Author here. As always, thank you for your reviews and everlasting patience as I bumble about and separate our darling couple.
This chapter was... difficult, for lack of a better word. Feels a little rushed.
Mai-hime and related belongs to Sunrise.
Cause Disarray
Two weeks were now up.
Haruka stared at the train routes posted in the station. She had just arrived at the station dressed in casual jeans and a hooded sweatshirt along with a thick down-filled jacket. It was a little colder than she had expected but she would bear with it for now. She read over the routes for what seemed to be the tenth time until someone wearing a black suit and coat sidled up next to her. He coughed politely to catch her attention and she inclined her head towards him.
"Took you long enough, Kanzaki."
Reito raised a complacent hand to stave off any lectures.
"Ah, sorry. I was tied up in a phone call."
"Really?" Haruka turned back to the map. "Your sister?"
"Mai-san, actually."
She made a curious noise while looking over towards him once more. He stared back bemusedly.
"You two an item?"
Another polite cough came as this time Reito stared at the map in feigned interest.
"I wouldn't say that, Suzushiro-san. I had asked her about Mikoto's health… seems the weather was disagreeing with her lately."
This idle strain of chatter drifted as Haruka crossed her arms.
"Train should be here soon. The tracks were finally de-iced last night."
"Where are we headed?" he asked.
"The city." Haruka stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets. "Apparently the pills that you had Tokiha drop off to Yukino were manufactured in a laboratory to the north of here. Marguerite is supposed to be somewhere around here tonight for something or another."
He let out a low whistle.
"Think we're a little over our heads?"
She snorted. "A little?"
"Well…" He nearly hit the wall as he was jostled forwards. "Whoa, what—"
Haruka turned and caught the tell-tale shock of red hair merging into the crowd. Like a bull drawn to scarlet cloth she let out the briefest of snorts and lowered her head as she marched into the crowd with all the purpose of a bulldozer ready to run through everything. Reito wheeled around in a rare state of panic as he followed the trail of blonde hair.
Nao felt a hand clamp over her shoulder like a vice.
"Hey, what—"
She turned around and immediately wished she didn't. If there was one person Nao would have wanted to avoid for the rest of her life, Suzushiro Haruka fit the bill nicely. Despite the older girl graduating before Nao even set foot in the same high school, Haruka's reputation as the Executive Director never quite went away. Nao's years of higher education were marred by curfew violations that could have easily thrown her out of school… if it wasn't for blackmailing Yukino to blot them out of her record. The last semester of second year especially was a blast when the scheme was implemented. However, all good things had to come to an end. Nao considered herself extremely lucky to get out of school alive let alone with a diploma when Haruka found out about that.
"S-Suzushiro?" An uneasy laugh emerged from Nao when Haruka refused to let go. "Heh… Long time no see?"
"Yeah, it's been a while." Violet eyes narrowed. "Never long enough, though. What are you doing here, Yuuki."
By this time Reito had made his way over towards the two. He took a moment to straighten his coat and fix his tie, all in keeping the semblance of an unruffled man despite his impressive 100-meter dash through the mingling crowds. Nao looked up at him in a plea for leniency but the only thing he could offer was a half-hearted shrug.
"Answer me," Haruka demanded with a little shake.
"Stop making milkshake out of my brains!" Nao snapped.
She clamped her hand over Haruka's wrist but resistance was futile.
"Alright… Alright! Let go of me and I'll talk."
Haruka rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Like I'm going to do that!" She reinforced her grip. "Now, what are you doing here?"
"Could it occur to you that maybe I live here or something?" Nao spat.
"Or something, Yuuki-san," Reito replied calmly as he watched the two struggle back and forth. "You wouldn't be trying to run if you did not have something to hide."
Nao glared at him but the warning behind her look was ignored as Reito shifted her gaze towards Haruka. His normally calm demeanor now held a stern streak as he stared at them contemplatively.
"Now, now. We don't have to look like we are holding up a common pickpocket in the station, do we?" he asked.
