A/N:
I'm going back to uni this week, so if I don't update as regularly as I have been, it's because I'm trying not to fail a course I've been doing for four years.
Kill of The Night – Gin Wigmore
"So what time do you think we should get to the courthouse by?" Umi asked Nitta on the late Thursday afternoon. It was their final session with Nitta before the court case tomorrow morning, and all four of them looked slightly weary from the amount of documents they had gone through for evidence.
"No later than 9am. Our session is at 9:30, but we can go over everything again one last time, which I'd recommend," Nitta smiled, shuffling a stack of papers and putting them to the side. How the lawyer was able to maintain her optimism after three hours of digging astounded the piercer. Umi nodded and mentally noted down the time.
"It looks like I'll have to collect Nozomi at 8, then Rin at 8:30."
"Damn, that's early," Nozomi mused while adjusting her coat.
Rin tapped at her knees before standing up and adjusting her jacket. It was thursday evening, around 5pm, and she was rather hungry.
"You all need to go home and get some rest, because this court case could take a few hours."
Rin clenched her teeth, that was a long time. Would she even be able to pay attention for that long?
'Don't be stupid, Rin! You have to pay attention if you want to be a tattoo artist,' she mentally kicked herself while stuffing her hands into her letterman jacket pockets. She scratched at the back of her head, and made a mental note to get her hair cut during the weekend.
"So, who would like a ride home?" Umi asked as they left the law firm. Nozomi shook her head with a grin.
"I am fine, Umi-chan. I need to drop by the store," Nozomi decline the offer and looked up at the sunset. It was something out of an impressionist painting.
"Figured I might go there as it might be my last night as a licensed tattoo artist."
"Don't say things like that," Umi scolded. Nozomi shrugged with a clearly fake grin as Umi looked to Rin.
"Okay then, how about you, Rin?"
"Nya?" Rin was sapped out of her little daze and turned to face the piercer.
"It's okay! Kayo-chin is meeting me here and then we're going to get dinner like we always do on Thursdays."
"That sounds lovely," Umi smiled and pulled out a pair of keys from her pocket.
"In that case, I shall see you both tomorrow."
An awkward silence hung in the hair. The three knew the seriousness of tomorrow, but all they could do was make light small talk. It was too much to think that tomorrow would decide their fate.
Rin walked down the street with her hands in her pockets and headphones on. She couldn't help but do a little foot shuffle to the beat of her music. Her football days provided her with flawlessly fancy feet, and she always knew how to tear up a dance floor.
She was so caught up in her little jig that she didn't hear a familiar, soft voice trying to get her attention.
"Rin-chan...Rin-chan! Rin-chan!"
"Nya!" Rin bumped into the person, and quickly moved her headphones off. Hanayo stood before her, giggling. Rin chuckled awkwardly and turned off her music.
"Sorry Kayo-chin, this band Nozomi-senpai recommended me is really good. I can't understand what they're saying because it's in English, but...oh whatever, hello!" Rin leaned in and kissed Hanayo on the cheek. The other girl blushed and adjusted her green jumper.
"It's okay, Rin-chan, and hello," she reached out for Rin's hand.
"Where did you want to eat? We could go to that small Ramen shop on the corner if you like, or maybe try the Italian place?"
Rin hummed in thought, "I'll let Kayo-chin pick!"
"But Rin-chan, I picked last week," Hanayo's eyebrow strained, and Rin bit her lip.
"U-Uhm, okay, why don't we go to the Ramen place then? We had Chinese last week anyway,"
"Sounds good," Hanayo squeezed Rin's hand, indicating for her to lead the way.
The walk to the ramen shop was just full of light conversation and laughs. Hanayo showed Rin all of her recent designs for an illustration assignment on her phone, seemingly set on distracting Rin from the thought of what was happening tomorrow.
"I wanted to create a character that's fully clothed, but it's weird to see animals wearing shirts and pants," Hanayo explained as Rin listened intently.
