Kindred Spirits
Chapter Fourteen: A Night To Remember
~ o ~
Inspired by Lifehouse's You And Me
~ o ~
Three Days Later- Sombra's Apartment
It felt terrible to ask Aiden to keep himself busy for the day, but it was the only way I could think of to give the Spider some time to steel herself. Thankfully, she decided to stay with me for two of the days until the dresses were ready. Aiden was also fine with her taking the two days to stay with me; he understood how nervous she was to be doing something like this considering she hasn't done so in over a decade.
Now here we were, just a few hours before they were to meet at the Nine Dragons casino. I was helping her get ready for it, and at the moment, she was taking an eternity to come out of the bathroom.
I was thankful that we bonded so much over the past few months because I knew just how much she needed someone to help her cope. Aiden did a very good job of that, especially where Gerard was concerned but apart from him and perhaps Gabe, she didn't have any friends, let alone female friends to be around often. I tried to fill the void and honestly, I didn't expect her to be so accommodating considering how much I irritated her in the past. However, it seemed that her reconditioning breaking was all that needed to happen in order to open her up more. At first, I thought it would just be a temporary thing, where I would help Aiden in return for everything he did for me...but it escalated into so much more.
He became my closest friend and the Spider was really beginning to get to me. Before, I always considered her a friend...but now? She began to feel like the big/little sister I never had and always wanted. That day I spent with her at the mall was for the most part intended to be a chance to tease her...but she quickly showed how vulnerable she was and I just couldn't bear to do it. I truly wanted to see her heal from all of the wounds she was still licking and right now, Aiden was the only one who could do it in a way that I can't. Nearly a week of preparation went into this night and I wasn't about to let either of them blow it.
I looked down at my watch to see that it was 4 PM.
"Aiden is heading to the casino at 7. That gives us three hours to make sure she looks as caliente as possible."
"Sombra?"
I looked up from my watch to see that she had come out of the shower and was only wearing a towel.
"...Would you mind combing my hair?" she asked.
I smiled and nodded.
"Sure. Any particular do you're going for?" I asked.
"...I was thinking of a ponytail...but I realize that it won't hide all of my tattoo...do you have any ideas?" she asked.
She sounded almost as innocent as a child with that tone. I put a hand to my chin before snapping my fingers.
"I know just the thing. Let me work my magic..."
...
Two Hours Later
"Alright. Did you put your dress on properly?" I asked.
"...I'm not sure I look good..." she sighed.
"Come on Spider. Let me see you." I urged.
She opened the bathroom door and I couldn't believe my eyes.
"...How do I look?" she asked.
Her cheeks were pink, but even after having done a great deal of the work myself...I couldn't believe just how gorgeous she looked. I gave her a bright smile.
"You're gonna knock him dead amiga. Along with every other man who dares to look at you." I replied.
She smiled innocently, now looking much more reassured.
"Could you pin my hair in the way you said you would?" she asked.
I nodded as I reached for the two lotus pins that the dressmaker sisters sold us. I used a black hair clip to gather some of her hair at the back, to give a half up, half down kind of look and once I was satisfied with the volume, I applied the pins...which really did come together to form a complete, golden lotus blossom. An overwhelming feeling of joy washed over me as I unconsciously gave her a deep hug.
"I'm really happy for you mija...you've come such a long way since we first met." I said.
She nodded in agreement.
"...You can actually not be annoying sometimes." she mumbled.
I laughed heartily, accepting her compliment because that was about the best I would ever get out of her where those were concerned.
"Now then...let's get to the casino, Romeo's waiting." I teased.
"Sombra!" she squeaked.
I snickered.
"Why are you dressed like that?" she asked.
I looked down at my violet dress and snickered.
"Do you really think I'm going to miss a chance to go to the Nine Dragons? You won't even know I'm there mija. I promise." I said with a wink.
~ o ~
One Hour Later- The Nine Dragons Casino
"You ready amiga?" she asked.
I took a deep breath as she immediately reached over to me, making last second touches to my makeup and brushing a little of my hair behind my ear.
"...About as ready as I'll ever be." I replied.
Sombra drove us up to the front, where I saw Aiden standing at the entrance, waiting patiently.
"Mon dieu...il est si beau..."