Now she knew she was in for it when Kanzaki Reito used that tone of voice. The so-called pretty-boy rarely sullied his hands over any dirty business when at school, much like the Kaichou he worked with. It was only when he personally felt something was amiss that he even showed interest in rectifying the situation. Haruka loosened her grip slightly and Nao groaned in defeat. She could already feel the five small bruises that no doubt would develop from where Haruka's fingers dug into her shoulder. Reito turned and beckoned them over to a small coffee shop outside the station. After small cups of coffee were placed in front of them Nao begrudgingly relaxed against the plush seating.
"So you got me," Nao said after a moment. "What do the two of you want?"
"Just answer her question for now," Reito replied before taking a small sip.
"I can't do that," Nao hissed. "If my cover is blown—"
"So you are sneaking around!" Haruka exclaimed.
"No I'm not! And try to keep the volume down." Nao heaved a great sigh. "Listen, I'm pretty sure by now that we're close to being on the same page. Just tell me what you're here for and I'll let you know if I have anything that relates."
"I was told by Fujino two weeks ago to come here," Haruka said before downing the last of her own cup of black coffee. "For what, I don't know."
Nao blinked. "Fujino? Which one?"
"Which one…?" Reito echoed curiously.
"Wait a second!"
Nao felt herself lurch back and forth again, this time from… exuberance?
"You know where Fujino Shigeru is?!" Random gibberish spilled out from Nao but that didn't stop Haruka from her enthusiastic shaking. "Where is he?!"
"Suzushiro-san," Reito warned with a sigh. "Let's not make our contact into a rag doll by the end of this ordeal."
Haruka stopped her shaking in time to see Nao's head lolling back and forth. Nao rubbed her head and finally managed to push her way out of the slack grip.
"… With Kuga," Nao managed to wheeze out.
Nostrils flared as violet eyes flashed. Nao stared at her with her mouth agape. Haruka was perfectly jubilant only a few seconds ago. Now it looked as if she wanted to flip the table over and take her temper out to the streets.
"Kuga!"
Haruka nearly took the poor table out as she pumped her fists against it and bellowed. Nao could almost see the puffs of air exit her nostrils by way of a heavy snort.
"And what has that delinquent been doing for the better part of a year?" Haruka asked as she pushed up the her sleeves.
"… Saving Fujino Shigeru's ass and hiding from the likes of you," Nao said with a sneer. "I bet when you see her, the first thing you'll do is smack her fool head around."
"Maybe if she didn't leave Fujino Shizuru in the first place a year ago a good portion of this wouldn't have happened," Haruka growled in response, jabbing a finger in Nao's general direction. "Now that she's awake and doped up on something or another I'm here to set this mess straight and if I have to knock her food head around I will!"
"Fool head," Reito supplied quickly when a short silence followed.
Nao held up her hands and formed a "T" to signal a time-out. Surprisingly Haruka relented and leaned back against her seat.
"Wait, wait. Are you telling me that Fujino Shizuru is awake?" Nao asked with a raised eyebrow.
Reito nodded.
"Ah, and now everything comes together," Nao mused, rubbing her chin. "Well, this is interesting."
"What do you plan on doing with Fujino Shigeru?" Haruka inquired with a frown.
"What do I plan? Well I plan on getting a nice fat paycheck and getting myself the hell out of here."
Nao paused with those violet eyes reached a dangerous level of ferocity.
"… Then again… on short term, we were planning on going back to Tokyo to regroup."
"You might want to hold off on that right now," Reito said.
Nao frowned into her coffee cup.
"Why? The tracks are de-iced and there's supposed to be another storm tonight. If we don't get out now we might be stuck until the storm lifts. That's another three or so days without a paycheck."
"True, but we have reason to believe that something important may occur tonight," Reito explained. "Knowing Kuga-san's cause for absence, this might be doubly important to her as well."
Nao waved her hand for a refill without taking her eyes off the man seated across from her.
"Is that why the two of you are here?" she asked before the waitress came with a coffee pot and a tray of shortbread cookies. "Is this some sort of reunion special or something?"
