Much thanks for all the reviews and story alerts! I apologize if this chapter seems a bit rushed; unfortunately, I seem to be losing my momentum for this story. Ah well.

*Note* I made a little mistake in one of my previous chapters; John Smith is the CEO of First District, and Joseph Greer is the Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee. That is all.

Warning: Violence, swearing, and will probably have some girl-on-girl action in the future. All the good stuff. ;)
Disclaimer: Don't own a single darn thing, either James Bond or Mai Hime. T'is a shame, really..


Natsuki was immobilized in her seat by those piercing red eyes. A small bead of sweat slowly trailed down the side of Natsuki's face. Her instincts were screaming at her do something, anything, and she contemplated shooting someone just to relieve her nerves. It probably would be bad for the other person, but hey, it'd make her feel a lot better, especially since what would befall her if she lost to Shizuru was far, far worse. Natsuki knew that Shizuru was notorious in the underworld for her cruel and unusual punishments, but this woman took the phrase "playing with her prey" to a whole new level!

Natsuki's right hand instinctively twitched when Shizuru's hand moved. The other woman chuckled, but Natsuki simply glared, daring the crime leader to make another move.

Shizuru smirked back and deliberately stretched out a hand. Natsuki knew she had lost when she glimpsed the slightest hint of smugness in her enemy-turned-temporary-ally's eyes.

She watched in disbelief as Shizuru decisively moved a piece on the board and shot her a cheerful grin. "Ara, I do believe that's checkmate."

Natsuki stared down at the chessboard. "…This game is stupid."

Shizuru smirked. "Miss Kruger is just mad that she lost again."

Natsuki resisted the urge to fling the chessboard and all its stupid little parts away from her. "How much longer to Tokyo?"

Shizuru looked ruefully at an empty cup of tea. "Three more hours."

Natsuki groaned and flung herself back on the seat. Shizuru let out a small chuckle. "My jet substantially cuts down the travel time to seven hours. I wonder how Miss Kruger would fare on a normal eleven-hour flight to Tokyo?"

Natsuki shuddered. "A nightmare. One of the many perks of being a secret agent is having private transportation and being able to avoid screaming children and snoring old men on commercial airlines."

"Oh, so Agent Kruger hates children?"

Natsuki looked warily at red eyes sparkling with some hidden mischief. "I'm not too fond of kids, I guess."

Shizuru looked contemplative. "Ara, from what I heard about Miss Kruger's promiscuity, I thought that Miss Kruger desired a whole bunch of children."

Natsuki sputtered. "Wha—no—of course not! Are you crazy, woman?"

A slender eyebrow rose. "So Agent Kruger is not as licentious as everyone says she is?"

Natsuki uneasily looked away. "Well, I mean…" She snapped her head back to look at Shizuru incredulously. "Hey, wait! What is this, 'Twenty Questions about my life'?"

"No one held a gun to your head and made you respond. Perhaps Miss Kruger's ego is bigger than she thought." Shizuru gave her a haughty glance.

"My ego is just fine, thank you." Natsuki cocked her head in thought. Actually, maybe I can milk this for what it's worth, and get some information on Viola…

"Say, Viola…"

Shizuru immediately looked suspicious at Natsuki's genial tone. "Yes?"

Natsuki gave Shizuru what she hoped to be a winning smile. "Since we're going to be working together, why don't we get to know more about each other? I'll ask you some questions, and you can do the same."

Shizuru looked amused. "This sounds suspiciously like a date."

Natsuki scowled. "It's not a date, it's called establishing a partnership."

Shizuru leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs. "Very well, but I cannot guarantee that I will answer every question."

"Fair enough. The same applies to me."

Red eyes gleamed underneath the soft glow of the airplane light. "You can start."

Natsuki leaned her chin into her hand. "Any traumatizing childhood experiences that might jeopardize our mission?"

Shizuru mimicked Natsuki's posture. "Nothing that would seem abnormal to the daughter of the leader of the world's largest crime syndicate."

Natsuki frowned at her deflection. "So you were committing felonies in the womb?"