"Why does the duck have to wear pants though?"
"Did you know Donald Duck is banned in Finland because he doesn't wear pants?"
"That can't be true!"
"It is, so I'd like all my characters to wear clothes so that...um…"
"Yes?" Rin stopped walking to let Hanayo finish her sentence.
"If...um...I ever become an illustrator...I'd like for my drawings to not be banned anywhere."
"Awww Kayo-chin!" Rin hugged her girlfriend tightly, getting a squeak out of her.
"That's nyat something for you to worry about, your drawings are far too cute to get banned anywhere!"
Hanayo blushed furiously, but thanked Rin for the compliment.
They continued to walk to the restaurant, but we so caught up in each other that they nearly bumped into someone.
"Oh!"
Hanayo stopped them both and moved to the side to allow the person pass.
"You should watch where you're going," the man mumbled through his cigarette.
"We're sorry," Hanayo bowed and forced Rin down with her. She could sense the irritation radiating from her girlfriend. The man adjusted his coat and puffed out smoke from his mouth. When the two girls straightened up, they saw that he had rather short, dark hair and dull green eyes.
His facial hair was what made Rin narrow her eyes - it was a dark purple goatee.
'What the-' Rin's thoughts were interrupted when the man stared her arm. Rin's sleeve had shifted up to reveal the bottom half of the panther on her right wrist.
The man's dull eyes narrowed as his fist clenched.
Rin instantly puffed out her chest and clenched her own fists, out of instinct. The man had a noise growl in his throat, and quietly muttered one word.
"Disgusting."
He turned on his heel and started to walk away, muttering for them to have a nice night.
Hanayo held back Rin from going after him. It was hard, seeing as Rin was stronger, but her hamstring would prevent her from sprinting at her top speed.
"That bastard!" Rin hissed through her teeth as Hanayo yanked her back with all of her might.
"Rin-chan! He's not worth it!" Hanayo pleaded, not wanting Rin to hurt herself or let her emotions get the better of her.
Rin instantly deflated, much to Hanayo's surprise. The apprentice raised her head and sighed bitterly, with her eyes watering.
"Bastard…"
"He wasn't nice at all," Hanayo positioned herself to hug Rin. The apprentice let out a huff, then looked up at Hanayo again.
"I'm going to need to drown myself in a big ramen bowl."
"Same here," Hanayo chuckled and took Rin's hand again.
"Come on, let's go."
"We should get some extra rice," Rin walked next to Hanayo with a grin.
Across town, Nozomi met Eli outside of the ballet studio that Eli took her sister to. It was weird to be standing outside and seeing all the children in tutus file out.
Nozomi leaned against the wall, smoking and watching on quietly. Finally, a familiar blonde emerged from the glass doors.
"Elichi," Nozomi called out with a grin, getting their attention.
"Ah! Nozomi!" Eli briskly walked forward and kissed her. It was clear she had pre-tattoo jitters, but this was natural, and Nozomi had seen it countless times.
"Are you ready to go?" Nozomi extended her hand, and Eli took it with a nod.
The walk to Lily White was around fifteen minutes, but the two stopped to get takeout for dinner. Nozomi would never allow food in her studio, but she figured they could eat in the break room. As they continued their walk to Lily White, Eli looked around, taking in the dark city she had lived in for quite some time. Nozomi thought about what colours to use for the flowers in Eli's design.
"Now with the colours," Nozomi turned to Eli with a grin.
"I can either do really bright colours that we can use your skin-tone as a highlight, or we I can do darker, cooler colours. Personally, I think that the bright colours will give more of a Japanese feel and stand out against the black outline, but it's up to you."
"Would it be easier to tattoo with the bright colours?" Eli asked. Nozomi's brows flew up.
"Elchi, there is no change in difficulty, it's just personal preference. This is your tattoo, and it will be on your body for the rest of your life. However," Nozomi flicked her hair and smirked.
"As a professional, and your girlfriend, I am allowed to give you advice."
