are you doing here?"
She seemed to think over her words, trying to figure how much to tell him and what to keep secret. "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours first."
He almost laughed at the frivolous deflection of his question. "I would, but I'm pretty sure Yusuke has already told you, so how would that be fair?"
"I imagined you would tell it alot better than he did," they parted, their hands still entwined and arms crossed over each other, as they spun in a circle.
They came back, her right forearm touching his left and they did another circle. She had a smirk on her painted lips, but the mask shielded her eyes from him. All he wanted to do was rip it from her face to see the coquettish look he knew would be there. Instead, he twirled her under his arm and pulled her to his chest. They swayed to the music with her back to his chest before she spun herself out, with a flair of her hand in the air.
"You're rather good at this," he mused as she spun back into his arms and started stepping again. Her steps were light, with no hesitation of where they needed to go next. Her hips swung to the beat and he wondered if she was dancing with him, or if she was just using him as a prop.
"This may come as a surprise to you, but, this isn't my first time." she twirled back into his arms. "Back in the day, it was my favorite thing to do."
He wasn't surprised by that bit of news, alreadying assuming it before she said anything. She moved too adroitly for a novice. "Where did you learn?"
"I should be asking you that," she parried his question, of course.
"My mother made my brother and I take classes when we were younger," he remembered how much he hated taking them. It was in the years when he still resented his mother and being forced to do something so trivial as dance classes only made it worse. He was thankful for them now, however.
"You have a brother?"
"I'll answer if you answer my last question," he paltered and enjoyed watching her eyes fill with surprise. She took a moment to consider his offer. While lost in thought she started to nibble on her bottom lip.
"Fine, Minamino, I'll take your deal." They had done a complete circle of the dance floor and the song was coming to an end. "The neighborhood I grew up in had parties all the time. People danced through the night, only stopping when the sun came up and they had to go to work. There was this girl, Maria, she had a crush on Dom and she was the most beautiful dancer I have ever seen. She would always wear a long, flowy skirt and when she danced, she would spin around and it was like watching fireworks." She drifted off, stuck in the memory of her childhood.
He let her be and did not pry any further, for now. Her eyes had softly closed as she marinated in the memory. She relaxed in his arms and he slowed their steps. When she returned the song had ended, but neither parted from the other. The string instruments had paused and suddenly there were a couple clad in all black next to them.
"You two were amazing!" A woman in the black lacy mask exclaimed with an accent. She wore a short, black dress with fringe and crystals dripping off of her.
A man in black pants, button down shirt, and matching black mask stood next to her. "Could we borrow you for the next song?"
They did not give Kurama or Hana a second to answer. They were being dragged to the middle of the dance floor. The girl positioned Hana next to Kurama, but she slipped into the red head's arm. Her partner took Hana's hand into his. Hana gave Kurama a 'what is happening' kind of look, which he answered with a large shrug.
"My name is Rapheal," he introduced himself before placing a hand on her hip. She could hear the faint french in his accent.
"Je m'appelle, Hana." She introduced herself and his face lit up under his mask.
"Très bien, Mademoiselle! Tu parles français?" He asked if she spoke french, which she did, but not the best. They had spent some time traveling through France, and she had picked up enough.
The rest of the dance crew were setting up with partners they had plucked from the crowd. The orchestra was preparing for the next song. Hana's heartbeat started up again.
"Oui, un peu mais pas bien. Que faisons-nous ici?" She answered his question, but asked what they were doing out in the middle of the dance floor.
He answered, as a whisper with his lips next to her ear. The lights had dimmed and the room had fallen silent. "Savez-vous comment danser le tango?"
Hana nodded, but gulped. He had asked if she knew how to tango, which she did. Tango was a beautiful dance that she loved to watch others perform. It stirred many things inside of her while watching the two dancers move about the dance floor. The tango was many things: seduction, passion, and drama. It was a show of a man and a woman sharing a moment of intimacy. She had never danced it before in front of people, especially so many people.