Shizuru gave Natsuki an amused smirk. "One can say that." At Natsuki's curious look, she continued. "My mother's father was the head of Grazhdan, a now obsolete branch of the Russian Mafia during the time of the Soviet Union. She worked for him while she was pregnant with me."

Natsuki cocked a brow. This was new information for Shizuru's file. "Your mother died when you were two, correct?"

Shizuru eyed Natsuki with annoyance. "MI6 is surprisingly thorough." She shrugged. "I suppose there's no harm in letting you know that particular piece of my history. My mother's name was Ana Zaretsky. She was shot while coming back from the grocery store, apparently by a rival syndicate. VCS wasn't so powerful back then."

Natsuki wasn't surprised to learn that Shizuru Viola was born into crime and violence, but she felt the stirrings of something deep within her. Perhaps it was pity?

Natsuki shook off her emotions. There should be no pity for the cold-blooded beauty before her; she had made her choices. "Ah, okay then…any skills I should know about? That would be useful for our job?"

Shizuru yawned. "You know, for a secret agent, you're not very subtle. Don't they teach how to gather information properly at 'Secret Agent Academy?'"

Natsuki had the decency to look slightly embarrassed, but cleared her throat. "I have a license to kill, not pussyfoot around."

"I get the feeling that Miss Kruger likes to use those words a lot."

"Which words?"

Shizuru immediately scowled and lowered her voice. "I have a license to kill."

Natsuki reluctantly chuckled at Viola's poor imitation of her. Shizuru seemed like a normal young woman when she was teasing Natsuki like this.

Shizuru shot her a grin. "Miss Kruger may not have a license to 'pussyfoot around,' but I do. I have a doctorate degree in law from the University of Cambridge."

Natsuki let out a low whistle. "Impressive. But I'm rather curious to how that works, with the whole criminal aspect of your life and whatnot."

Shizuru looked mirthful. "I thought if was funny. Everyone else thought I was insane, though, when I decided to major in civil and criminal law, especially for the latter." She casually waved a hand in the air. "Although, studying criminal law was undeniably helpful. It's useful to know the mindset of the other side of the law."

Green eyes narrowed. "Which brings me to my next question: why remain a criminal? It seems silly to stay on the wrong side with all your talent."

The look of mirth in Shizuru's eyes was replaced by warning. "Careful, Miss Kruger; that's a very loaded question." She crossed her arms. "And a bit hypocritical, if I say so myself. You had a bit of a crime-riddled past, am I right? How sad to be arrested four times before the tender age of fourteen. And indicted for second-degree manslaughter by sixteen?" Shizuru shook her head in mock shame.

Natsuki straightened up and glared at Shizuru. "How did you find that out? That's classified information!"

Shizuru smirked. "It's amazing what people will tell for a little bit of money."

Natsuki set her jaw in anger. "Like you haven't dirtied your hands," she spat out.

"Au contraire; there is no proof that I have ever committed any crime, be it misdemeanor or felony. I don't even have a parking ticket." She gave Natsuki a smug smile.

Natsuki gritted her teeth. "Bullshit!"

"It's true. My record is clean; Miss Kruger can look it up if she does not believe me."

"What about that guy back in Dubai? I'm sure he was one of many."

"What happened with Mr. Thomson was not new to me, I admit. But I doubt that I can be connected to his unfortunate end. Our clean-up crew is very thorough." Shizuru shrugged. "Also, Dubai's police commissioner is a close family friend."

Natsuki glared. "So that's it? When poor Shizuru gets into some trouble, she just falls back on Daddy's money?"

Shizuru's visage looked like it was carved from marble. "I bet Natsuki-chan wished she had that money after she killed her younger sister—"

Natsuki suddenly found herself on her feet and pointing her gun at Shizuru. "What happened to Alyssa was an accident!"

Her shout caused a tense silence to settle over the two women. Natsuki took in a deep breath and exhaled, but her gun remained steadily trained on Shizuru's forehead. She repeated in a calmer tone, "It. Was. An. Accident."

Shizuru gave the gun a dismissive glance and looked straight into smoldering green eyes. "And what about every other person Natsuki killed after her sister? Were they also accidents?"

