Chapter 2
Hitomi sat on the bed and continued to stare blankly at the black-haired man in front of her. She noted his strained appearance and wondered what kind of relationship he had with the man in question. Finally, she was so mesmerized by his garnet eyes that she told him: "For a while, he came to the Red Madame quite frequently, although I don't know why. Her customers are none of our business. However, I have noticed that he hasn't been around for a while. So you see, the odds of you finding him here are rather low."
While she spoke, Hitomi noticed that the expression in his eyes was changing from hopeful to utterly desperate.
"At this rate, I'll never find him," he muttered and slumped down in the armchair next to the small table. His head sank low, into his hands, elbows resting on his knees. Quietly sitting there, he stared at the floor below. Hitomi was at a loss for words, although she did feel the strong urge to help him. She rose from the bed with intentions to comfort him but then suddenly heard loud noises from the lower level.
A bit perturbed she walked to the door, about to open it but it was already being pushed open so violently that it almost flew out of its hinges as her blonde friend stormed into the room.
"Hitomi! We have to hide! Quickly!" She cried anxiously, her eyes frantically scanning the room.
"Why? Mina, what's going on downstairs?" Hitomi's green eyes darted back and forth between her friend and the stranger who had jumped out of the armchair and came to stand beside her.
"I don't know for sure, but there are a bunch of soldiers looking for someone and interrogating our customers." Glancing at the black-haired man, she added gravely "I think they are looking for him."
Hitomi was about to reply but stopped when she noticed, with no small measure of unease, that the man next to her was pulling a dagger out of his worn boots. "If I were you, I'd be quiet…" A piercing gaze from his dark eyes met her green ones while Mina gasped for air.
"What are you doing?" She hissed, pulling Mina behind herself in a protective manner.
"If they see you both with me, they won't hesitate to arrest you. I can take care of myself, but I'm not sure about you." While he was speaking, he cast restless glances towards the closed door, attempting to evaluate the turmoil behind it which was intensifying by the minute.
"You won't need your dagger," Hitomi replied and pushed Mina towards the edge of the room. There was a dark armoire the black-haired stranger hadn't paid notice to before. He watched curiously as Hitomi opened it, her fingers gliding across the bottom edge and activating some sort of hidden mechanism. His eyebrows arched in astonishment as the back of the armoire disappeared into the back wall and a dark hallway appeared behind it.
"Mina, get in there and hide in the basement. You too." The green-eyed woman instructed the man behind her. The noises outside were coming closer now and she nervously glanced at the door once more.
The black-haired man was expecting her to join them but Hitomi roughly shoved him through the opening after Mina had already disappeared.
"What…," he began to speak, but she silenced him by placing a finger across his lips. She regarded him stoically before smiling for a moment and speaking. "I will try to distract them for a moment, so you two can escape. I think I heard Knight Shezar downstairs. He wouldn't dare to hurt me...much." Her smile went wry. The man was startled by the cold glow in her otherwise lovely, warm eyes.
He suppressed the rising urge to protect her from this so-called Knight. However, there was definitely no time for such strange urges.
Hitomi quietly stared into his eyes before simply closing the secret doors. Why was she even helping him? She wasn't sure but her instincts told her that she had to protect this man at all costs, and her feelings hadn't ever betrayed her.
Hitomi hardly had a chance to mask her face with innocence before the door was pushed open violently – again. Five men bolted in, scanning the whole room before lining up around her. Hitomi feigned shock and grew rigid when a well-known man entered.
His long, blonde mane was tied back and he stared at her with cold, cobalt blue eyes. "Have you had customers tonight, sweetheart?" he asked with a distorted smile on his handsome face. Hitomi reciprocated this with an awkward smile of her own and pondered how to react. She decided not to answer his question and instead distract him otherwise. "Allen Shezar, Knight Caeli. What an honor for me to be able to welcome you here tonight. Surely, we won't need all these men here?" She approached him seductively, hips swaying and placed her hand on his chest.
His distorted smile intensified when he grasped her hand and pulled her body flush against his. "I'll claim my pleasure from you again soon enough, sweetheart, but not right now. Instead, I would appreciate you answering my question." His fingers traced across her cheek and she responded by pressing her face against his large hand. She had to stall him long enough for the black-haired stranger to get away safely, no matter the consequences.
Meanwhile, said black-haired man was quietly watching the scene through the keyhole of the armoire. He needed to know who was looking for him. Besides, it didn't feel right to leave this woman behind completely, so he had stayed in case she had to be protected. The spectacle which was unfolding on the other side of the door certainly did not amuse him and a low growling sound slowly began to build in the back of his throat.
Hitomi was tightly nestled up against the knight's body. She didn't pay any mind to the soldiers around them, who looked at her indifferently. "I certainly had visitors tonight already. But you know that I'm not allowed to mention any names." She cooed softly into his ear.
The Knight chuckled darkly at her playful gesture and pushed Hitomi aside roughly, smacking her supple ass. "I have no time for your games, sweetheart." He inspected the room anyway, scanning every corner and added gravely "We're looking for a black-haired man, a member of the Abaharaki. He was seen entering this house. Do you know him?" Waiting for an answer, he came to a stop a few steps away from her.
She played with the soft strands of her hair and looked at him mischievously. "Honey, do you really think that I would spend my time with somebody like that?" Softly laughing, she walked across the room and not without playfully glancing at the soldiers here and there. She plopped onto her pillows theatrically and sighed loudly. "You above all should know, who I want in this bed. " Her fingertips stroked along the length of her leg as she averted her green eyes from his piercing gaze.
The man in the armoire by now had a very difficult time not giving away his hiding spot.
