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Chapter One: Business Matters and All That Jazz
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Of the business negotiations Kurama had attended in the past, this one was starting out rather oddly. Mostly because Kurama was meeting Kurosaki Chiro and a few members of his board at a restaurant, instead of someplace more typical like a conference room. While it was not unheard of for companies to head over to a bar or restaurant to drink and talk further after the meeting was over if both parties had the time, Kurama had never experienced or had heard his stepfather talk about a meeting that had began in a casual setting.
In a navy suit and matching tie, Kurama stood under the awning and waited for Kurosaki and his men to arrive. It was rude to be late so Kurama had shown up a half hour early as a precaution. The fact that he had planned on using the extra time to mentally prepare himself was beside the point.
Kurama was not nervous. He could talk his way through a sales pitch if he had to, not that he'd like doing it. The more aggressive sales agents considered themselves hunters, and while he no longer had to hunt to eat or steal to amuse himself, Kurama was not unfamiliar with a hunter's tactics. The sales pitch was the easy part. The challenge was Kurosaki Chiro. His likeness to Kuronue, politely speaking, made Kurama uncomfortable. Thinking of Kuronue still drew forth multiple emotions from him and Kurosaki's presence practically inundated Kurama with a wash of thoughts and emotions about Kuronue he thought he had laid to rest decades ago.
Kurama was not easily swayed by his emotions however. No matter how much Kurosaki Chiro looked and sounded like Kuronue, he wasn't Kuronue. No one could be Kuronue.
Kurosaki Chiro and two senior members of his company board arrived right at their agreed upon meeting time. The two older gents accompanying Kurosaki were typical company presidents but Kurosaki, walking a little ahead between the two, looked again like he had just came from a photo shoot without changing out of his last designer suit. If Kurama had to speculate, he was close to Kurama's age. Being that men in his position were more likely to be closer to their 50s or 60s, Kurosaki was young for a company president.
Conservative dress was the standard of professionalism in the business world but Kurama wasn't sure Kurosaki's suit counted as conservative. Against the slate gray suits of his fellow board members in the foreground, Kurosaki's dark purple suit and tie stood out too vividly. Each piece of his suit was actually a slightly different shade of dark purple but all three blended together into one uniform shade, unless one was particularly observant and looking closely.
Not that Kurama was looking closely. He just happened to notice because he was observant. The fact that Kurosaki was attractive was not a reason or the purpose for his detailed observation—sizing up his opponents and analyzing threats and weaknesses was a force of habit. Kurama wouldn't be alive today if he hadn't been aware of his surroundings.
"Ah, you're the presenter from the other day," Kurosaki said, his voice slick and deep. He smiled brightly as he returned Kurama's polite greeting. "It was Shuuichi Minamino, now was it?"
Kurama wasn't going to lie to himself and pretend that he wasn't surprised that Kurosaki had remembered his name. He was, however, going to lie to himself and pretend that realizing that Kurosaki Chiro had remembered his name hadn't brought him a small flutter of joy. It doesn't necessarily mean that he's attracted to me, Kurama insisted.
"Yes, you're correct," Kurama said as he bowed politely and presented his business card. "I'm afraid that my boss, Kazuya Hatanaka, will be unable to attend today's meeting. I will be representing Hatainsha's interests in his stead. Again, we apologize."
One of the older board members snarled in displeasure. "Seems more like he couldn't be bothered to show up," he said. "What a waste of time."
"The man assigned a university brat as his sales agent," the other board member said as he adjusted his tie. "Hatanaka's obviously not serious. Are we sure he's worth our consideration, Chiro?"
Kurosaki's board members had yet to introduce themselves but Kurama decided that he was going to file away their real names for formality's sake and refer to them for now as "Potato Nose" and "Rooster Face" respectively in his own thoughts.
It seemed to Kurama that Kurosaki's board had already made their decision and Potato Nose and Rooster Face were trying to find a reason to convince Kurosaki to step away. Due to his unique state of being, Kurama aged slowly, and even though he was in his early thirties, Kurama passed for eighteen or twenty at most. But to them, Kurama looked young and youth meant inexperience. A company without experienced employees was a concern for any potential partner or buyer, or at least that was the angle Potato Nose and Rooster Face were trying to take. Kurama's stepfather probably hadn't taken his youthful appearance into consideration when he had assigned Kurama this task.
"It's all right," Kurosaki said with a soft chuckle, to both older gents' surprise. "Let's go in, shall we?"