Rapheal gave her a smile as the instruments started their song. It was La Cumparsita, the most popular tango song, and she had heard it hundreds of times. She sighed, relieved that it was a song she knew.
She spared a glance at Kurama, who was chatting softly with his partner. He was also at the ready, the girls dainty hands in his. He gave her a smile, and Hana wondered what they were talking about. He seemed at ease even with a stranger in his arms. It probably helped that she was very pretty, even with half of her face covered. She was small, very petite but with a large smile. Something in the pit of Hana's stomach stiffened. It was a tense feeling. Like her elan vital was suddenly stiff and alert, watching with sharp eyes as the girl stepped closer to Kurama. Suddenly her elan vital swelled, filling every inch of her body with a fire that burned away all logic and reason out of her. She wanted to know who the girl was, but mostly, she wanted to reach over and pull the two apart. Hana did not like the gleam that was in the girls brown eyes.
"Prêt?" Came Rapheal's voice, a light in the sudden darkness she had dove into. She shook herself, having no idea why her thoughts were filled with such… aversion towards the girl. As if she was jealous.
She nodded, but was still trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Rapheal's hand slid to the middle of her back and started their dance. He was not really controlling her as they stepped to the beat of the music. His hand on her back was guiding her, reassuring her that the next step she took would be the right one no matter what. His hold was light, yet powerful. She was enveloped by his hold, his cologne, the music. She let the smell consume her as she swayed her hips, twirled under Rapheal's arm, let the emotional wave inspired by the music surge through her. For just a moment, she forgot all the worries she had before stepping onto the dance floor.
Rapheal was very skilled. He twirled her around, kept up with her pace, and even put his own flair into the dance. When she opened her eyes, his bright blue ones watched her with a beguiling wonder that she could not turn away from. His arms flexed around her, his legs sliding and shuffling. She was lost entirely in the moment, as dancing the tango you should.
"êtes-vous prêt à changer?" He whispered into her ear, wanting to know if she was ready to change partners. The song was not over, but there would be a slight pause and they all would swing to the dancer next to them.
She nodded, forgetting where they were. "c'était un plaisir de danser avec toi."
"It was a pleasure to dance with you as well, mon chéri." He gave her a small kiss on the cheek before he twirled her away from him.
She felt almost ethereal as she twirled to her next dance partner. They caught her with soft hands that pulled her into a firm grip. They kept her left arm high, and their right hand curled around and rested just above her hips. Their lips were next to her ear, and she felt the words all the way to her toes. She was zapped out of her reverie and she almost stumbled.
"You dance beautifully." It was not the amiable voice of Rapheal, but Kurama.
She was grateful for the mask hiding half of her face to keep Kurama's eyes from seeing the blush burning her cheeks. She gave him a small smile but could not return the compliment as she had been so lost within her own dance, she never got a chance to watch Kurama and his partner. The pit of her stomach weighed down suddenly like it did before their dance started.
"I never got the answer about your brother," she remembered how their conversation was cut short by Rapheal. She would rather focus on that, than the lead like weight in the pit of her stomach.
"I'd rather talk about your dancing." he nearly purred as he held her close to him, swaying them, his lips still close to her ear. "You seemed to really enjoy yourself."
"Rapheal was an excellent partner." She spun out and around him. He was waiting for her when she faced him, but he had a sullen expression. "Mister Minamino, are you jealous?"
He looked away from her, "I have a younger brother. His name is Suuichi."
She could not help but laugh at his attempt to deflect her accusation. There was a slight hint of a blush under his mask and she almost jumped with victory. She decided to spare him, knowing she could use this moment for a later time. "No, I know what your name is. I want to know your brother's."
"That is my brother," it was his turn to laugh at her. "He is my step brother."
"I guess family dinners can get confusing," Hana pondered aloud. "How does that work out?"
"It was a little difficult growing up, but we figured out a system. With him being off to college now, there isn't much trouble nowadays." She really wanted to ask further, but he pulled her close and whispered in her ear. "Ready for a spin?"