"Wherever that weasel Marguerite goes, Fujino is sure to be there," Haruka muttered darkly.
"Marguerite? Like a margarita?" Nao took a sip of coffee and sighed wistfully. "I like those, you know. Especially the huge ones on the rocks with the rim full of salt. Too bad I've been stuck in this frozen mess for so long that I've forgotten the taste of them."
Reito easily caught on. He dipped a cookie into his coffee, took a bite, and set it down before folding his hands around his cup.
"I know of an excellent club back in Tokyo that serves some of the best."
"Really." Nao smiled. "Expensive?"
Reito shrugged nonchalantly.
"Free, unless, you know, we don't get what we want. I don't think I can guarantee your safety against Suzushiro-san here."
He looked over towards his colleague. Haruka finished her cup of coffee rather calmly but the point was already set. Nao reached into her back pocket. Out came a pen that she shook vigorously before uncapping it. She grabbed onto a napkin and scribbled on it to get the ink going before turning it over. On this side she wrote down what looked to be a map before sliding it over to Reito's waiting hand.
"My sources aren't 100-percent sure, but something is supposed to be going down in this club tonight. If your Marguerite or whatever is hanging around Sapporo on 'business', that'd be her place to be."
He neatly folded the napkin into his jacket pocket and gathered his coat.
"Pleasure doing business with you," he said cheerfully. "Hopefully we'll see each other under… friendlier terms. Have a good day, Yuuki-san."
Nao gave a wary nod before she got up. Haruka and Reito watched the younger girl nearly fly for the exit before they too got up from the table.
"… Think we laid it on a little thick?" Reito mused.
"Doesn't matter," Haruka replied tersely. "This has been a year in the making, after all."
Sapporo was awash in lights that night. Despite the frigid atmosphere there was still life in the city to stave off the long nights. The city's nightlife flooded the Mosaic nightclub in a flash of blue lights and pulsating bass. This particular club was one of the most illustrious joints in the immediate area, and many influential individuals typically held their meetings there. The closed doors hid the clandestine meetings from the prying eyes of the frenzied dancers who congregated on the dance floor.
Natsuki wondered how much it would take for Shigeru to just sit still but the older man was succumbing rapidly to the infectious ebb and flow of the crowd around them. She knew this was a bad idea, especially when alcohol was unsuccessfully used to keep him in his seat. A train of girls not much older than herself were already flocking around Shigeru like busy bees to a particularly attractive blossom. He politely waved away their advances with charming smiles that caused even more girls to stop around their spot next to the bar. Natsuki looked away from the building spectacle and ordered another Black Russian to kill time.
Right now it was just the two of them not counting the growing gaggle of girls. There had been a tip from Yamada and Nao a few hours ago about this particular club but Natsuki wasn't really seeing it. Mediating quarrels between gangs were not how she wanted to spend her days. Bored emerald eyes roved over flashing lights as she swiveled around in her bar stool and surveyed the crowd before her. The frozen atmosphere blended with her silence so well that there was a clear radius of free space around her despite the longing in the eyes of the clubbers. Her signature black suit and white shirt clearly indicated that she was all business tonight.
"C'mon, Natsuki-chan," Shigeru called out. Already he was feeling the effects of several drinks. "Just relax for tonight!"
"Still on a job," Natsuki muttered in response as her eyes raked over the dance floor.
"In a club?" Shigeru asked in an astounded tone. "What on earth do you do for fun, then?"
Natsuki rested her chin on her hand. Of course she had fun. It was only a while since the last time. She shook her head to clear it of nostalgia before facing a curious Shigeru.
"… That looks like quite the crowd," Natsuki said as she motioned towards the door.
Shigeru turned and froze.
"… Fujino-san?"
"I'll be right back."
Shigeru didn't even bother to wait for a response as he hopped off his barstool and disappeared into the crowd. Natsuki pushed her way through the crowd as well but soon stopped herself at the sight of something so familiar that her breath was ripped away from her.
… It can't be.
The doors to the VIP section opened with a bang when Shigeru shoved the doors open with one push. The lone individual in the room looked up with mild surprise.