The same casing he had on his shoulder during our trip to the mall was clearly the suit he was now wearing...and I have to say that navy blue was a color that definitely suited him. It was in pristine condition and even though there was no pattern present, it still somehow managed to balance perfectly between a gentleman and a businessman. He wore a light blue dress shirt underneath the suit jacket and he opted not to wear a tie. I had absolutely no qualms with that fact however; he unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt which gave a nice view of his neck and for some reason, made him look even more attractive.
He didn't bother using gel in his hair, but he clearly washed it thoroughly and dried it because I could see a slight sheen radiating from it thanks to the lights from the casino. He finished his wardrobe with black dress shoes and a silver watch on his left hand. I could barely see his necklace, which was no doubt the one that contained the picture of his daughter. I did however notice that he was wearing green contact lenses, likely to hide his trademark crimson eyes.
After Dr. Ziegler's operation, the vast majority of his scars had completely healed, including the one on his cheek and now...he was the splitting image of the man I met more than a decade ago. Only this time...he was taking me out on a date.
I felt Sombra poke my stomach and I turned to see her smiling deviously at me.
"You're gonna have a good night Spider...now get going. I'm gonna go park this thing. I'll be around but out of your way."
I reluctantly exited the rented sports car and once Sombra drove off, I slowly made my way to the entrance, where Aiden caught sight of me. Just as Sombra predicted, his eyes were widened in complete awe and I was sure the only reason why his mouth wasn't hanging open was because he just wasn't that type of man. I reached his side, nervously looking away and blushing.
"You're...staring..." I whispered.
"Can't a man admire his date?" he replied.
I looked away shyly, now feeling very self conscious as I noticed other women entering the casino. I then began to examine myself, hoping that there was something else I could do to make myself look more attractive or flawless. However, he held my hand and gently stroked it before shaking his head.
"You look beautiful...easily the most here with no contest. It feels as if I've under dressed to be worthy to go in with you..."
My heart rate tripled in intensity and I was sure that my face was as red as the doors to enter the casino. I gave him a grateful smile before looking at his suit.
"Tu es très beau chéri." I whispered.
He nodded gratefully, nervously scratching the back of his head.
"Merci. Shall we?" he asked.
I let out a soft sigh.
"Sombra is going to be here...I hope she doesn't cause any trouble." I whispered.
"I don't think she will. And even if she does...will it really ruin the night?"
I shook my head, conceding to his point as I held onto his arm with both of mine.
"This place is huge..." I gasped.
"Yes it is. There's a full restaurant on the third floor of the building and two floors of casino games. On the underground floor is a fight arena that's closely guarded by a lot of criminals." he explained.
"An arena?" I asked raising an eyebrow.
He nodded.
"It's a very profitable place, fighters from all over the world go there to try their luck in the gauntlet."
"Gauntlet?" I asked raising an eyebrow.
"A tournament where anyone is allowed to fight against five infamous fighters. No one has been able to beat the gauntlet in over 45 years."
I nodded slowly.
"What's the prize for winning?" I asked.
"Normally something of significant value. This place is owned by a Shimada after all." he replied.
My eyes widened.
"There are still members of the Shimada crime family left alive?"
"A few escaped Japan and rebuilt their lives. The one that owns this place is named Keito Shimada, he's the uncle of Genji and Hanzo Shimada." replied Aiden.
I nodded slowly.
"But enough about that. We're here to enjoy the casino and the restaurant...and here we are at the latter."
He opened the dark tinted door and as soon as I stepped inside, my mouth dropped open. He was right about the size of this place as we entered the casino. Slot machines, card tables, roulette tables, just about every gambling game imaginable was here and it was very busy. Numerous patrons were enjoying the games while waiters and waitresses zipped around, dropping off what I assumed to be drinks and finger food. Massive red arches held up the second floor of the casino, which likely contained even more game tables. The place looked incredibly fancy, with red carpet serving as the floor as well as a lot of golden tapestries, expensive paintings and decorations strategically placed to really show that this was one of the best casinos in the world.
"So what would you like to do first?" asked Aiden.
I put a hand to my chin.
"Well...I've never gambled before. I've been to several casinos but never played any of the games." I replied.
"Anything in particular that interests you?"
