Mercury

The air was uncannily heavy with tension as Kaito, Rin and Len stood, watching Miku fumble around her wardrobe.

"Here's the dress I wore on our first date together," the girl held up a pale green one-piece with white frills while managing a small but sad smile.

"Too casual" Kaito replied mechanically.

Miku's smile faded as she turned back and continued to search.

"How about this one?" It was a long, sleeveless purple gown that sparkled in the light. "Do you remember? I wore this to our first dinner at-"

"That won't fit him."

"It's too big, huh." The petite girl pouted, but her attempted at lightening up the atmosphere fell flat.

Her blue haired boyfriend was tapping his foot impatiently while casting glances every now and then at the clock on the wall. The Sun had gradually moved westwards, casting a warm, orangey glow into Miku's bedroom. There were only a few hours left before he had to go.

Len had his eyebrows furrowed and his whole body was rigid. His shoulders tensed as his twin gripped onto his arm.

"Len, you don't have to do this." Her voice was soft and gentle, so calm in contrast to the moody atmosphere. But Len wordlessly shook his head. Sea green orbs glanced into his sister's own trance-like eyes. He could never subject his beloved twin to such danger, especially after moving away from the slums, into a real house. Yes, he would keep Rin safe; keep her away from all of life's cruelties.

"That one will do," Len abruptly snapped back to reality as Kaito and Miku decided on his dress for tonight. The teal haired girl had her slender fingers gripped around the silky scarlet fabric. Black frills curled their way down the bright bodice, adding a sense of sophistication. Miku gave a crooked smile as she gestured to similar frills running their way across the top.

"At least it hides the fact you've got no chest…"

Miku suddenly found her hands gripping thin air as Kaito stepped forward and snatched the fabric from his girlfriend, thrusting it unceremoniously onto Len.

"Get changed," he muttered gruffly as he left the room.

The door slammed, leaving the remaining occupants of the room bewildered, nervous and confused.

"Geez, what was that about," muttered Len.

Miku blushed, her emerald orbs clouding over as she remembered a far-off memory.

"I told him on the day we bought that dress, that I wanted to wear it on the last night we would be just boyfriend and girlfriend…"

Len blushed tomato red as he hastily left the room "to change". Rin merely cocked her head like a confused puppy.

"It was supposed to be a joke…" the teal haired girl weakly replied.

"K-Kaito…" the petite girl meekly peeked into the living room, where the man she loved was sitting, newspaper in hand, and brows furrowed. Seeing the distressed expression on the male's face, Miku immediately hurried over. "What's wrong?"

The blue haired man sighed and ran his fingers through his cobalt hair. "Things just keep getting more complicated by the minute…"

The girl peered over his shoulder and followed his gaze to another article.

GIRL FOUND STABBED IN OWN HOUSE

The body of a girl has been discovered in her house late last night. Seventeen year old Galaco Shibasaki was stabbed and left in the bedroom of her two storey home to die, officials say.

The body was found around 11pm on the 24th of June, during celebrations of the Naito Festival. It is uncertain how long Shibasaki had been dead. Neighbours alerted police after suspicions rose from her sustained absence.

"I was curious. The girl hasn't come out of her house for weeks now, and I knew how much she loved the festival," says neighbour, Kou Murakami.

Police find the chances of homicide very high. "She's a wealthy girl living all by herself. Definitely an easy target."

Shibasaki's death will be investigated as a case of murder. Her parents have been informed and a private funeral is scheduled to happen sometime next week.

"It's an absolute tragedy," says Murakami, "Especially on such a festive night."

"Oh my God…" whispered Miku, "Galaco…isn't she the one on the invitation?"

Kaito was wordless, the gears in his head already spinning at breakneck speed.

Both males were largely silent during the drive to the Hirata mansion. Kaito's tried to keep his steely gaze on the road, and only the road, while Len fidgeted with the black frilled edge of Miku's dress, occasionally looking out the window, keeping his eyes on the silhouettes of the trees and away from the blue haired driver.

Kaito nervously cast a glance at the blonde while his eyes were distracted by the outside scenery. It was unnerving, seeing the boy dressed as a girl, looking so much like Rin, yet knowing he was different in every other aspect. Miku had brushed out his hair and let it down; it framed his face and fell to his shoulders. His makeup wasn't too heavy, and particularly accentuated those large, sea-green orbs.