She nodded and his arm lowered to her back. She lifted her leg and crossed it over the other and she was spinning. His other hand supported her knee, holding her against him as they spun around two more times. And, as gently as he had requested, he returned her to the ground and she swayed back into the routine. She almost forgot what they had been talking about as the alluring beat spun her into a trance again and they were dancing around the room.
The green eyes were on her skin, watching every little move she took. They spun around the room once more, their bodies almost lucid and controlled by the music. She watched him watch her and the lead-like feeling she had in her stomach was long gone. Instead, her elan vital had transformed into a gut-wrenching, excited, heart throbbing billow. But, that was the point of tango. The dance was like a safe, warm, and intimate feeling that was comparable to a hug, or being held by a partner. Mixed with the music and the rhythmic motion it was almost like experiencing a hypnotic effect that caused her to fall into a quixotic trance that she never wanted to wake up from.
She could see the esurient in his green eyes behind the black mask and it shook her elan vital to its very core. It rose and stretched until it filled every knick and cranny in her body with excitement. Her fingers tip were on fire when she clung to his suit as he spun her around again. Her heartbeat was the quickest it had been all night. Her head was spinning even though she had been upright for a while. And she could see him reacting to her. When she moved, he followed. His green eyes were burning with avidity and his hands clung to her as if she was water, and he had been lost in the desert for forty years. In this moment, the one they were sharing, she was all that mattered to him. She was dancing for this man in her arms, and he was dancing only for her.
The song came to an end. Kurama brought her close again, so hard she lost her breath. His right leg shifted back and he, ever so slowly, draped her over his left leg. In the moment, she leaned as far back as she could go, arching her back. She stretched her left arm over her head and she could feel Kurama's hand running down it's length, down the middle of her chest and settling on her hip. She opened her eyes and found the green eyes staring at her, through her, deep into her soul. She was breathless all over again.
He started to rise and she placed her hand on his shoulder to steady herself. When they were straight, he pulled her to his chest, and had not removed his eyes from her. He looked hungry, almost carnal, as his hands ran up her body. She could not even blink as she felt a sudden pull towards him. Her elan vital was like a magnet and was pulling her closer to the redhead. Even if she wanted to, there was no stopping her as she drew to his unblinking, green eyes. His hand was suddenly on the back of her neck and the little space between them diminished. She could feel his hot breath on her lips and she was suddenly filled with excitement that burned her insides. He was so close. Her eyes closed, all it took was a little more…
Clapping filled their ears. Hana opened her eyes and black confetti was raining upon them from the chandelier. Rapheal and his partner were back. They hugged Hana and Kurama, who were still stiff with shock. The girl, who Hana still had not learned her name, gave her a kiss on both cheeks.
"Mademoiselle, promets-moi s'il te plaît une danse." It took Hana a moment to process what the petite woman had asked for. The clapping was loud, and the blood rushing into her ears from the blush that had taken over her body, made it nearly impossible to hear her.
"You want to dance… with me?" Hana was not sure she had translated correctly.
"Oui oui! Rapheal told me how wonderful you were and watching you two was amazing and I want a chance to dance with you!" She gave Kurama a teasing smile. "You can not keep her all to yourself!"
Hana glanced at Kurama, who seemed to be in the same state of shock as she. "Could it wait a minute? I… I have to go to the restroom. Excusez moi s'il vous plaît." And she pushed away from Kurama, through Rapheal and the wonderfully excited girl, and as far away from the dancefloor as possible.
Kurama watched her go, unable to move despite Camille and Rapheal saying their salutations before returning back to their group. Had he just tried to kiss her? What would cause him to abandon all of his senses and do something like that? The shock was wearing off and replaced with anger. He was so foolish to try and kiss her! She was a friend. A human who had no idea what he really was. Why would he try and drag her down into the darkness of his world?
An arm curled around his neck and shook him out of his thoughts. He was reminded of how he got into his mess in the first place. He turned his green eyes towards the brown, who had the biggest smile, oblivious to Kurama's conundrum.