I nodded with a smile.
"I'd love to learn how to play poker."
Aiden laughed heartily at my words.
"Well. I think you'd be very good at it; you've got a good poker face." he teased.
"What does that mean?" I replied.
"It means you're very good at lying, which is what poker is mostly about...why don't you and Sombra go over to the table while I get the restaurant reservations sorted out?" he asked.
Seeing no problem with the thought, I shrugged.
"Okay...don't keep me waiting too long?" I asked meekly.
He responded by kissing the back of my hand and giving me a deep stare.
"Back in a flash."
...
One Hour Later- The Poker Table
"The pot has 95,000 Euros. Only two players remain."
I looked at my remaining opponent who hadn't taken his eyes off of me since I arrived at the table forty minutes ago. He seemed very determined at winning. The dealer then dealt the opening cards, producing three Kings and two Jacks. My opponent looked interested.
"I'll go all in." he said.
He confidently pushed 40,000 Euros worth of chips into the pot and placed his two cards face down with a smile. I sighed deeply, now seeing no choice but to match him. I slid all 45,000 Euros worth of my own chips into the mix and placed my cards face down.
"All in as well." I said.
I leaned back to see Sombra pull on the sleeve of my dress.
"You're insane amiga." said Sombra.
She didn't get a chance to look at my cards as I closed my eyes and waited for the dealer to speak.
"Alright. Please show your cards."
My opponent flipped his cards, showing a Jack and a 10.
"Three Of A Kind. Jacks." announced the dealer.
He then turned to me.
"Your cards madame?" he asked politely.
I smiled to myself before flipping my cards, which were a pair of aces.
"Higher hand. Full House. Aces full of Kings. The beautiful madame wins."
Sombra looked at me in utter disbelief as I raked in the rest of the chips.
"...How do you do that?" she asked.
"Do what?" I replied.
She rolled her eyes.
"You learned how to play Poker not even forty minutes ago. How are you so good?" she asked.
"I'm good at telling when people are lying. The chances of him having a strong hand with three Kings and two Jacks were minimal because the only way he could've beat my hand is if he had the fourth King, which is a less than 6% chance of success. The chances of him having both an Ace and a Queen were also minimal because I had two of the Aces and two of the Queens were burned. He played himself into a corner that was inescapable." I explained.
The hacker snickered softly.
"I should take you with me whenever I go to a casino." she said.
"This game is fun. I wouldn't mind a trip every now and again." I replied with a smile.
After taking my winnings, I placed them in the briefcase I was issued as I made my way to the exchange counter.
"Aiden hasn't come back yet...I wonder what he's doing." I mused.
"The restaurant is crowded on Friday nights so I wouldn't be surprised if he's still up there trying to book a table." replied Sombra.
I sighed as I handed the briefcase full of chips to the woman behind the counter. After counting all of it, she refilled the briefcase with real money before smiling at me.
"Quite a nice take tonight madame." she said.
I smiled at her and nodded.
"Luck was on my side." I replied.
I took the briefcase before following Sombra to the bar.
"Will you have a drink with me Spider?" she asked.
I shrugged, not seeing the problem at all. She looked at the bartender.
"A Cuba Libre for me and a...
She looked to me as I smiled.
"Mai Tai." I replied.
"Coming up."
The bartender quickly set to work as I took a seat and shook my head.
"I thought I would be spending the majority of the time with him instead of at a table playing cards..." I sighed.
"Aren't you having fun amiga?"
I shrugged, conceding to her point.
"It'll only get better once he comes back. Now just relax." she urged.
The bartender produced both our drinks as I took a sip of mine, smiling at the taste.
"How long has it been since you had a drink?" she asked.
"Years. I don't usually drink because it's so difficult for me to get drunk so I don't see much of a point." I replied.
"...You can hold your liquor can you?" she continued with a raised eyebrow.
I smiled confidently.
"Of course I can."
"Care to put that to the test?"
I shook my head.
"Neither of us have eaten dinner yet so I suggest we wait till afterwards." I said in an almost scolding manner.
"Already drinking are we?"
My heart nearly jumped through my chest as I turned around to see that Aiden had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He looked at the briefcase in my hand before smiling.
"I take it that she's very good at gambling?" he asked.