The man shifted his gaze away as soon as the blonde looked back. A sigh escaped his glossy lips.

"This really is the middle of nowhere…"

The grey road seemed to stretch on forever. On both sides, the giant black trees loomed and seemed to melt into an equally dark sky. The only light seemed to be from the car, akin to a small candle in a giant cavern.

Finally, they passed over a hill, and the mansion came into view. Len suppressed a gasp. The Hirata mansion did not resemble a mansion at all. With its towering walls made of great slabs of stone, a grand wooden double door, and arched windows, it was practically a castle.

Kaito was oblivious to the younger boy's nerves. "Do you remember what we discussed earlier?"

"Yes," was the blonde's soft reply.

"Don't forget to make sure Toshio Hirata doesn't see you afterwards."

"Yes, I know," Len replied in a louder voice.

"And make sure it's real Alexandrite. It should be reddish in artificial light-"

"Kaito," the cross-dressing male interrupted, "Relax, everything's going to be fine. And at the end of the day, you'll be one jewel richer." The boy got out and marched up to the doors.

The older male muttered on, as if to convince himself that Len was truly going to be alright, as said blonde disappeared behind bolted doors and stone walls.

The inside of the mansion was markedly different from the exterior. Instead of the medieval interior Len expected, he was greeted with a giant ballroom. Len's heels clicked on polished wood once he was admitted entrance after presenting the invitation. Nobody seemed to mind that he didn't look the slightest like the Miss Galaco the invitation was addressed to. Rows of tables laden with food fit for a king lined the room, which must have occupied the space of five of Kaito's houses. The ceiling stretched high above him, domelike, and decorated with Victorian taste. Concentric circles culminated in a giant chandelier that hung from the centre of the ceiling, casting its light onto the whole room. And beyond the throng of people, at the very end, was a giant staircase, leading up to an empty second floor. Len immediately headed for this.

As the blonde skirted past silky fabrics and dodged flaring dresses, he was overcome with a sense of nervousness and curiosity as he realised that, apart from himself, the whole room was devoid of males. Furthermore, he realised all the women present were much taller, older and more developed than somebody his age.

Oh man, what have I gotten myself into…

He had just squeezed past a busty woman wearing pink silks when his ears were assaulted by a collective gasp and subsequent murmurs of discussion. Some of the ladies pointed towards the stairs, and the blonde's eyes followed to see plump, middle aged man dressed handsomely in a black tuxedo. Even without the photos Kaito had shown him, Len could immediately tell it was Toshio Hirata, the owner of the mansion.

"Welcome ladies," he addressed the room. "Thank you for attending my party. You're all looking lovely today." He flicked his coppery hair, eliciting a sigh from most of the woman. Len mentally groaned. He did not see what was so attractive about the guy. Money must have blinded them. He was sure now, of the purpose of this party. The dressed-up women, Hirata's not-so-subtle flirting, as well as the lack of other males. No doubt, this man here was looking for a wife.

Thank God Rin didn't come. The geezer looks too old for even these women.

The blonde was about to roll his eyes when his green orbs caught a glint near Hirata's neck. The boy's eyes narrowed as a subtle smirk formed.

Target sighted.

"Please enjoy yourself for a couple more hours. I will be returning shortly." Toshio Hirata retreated to his room on the second floor after casting one last sweeping glance at his room of lovely ladies. He lost his dignified composure upon closing the door. A maniacal grin made its way onto his face as he reached for the box of tissues on his bedside table.

So many beauties…The soft tissue was quickly stained with drops of red. All young and yearning for me… Hirata was delirious with joy, lust clouding his eyes, and his judgement. Of course, had he been in a more stable condition, he might have realised the ladies were only there for his wealth. He might also have realised the door behind him had opened just a crack.

"Oh dear, I've gone and stained my shirt," the man mumbled absentmindedly, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. He bent over and removed his jewellery, then, after taking off his black tuxedo, stuffed some more tissues up his nose and hurried out of the room to take a shower.

Hirata was clearly not focusing today. He zoomed right past the blonde wearing a bright red dress, plastered to the wall right outside his bedroom. Len barely had time to register the red tissues up the guy's nose before Hirata was gone. The cross-dressing boy's eyes were wide, heart hammering madly. That was too close. Thank God he was thinking about something else…was that a nosebleed?