Eli chuckled and nudged Nozomi's side lightly, "Indeed you are."
They got to the studio. Although it had not been opened for quite some time, Nozomi got ready to proceed with getting inside. She unlocked the door, stepped inside and turned off the alarm with her clicker.
"Now as you can see, it's dark in here," Nozomi turned to Eli, who was standing underneath a bright street while she stood in the door frame of the pitch black shop.
"Would you like me to go in and turn the lights on and you wait there?"
"Yes please," the reply was immediate. Nozomi chuckled and walked into the studio, then flicked the lights on from inside the break room. After every single lightbulb was active, Eli stepped into the studio and shut the door.
Nozomi skipped forward to turn on her station lamp, and Eli pulled the paper out of her bag. She smoothed it out on the counter for Nozomi, next to the collection of darumas.
"Now, Elichi, I will ask you again: is this the design you want?" Nozomi looked at Eli dead in the eye. The blonde nodded and pushed the paper towards the artist.
"Yes."
Nozomi chuckled again, and took the paper.
"If you give me a few minutes, I will get this ready. Would you like to sit in the break room and have dinner while you fill out a form?"
"Yes please," Eli followed Nozomi to the break room. Nozomi put a spare chair next to her desk.
The last time Eli had seen Nozomi's desk, it was littered in papers and cigarette ash. Now, the papers were all stacked up neatly at the corner, and the computer was guarded by two kokeshis.
"Feel free to start eating, Elichi. You'll need the food more than me," Nozomi's invitation brought Eli out of her thoughts.
"Why is that?" Eli asked while she set up the plastic containers filled with food. Nozomi flicked a switch, and a small desk in the corner lit up. She turned around with a smile.
"If you get tattooed with a full stomach, you'll lower the risk of passing out."
Eli paled, and Nozomi chuckled, getting a piece of tracing paper from the drawer next to the small table.
"So, what form do I need to fill out?" Eli held her hand to her mouth as she chewed on a pork dumpling. Nozomi walked out to the reception counter and came back a minute later with a clipboard.
"All of this," Nozomi handed the clipboard to Eli. She read over it and picked up a free pencil from Nozomi's desk. The artist returned to the light desk with tracing paper, and Eli filled out the forms.
"So, you didn't sign the bottom of one when Rin tattooed, and that's why you're in trouble?"
Nozomi stiffened, "Yes, but signed the form of her very first tattoo, which in turn can cancel out the issue...it's just proving to the judge that Rin-chan is a good enough apprentice to tattoo without my supervision, is all…"
"So will this form be sent to Minami-san, too?" Eli asked as she filled out her allergy list and turned the subject.
Nozomi nodded, "Yes, she will see it. She sees all the forms."
"So she would have seen the form you signed for Rin to tattoo you?"
"Maybe not that one, since she only took over from the previous landlord a couple of weeks ago," Nozomi turned around and smirked.
"Isn't it weird to think all of this has happened over a few weeks? It feels like months - even years," Eli ticked off that she had not been drinking on the paper. With her free hand, Eli helped herself to the noodles, enjoying the quiet hums that came from Nozomi.
When Eli finished filling out the form, she signed the bottom and moved to her get her wallet.
"I know you are over eighteen, Elichi," Nozomi called out, not even looking up from her desk. Eli blushed slightly, then put her wallet back down and went back to eating.
"I won't be much longer, I'm just going to get the stencil ready now." Nozomi moved over to another machine and slid the paper into it.
"This machine is called a thermal fax, and it will make the stencil which I will then apply to your ankle. Did you shave?"
"Yes, I did."
"Good girl," Nozomi smiled as the machine slowly sucked up the paper.
"Would you mind passing me some noodles?"
Eli sighed and got up with the container and the other pair of chopsticks. Hand-feeding Nozomi noodles was not something easy.
"Thank you," Nozomi kissed Eli's nose, and giggled at the blush. The machine beeped, indicating it had finished with the stencil.