"Best poker player I've ever seen." replied Sombra with a cheer.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
"I played against terrible liars so I don't think I'm good." I said.
He shrugged before looking at the bartender.
"A Lime Martini please. Extra Dry." he requested.
The young man smiled and quickly set to work.
"That took a while. Did you sort out the table?" I asked.
He nodded and sighed.
"It took a long time because I was trying to get a specific table...but yes. We can go up there at any time." he replied.
He received his drink and took a large gulp of it before smiling.
"It's been too long since I've had one of these..."
"You used to drink?" asked Sombra with a raised eyebrow.
He laughed softly before nodding.
"I read four books on mixology and used to experiment a lot." he replied.
He quickly finished the drink before offering me a hand.
"Shall we?" he asked.
I turned to Sombra who winked at me and took the briefcase.
"I'll put this in the car and stick around. Go have enjoy yourself Spider." she whispered.
I finished my drink before taking Aiden's hand.
...
Fifteen Minutes Later- The Nine Dragons Restaurant
"I didn't know there was such a high class oriental restaurant in France." I said.
"It's run by a Shimada after all, so we can expect exquisite tastes." he replied.
I looked at him in disbelief.
"Didn't Genji Shimada dismantle the organization with Overwatch at his back?" I asked.
"He did. A few survivors made it out of Japan and started new lives. Keito Shimada is one of the few who actually became a billionaire once again." he replied.
I nodded slowly in comprehension.
"That explains why this place is so fancy..." I said softly.
"That's not all; there's an underground arena next to the casino. So I suppose old habits don't die hard."
"Is that what he was known for when he was still a part of the clan?"
Aiden nodded.
"He enjoyed watching and organizing fights, so I'm not surprised that he's still running something like that behind the scenes. The authorities don't get involved because it's a very popular spectator's sport." he replied.
I shook my head, now looking around at the restaurant in its entirety.
"If you didn't tell me this...I'd say he just has exquisite tastes in decoration." I mused.
"Agreed. And bear in mind that the live entertainment hasn't arrived yet...nor has the guest event started." he said.
"Guest event?"
He cleared his throat.
"Any guest is allowed to participate in live karaoke. The twist is that they only have classic instruments to work with as far as the band is concerned; Mr. Shimada takes authenticity very seriously." he explained.
"...Does this happen all the time?" I asked.
"Every weekend."
A waitress suddenly approached us, finally bringing the miso soup I asked for earlier. As I began to sip on it, Aiden took his attention away from me to look at the menu; he didn't decide what he wanted to eat. Since the waitress wasn't the one who was assigned to take our orders, she zipped off to tend to other tables. I took a moment to examine the room.
There was a relatively large stage in the middle of the room and we managed to get a seat on the upstairs section of the restaurant. It was large enough to seat perhaps a hundred, maybe two hundred people comfortably and oriental decorations littered the walls. Whether it was fancy Japanese art, beautiful Chinese porcelain pots or just the fact that the restaurant had a gently dim atmosphere...it was simultaneously fancy and romantic. I then however, noticed several men staring at me from their tables, despite them having dates of their own. I shrunk away slightly.
"Aiden?"
He looked up from the menu, his face shifting from absorbed to concerned. Clearly, he knew that I felt a little uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"...There are a lot of people staring at us..."
The assassin smiled and shook his head.
"They're irrelevant. This night is about you and I. Nothing more and nothing less."
For some reason, hearing those words made me feel even more special as I finished my soup. As if on cue, the same pretty waitress approached the table, smiling at Aiden as she picked up my bowl. I felt a tinge of jealousy as she stood up next to him.
"Have you decided on what you're having sir?" she asked.
"Yes actually. I'll try the California, Blue Dragon and Green Dragon Rolls. Could I also get a bottle of Jura for the table?" he requested.
The woman wrote down everything he said and I could see her trying to get him to look only at her...but he seemed completely unfazed by her efforts, keeping his eyes focused on me. She bowed to him.
"Coming up sir." she said.
"Thank you. Could I also get another Lime Martini?" he asked.
She wrote it down before zipping off. My eyes narrowed.
"...You still haven't taken your eyes off of me since we sat down." I said.
"And you keep looking at everyone but me."
I sighed softly.