However curious Len was, he had bigger issues to worry about. He peeked around the doorway, and, after ascertaining nobody else was present, stealthily crept into the room. His heels made no sound on the carpeted floor; he was tense and wary as he glanced about the darkened room. He remembered seeing the man kneel by the bed. Len scanned the bedside table. By the tissue box was a photo of Hirata with some of his colleagues. All were dressed formally, holding up glasses of champagne. Len gave a wry smile seeing the plump Hirata looking so out of place among his handsome companions. He quickly scanned their faces, expressing mild surprise at the uniqueness of the men. Who in the world has purple hair? Seem's Hirata's the only normal one of the lot. Len cast his glance elsewhere, and stared disapprovingly at the pile of bloodied tissues he this mass were various trinkets: ruby earrings, golden bracelets, an expensive looking watch, and a simple necklace with a silver chain and small gem.

The blonde snatched the necklace and made his way to the corridor. In this well lit area, he held the necklace up to the light of the chandelier, and observed the jewel. It was a light raspberry red, almost innocently pretty in its small size and modesty. Len could not believe such a small thing was so valuable. He heard Kaito tell him it supposedly changed colour in daylight. It was definitely something he wanted to test out when he got back.

He twisted the necklace this way and that, marvelling at the way the multi-faceted jewel reflected the artificial light, which seemed to shine through the rose-coloured gem. The red was transparent enough to almost seem pink, and was bordered with hints of green. It was a small jewel holding many secrets behind its sparkling gleam. Rare and colourful, it was actually really quite beautiful.

Len almost lost his grip on the Alexandrite necklace when he felt someone grip his shoulders, dragging him back into the room. The door closed shut with an audible thud as the blonde was slammed against the wood.

"What do you think you're doing with my necklace, huh, girlie?" Hirata's sneer was malicious, with just a hint of sadistic amusement. He gripped both of Len's slender wrists with one hand, while his other supported his weight against the door as he leaned down. "Don't think anybody can steal from Toshio Hirata and get away without any punishment." His grip on Len tightened, causing him to wince. "Especially not with this. Do you know what this is, girlie?" the man shook those slender wrists, the necklace danced while still trapped in Len's grip. "Many have tried to get their grubby hands on it." Hirata's voice was low and menacing as he leaned even closer, Len could smell the alcohol on the man's breath, could see Hirata's dilated pupils. He shrunk back, subconsciously trying to escape.

"None of those assholes are alive now."

Len's instincts kicked in as he started to struggle. The other man chuckled darkly as he lifted the slender blonde with just his arms and slammed him into the door again. The boy gasped in pain as the wood behind him creaked. His feet were no longer touching the ground, he was dangling like a rag doll, supported by Hirata's beefy arm, which dug uncomfortably into his abdomen. He began to kick wildly, hoping those heels would be useful in some way. However the blonde suddenly froze in shock when his captor's knee slammed into the space between his legs.

"Those women down there are beautiful but crafty. They've gone and drugged me up so I can make a fool of myself. But they're the idiots here." Len let out a strangled cry when the man's arm dug deeper. "Just you wait, they think they're lives are gonna be easy once they inherit my fortune. Well," Hirata's whole body had pinned the blonde to the wall, restricting his movements. The older man leaned even closer to the cross-dresser, his alcoholic breath fanning Len's ear and neck.

"I'm gonna make them scream my name a thousand times before they touch even one of my trinkets." With his free hand, the man snatched his Alexandrite necklace right out of Len's grip. The blonde could only watch wide-eyed in despair as the man restored it to its original position: around his neck.

Len had failed miserably. He had broken all the rules Kaito set him: Hirata had seen his face, had caught him red-handed, and was even pinning him to a door right now. He blushed with shame, but Hirata took it as something else. He removed his fingers from his necklace, and brought them downwards. Len saw the man's eyes cloud before feeling a pressure on his thigh. The boy was frozen with shock as the man started to rub the flesh with his thumb. His large hand started to roam higher until it met the frilled black hem of the dress. Without a moment's hesitation, the hand snuck under, lifting the dress to the blonde's upper thigh. The boy felt shivers running up and down his spine, watching in horror and disbelief as he was slowly being violated.