"Oh, this is a pleasant surprise."
The woman sitting before him had the same ageless quality that he possessed. Indeed, they looked markedly similar with the same beguiling smile and emotionless mask hiding the true extent of their moods. Her silver eyes held nothing of the general warmth that his eyes possessed, however, and the smile on her lips held a decidedly dangerous curve to it. Thick flaxen hair the same color as his was piled high into a bun that revealed a long neck adorned with a simple set of priceless pearls.
"… Kyoko."
Kyoko Marguerite rewarded him with another closed-mouth smile that he failed to return.
"Hello again, brother."
Despite her years overseas her Japanese still retained a clear indication that she had been born in Kyoto and raised in a world of rich history and splendor. She had changed little from the last time he had seen her. Shigeru took in the knowing look in her eyes and looked away.
"What are you doing back in Japan?"
She took a dainty sip out of her martini glass.
"Mediating, of course. My residence is overseas, yes, but that doesn't allow me to ignore my business here in Japan."
Business, of course. That was nothing but bad news to Shigeru.
"I suspect you've met Tomoe already?" she asked after a moment.
"How long did you know about all this?" he asked in a harsh whisper.
"I'm afraid I didn't know for as long as you would have liked." She studied the mixture of rage and frustration of her brother's eyes for a moment before deciding to continue. "But… long enough, I'll have to say."
"Do you even realize what your daughter could have done?" Shigeru asked with an impatient wave of his hand. "Do you know what she did to me? She locked me in a damn ice box for nearly a year!"
"Oh, I'm very well aware," Kyoko replied.
For the first time an emotion other than smug accomplishment passed through her face. She almost looked troubled at her own admission but brushed it off with a dismissive wave bred from years of cool nonchalance.
"I can't excuse my daughter's actions. She can be somewhat… reckless."
Shigeru glowered.
"I'll say," he replied sarcastically. "When were you going to rein her in, Kyoko? When she kills someone? I mean she did do a fine number on me by running me off the road."
"Don't be ridiculous," Kyoko scoffed as she took a sip of her drink. "Tomoe knows where the line is drawn. If she oversteps it then it will be her who will pay, no one else."
"The line?" Shigeru repeated in disbelief. His teeth gnashed together as his voice entered a higher volume. "The line! This isn't some sort of game, Kyoko!"
"Honestly, brother, you may want to keep your voice down," Kyoko replied in an annoyed tone. "I paid enough money for this room to not end the night with a pounding headache from your bellowing."
Shigeru began to pace around the VIP room. A slow fire was beginning to creep up from the pit of his stomach to wash through his throat and up to his mouth. During the slow crawl into this palatable agony Kyoko looked on with unreadable eyes and a hint of a smile on her lips. She drank in his disbelief and anger with as much zest as she would any fine liquor. The effects made her feel almost pleasantly drunk. Shigeru ran his hands through his hair agitatedly.
"You know, it's just like you. It's just like you to be amused over all of this," he stammered as he jabbed a finger in his sister's general direction.
"Ara, am I not allowed?" Kyoko asked with an innocent blink. "After all, brother, you had no qualms yourself over playing these games."
"This is different!" Shigeru argued. "I would never—"
"You would never what, hm?" Kyoko fixed her brother with a cold look. "What were you going to say, brother? You would never hurt another in the process?"
He stopped his pacing and instead glared at her… but remained curiously silent. Now her amused smile morphed into a triumphant smirk as she stood. The fabric of her dress swished over her legs as she made her way towards the fuming man.
"I have you there, don't I?"
"That… That was different," Shigeru argued. "And it was years ago! Sure, we played our games back and forth but this isn't a game, Kyoko!"
Kyoko shook her head. Her smile melted into a frown mirroring his own.
"No, brother. It was always the same game."
Shigeru gave a fleeting glance towards the door before whirling around to face Kyoko. Behind him he could hear the sounds of footsteps pounding down the hall to stop in front of the door. Fists pounded from outside.
"You will not touch her," he growled out. "She's the only one I have left. Take what you want from me, but you will not have her."