"Okie dokie, the stencil is done, now let's eat up. After that, I'll set up my station and the bed."
"Bed?" Eli looked puzzled when Nozomi sat down, gazing hungrily at the noodles.
"I'm going to have you on a tattoo bed. Gives me easy access to your ankle and comfort for you," Nozomi smiled over her chopsticks.
"And I'm giving my Elichi the best seat in the house."
Their empty containers from dinner were thrown into the garbage bin outside by Eli, while Nozomi set up the bed. She was placing glad wrap on the black cushion when Eli walked back into the studio. Looking around, the machinery of Nozomi's work station was covered in plastic, too.
"It's to stop cross-contamination," Nozomi seemed to have read Eli's mind, or at least followed her gaze to the plastic-wrapped machines. Nozomi's station was extremely well organized. The ink bottles were lined up according to color, and her machines were laid out perfectly. On the shelf above her station was a maneki-neko, and Eli recognized it as the one she had bought Nozomi when she first got the keys to Lily White.
"You kept the maneki-neko?"Eli eyed the small trinket and Nozomi nodded while she put a rubber band on top of a tattoo machine.
"Of course, why wouldn't I?"
"I just got that from a corner-store," Eli remembered rushing out of the shop with the little cat and bolting down the road so as to not miss the grand opening.
"He's very special to me, Elichi," Nozomi moulded her hand around the machine a few times.
"Hanzo sits there and watch me work."
"He has a name?"
"Yes, his name is Hanzo."
Eli shook her head at her girlfriend's strange antics. Then again, this was the girl who had a daruma on her side of the bathroom cabinet. Nozomi was strange, there was no denying it, but Eli would not have her any other way.
"This place is always so clean," Eli gazed around the small studio in awe, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach.
"We modify people's bodies everyday, we have to be clean," Nozomi grinned and put on a pair of black gloves.
"Elichi, if you could please come over here, I'm going to shave you some more and put the stencil on."
Eli took off her shoes and sat on the bed. Nozomi instructed her to swing herself on with her feet flat on the edge.
"Now, which ankle are we doing - left or right?"
"Right," Eli answered and rolled up her pants. Nozomi shaved the area carefully, humming as Eli gripped the sides of the tattoo bed.
"Do you think this will take long?" She asked the artist who turned to throw out the razor.
"Maybe an hour and a half? It'll be over before you know it, though."
"Right…" Eli took a deep breath. This was happening. Nozomi placed the stencil on, and carefully peeled off the paper.
"Okay Elichi, why don't you go take a peek in the mirror and have a look at the placement," Nozomi pointed to the large mirror in the corner of the shop. While Eli went to look, Nozomi took her machine and inserted a needle.
"I really like the placement," Eli stretched out her leg to rotate her ankle.
The stencil flowed nicely with the shape of her long, elegant leg. The lines were incredibly thin, and Nozomi had even outlined the creases within the flower petals. There was so much detail, and this was just a guide for Nozomi.
Eli smiled at the mirror, and Nozomi moved behind her and snaked her arms around her waist.
"You happy?" She got on her tiptoes to place her head on Eli's shoulder. The blonde nodded, trying not to shudder at Nozomi's breath that tickled on her neck slightly.
"That's good, now come and sit down again," Nozomi kissed Eli's neck then retreated back to the station. Upon seeing Eli still standing by the mirror, Nozomi doubled back and scooped up the florist in her arms. With a squeak, Eli was carried over to the tattoo bed and was placed on top carefully.
"N-Nozomi!" Eli stuttered, adjusting her ponytail and frowning at the tattoo artist, who had a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"The ink will get wasted if I don't start tattooing you," Nozomi grinned and positioned Eli's foot to be flat on the bed again. Eli herself huffed and leaned down, but angled herself so that her knees were in the air.
"Okay, so the machine is ready, and I'm going to start with the outline," Nozomi dipped her tattoo machine's needle into the small cup of black ink.