The cross-dresser was rigid with shock, but his mind was a jumble of thoughts. What is he doing? We're both males, Why is this happening to me? What did I do wrong? What's going to happen now? Oh God, this is weird. What do I do? I can't move. I need help. Where's Kaito when you need him? Oh God, I don't like the direction that hand is heading. What will he do when he realises I'm a guy? Thank God Rin's not here…Rin…

Toshio Hirata felt the body beneath him tense, he saw a curious look pass through the eyes of the blonde, and saw those same eyes darken considerably. Next, the man felt an unbearable pain through his gut as he was abruptly thrust backwards by an uncannily powerful force. He got to his feet and saw the cute girl he was molesting just seconds ago give him a death glare, the heeled foot she had kicked him with still in midair. She didn't even bother fixing up the skirt of her dress, and the sight of her pale thighs was enough for Hirata to lose the game.

He blinked, and suddenly she was right in front of him. Hirata barely had time to gasp before he was sent to the floor again. A slender leg appeared in his field of vision, and that was the last thing he saw before passing out.

Just seconds after knocking out the owner of the mansion, the window beside Len was smashed as a figure broke through the glass.

"Shoot, Len. Are you ok?" Kaito asked the slightly roughed up blonde standing beside a knocked out Toshio Hirata. The boy turned his green eyes onto the blue-haired male and glared at the man.

"Bastard, you're late."

"Sorry about that Len. I came as soon as we got the copter ready."

Len stooped down to Hirata as Kaito curiously looked on. Then something came flying at him. The blue-haired man caught it with one hand. It was Hirata's Alexandrite necklace.

"Let's go. I need to check on Rin." Len mumbled in annoyance, but let out a gasp as he tumbled to the floor.

"L-Len! Are you ok?"

"Something's got my leg…" the boy muttered.

"You're not going anywhere girlie." The man on the ground got up and, before anybody could react, had Len gripped by the neck with one hand. "And you, don't move." With his other, he whipped out a mobile phone and quickly snapped a photo of a stunned Kaito.

Crap, he got my picture… Kaito grimaced.

"Now hand over the Alexandrite," Hirata ordered, strengthening his grip on Len's neck. The boy cried out and Kaito hesitated abruptly before tossing over the necklace.

Toshio Hirata gripped onto his prize, his eyes lightening up with triumph. He didn't notice Len's subtle glance, nor did he expect another kick to the gut. The man loosened his hold on the blonde, allowing the boy to spin around and deliver a chop to his neck. Hirata fell, dropping both objects in hand. Len turned again to grab the necklace before it fell. The mobile phone landed on the ground and was crushed into pieces by a slender heel.

Len strutted over to Kaito and walked past the man, towards the window.

"Let's go, jerk. Hurry up or I'll ditch you."

Kaito seemed to snap out of a trance. It all happened so fast. Those movements, so smooth, skilful and familiar, the blonde seemed like a completely different person. The man smirked. This was the Len he had hired the day he made off with his jewel.

The blue haired man jumped out the window into a sleek black helicopter manned by a silver haired male smoking a cigarette.

"Thanks, Dell. Len, this is Dell, my pilot-"

"We can go through this later," Dell interrupted. "Let's get out of here."

The thieves made their escape, none of them noticing the blinking red light by the corner of Toshio Hirata's room.

"Here," Len looked away as he thrust the necklace in Kaito's face.

"Oh what's this?" a cheeky Kaito commented, "one of the rare times you give me what you stole."

The blonde blushed. "T-That's just...thanks, for even coming to get me. D-Don't think I owe you any more than that…" he cursed mentally for stuttering.

Kaito chuckled. "I wouldn't dare."

"…You think the cops will be on us for this?" Len changed the subject.

Kaito looked thoughtful as he gazed out the window onto the cityscape below. They had exited the countryside, escaped Hirata's stone castle. Now the glaringly familiar neon lights of sleepless Tokyo assaulted his eyes. Suddenly, something in his pocket vibrated. Len looked on curiously as the man took out a mobile phone. He took one look at the caller ID and swore.

Incoming Call:

Dad

Who remembers what Kaito's dad does? :3