A normal person would have pissed themselves at Natsuki's glare by now, but Shizuru remained unaffected. "Don't act naïve. You and I both know that there is no right or wrong, black or white. The law is flexible; the only color that exists is gray. So cut the crap and put that gun away before you put someone's eye out."

Natsuki's finger tightened on the trigger.

Shizuru sighed condescendingly. "You know more about guns than planes, am I right? So you know that what you're holding is a Walther P99. Should you fire at me at this close range, the bullet will pass through me and the fuselage like a blowtorch through butter. What you might not know is that the cabin will depressurize, and we'll both be sucked into outer space together. If that's how you want to enter Japan, you're welcome."

Natsuki growled and holstered her gun.

Shizuru gave her a small smile. "Better. I didn't give Natsuki her gun back just so she could provide to be a nuisance."

Natsuki plopped down into her seat with a frown. "Wipe that smirk off your face before I do it for you."

"Oh, please do."

Shizuru's seductive tone caused the slightest tint of pink to mar Natsuki's features.

"Ara, now it's my turn to ask questions." There was a maniacal glint in Shizuru's eyes.

Natsuki stood up and headed towards the plane's bar. "I'm going to need some alcohol."

-000-000-000-

Natsuki slammed the glass down on the counter with a triumphant smile, which quickly disappeared when Shizuru followed her a second after. Natsuki gave her a surprised look. "What the hell is your liver made out of? Steel?"

Somewhere along the way, Natsuki's attempt to learn more about Shizuru had devolved into a drinking contest. The rules were simple: the two femmes fatales alternately asked a question that both women would have to answer. However, one had to successfully down a shot first, without collapsing, before they could hear the other's answer.

Shizuru placed her hand on her chin. "Ara, is that your question?"

Natsuki frantically shook her head. "No! It's just that I've only met a very few people who are able to keep up with my alcohol intake."

"Please, a Viola can handle anything. I will be able to drink anything Natsuki throws at me, rest assured."

Natsuki shrugged. She would probably be able take at least five more shots, since right now she was only slightly buzzed. "Well, I wouldn't know what a Viola can or can't handle. Why don't you give up a few more details on your family background, then?"

Shizuru regarded her carefully. "Why not? Russian on my mother's side, which is where I inherited my high alcohol tolerance from." They smiled at each other, their interactions far less constrained by the alcohol. "My paternal grandfather was a low-level member of the Sicilian Mafia, which is where I learned the Code of Omertà and inherited my vengeful side. My paternal grandmother raised my father and uncle in Kyoto, where I was learned to become the perfect lady. And here I am." Shizuru gave a mock bow.

Natsuki sarcastically clapped. "Gang members on both your father and mother's side? You are a true criminal heiress."

Shizuru let out a short laugh. "And you?"

Natsuki idly spun on the barstool. "Grew up in Brixton, in the south part of London. I don't know my biological father. My mother disappeared when I was eight, leaving my younger sister Alyssa and me with my abusive, drug-addict stepfather. And apparently you know the rest." She gave Shizuru a critical look.

Shizuru carelessly shrugged. "I may, I may not." She reached for the bottle of tequila and poured generous measures into two shot glasses, handing one to Natsuki and raising hers in a half-salute before downing it in one go. Shizuru studied Natsuki for any sign of impeding alcohol poisoning, but the agent seemed fine. "Any significant relationships?"

Natsuki scoffed. "Relationships are bad for business. Can you imagine how hard it is to explain to your significant other why there's a dead man in the closet?"

"Is that where you keep yours? I keep my bodies in the bathroom."

Natsuki poured another shot. "Regardless." She glanced at Shizuru. "Weaknesses?"

A haughty sniff was heard. "I don't have any."

Natsuki gave her a smirk. "Don't be like that, even Superman had Kryptonite."

Shizuru let out a dark chuckle. "Alcohol and death threats may be good bonding experiences, but no matter how much I drink, it is still not enough for me to divulge my secrets."

"Your father is one weakness."

The corners of Shizuru's mouth imperceptibly tightened, but Natsuki caught it. "I don't know what you're talking about. He's dead."

"Yes," Natsuki agreed. "But you wouldn't be trying to avenge him right now if you didn't care for him. You were a 'Daddy's Girl, am I right?'"

