Worth more that I thought

Chapter seven

Chapter Title: Liars.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I do have a double chocolate chip muffin for breakfast though!

Author's Note: I've been sorting the plot out, and though I hope it'd be finished in about a day or two, I'm sure it won't. So I'm working out the plot now, so… enjoy.

EXTRA Author's Note: It's been like 2 years or something ridiculous like that, and I found another chapter lying around, so I thought I would post it.

'The missions start from today.' Cross shot the scowling Eurasian girl a brief grin before taking large strides down the corridor. Every step the man took, the girl had to take two.

'Mission? Isn't that a little precious?'

Cross shrugged.

'It is a mission of sorts. Would I be correct in assuming you have a detention with Mikki?'

She nodded tersely, her stride quickening to match those of the redheaded male.

'Tyki Mikki isn't a computer type of person, but we're in luck, Road Camelot dropped off a USB. Make a copy of the contents of the USB—' Cross tossed her a simple black USB '—and make sure Mikki doesn't find out.'

'I'll bring it to you by Sunday.'

As much as she despised to admit, she had been speaking quite boldly when saying the USB would be duplicated by Sunday. She had no idea what type of detention lesson they had on Saturday, and it would do her no good if Tyki didn't even have an electronic device of some sort for her to copy the device on. The only comfort was the computer room being two rooms away. How to accomplish this mission?

Her cheek flushed in embarrassment as she used the term 'mission' in her thoughts. It was so childish, so stupid—

She was snapped out her thoughts as her phone rang.

She reached out from her seat on the sofa to grab the phone on the desk to the side.

'Hikari.'

'Oh, hey Lavi.' She said absentmindedly, still brooding over the prospect of stealing from a teacher. 'Hmm? Want to ask me out? I'm afraid you're out of luck—'

This 'asking out for a date' game was a thing Lavi and Hikari did on the phone quite often; Hikari as the hard-to-get girl and Lavi as the idiot-that-never-gives-up. Lavi had come up with the theory that it would make her feel more cared for, which he got a punch in the arm for as soon as he finished his sentence.

'I'm actually asking you out this time. Need to chat.'

'Oh,' that was a surprise. There was a lack of the normal enthusiasm that laced his voice and she was surprised that he had cut their little game short. 'Sure. Not on Saturday though.'

'Um, are you free right now? I need to talk to you before Saturday.'

'Ah…' Hikari glanced at the clock. 5:00pm. 'I need to get to work by 6…'

'I'll drop by then.' She imagined the red head nodding vigorously in wait for her approval.

'If it can't wait till Monday morning… sure.' She shrugged. It was no big deal. Lavi had visited her on the job a few times before.

'I'll drop by at 10 then.'

'Sure.'

As promised, Lavi was at the backdoor of the club promptly at 10. Knowing Lavi, Hikari already opened the door for him. It was impossible for Lavi to open the door from outside, and Hikari would rather Lavi didn't knock and get the wasted customers annoyed.

"Lavi—!" She said breathlessly. "Hi." A particularly upset man was chatting to her about his wife and family. After sending a few desperate looks to Anita when the man got a little more slippery than needed, Anita had come to the rescue— just in time for her to open the backdoor and let Lavi through.

Hikari sighed. Sometimes it was all a little too overwhelming— "Sorry, a customer got upset, did you have to wait?"

Lavi shook his head, before taking a seat behind the counter, saved just for him. It was a seat where it wouldn't stop Hikari from making drinks, but wouldn't be too far away so that Hikari could still chat with Lavi.

"So…uh, want a drink?"

The red head was looking a little more stiff than usual, and Hikari was getting nervous. It wasn't that she hadn't seen him like that, but… well… it was never something good. "I think I'll need one, and make it alcoholic, please."

Hikari frowned slightly but proceeded to make the drink.

'Look, this isn't the best place to talk about this, but you need to listen to me, and you cannot meet that Noah alone.'

Hikari raised a brow but continued to swiftly mix the margarita, pouring it out into a glass and placing a cherry as decoration. 'I'm a cherry boy. Make me a cherry poppin' drink, pretty.' That was what Lavi cheerfully announced when he ordered his first drink from Hikari, which earned him an extremely dirty look.

The current Lavi was looking much more glum than the one in her memory. She placed his drink on the counter in front of him, and he downed it in one go.

He was definitely acting strange. And all this odd stiffness around Lavi only seemed to occur since she talked about the Noah. He definitely knew something… but why would the Bookman or Lavi have anything to do with the yakuza? She shook her head, slightly annoyed. Why is it that this Noah business raises so many questions? She wanted answers, not more questions on top of her already enormous pile.

'Lavi, I don't know how much you know, but I really can't back out.'

Desperation flashed in Lavi's one visible eye briefly.

'You can't go. You just can't—'

A spark of annoyance flared from the bottom of her stomach.

'Then tell me, why?'

Lavi bites his bottom lip. '...I can't tell you.'

And that completely sets her off.

'If you know something why won't you just spit it out? Hm?' She pauses briefly, almost waiting for him to give her an answer. When he doesn't, she continues, 'Why do you always keep things to yourself?' Why do you keep lying? She almost screams out. Lavi, her dad, Cross… hell, even Tyki Mikki. All of them had secrets and all of them: liars.

For once in his life, Lavi was speechless. When she saw the look on Lavi's face, the brief sense of triumph was quickly replaced by the feeling of guilt in the pit of her stomach. Lavi was stupidly opening and closing his mouth, trying to find the words to say.

'…I… Hikari… please. I'm begging you. You don't want to be caught up in this.'

She looked down at the counter. She fucked up. Big time. And she knew it.

Lavi tries to reach out, to touch her shoulder, but Hikari shakes her head. Lavi's arm falls limply to his side.

'No. Enough. Just… get out.' She says flatly, refusing to look at him in the eye.

Lavi knew there was no point in continuing the conversation when she was like this. He fumbled with his wallet for a short while, then slammed down some money and trudged out of the bar.

Hikari glanced at the note as she clears the counter. A thousand yen note. She sighs wearily.

She knows Lavi cares, and he definitely wouldn't be so worked up about this if it concerned anyone else. But she had enough of being the only one that knew nothing. If the odd job was going to get her in the know, then she had to do it.

'No matter what...' she whispers to herself, as if to reassure herself that she was making the right choice.

Because she really wasn't too sure now.

As soon as he was outside the hostess club, Lavi lets out a frustrated sigh and runs a hand through his messy hair. He continued down the main street, brightly lit up by flashy neon signs. He turned round the corner and slipped into a darker alleyway just before he bumped into a mob of singing salary men. Though wasted company workers were the least of his worries right now, it would've been messy if he got into a fight. He needed to cool down and think properly about this.

He paused for a minute, thinking of all the possibilities. With another sigh, he flipped out his phone and punched in a number. His thumb hesitated slightly over the button before pressing 'dial'.

If calling Marian Cross was the best idea Lavi could think of, then he was probably really going insane.