As presumably the youngest and the lowest rank within the group, Kurama entered the restaurant last and followed the others as the hostess led them to their table. Kurama had been to this restaurant before but only for family celebrations. He didn't recall going through any lattice partitions on any of his previous visits, however.
Aside from being sectioned off and smaller with fewer tables, the secondary dining room looked near identical to the main dining area. The restaurant gave off the impression of clean elegance, relying on simple decoration and neutral colors. In a way, its style was reminiscent of a French manor. There were small floral centerpieces on each table, but only one table had purple flowers.
"Ah, just as I requested," Kurosaki said, quite pleased, as he, Potato Nose, and Rooster Face made their way around the round table and sat down. Kurama took his seat only after the others were settled in. Servers had followed the hostess and set down glasses of water and menus in front of each of them as the sommelier provided the wine list and his recommendations. After a quick back and forth between Kurosaki and the sommelier over various wines, Kurosaki went ahead and ordered a bottle of red for the table.
"Are you sure the kid's old enough to drink?" Potato Nose said with a smug grin.
"Minor problem, simple solution," Kurosaki said, shrugging his shoulders. He then turned to Kurama and asked, "So are you?"
"I am," Kurama said. "If you need me to show proof—"
Kurosaki laughed softly. "No, I doubt you're trying to pull a fast one over me," he said, tossing Kurama a playful wink.
It was such a little gesture, but its familiarity and warmth had taken Kurama off guard. But what had left Kurama staring an extra second or two back at Kurosaki was the spark of recognition jolting through him. It had been centuries ago the last time someone had smiled and winked back at him with exactly the same equal levels of charm, devilry, and pride.
I'm here to do a job, Kurama reminded himself, pretending to busy himself with looking over the menu. They were going to discuss business after their orders were placed. No matter who I think Kurosaki is, my family is depending on me to get this deal.
Having served the rest of the table first, the sommelier stood beside Kurama and poured him a glass. Drawn by the sight of movement, Kurama peered over the top of his menu and watched Kurosaki across the table idly swirl his glass. Kurosaki smiled softly as he watched the red wine tip and slosh back and forth around the glass.
Not a second later, Kurosaki looked up and caught Kurama staring. Kurosaki's indigo blue eyes locked with Kurama's, if only for a moment. Swallowing his breath, Kurama quickly stared back down at his menu but not without first seeing a hint of amusement slide across Kurosaki's smile.
I'm too old to be swayed by charm and good looks… Kurama thought, suddenly realizing that his tie was knotted too tight around the collar. The room was going to need a little more air conditioning as well. Kurama found it strange how neither his tie nor the room's temperature had bothered him a moment ago.
When the server left with their orders, so began their business meeting in earnest. Kurama gave Kurosaki and his men the sales pitch he had prepared and answered their baited questions truthfully and accurately but without necessarily taking their lure and giving them too much information. Having to represent Hatainsha's interests and speak for his stepfather was more taxing than challenging. Kurama much preferred his regular duties where he mostly sat in his cubical at his computer desk and managed budgets and input data.
Is that what I do now? Kurama thought, his gaze stopping on the floral centerpiece. The small, clustered purple flowers in the shallow dish container were real. He felt their living presence sitting at the table. The small, stringy-stemmed blooms were a willed order away from sprouting into a snake-like mess and strangling Potato Nose and Rooster Face if Kurama had really wanted it. They were lucky Kurama was a mostly reformed criminal.
Kurama had "retired" from fighting a few years back, so he could assist with the family business when his stepfather's company had hit its financial boom and what was its height of profit. He had already been a victor in the Makai Tournament and, during his reign, he had ensured that his interests and agenda were protected, propagated, and preserved. Kurama wasn't completely retired from fighting though. He still trained when he had the time and kept his skills sharp. Sure, he had missed the Makai Tournament last year, and the one before that, and the one before that...but he still kept his eyes and ears open for any trouble.
Unfortunately or fortunately, all Kurama ever seemed to hear from Makai amounted to gossip. Worst threat he had recently received from anyone was Shura sticking his tongue out and flashing him a red eye.
Midway through their meal, Kurosaki and his men received a phone call from their main offices and they excused themselves from the table. Meanwhile, Kurama sat and considered his options. He doubted that he was going to isolate Kurosaki and get to speak to him one on one, at least not at this meeting. Kurosaki's men were less than impressed with Kurama to boot, and as long as they were present, Kurosaki was going to be harder to persuade.
Perhaps at the next meeting, my stepfather could occupy Kurosaki's men while I speak with him, Kurama thought and frowned in displeasure. So far, going by the books provided him with lackluster choices. If scheduling a private meeting wasn't a possibility, Kurama wondered how difficult it was going be to break into Kurosaki's office.