Kyoko stared at him before her eyes flashed. The pupils morphed into slits even as she touched her forehead with slim fingers.
"Quite frankly… that is out of my hands," she hissed.
Shigeru stared at the door once more but before he could open it he felt her hand on his shoulder.
"Here is my proposal," Kyoko continued calmly even as the pounding grew louder. "In five minutes my unfortunate business partners will realize that there is no deal going on. They will be rather angry, no doubt. There is an exit in this room that will lead outside. Take it, and go back."
Another game.
"No." Shigeru shook his head. "No. I won't leave her."
Shizuru.
Natsuki caught the sway of flaxen hair and locked on to it as she pushed against the dancing crowd. Already she could pick out the uncompromisingly beefy security guards that flanked the entering party. Inwardly she cursed but continued shoving through the crowd until she reached a clearing. The entourage parked themselves down at the bar and Natsuki scooted to a seat with a grumble.
"Damn… I should've just stayed in the bar," she muttered as she took in her immediate surroundings. "All this walking around to just get to the same place… what a load of…"
The woman had yet to turn her head. Natsuki blinked and shifted her gaze to the left. Was that green hair beside that brown? An atrocious laugh erupted from the entourage and Natsuki grimaced as she cradled her right ear.
"How much money do they get paid to hang around that," she wondered aloud.
She waved away the bartender and was given a glass of soda which she nearly downed in one gulp. She nibbled on the straw while watching the group several seats down from her. Something bubbled up in her stomach as she watched them and it wasn't from the soda. She recognized this feeling. She never quite forgot the last time she felt this uncertainty bubble up from within. It was the feeling of quiet dread that plummeted straight to disaster.
The next few seconds were total bedlam. Something was going on in the VIP lounge, something large enough to cause the dance floor to erupt into pandemonium. She nearly went deaf as the roar of fire erupted from the center of the VIP lounge. In the back of her mind she registered gunshots going off in the distance that led to a concerto of panicked screams. The green-haired entourage leader was shrieking orders at her lackeys. Natsuki scrambled for cover by leaping over the bar and landing near a wild-eyed bartender.
"Stay down," she barked.
During his frantic nods she edged over to the end of the bar and chanced a peek up.
Did they find out about us? No, no. This has to be unrelated.
The nightclub was about to implode in itself. Natsuki took in a deep breath and hopped out of her hiding place. Despite the chaos and confusion she maneuvered around the crowd and locked onto the flowing waves of chestnut brown hair. Someone knocked into her and she landed with a dizzy groan as her head knocked into the counter. She scrambled up to her feet as she registered her surroundings. Now the only people still around were ill-disguised thugs belonging to one underground faction or another, she wasn't too sure. She found it too hard to pay attention to anything outside of what was in front of her.
There she was with chestnut brown hair flying out in the intense blasts of heat. Fujino Shizuru stood in this backdrop of hell with an acute clarity in her crimson eyes. The black silk of her dress swam over her curves and rippled through the mix of hot air as she threw her arms up to shield her face from the embers that flew past her. Natsuki barely swallowed as she laid eyes on her.
I won't let you go again.
Natsuki launched herself through the air right as another explosion rocked through the club. Her arms wrapped around the body in front of her and the two tumbled down to the ground. They rolled for a few meters before Natsuki instinctively covered the body below her with her own. Debris collapsed over on top of them but Natsuki's back prevented the two from being crushed underneath. The continuous screams of the crowd—also trapped under this pandemonium of rubble and fire—dimmed in favor of a strange, muffled silence.
Her back was killing her. Natsuki let out a pained wheeze before her eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the lack of light. The fingertips that grazed her cheeks were shaky and the body beneath hers was shivering. The close contact was equal parts agonizing and relieving. All Natsuki could see in the semi-darkness was the steady warm glow of the crimson eyes staring up at her. Shock weakened her muscles as she struggled to keep upright. With a short puff of air she clamped her elbows down on either side of the body below her. Despite the pain, a smile grew on her lips as she felt steadier palms grasp onto her cheeks. Red eyes grew impossibly wide as tears shimmered on the surface and finally fell in crystalline streams. Natsuki's thumb gently rubbed against her cheek, leaving a small smudge of dust against the porcelain skin.