"Not a closer, huh?" Yusuke was almost giddy. "Don't worry, buddy! It looked like you two got pretty cozy out there, for next time-"He froze when Kurama gave him the coldest glare he could muster.
"There will not be a next time. Get back to finding Smith and only find me when you do." Kurama's teeth were almost clenched, trying to hold back what he really wanted to say. He pushed passed Yusuke, needing to find Mary before she moved onto her next prey. "If you want to try and jeopardize the mission again don't include me."
Hana slammed the door behind her and threw the lock. Hers kin was hot and her heart still had not calmed. She feared it was about to burst through her chest and onto the bathroom floor before her. She slammed her fist against the marble wall that created the stalls in the lavish restroom, and felt her frustration easing. She sat down on the toilet seat, and tore the mask from her face.
How could you be so stupid to try and kiss him! Her inward scream echoed in her skull as she brought her hands to her face. Had she gotten so mixed up in the music and conflicted Kurama's actions? There was a fine line while dancing tango, and it was easy to misinterpret a partner's intentions. The silent agreement between the dancers was to not overstep the boundaries, or read too much into the dance moves. And, here she was, trying to kiss her partner after a dance. Kurama! The person she had told she did not want to be his friend at their last meeting. How foolish did he think she was now?
She should not have taken Yusuke's bait to dance. It was all his fault, she concluded and felt just a little better knowing it was not 100% her. She groaned, not having enough strength or pride to stand and return to the party. She still needed to find Merle, get the money, and disappear into the night and hopefully never see Kurama ever again. If she were to see Yusuke and Kuwabara, however, she did have other plans for what she would do to them for revenge.
The main door of the restroom opened, and for a moment the sounds of the party filled the room. When the door shut, silence filled the elegant, marble bathroom. There was a loud 'click' noise that sounded like someone locking the door.
"Hello?" Hana called out. "There's someone still in here."
No one replied, but the clack of high heels on the marble floor echoed around Hana. They left the foyer area, which had a large wooden table in its middle with sinks on one side and a lavish couch on the other, and approached the stalls. Hana could hear whoever pass her stall, but with the walls around her floor to ceiling marble, and the door solid wood with no gaps underneath to spy, she could only imagine what the person was doing. They attempted to open the stall next to her, and Hana released the breath she did not realize she had been holding.
Must be a maid doing a cleaning round. Hana thought to herself, almost chidingly, as the maid checked the remaining four stalls. She really needed to calm down. It's not like someone was here to fight her or anything.
The maid had shut the door on the last stall and was heading towards the exit. Or, Hana thought, until they paused on the other side of her door. The handle jiggled, as if someone was testing it.
"Occupied!" She called out, confused about the determination of this maid. In response, the door flung open as if it had been kicked in. "Holy shit!" Hana yelled out, jumping into the corner of the stall. "Are you that serious about cleaning?"
Hana lowered her arms and found the redhead girl she had spotted earlier on the dance floor standing before her. She had a purple dress and a white, lacy mask. She lowered the heeled foot that had kicked the door open, and stepped into the stall.
"I'm not a maid, but I am about to clean house." She stood over Hana in her heels. Her blue eyes were searing behind her mask. "You need to leave."
Hana let her anger get the best of her. "Who announced you as headbitch of telling people what to do?"
The girl's smirk was pompous as ever. "I'm Merle Ueda and this is my party. I don't remember inviting trash to it."
Hana's jaw dropped. Was this her target? She was not the middle aged wife of an American ambassador she had seen online. "You're Jeremy Smith's wife?"
Merle rolled her eyes, "I'm his daughter."
Hana almost started laughing. All this time she had been looking for the wrong person! She mentally slapped a hand to her forehead. From the looks of it, she could have found Merle at a club and could have saved herself so much time and effort of sneaking into this party. "So, funny story," Hana had to compose herself. "I've been looking for you all night. I'm here from-"
But, Merle cut her off. "You were looking for me?" She laughed and it was filled with disdain. "You want to rub that dance in my face some more?"
Hana blinked. One. Twice. Then processed what Merle accused her of. "What? No!" She shook her head side to side. "No, I'm here to collect from the loan we gave you in August! Han sent me."
