Chapter 12:
Kira stared at the woman speaking to him. He knew her face. She had been among the snapshots in the file. Lacus Clyne, the daughter of Siegel Clyne.
They were really in deep shit now.
She seemed not to notice his discomfort or alarm, and instead extended a hand, palm-up, invitingly. "Would you join me for this dance?" She smiled politely, exposing beautiful straight white teeth.
Kira was completely taken aback and he eyed the offered hand warily. "I-I'm honoured, Miss." His voice came out a little squeaky and he cleared his throat before speaking again. "I'm really honoured, but it'll be better for you to get someone else." Better for you and me, he thought, but he held his tongue.
Lacus Clyne gave him a slight pout. She leaned close and the breath in Kira nearly stopped. "I sometimes ask guys out to dance. In fact, my date tonight? I asked him out. But being rejected on the dance floor would be a first." A sheepish smile lit up her lips. "See it as a favor?" She glanced over her shoulder and Kira followed her gaze. He saw a cluster of young women giggling and whispering as they avoided their eyes. Lacus Clyne returned her gaze to him, "I know it's sudden. But it was a dare, and I…"She broke off, giving that shy smile again.
Over her shoulder, Kira caught sight of Orga Sabnak glaring daggers at them. He had probably heard the entire conversation. Their eyes locked and he heard Orga's voice through his earpiece. "Get rid of her, K. She's a threat to the mission. Now!"
Immediately, Kira mouth opened but before he could utter a word of rejection, Lacus Clyne was giving him a pleading look. "Please," she whispered, "just one dance. Five minutes of your time, and I won't bug you again." Then her expression changed. "Oh," She took a step back and scanned the crowd around them. "Do you have a date with you tonight? I'm sorry, I should have thought of that. Are you worried she'll be angry? Maybe I could explain things to her first?"
Orga's voice burst through Kira's earpiece, so loud that he nearly winced. "Don't let her catch sight of S! Do what she wants. Give her her freaking dance. Draw her attention away, K!"
Kira moved forward and grasped Lacus Clyne's wrist. The pink-haired woman spun around, a look of surprise on her face. "Alright, but just one dance, okay?" He muttered, "I-I don't really dance."
The smile that lit up her face was so contagious that Kira found himself smiling in response to this beautiful woman who had caught him off guard. Then she tugged at him, pulling him onto the dance floor before he could change his mind. The live band, set on a low stage near the stairway, had started up again. A slow sarabande this time. Couples were streaming onto the floor. They wove their way through the crowd of twirling dancers, seeking a vacant spot. She was leading him, her fingers wrapped around his hand firmly.
Kira's bright eyes darted from face to face. He was uncomfortable and awkward amidst the crowd. Twice he almost snarled at the people who had crossed his way. His body was tense and tight, sensitive towards any sudden or unexplainable movements. Through his earpiece, he heard Orga instruct Shani to take over and watch Stellar's back. He didn't trust Shani, that bastard, but there was nothing he could do. Amidst the crowd on the dance floor, he had lost sight of Stellar.
He was startled out of his thoughts when he felt Lacus's gentle fingers grasp his right hand and position it behind her. She was slim and her waist fit comfortably in the arch of his arm. Up-close, she smelled of lavender, a soothing, light scent. Her full lips curved in a light smile. The fingers of her right hand slipped into his left and they began to move in time to the triple metre rhythm.
Kira made use of the opportunity to carefully study his unexpected dance partner. His dark eyes swept over her face, quick mind registering the details. She was a very attractive woman, with delicate features on skin as flawless and smooth as silk. She had a beautiful nose and luscious full lips to match. Her voluminous pink hair was pulled back in a high ponytail of cascading loose curls. She was watching him intently with bright grey eyes that held a youthful innocence. And there was something else in those eyes – a hint of familiarity which he couldn't quite decipher. He was ensnared by that closeness. It seemed almost possible that he had met her somewhere.
She cleared her throat and asked softly, "Are you new to this?" Kira stared at her, his dark eyes trained to betray no emotion, but the pause signified that he was surprised she was talking to him.
"New to what?" His voice was quiet and calm. A little wary and cautious. It fitted his dark, emotionless eyes.
"New to dancing." She smiled.
"Why do you say so?"
"You're tense. This is awkward and uncomfortable for you, isn't it?"
He didn't reply, just shrugged. It seemed he didn't like to talk much, or smile much.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, "if I put you in a spot."
"It's alright."
Again that silence, as they spun and twirled alongside the couples on the dance floor. Kira was aware that the rest of the team could hear their conversation and he could feel infuriated eyes boring into his back. Orga Sabnak. Through his earpiece, he could also hear Stellar, socializing and flirting her way through the crowd so that she could reach Siegel Clyne. And there he was, holding on to his daughter in his arms. Every minute holding Lacus Clyne was a chance for the mission to go awry.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
He was pulled back by the soft voice and the gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Nothing."
"You look troubled. It's not my request, is it?"
"No, it's not. I already told you. Don't worry about it."
Silence again.
"So… uhm… you're from?"
"DEX Enterprises." It was a company based in New York, registered under Dexter Smith. But Dexter Smith was Rau Le Creuset's subordinate, so DEX Enterprises actually belonged to Rau. But no one knew, and no one needed to know.
"Oh, drug testing?"
"Yup, that's what we do."
"I see. My father has told me so much about what your company does and the important role you play in the pharmaceutical industry. So it's very nice to meet you."
"It's very nice to be here."
As they moved across the dance floor, Kira could see Stellar smiling and shaking Siegel Clyne's hand. He could hear them conversing through his earpiece. And then she shook his hand again and picked her way through the crowd, moving away from him. Her voice was triumphant when it came through his earpiece, "This is S reporting. I got it. Over."
Then Orga Sabnak took over the line. "Alright guys, time for the real work to begin. As soon as K is out, we move."
As if on cue, the music began to slow and couples began streaming off the dance floor. Kira and Lacus came to a stop, standing close. "I have to go," Kira said, to which his dance partner merely smiled and nodded. "Thank you," she nodded towards the tittering group of young women, "I couldn't have got away so easily without your help."
"My pleasure. I hope you have an enjoyable evening."
He was already moving away when she called out to him. The band had started playing a different tune, something faster and more youthful, and people had begun crowding onto the dance floor again.
"I'm Lacus Clyne. What's your name?"
Kira paused. Experience had taught him to always give acquaintances his alias. Tonight, he was Henry Alexander. But those blue-grey eyes were watching him intently, as though they could bore through his flesh and see through his lies. And so, he didn't have a goddamn clue what possessed him when he opened his mouth and said, "I'm Kira. Kira Hibiki."