"...I guess I'm just not used to being the center of attention." I mused.
"Rest assured that mine is undivided."
He clasped his hands and rested his chin on them, giving me a warm smile but a rather piercing stare. I blushed profusely...but smiled back at him.
"I take it that you had that dress custom made?" he asked.
"Yes. At Herve Leroux." I replied.
He laughed softly.
"That explains why there's a chunk of the account missing." he snickered.
"...I'm sorry."
I had no idea why that apology suddenly left my lips, but he laughed softly andshook his head.
"It's alright. I'm glad you found something you like...because it looks gorgeous on you."
His words continued to flatter me, to the point where I was now completely convinced that he meant what he said.
"And I was right...chocolate brown hair does suit you well." he continued.
"Are you going to flatter me all night? As if it's supposed to make everything better?" I asked raising an eyebrow.
He called my bluff, giving me a confident but devious stare.
"That depends. Is it working?"
A bold move and unlike all the other times before, he didn't look even remotely nervous. For once, he caught me completely off guard. a loss for words. So instead, I mimicked his posture before smiling.
"...Maybe."
"And now ladies and gentlemen! Please give a warm welcome to our entertainment for the evening!"
I was broken from my thoughts as I turned to the stage. Four men and a woman walked out onto the stage, the men taking places at the instruments and the woman stepping up to the microphone. I raised an eyebrow.
"I thought live bands weren't around anymore." I said.
"Mr. Shimada enjoys music of all kinds. This is one of the few places that actually welcomes music of all genres instead of sticking to a standard."
A relaxing piano solo soon followed, with soft drum beats and cymbal chimes every now and again to add to it. After about thirty seconds of this, the woman began to sing.
"Incredible..."
It was places like this that really made me wonder how the world could be so at war with each other...how conflict could actually continue to fester when things such as this existed. It was a long time since I've been able to relax like this and even though everyone staring at me was still bothering me a little...knowing that Aiden was here helped put my mind at ease. The lights then dimmed and I took the opportunity to scoot over to Aiden, who had his eyes on the stage the entire time. Upon realizing that I had moved from in front of him, he smiled. I wordlessly scooted close to him, meekly making my way to his shoulder and resting my head on it. He responded by holding my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. We sat in a comfortable silence, listening to the soothing music for about fifteen minutes until our food arrived. Upon seeing the two of us sitting together, I noticed that the waitresses were no longer attempting to get his attention and instead, simply left our order on the table. We then ate in a comfortable silence, still enjoying the live band's performance of classic music from the 90s. I couldn't believe that there were still people who were skilled on these instruments in this day and age, but I guess a virtuoso can be in anything.
Fifteen minutes later, we finished all of the food, which was likely the best Japanese food I have ever had the pleasure of eating. I smiled at Aiden and nodded gratefully.
"You were right. I love this place." I said.
"I'm glad you do." he replied with a smile.
"Now ladies and gentlemen! It's time for the guest event! I have already tallied the names of all of tonight's performers and as usual, you have the option of refusing to sing on stage."
I turned immediately to the announcer, who had stepped up on the stage and had a card in her hand.
"Our first guest is...Arno Dumont!" she said.
My eyes widened as I turned to Aiden, who looked equally, if not more astonished.
"...Th-Th-That's your cover name." I stammered.
He shook his head vigorously for a few moments before looking at me.
"I...had nothing to do with this." he said with a deep sigh.
He then got to his feet as the spotlight from the stage focused on him.
"Mr. Dumont! Will you do us the honor of singing a song for us tonight?" asked the announcer.
Aiden paused for a brief moment and after looking down at me for a few seconds, he smiled as one of the waitresses raised a microphone to his mouth.
"I will." he replied.
He hesitated slightly, but he soon followed the waitress up onto the stage. He then approached the announcer as she pulled him aside, talking among themselves for several moments. The announcer then smiled brightly and nodded before making her way to the live band, who had not left the stage. Another minute passed before she cleared her throat and faced the audience.
"Mr. Dumont wishes to dedicate this song to his date! And the song he has chosen is You And Me by Lifehouse!"
The name of the song didn't ring any bells, but Aiden stepped up to the microphone...with a guitar.
"He can play instruments too?!"