"Just to reassure you, I haven't seen anyone who matches your description." Lying wasn't an issue for her. She was a good liar, but she hoped that Mina and the other women hadn't already given away the truth. The Knight Caeli regarded her closely, searching for dishonesty in her eyes before ordering his men out of the room. After the door closed and Hitomi looked at him from under thick eyelashes, he considered whether he could free up some time to play after all.
He closed the distance between them with a few fast strides and seized her chin. "You know that I could do anything to you. Whatever I want – without any consequences. So I would advise you to not even think about lying to me and if you do happen to see this man, contact me at once. Do you understand, sweetheart?"
A cold, hard kiss followed before he pushed her back onto the bed.
"You will come tonight, won't you?" Hitomi whispered and bit her lower lip in hopes of having appeared most sincere. The knight only smirked and went to the door.
"It would be wise to do as I said." With this, he finally left the room.
Hitomi waited a few moments, until she was sure that the soldiers were gone, then finally allowed herself to draw a deep breath of air before she relaxed on her bed.
"That was close," Hitomi whispered to herself and closed her eyes.
The noise from behind the armoire was so quiet she nearly missed it and when one side swung open noisily, she jumped a bit.
"Nothing compares to the weapons of a beautiful woman."
She froze in her spot on the bed, the dark voice having sent chills down her spine.
"What are you still doing here? Do you want to be caught?" Hitomi hissed at the black-haired man who had appeared in her room again, leaving the hiding spot empty.
He swiftly came to her and grasped her small hands. His black, tousled bangs fell across his intense eyes and her breath was caught in her throat as she saw his earnest expression. "Thank you. I owe you a whole lot." He whispered.
Hitomi could have imagined it but she could have sworn that he had leaned in, just slightly, pondering something before he abruptly spun around and went back to the closet.
"The passage leads to our basement. From there you'll get to the shipyard." She sighed quietly and watched him disappear without glancing back again.
Hitomi's heart was pounding rapidly in her chest and her cheeks felt hot. What on Gaea was this guy doing with her? Why was she suddenly so flustered?
Van carefully snuck through the dark passage and attempted to avoid thinking about this emerald-eyed woman. He had to stay focused on his mission and for that, he had to get back into hiding without attracting any further attention. The knight had told the woman that he was a member of the Abaharaki, so why did she help him escape? It seemed like she was trustworthy.
He followed the way around left and then found himself in front of a door, listening closely before opening it. No sound was to be heard on the other side, so he quietly turned the handle and peered into the space behind it. Rows upon rows of wine barrels and other hospitality items, as well as boxes with unknown contents, were stored here. None of this was of any interest to him. To his right, he spotted another door which he then approached with determination. Another dark passageway was waiting for him there, so he quickly slipped inside.
After a while, the ground inclined slightly, ending in a stairway leading upwards. At the top end, he saw a hatch which hopefully, finally would lead him outside. After climbing the few steps, he cracked the hatch carefully and strained his ears, listening. Not a single sound reached his ears, so he opened the hatch completely. He lifted himself out gracefully and landed in another room. He moaned, slightly annoyed. Where had he landed now? Apparently another storage room, but where? Was he close to the shipyard already?
Carefully, he padded across the room, listening to the muffled sounds that penetrated the door in front of him. If he wanted to get out of here, he had to go through it. There was no other way. He closed his eyes for a moment, asking the Gods for luck, and mentally prepared himself to reach for his dagger, should the need arise.
Hitomi had gone downstairs after the turmoil ebbed. In the bar, she found a slightly distressed Mina, an angry Red Madame and the rest of the girls, who were lined up in front of their mistress nervously.
"What was that all about?"
"Why were these soldiers here?"
"They scared our customers!"
Hitomi heard the questions and cries only marginally as she settled on a bar stool next to Mina, who looked at her with a deep frown. "Are you going to tell me why you endangered yourself just to cover for him?" She finally asked in a hushed but serious tone.
"I honestly don't know." Hitomi's emerald eyes wandered to the bottle of auburn whiskey sitting on the bar. After a moment of hesitation, she got up, walked around the counter and poured two small tumblers. She gave one to Mina and drained her own in a single gulp. The alcohol was burning its way down her throat and she hoped it would finally clear away thoughts about a certain dark-haired stranger. Mina smirked. "It seems like someone is in quite a hurry to forget," she said as she took a small sip as well.
"Girls, listen to me!" shouted the Red Madame while glaring in Hitomi's direction. She flinched involuntarily and abandoned the whiskey bottle. "These soldiers were looking for a man who seems to belong to a group of rebels calling themselves Abaharaki. If you see a man with black, short hair, reddish brown eyes, tall and built, let me know immediately. I will not tolerate such a visitor in this house." With these words, she glanced at Hitomi sternly and rushed to her office.
Had she noticed? Cold shivers rushed down Hitomi's spine at the thought of this possibility and the consequences thereof.
The rest of the night passed uneventfully. After the raid, only few other men dared to visit their house and Hitomi had nothing left to do except indulging in more whiskey and thoughts about the stunning stranger. Mina came to her side again, took Hitomi's glass and emptied it herself.
"He truly was gorgeous," she whispered and regarded Hitomi with wide, blue eyes. "Kind of a shame he was not interested in your services." At first, Hitomi gave no reply.
"Oops. Did I hit a sore spot?" Mina's light chuckle annoyed Hitomi all the more.
"You wish," Hitomi smirked. With these words, she rose from the bar and grabbed her coat from a rack at the far end of the room. "I'm leaving. See you later!"
Hitomi bid the other girls farewell for the day and left the building at first light. The narrow alleys were full of mist and the air felt damp when she meandered through the streets, pulling the coat around herself tightly.