"Now Elichi, as a reminder, this will hurt, so please try to relax."
Eli nodded and grabbed the sides of the bed again. Nozomi took a deep breath and brought the needle to Eli's ankle. She started her first line.
To Nozomi's surprise, Eli was as stoic as when they had first met. Nozomi took the needle away and blinked up at the florist.
"You okay there, Elichi?" Nozomi was honestly expecting whining, or at least a wince from the pain, but there was nothing from Eli.
"Yes."
"That didn't hurt?"
"Not really," Eli's aloofness left Nozomi completely stunned. It was like meeting Eli all over again - she did not flinch, and seemed incredibly stoic. Nozomi was aware that people had different levels of pain tolerance, but Eli was someone who couldn't even deal with getting vaccines. How was she able to sit there so casually?
"Okay, then I'll keep going," the tattoo artist dipped her needle into the ink and continued.
To Nozomi's astonishment, Eli just sat there like a rock. She did not flinch, groan or even bat an eyelid at the pain. She moved her hands behind her head and stared up at the ceiling. There wasn't much talking, as Nozomi was concentrating and Eli was in her own little world. Half an hour later, Nozomi had finished the outline.
"Would you like to take a breather?" Nozomi took out the needle from her machine and placed in a different one. Eli shrugged.
"Don't mind, it's not bothering me."
"You are the first person I've ever tattooed who has not batted their eyelids at the pain of an ankle tattoo," Nozomi poured the different colours into their respective cups and changed her gloves. Eli looked up, eyes half lidded.
"Is that so?"
"As I explained, the ankle is very close to the bone, so it tends to hurt more," Nozomi readied herself to continue.
Eli went back into her own little world and gazed up at the ceiling. All she heard was the whirring of the tattoo machine, and Nozomi's humming.
"You've got that song stuck in my head now," Eli spoke after ten minutes of silence. Nozomi looked up with a raised eyebrow.
"It's a catchy song, Elichi, and I need something to help me stay focused."
"So you hum?"
"You do too," Nozomi lightly countered while changing the colour. Eli smiled and sat up to look at Nozomi.
"I guess I do," she had a stupid, goofy grin as she looked at the woman she loved, resting her arms on her knees and chin on top. Nozomi looked so calm and beautiful in her element. She held the tattoo machine as if it were a paintbrush, and seemed to have this aura that radiated with passion.
The artist looked up and let out a chuckle at Eli's expression.
"Did Cupid stick an arrow up your butt?"
Eli instantly blushed while Nozomi went back to work.
"I can't help it that you're so perfect,"
"Aww, Elichi!" Nozomi swooned with a grin forming on her lips as she coloured the crocus.
"You know who to flatter a girl, that's for sure."
Idle chatting and the occasional flirtatious remark proceeded throughout the coloring and shading stage of Eli's tattoo. Nozomi had been at the tattoo for nearly an hour and a half in total. When she moved to get a different color for the hydrangea, Eli let out a sigh.
"I'm lucky I have a day off tomorrow, because I think I'll spend the whole day sleeping."
Nozomi grinned, "You can have with that. I have to be at the courthouse at some ridiculous time in the morning."
Eli's eyes snapped open. She had forgotten about that in the last two hours.
"Oh my god, I am an idiot," Eli shook her head and folded her arms while Nozomi coloured in the hydrogena.
"I will come with you. I can sit through the pain."
"No one is forcing you to come, Elichi," Nozomi resume her work, but she noticed Eli's body had stiffened up. Moving the needle away from Eli's skin, she peered up at her girlfriend, who was staring down at her with determination.
"I am not going to let some foot pain stop me from supporting you," Eli reached out and cupped Nozomi's cheek in her hand while Nozomi kicked the switch to turn off the machine.
"You are my entire world, and I will be with you tomorrow."
The sudden change in the florist's tone made Nozomi's heart flip. Staring up at those blue eyes, the tattoo artist blinked away her own tears. She turned her head to kiss the inside of Eli's palm, then patted her leg with her free hand.