Another explosion rocked the club, this time knocking the debris off Natsuki's back and catapulting the two over towards the bar once more. Brown hair muffled her sight and filled her nose with the combined scent of jasmine and ashes as she felt Shizuru's body collide against her own. Natsuki managed to blink off her daze and stood up slowly, taking a protective step forward. Something whined in the back of her head and she grasped at her forehead with a groan.
"Shizuru-sama?!"
Again with that voice. Natsuki clenched her jaw as her neck strained. The fires seemed to recede somewhat through a lack of fuel in order to reveal the owner of the voice. Cold gray eyes roved over the burning wreckage of what was once a lucrative joint that brought in a good percentage of her income. Asymmetrical green hair flew wildly in every direction when a fresh blast of heat buffeted around her. She looked positively deranged—an unstable tyrant in her own kingdom of bedlam.
"Get away from her," the woman snarled.
Natsuki lowered her head and stood her ground. Tomoe's nostrils flared as she brought a gun up to level with Natsuki. She could hear Shizuru draw in a tense breath behind her in the curious silence that followed when she released the safety on the gun. Tomoe was bodily tackled out of the way just as she began to pull the trigger. She lurched to the side but the gun in her hand discharged when her finger twitched. The casing clattered with a distinct echo but it was lost as a body slumped to the floor. Tomoe backed away shakily from the groaning man who had just shoved her to the ground. She stared at him with an overwhelming sense of disbelief.
"You…"
Shizuru shakily got up on her feet. Her eyes never left the struggling body.
"… Otou-han…"
Dulled maple-red eyes stared at them. Shigeru's breathing was dangerously shallow. A pool of dark liquid began to seep from his side.
The temperature began to drop in Natsuki's immediate area as she lifelessly fell to her knees. Her arms and legs engaged in violent tremors and a growl began to grow from the back of her throat. She doubled over on her hands and knees as one final tremor rocked through her body. Muscles ripped and bones popped, causing her head to rear back and her teeth to be bared. The first major change came in the form of her canine teeth gnashing together before beginning to grow. Ice encased the growing form that had begun to replace Natsuki. The black wolf-beast settled on four legs as it stood still in its glacial prison. It flicked its formidable tail agitatedly as an enraged emerald eye shot open.
The iceberg that imprisoned the beast shattered, scattering fragments of ice in every direction as the beast shook its fur free of crystals. Tomoe scrambled away on her hands and knees as the wolf focused its gaze on her. Ice crystals shimmered and melted in the dire heat, causing the cold water to rain down on the flames and reduce them to mere flickers. The wolf charged through the flames even as Tomoe brought the gun up and emptied the entire clip in its general direction. Bullets grazed its shoulders but the wolf knocked Tomoe over and clamped its paws over her shoulders as her head knocked onto the floor. The bared fangs came within an inch of her exposed neck.
"Don't."
The wolf stopped when slim arms wrapped around its neck. A warm breath sent clouds of steam to the wolf's ear as Shizuru dug her fingers into the black fur. Her grip was deceptively strong and soon the wolf found itself backing away from Tomoe's unconscious body. The wolf glanced over at Shigeru, only to see the man struggle to get up on his elbows and knees.
… Still alive.
The wolf shook its head and the agonizing pain in its head began to recede. It slumped to the ground when the adrenaline faded and blood loss caused its limbs to give out as Natsuki began to regain control. Her sight focused in and out before going black, but the arms around her and the calm, steady breaths that blew into her ear stayed with her as she sank into an exhausted sleep.
AN: Hm. I was thinking of adding another chapter before this... but I think Shizuru and Natsuki have waited long enough. And where the heck were Haruka and Reito, anyway? Probably off drinking more coffee, lol.
The next chapter (maybe two) will be interludes, just as a fair warning. It will be necessary to flesh a few points out before we go into our conclusion arc.