Merle rolled her blue eyes, "yeah, I'm sure they sent a little bitch like you to collect from me."
"Hey, now." Hana stepped closer to her. The pit of despair that her stomach had felt like a moment ago was now a boiling, fiery rage. She recognized this feeling, rejoiced how it scared away the looming thoughts of Kurama and replaced them with the urge to confront Merle. "No reason to be a shit host. Just give me the money and I'll be on my way like I was never here."
"Yeah, sure. Let's see you try." Merle laughed in return. She pulled her hand back, clenched into a fist. "Say hi to Han for me."
Hana ducked under her fist and lunged forward. She pushed Merle out of the stall and did not stop until they hit the wall. The marble wall knocked the air out of Merle's lungs and Hana took the moment of her being distracted. "Don't be stupid. Just give me the money and you can go back to your party and spend the rest of the night dancing with Kurama all you want."
Merle regained her breath. She kneed Hana in the stomach, and slammed her elbow into Hana's back when she hunched over. She bit down onto her bottom lip to keep the groan in her mouth. When she straightened, Merle had her arms raised and was ready to fight.
"Alright then," Hana swung for Merle's face, but she blocked it with her forearm.
Merle swung with her left hand but Hana leaned back to avoid it. In that moment, Merle pounced and Hana landed on top of the round, wood table, with the redhead on top of her. The poor crystal decor hit the ground and shattered. Merle raised her fist and smacked Hana right in the nose. Stars sprung to her eyes and she felt Merle hit her once more. Shaking her head, she saw a fist coming towards her again. She pushed with all her might to get Merle off of her and straightened herself out.
Both girls took a moment to catch their breaths. Merle had found a large crystal shard, and it almost looked like a glass dagger in her hand. Hana looked around the room for any sort of a weapon, but found nothing. Internally, she groaned at her luck. Merle was running at her, and Hana stepped to the left. With her right hand, she hit the underside of Merle's right forearm, knocking her off balance. Hana stepped back to face her and with her left elbow pressed against Merle's elbow, and reached for a wrist with her right hand. She pushed Merle's elbow forward, and Hana guided her down to the ground. She twisted Merle's wrist until the girl dropped the makeshift weapon.
"Are you ready to pay me yet?" Hana asked between gasps for breath.
Merle nodded feveritly, her wrist in Hana's grip about to dislocate. Hana released, and stepped back. She should have known better, since Merle jumped up and slammed into her. Both girls fell onto the marble counter in front of the mirror and sinks. Hana twisted out of Merle's grip and got a fist full of her hair, and slammed her head against the counter. Merle cried out and pushed Hana off of her. She was a bit dazed, but still reached for the soap dispenser, which looked like heavy crystal, and threw it with all of her might. Hana ducked, and the innocent dish shattered into a thousand pieces. When Hana turned back to Merle, she was running towards her. Hana ducked, and flipped Merle over and onto the ground.
The redhead started to laugh, a maniacal sound that echoed in the quiet room. Hana worried she might have hit her head too hard against the counter, but now wasn't the time to be concerned. Merle jumped up and threw the large crystal shard at Hana. She stepped to the side, but the sharp edge still sliced into her rib. She could feel the dress rip and the slicing of her skin. She hissed, reaching for the wound to inspect the damage. Her fingertips were bloody when she brought them into her line of sight. "I guess I'm buying Neela a new dress," she groaned.
"Are you serious?" Merle punched Hana's rib cage, the side she had just cut open. "You couldn't even buy your own dress for tonight? Now I feel bad for kicking your ass."
She pushed Hana over and kicked her wounded ribs. Hana, starting to see stars again, rolled onto her side, to try and protect her ribs. She was sure one was broken and dependent on how bad the cut was, this fight might not end how she expected. She was not prepared for Merle to know how to fight. That was one of many things she should have done differently this evening.