Shizuru drained her glass. "If Natsuki wants to know my secrets, then she'll have to earn my trust."

"Your trust? Who says I want it? By the way, since when were we on a first-name basis?"

"An acknowledgement of one's first name makes some people like they're special to that person." Shizuru gave Natsuki a suggestive look.

Natsuki shot her a droll look. "I often wondered why girls like to scream my name so much while in bed."

Shizuru smiled into the distance. "Ah, the famed Kruger libido. Is it fact or fiction?"

Natsuki cocked an eyebrow. "I'm always willing to help with gathering data. Anyways, are we there yet?"

Shizuru picked up a phone and waited. "Captain? How soon until we land?" A slight pause. "I see. Thank you." She looked at Natsuki. "Twenty minutes until landing."

"Delightful. Excuse me while I use the restroom."

Natsuki quickly slipped into the restroom and locked the door, leaning against it in relief. Outside, Shizuru let her head rest with a thump on the bar counter once Natsuki was out of sight. The same thought occurred simultaneously in their heads: I'm going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow.


Unidentified place

A solitary figure sat in the plush leather chair, stroking a purring white cat in his lap. Black eyes were focused on a holographic projector that displayed an interactive globe. Some people in lab coats were talking and pointing at specific places on the globe.

"…if we begin the operation here, there is a 80% chance…"

"…the effects will be especially detrimental here…"

"…the most volatile areas are in the United States and Russia. I suggest…"

Snippets of conversation faded in and out of the man's ears. He ignored their inane chatter; he could hear nothing but the pounding of his own heart. He was transfixed on multiple glowing red dots on the globe, and seemed fascinated when one of the scientists pressed one of the dots, causing a wave of red to ripple outwards and cover a large part of the globe.

The man was dimly aware of the scientists looking at him strangely; they were finally finished talking. He gave them an impassive glance; one of them was calling his name. "Mr. Kanzaki?"

Reito's senses returned. He gave the group a genial smile. "Excellent work, ladies and gentlemen. Dr. Fleming, how are we on area?"

A red-haired man smiled weakly at the young crime leader. "I'm afraid that we will still need to expand our power plants further to carry our threat out to maximum effectiveness. Specifically, in North America, Europe, and the Middle East."

Reito placed the cat on the floor and leaned back nonchalantly in the chair, putting his arms behind his head. "As you say, doctor. I will contact Mr. Smith immediately." He turned to a bespectacled woman with dark hair. "Dr. Michel? What is the status of your reactor?"

The woman licked her lips nervously. "It is…not going as quickly as I hoped it would. The reactor is not emitting enough energy to generate a sufficient explosion yet, but I hope to rectify the situation soon."

Reito looked displeased. "This is the third time I have been informed of your failings, doctor. I do not have the patience for incompetence!" He disgustedly waved a hand at two thuggish-looking men standing by the doors. "Take her out of my sight. Do whatever you want with her."

The henchmen dragged the doctor out of the room, ignorant of her frantic pleas. Reito snapped out, "Dr. Greene!" A short man jerked in surprise. "Y-yes sir!"

Reito pleasantly smiled at the scientist. "Congratulations, you've been promoted. You're now in charge of making me my reactor."

The doctor looked terrified, but nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Kanzaki."

Reito looked the side, where his right-hand man was standing. "Takeda, do I have anything on my schedule for today?"

The scarred swordsman shook his head. "Not today, Kanzaki-san." His hands unconsciously stroked a new, horizontal scar on his throat.

Reito gestured at the holographic display. "Excellent. Do play the demonstration again." His black eyes sparkled with macabre glee. "There's a certain beauty in watching the world burn."


Japan

Shizuru and Natsuki watched as the pilot saluted at them from the cockpit and took off.

Natsuki shook her head sympathetically. "Poor guy. No rest for the weary, I suppose?"

Shizuru beckoned Natsuki to follow her. "No rest for the wicked, either. I want to get to Tokyo as soon as possible."

Natsuki gazed at the panoramic view before her. They were on some small mountain, and she could see the glittering lights of Tokyo before them. "It seems a bit impractical to have an airplane runway on top of a mountain."

