Sa, here's the first full chapter. Not sure if this is a good length, bad length, long length, short length. Don't know how it will convert.
Disclaimer: I don't own Spiral, if I did, that would mean I own Eyes, and it would be all about Eyes.
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Chapter 1: Landing in Japan
Shigure's man was good, Eyes had to admit that, and he got them through the airport quickly, once they reached him. The man exuded a presence that somehow made people move out of his way, without ever realizing they were doing it.
When they had made their way to the entrance, they found a black Mercedes-Benz waiting there for them. Their escort got in the front passenger seat, while Eyes and the aide got in the back, and the driver loaded their luggage in the trunk.
As they began the hour-long drive to the residence of the Prime Minister, Eyes mused back to what had happened in the airport.
Ten Minutes Earlier
Eyes stepped off the plane, his blue eyes sweeping over all the people in the boarding area. He was easily able to pick out the one who Shigure had sent to meet them. The man was stiff-backed and dressed impeccably in a black suit that had a light-blue tint to it. The tie the man wore with it was solid black in color. All together it just shouted government, and the way the man's eyes would sweep the crowd from time to time showed he was waiting for someone.
As Eyes made his way towards the man, he was not so oblivious to his fame as to not be grateful he had made the choice not to wear his normal black trench coat. He hadn't expected there to be as many people in the waiting area as there were. If he had worn the trench coat, a man with shoulder-length silver hair, and sapphire blue eyes, meeting an escort that was obviously government-provided, would have made him instantly recognizable as Eyes Rutherford, pianist extraordinaire.
As Eyes and his aide came up to the man, he looked at them. Eyes addressed him, and said, "I assume you are the escort sent by Shigure?"
An affirmative nod was given, and the man spoke, saying, "I am. My name is Shunai Kamenuji. Shigure sent me to take you to his residence. It is a ten-minute walk to the entrance, and there will be a car waiting there in five minutes. The luggage will probably also be offloading in five minutes, and it is on the way. Do you still need to retrieve your luggage?"
It was a long speech, said all in one breath, and there was a great deal of information contained within those few short sentences. It took Eyes a moment to process the out-gorging of vital information, but he was still twenty times faster at it than his aide. The aide was, unfortunately, still stuck on the part where the Prime Minister was referred to by his first name, Shigure. Of course, once Eyes chose to call the call the Prime Minister Shigure, Shunai was too well disciplined to call him Amani, which would give any observers the chance to put two and two together, and realize they were speaking of the Prime Minister.
But the aide was, sadly, not able to understand that.
Yes, we still need to retrieve our luggage," Eyes replied to the question posed by Shunai.
"Well then, if you will follow me, I can get us to our destinations most expediently. You have no need to worry about safety. I am normally one of Shigure's guards."
End Flashback
It was impressive how professional Shunai had been. No twitching, no confusion, no insecurity over who he was picking up. He was able to instantly analyze the situation, come to a conclusion that he was talking to Eyes Rutherford, the person he was waiting for, and even pick up on the minor detail of calling the Prime Minister Shigure, instead of Amani.
Eyes wondered just who this man really was. He had mentioned he was one of Shigure's guards. But somehow, Eyes doubted that Shunai was simply one of Shigure's guards. He seemed like more than that. It also said a great deal that Shigure would send one of his personal and most professional guards to pick up Eyes, instead of simply an aide.
'Perhaps it is simply meant as a sign of goodwill... Somehow, I doubt that. Still, it does not necessarily have to mean anything. It could simply be that Shigure has many professional bodyguards, and letting one of them out of his sight is not going to cause him any trouble. Perhaps that's all it is. It will doubtless be a pain if it means anything more.'
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When they arrived at their destination, it turned out to be one of the traditional Japanese manors holding over from the feudal age, but with some more modern additions. Eyes and the aide were escorted by Shunai to a terrace room. Once there, Eyes turned to the aide and said, "I have no more need of your accompaniment from this point on. If something happens and I need to either prolong or shorten my stay in Japan, I will have you informed. Other than that, you may expect me back in England in two months."
"But Mr. Rutherford!" cried the aide, "You can't honestly expect me to just leave! What if you encounter some kind of problem during your stay?! I must be there to help!"
"No." said Eyes firmly. "I shall have no need of you during this trip. It does not have anything to do with my career, as should be obvious from my wish that the media not be informed in any manner of my trip. They have already been fed the story that I am on a retreat at an undisclosed location to garner inspiration for a new piece of music—."
"Which is why I must be here!" the aide cried, jumping on that desperately. "You are going to create a new composition, and copies must be made to ensure that it is not lost, and—."
"No." Eyes interrupted the aide. "I composed my own music long before I gained fame. I don't know where you got the idea that your help could make my music that much the better. This trip has nothing to do with the piano, and therefore nothing to do with you. There is a flight back to England tomorrow, and you would do well to be on it," Eyes stated coldly.
The aide looked at Eyes with surprise, while inwardly he was angry and dumbfounded. Dumbfounded, that Eyes would actually have the gall to blow him, aide number 1999, off, and angry because he had been intending to hang around and find out what this trip was all about. It was unexpected.
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Once the aide had left, Eyes let out a small sigh at how obvious the man had been, then went and sat on the couch, that was placed with a strategic view of the gardens that lay just off the terrace. Eyes sat there, thinking about what he planned to do while in Japan. With one nuisance out of the way, he only had to worry about Shigure. All that remained to be seen was what Shigure would do with his pet project.
'It is likely that Shigure will insist on me seeing him numerous times during the next two months, and he will be trying to find out what it is I'm doing. Sigh. I wonder how I will be able to put him off, without being rude. There are only so many excuses a person can use before the other is sure to catch on, and that number is even smaller when you're dealing with Shigure.'
As Eyes whiled away the time until Shigure arrived, in another part of the building, a lithe figure slipped in through a window on the second level and made their way towards a particular room. No one noticed the figure as they passed them by. No one noticed their long, thick, black hair, with blazing red highlights on the ends. No one noticed the large bag they had over their shoulder. And when the figure placed the bag on a bench next to the coat room, no one thought it odd.
For to them, it was all perfectly normal.
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Again, reviews please!! I want to know what people think of this fic. I want some talking between author & audience happening here!!
I know what I'm gonna' be doing with this as far as mental progression goes, but I'm not sure what the actual events should be. As I get farther along, and you see where this fic might be going, I am gonna' want a ton of suggestions for what should happen!! So start thinking now of what kind of action scenes might be interesting, then see where the fic goes. R&R please!!
I didn't mean to take so long getting this up, its been done for weeks, I just hadn't gotten around to it. I'm not getting any reviews, so I don't remember to put it up.