"You have to be at the court house by 9:30. Now please relax your leg so I can continue."
"I start work at 7am every morning, this should be nothing,"
"But your weakness is getting up, Elichi," Nozomi smirked, and Eli sighed instantly.
"I will be up, don't you worry about that."
After that, Eli fell back into silence as Nozomi continued to work. The pain was starting to get to her, and once Nozomi started to apply the white, she let out a small whine.
"Is it getting to you, Elichi?"
"A little," Eli moaned and shut her eyes. Nozomi always said that the 'white stage' was the worst. It was the last color to go on, and the small dots of pain were far more irritating than anything else.
"Hang in there, we're nearly done."
It was easier said than done. Every time the needle make in contact with her skin, Eli thought Nozomi was just sawing her foot off. Scrunching up her eyes and gritting her teeth, Eli continued to deal with the irritation.
"Elichi, count to thirty for me."
"Why?"
"Just do it,"
"...One…" The needle was back on, and the irritation came with it. Eli's nails dug into the sides of the tattoo bed as she continued to count.
"...Two...three...four...five...six…"
It was hard to concentrate on such a simple thing as counting. The swirling needle was giving Eli far too much grief, and she shut her eyes and tried to count.
"...Seven...eight...nine...t-ten…"
Eli fell silent, and could only stare at her closed eyelids. Her body was weak and tender, there wasn't much else she could do.
"Elichi, did you finish counting?"
"H-Huh?" Eli cracked her eyes open at Nozomi's voice. The needle was not on her skin anymore.
"You don't have to count anymore, because it's finished."
"Really?" Eli sat up groggily with a pained expression on her face. Nozomi nodded and set down her machine.
"Would you like to check it out in the mirror?"
"Y-Yes please," Eli's voice cracked as she shakily got off the bed. Nozomi extended a hand to provide support, and she led Eli over to the mirror.
"Tell me what you think."
When Eli's eyes fell upon the tattoo, she gasped.
It was so beautiful: a perfect combination of Japanese and realism. The colours popped out as the smooth outline swirled around her ankle in perfect precision. It far exceeded her expectations, but Eli couldn't think of a time Nozomi had done a 'bad' tattoo.'
"This is...amazing," Eli breathed, turning the ball of her feet to view the tattoo at different angles. Nozomi stood to the side with her hands behind her back and her usual quirky grin on her face.
"I put a lot of effort into this one," Nozomi shrugged and peered down at the ankle to observe her work.
"Once the swelling goes down, you'll be able to see more shading and detail, like how the flowers are all conne-"
Nozomi didn't finish her sentence, because Eli had swooped her up and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss.
"Mmph!"
Eli pulled away for breath and beamed at the dazed expression on Nozomi's face. She looked like she was seeing stars.
"Nozomi, this is so beautiful," Eli rested her forehead against Nozomi's and smiled.
"It's more than I could ever imagine,"
"Well Elichi, I hope you treasure it," Nozomi closed her eyes.
"That might be the last tattoo I ever do."
"It will not be your last, you're both innocent," Eli pulled Nozomi close and rubbed her back.
"You have a strong case to protect yourself and your business."
"Let's hope so," Nozomi closed her eyes and melted into the embrace. She was worried that the prosecutor would destroy everything she had worked so hard on. The prosecutor was one of her last blood relatives, and he was hell bent on ripping her life to shreds.
"Hey," Eli lifted Nozomi's chin gently with her finger, and let her kind gaze linger.
"You just did what you do best, and I will not let anyone take that away from you. Neither will Umi or Rin. You have Nitta as a lawyer and a strong case, and you will win."
"I really, really hope so," Nozomi sighed as Eli brought her lips down to Nozomi's. The artist reluctantly pulled herself away from Eli and clapped her hands together.
"Alright, Elichi, let's get you cleaned and wrapped up."