Shizuru gestured for Natsuki to look around at the lack of people; only a few workers were present. "Having a runway on top of a mountain may not give much space to maneuver, but it gives a great deal of privacy."

She pointed to a gunmetal-gray Aston Martin Rapide idling a short distance away. "There is a car waiting for us. It would not do to keep the driver waiting any longer than he already has."

The two women strode over the tarmac to the car. The driver nodded his head at them as they settled down in the backseat. "Viola-san, I am Watanabe from VCS Tokyo."

Shizuru politely smiled back. "A pleasure, Watanabe-san. Please, lead the way."

Natsuki noticed that the driver seemed nervous when their eyes connected briefly in the rear-view mirror.

Shizuru didn't seem to notice, as she was reading a text message. "Oh, dear. It seems that the situation between VCS Tokyo and the Tokyo Yakuza clans is escalating. Someone set off a small bomb in one of our casinos…it was probably the Wakashi clan."

Natsuki glanced indifferently at Shizuru before returning her gaze to the touge they were now traversing. The notoriously steep S-shaped mountain roads were undoubtedly dangerous, but still, the driver was driving frustratingly slowly!

Shizuru continued to talk, heedless of Natsuki's preoccupation. "Hitting them back twice as hard is going to be the best policy here, I think. We can start with Yazuka nightclubs."

The driver made a noise in the back of his throat. Shizuru and Natsuki both looked at him oddly. His eyes once again met briefly with Natsuki's in the mirror before looking away. The man coughed and scratched his throat, muttering an apology. Natsuki stiffened when she saw that the tip of his pinky was missing.

A quick glance at Shizuru revealed that the crime leader had noticed the same thing.

"Watanabe-san…"

The driver looked back. "Yes, Viola-san?"

"Pull over."

Watanabe looked confused. "Here? It will be dangerous if I do."

He stiffened when the barrel of a gun was pressed to his temple. "More dangerous for you if we don't."

He glanced fearfully to the side. Natsuki's left elbow was casually planted next to the driver's headrest, supporting her as she held her gun loosely in her right hand.

Watanabe pulled over to the side of the road. A flimsy-looking guardrail was the only barrier between the car and a two thousand foot drop. He began to slowly reach for something underneath the wheel, but Natsuki abruptly smacked his arm down.

"Hands on the wheel, Watanabe, I'm a very nervous passenger."

Shizuru smoothly exited the car and motioned Natsuki to follow. Natsuki tapped Watanabe's temple with her gun. "Get out. Don't make any sudden movements; I have a bad habit of being rather twitchy."

Watanabe slowly exited the car. Shizuru struck a thoughtful pose. "Ara, Watanabe-san, I am curious to know who sent you. Was it the Wakashi Clan? The Suzuki? Or even perhaps the Sato Clan?"

Watanabe suddenly lashed out with his foot, but Shizuru easily caught it and twisted his leg, causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground.

Watanabe clambered to his feet and lunged for Shizuru, but Natsuki stepped in between them and smashed the butt of her gun into his face. The man fell to the ground, clutching a swollen and misshapen nose.

Shizuru raised a brow. "I would suggest you start talking, now."

Watanabe groaned and reached into his coat pocket. Natsuki pointed the gun threateningly at his head, but he held up his other hand in supplication. "I just wanted to have a cigarette."

Natsuki glared and reached into his pocket herself, pulling out a packet of cigarettes, and handed one to him. Watanabe took it, but instead of lighting it up, he bit into it. He immediately started choking.

Shizuru reached out, alarmed. "Get that away from him!"

Natsuki tore the cigarette out of his mouth, but it was too late. Watanabe stopped convulsing and pitched forwards onto his face. His chauffeur's cap fell off, revealing an ornate koi fish tattoo on his shaved head.

Shizuru hummed in consideration and looked at Natsuki. "Koi fish is the symbol of the Wakashi Clan." She took the cigarette pack from Natsuki and inspected its contents. "Cyanide cigarettes, how kitschy. I didn't know these still existed." She pocketed the case.

Natsuki shrugged. "I guess the cigarette guns were out of stock?"

Shizuru returned to the backseat and removed the floor mat, revealing a small chamber holding two Berettas and plenty of bullets. She handed Natsuki one of the guns, claiming the other for herself, and climbed into the front seat. "Take that. I'm driving."