Modern security has made some advancements in recent years… Hmm, it might be fun to see if humans are capable of catching me in the act. Of course, Kurama had plenty of avenues to take beyond the typical course, as long as he was willing to put Hatainsha's reputation in jeopardy.
To Kurama's unexpressed surprise and gratitude, Kurosaki returned to his seat alone. He apologized for the interruption. Without Potato Nose and Rooster Face around, Kurosaki's entire demeanor relaxed. His steady smile stretched out into a toothy grin, though by now that could have been the wine talking. Kurama half-expected Kurosaki to disrobe his jacket, remove his cufflinks, and roll up his sleeves and the only reason that he didn't was because Kurosaki knew exactly how damn good he looked in his suit.
Kurama started to think that his two-and-a-half generous glasses of wine were starting to talk too.
"You've never broken a deal before, have you?" Kurosaki said quite matter-of-factly, as he poured himself a fourth glass of wine. "You're unpolished but deferential. A little time and experience and you could be dangerous."
"Thank you, sir," Kurama said.
Kurosaki lightly chuckled. "What's with the formality? Relax..." he said, leaning back. "Tell me more about yourself."
"Well, I've been with Hatainsha for nearly fifteen years as the Chief—" Kurama said until Kurosaki cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand.
"I didn't say give me your resume. I said tell me about yourself," Kurosaki clarified as he set his wine glass down and then placed his hand on his chest. "Take myself for example. I'm an Aquarius and I like red wine and travel. How about you?"
Is he…? He's not even trying to be subtle. Kurama almost felt a comic sweatdrop run down the side of his head in disbelief. Kurama's nervous laugh was not entirely put on as he considered his reply. "...Well, I'm thirty-two, I consider myself a master gardener, and I enjoy reading in my spare time." Those were safe responses. Plus they weren't untruthful.
Kurosaki stared down into his wine glass as he let his wine breathe with a flaunty swirl. "Oh, the quiet, bookish sort… I bet you did well in school."
Kurama nodded. "First in my class. Meiou."
Kurosaki briefly raised an eyebrow in a short show of impress. "Good school," he said. "So which of the golden three universities did you attend?"
"I didn't. I wasn't interested," Kurama said. "Hatainsha gave me a desk job right out of high school." While his office employment right out of high school was not all that unusual, it did help him that his stepfather was the company president.
"Like a dutiful son," Kurosaki said, as he locked eyes with Kurama again. Kurama wasn't sure if he recalled Kuronue's eyelashes being as long but Kurosaki definitely had Kuronue's indigo blue eyes. They were as troublesome then as they were now.
'You'd think after our third raid they'd have us figured out by now. Four times might be pushing our luck,' Kuronue had said as he and Kurama waited for the cover of night from the trees. There was arrogance and anticipation in his eyes as his partner glanced askance over at Kurama and grinned wickedly. 'Then again His Lordship does boast too much, eh, Kurama?'
When Kurama's mind stumbled back into the present, Kurosaki was talking and, as far as Kurama could tell, he hadn't noticed that Kurama's attention had briefly stepped out for a sprint down memory lane.
"While I value people that excelled in school, I'm afraid I was never much of a scholar myself," Kurosaki admitted. Kurama swore he had seen the point of a tiny fang peek out from under his top lip.
"If you don't mind me asking," Kurama said, looking away at the empty chair where Potato Nose had earlier sat, "where did your board members go to?"
"Something came up," Kurosaki said. "Business matters and all that nonsense."
"Business matters are nonsense?" Kurama said, smirking. "Is that what this is?"
"Business, yes, but I would hardly call it nonsense. This..." Kurosaki said as he raised his glass into the air and admired the deep red color of the wine in the light, "...is an exchange. You and I speaking to one another, that is."
"You see, the board is only interested in Hatainsha's numbers and profits. They'll only recommend a partnership or buy if they see it as a financial gain to our company. I, however, am interested in more than that. I want to see your company's potential before I make my decision."
Kurama raised an eyebrow. "Our potential?"
"Yes, show me what's at your heart," Kurosaki said, giving his glass a small swish before bringing his glass toward his lips. "Impress me."
Kurama was still unsure what Kurosaki wanted to see exactly but Kurama could certainly find ways to impress him if that was all it took. He wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to show Hatainsha's potential but he was going to persuade Kurosaki that it existed. And no doubt he and his stepfather were going to discuss at length what Hatainsha had to offer tomorrow morning.
"Say, do you like jazz?" Kurosaki asked, grinning with anticipation.