Hana sat up and lifted one of her knees, creating a triangle shape with her legs. Merle smirked at her and lifted her leg to strike again, but Hana kicked out and hit Merle's knee with the sharp point of her heel. Merle cried out and fell in front of Hana.
Suddenly the door slammed open, the lock breaking along with it. Sounds of the party filled the bathroom. Hana realized she needed to start running. She needed to piece together a plan before, whoever it was, got to the both of them to see the damage of the room, and the host of the party. First, she would run through the crowd, and down the drive. She would take the left turn and run for two blocks before she could stop and call someone. The person stepped into the room, and Hana concluded that was the best plan she could execute at a time like this. Hana held her breath, waiting for the person to scream for help, and then she would start her run.
"Hana?"
Merle saw him first. "Kurama!" She cried out, falling back and started scooting away from Hana. "Help get this lunatic off of me! She attacked me!"
Hana glanced over her shoulder and found the redhead standing over them. His green eyes bounced between the two girls. She braced herself, ready for his chastise after he assessed the situation. Did he have enough loyalty to help out Hana, or would he do the right thing and get help for Merle? The pit was back in her stomach and she tried to ready herself to leave Kurama behind, as well. For some reason, in the middle of all of this, that made her sad. But, she would deal with that later.
"She was your target?" Incredulous, Hana nodded her head up and down. "We need to get out of here."
She heard him step and she closed her eyes. She did not have the strength to watch him pick up Merle and get her out of the destroyed bathroom. She would give them a second to have a moment before she would start running. Perhaps, if she shut the door on her way out it would give her an extra second to escape before the right people were alerted.
His hand around her bicep almost made her jump. He was standing above her, his green eyes were austere. He pulled her to her feet and took a moment to inspect the damage. "Can you walk?"
"Do I really have a choice?" she asked as he reached for her hand.
He chuckled, drly. "Not really."
Before they could slip through the door, Hana paused. He looked back at her, perplexed. Already he had an escape plan, and she was not helping it. Next to the door was a small table, and on top was a clutch that matched Merle's dress. She looked back at the girl one last time as she reached for the small purse, "thanks for the good time."
Kurama, unpleased by Hana's pause, pulled her through the door and locked it the best he could. Her hand in his, they ran down the hall and back to the ballroom. The crowd was mesmerized by another performance so no one noticed Kurama and the disheveled Hana as they made their way up stream. She stopped once more, and Kurama looked back at her with annoyance all over his face.
"We should split up," she tried to get her hand out of his. "You don't need to get involved more than you already are."
He rolled his eyes, polite Kurama nowhere in sight. He pulled her closer to him, not accepting her offer. "Do you really think I'm going to let a pretty girl walk to her car, alone, at night?"
She almost laughed, but this was not the time. He needed to understand the danger she was and what would happen if he was caught with her. He needed to get as far away from here, and her, as possible. But, his grip did not slip. He marched forward, nearly dragging Hana behind him. With his free hand, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the black compact she last saw when sitting in his living room.
"Meet us at the door," he barked an order into it. She could hear feedback, but could not hear from behind his shoulder. He grumbled his reply, "yes. Us."
He slid the compact back into his pocket and led her to the entrance she had walked through just a couple hours ago. Yusuke and Kuwabara were waiting for them. When their eyes first landed on Hana, smiles split their faces. When they got closer, the smiles quickly faded when they realised her wrecked appearance.
"Are you alright?" Kuwabara stepped forward first, inspecting the damage with wide, grey eyes.
Hana went to answer, but a scream tore through the ballroom and it fell silent. "Stop them!"
"That's my que," she turned to Kurama. "Thanks for all the help."
She went to leave before all the patrons of the party could conclude she was the one they were after. A hand on her shoulder stopped her, though.
"Whatever is going on, we're here to help." Yusuke's brown eyes were as serious as his grip.
Hana rolled her eyes, for once chivalry wasn't dead but at the worst time. "This isn't your problem to deal with."
Yusuke laughed, "hasn't stopped me before."
The crowd was stirring in the main room and Hana knew any sort of head start she had was ruined. "Fine, but we need to get out of here."