Natsuki grabbed it. "Uh…thanks?"

A burst of gunfire caused Natsuki to instinctively jerk behind the door. Peering over the door, she saw four black cars speeding down the mountain towards them.

Shizuru clicked on her seatbelt. "Natsuki is very welcome. Now let's get moving, Wakashi gathered his men much quicker than I thought."

Natsuki hopped in next to Shizuru. The car peeled off with a screech of tires, going much faster than when the now-deceased driver had been in control. The Yakuza cars began to fire upon them. Natsuki leaned out the window and began to shoot back, hitting the driver the first car and causing it to spin out of control, but was forced to jerk back inside when a bullet streaked by perilously close to her head.

"This welcoming committee isn't too friendly."

Shizuru gave her a dry look. "Is Natsuki sure? That last bullet seemed like it wanted to get to know her better."

"Just drive, woman."

Natsuki grimaced as Shizuru did another sharp turn at a hairpin curve, causing the car to drift.

Two of the remaining cars managed to stick to the road and make it pass the curve, albeit not as spectacularly as Shizuru did. However, the last car wasn't so fortunate: it flew straight through the guardrail, plummeting some thousand feet to the ground below.

Natsuki reloaded her gun and tapped Shizuru on the shoulder. "Can I have the other gun?"

She wordlessly passed it over to Natsuki.

"Thanks. Don't make any sudden turns."

"What?" Shizuru sounded confused, but Natsuki had already opened the passenger door of her side, her entire upper body leaning outside. She aimed for the wheels of the remaining two cars, heedless of the numerous bullets whistling past her. Emptying the catridges of both guns, Natsuki hit the wheels of the car to her right, causing it to careen out of control and collide with the other car. Both exploded in a huge ball of fire.

Satisfied, Natsuki pulled herself back into the car and buckled her seatbelt. Shizuru glanced at her with a half-smile and reached out a hand to ruffle Natsuki's dark hair. "Not bad. Perhaps recruiting Natsuki's help wasn't the biggest mistake of my life, after all."

Natsuki scowled and swatted Shizuru's hand away. "Just keep your eyes on the road, I said I was a nervous passenger." She unconsciously gave a slight pout. "I want to drive next time."

Shizuru raised her eyebrows incredulously at Natsuki's pout, but refrained from commenting on it. "Ara, I want a million dollars. Remind me to stop by a bank later."

Natsuki scowled and mumbled under her breath, "It doesn't count if you already have it."

"What was that?"

Natsuki coughed. "I said, 'Where are we headed?'"

Shizuru's smile turned sinister. "We're going to make a surprise appearance at a Yakuza conference and thank them for the warm welcome."


Hehe, see if you can find all the James Bond references. (I was too lazy to count up the actual total number though, so don't ask me!) :P

Ever wonder how James Bond could drink all that alcohol and still be able to function perfectly? I did...

Omake! –

[What would happen in the real world…]

Natsuki: Shizuru, why are you swerving so much?

Shizuru: Ara, I think I'm reaaaally drunk.

Natsuki: Well, I'm not. Wait, watch out! You nearly hit that pink elephant!

Shizuru: It's okay, I bought insurance from a talking gecko. He was quite the smooth-talker, too.

Natsuki: [Relieved] Oh, okay. Ooh, get that red mushroom, you'll get a 1-Up!

Shizuru: [Cheerfully] Okay! [Hits a line of traffic cones]

-Sirens sound behind them-

Natsuki: Look at the pretty lights! It sounds like a party, stop the car!

Officer: Ma'am, please step out of the car and blow into this breathalyzer.

Shizuru: I'll blow anything you offer me, officer. [Gives a salacious wink.]

Officer: …Ma'am, I'm going to be frank with you; you reek of alcohol.

Natsuki: What did he say?

Shizuru: He said his name's Frank, and he likes the way I smell.

Officer: That's it, I'm taking you in.

Natsuki: Where's he taking us? To a party?

Shizuru: A party in his pants, maybe. [Winks again.]

Officer: [Grumbles] They really don't pay me enough for this crap.

End! –

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