He then began to play a gentle guitar solo with surprising finesse.
"Yet another skill he has that I'm wasn't aware of until now..."
I saw him take a deep breath before looking towards me.
"What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive. I can't keep up and I can't back down. I've been losing so much time..."
His voice...was incredibly soothing. He clearly wasn't someone who sang often because I could hear him running out of breath, but he was trying his hardest. From what I could understand about the song, he wasn't making any mistakes.
"Cause it's You And Me. And all of the people with nothing to do. Nothing to lose. And it's You and Me, and all of the people and I don't know why...I can't keep my eyes off of you."
The audience began to erupt into cheers as he smoothly finished what I assumed to be the chorus and for some reason, the lyrics really began to resonate with me.
"All of the things, that I want to say just aren't coming out right. I'm tripping on words, you've got my head spinning and I don't know where to go from here..."
He took another breath.
"Cause it's You and Me, and all of the people...with nothing to do, nothing to prove and it's You and Me and all of the people and I don't know why. I can't keep my eyes off of you."
The guitar suddenly began to pick up as the live band accompanied him. I then looked around to see that all of the audience was rocking their heads or lip syncing to the lyrics.
"There's something about you now. I can't quite figure out...everything she does is beautiful. Everything she does is right."
I felt something drip onto my hands and I looked down to see that it was tears. I had no idea why I was crying...but there was something about his singing that really felt genuine, as if he was using the song to describe exactly what was going in within him. Throughout the entire song, he didn't take his eyes off of me except when he closed his eyes to focus on hitting notes. Even now...he gave me the most sincere look I had ever seen.
"Cause it's You and Me, and all of the people...with nothing to do, nothing to lose. And it's You and Me and all of the people and I don't know why...I can't keep my eyes off of you."
The guitar then slowed down as the crowd continued to cheer. He repeated the chorus once more in a gentler, more meaningful tone before he really slowed the guitar down, almost to a crawl.
"What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive..."
Everyone began to clap but I just couldn't find the strength to lift my hands as a emotions began to take hold. It was a rush, one so intense that I couldn't compare it to anything else I had felt so far in my life. I was happy, because he sang that song for me despite not having the slightest clue he was going to...I was touched because the song's lyrics really resonated with the way things were between us and I was trapped in an inner conflict...because I couldn't decide whether it was love or very intense like that I felt for this man.
Time and time again, he was there for me. He saved my life numerous times since the day we met again and even though he was in no way obligated to treat me with kindness, especially before I learned how to feel again...he chose to do it with a smile. He went far beyond the call of duty for me and the fact that he did all of this without ever expecting anything in return was what truly made me feel like I was falling for him. He possessed a kindness that very few human beings do.
"That was brilliant! Thank you Mr. Dumont for that performance. Now I've been told that your date is in the audience. Her name is Elise Eclair?" asked the announcer.
He seemed shocked for a moment, looking at me for a quick moment before turning back to her.
"Yes. She's in the audience." he replied.
"Well it just so happens that she's on the list! Seeing as you performed for her, I was going to suggest that she could follow through with hers? Assuming she's willing to of course." she said.
I swallowed hard as I stared at Aiden, who clearly seemed in conflict with how to respond. There was a brief pause, but he spoke up.
"If she doesn't want to sing, that's her own choice. I have no complaints about performing alone tonight." he replied.
Just as expected, he continued to be selfless. For a moment, I was frozen in place, having no idea if I wanted to respond to the request at all.
"You heard the lady Spider. You should go up and sing."
I pressed my finger to my ear, rolling my eyes and sighing deeply.
"Why did I remember to take this stupid thing with me?" I whispered.
"Because you're a nice person who likes to keep tabs on your friends. Now get up there and sing. He just poured his heart out with that song and I know you're a great singer."
I raised an eyebrow.
"How?"
"Did you really think you were totally alone when you were singing in the shower two days ago?"
I blushed profusely.
"Look. Now's your chance to show him that you really do care about him! And he can know how great of a singer you are too! Come on amiga...don't you think he's earned just one song from you?"
I sighed deeply, realizing that Sombra was right. After steeling myself, I got to my feet and raised my hand. One of the waitresses quickly made their way to me before bringing a microphone to my mouth.
"I'll sing."