Chapter 10.- Unchanging
2017, third deviation
Mindless nonsense spewed out of the man sitting in front of him.
There was still a rat running around in his building, not to mention he'd yet to deal with the imbeciles in the government who'd grown brazen enough to try and go after Toman; all things considered, there really were quite a few things Mikey should be spending his time on. Yet here he was, sitting in front of a wanna-be predator, preening like he was in any real way important, all because his so-called second in command insisted that this damn meeting was worth the effort of showing up. For a moment this morning, the blond had played with the idea of ditching anyway and have Kisaki figure out how to explain his absence, but in the end, he'd decided to go through with it. The only group whose opinion the Manjiro cared about was the Mikazuki clan, but his underling was floundering after his lackluster excuse for the gap in security that allowed the rat to sneak in, so Mikey decided to play along.
Because Kisaki Teta had stolen from them back when they were kids but was too blind and overconfident to realize the real reason behind his high position. A quick and swift death would've been too great a mercy; as far as the blond was concerned, it was only fair for the snake to pay them back for what he'd taken. Mikey would use the ambitious man right up until the moment he outlived his worth. The method of disposal would be given to Kagome; an apology for making her wait for so many years, and it wouldn't be kind. The thin rope his second in command was walking on grew more fragile every day, and it was evident Kisaki was flailing under the pressure. Endangering Me-chan's safety wasn't something that could be forgiven, no matter how high their position, so when Mikey noticed how adamant the man was, he agreed, leaving his lover in their rooms while she went through the lists of potential traitors. He'd expected the meeting to be some convoluted way to make up for his earlier mess, but Kisaki had apparently grown desperate enough to lose his mind, since sitting beside the thin man from Shinagawa, was a woman a few years younger than him, playing with an artificial black curls and sneaking coy glances at him with fake blue eyes in an ill fitting white dress.
"Five bodyguards and one executive." Cold words interrupted whatever bullshit the preening outsider was trying to say.
"Excuse me?" the man said, confusion evident in his expression. "I'm afraid I don't understand."
"Only six persons were allowed to enter this building." Uncaring eyes skimmed through the guests before landing back on Kisaki. "Yet I count seven."
"Well, the Shinagawa family has been quite helpful in these last few years, and the identity of the young miss has been corroborated, so I thought…" The man was starting to falter. If nothing else, it looked like he could tell how bad of an idea this was.
"Why should I care?" Mikey cut him off, not in the mood to listen to honeyed words.
"I…I know it was rude, but when I heard my father was going to meet you, I couldn't help myself; I had to come and see you." There was uncertainty behind false bravado as the woman felt his gaze fall on her, but she went on. "I have admired you for so long."
"Why should I care?" he repeated.
Looking at the woman boldly leaning forward from her seat on the couch, Mikey could feel bile rising up his throat. From her appearance alone, it was clear what Kisaki's frantic plan was, but the yakuza boss genuinely didn't think he'd be brash enough to go as far as sharing details of not only Kagome's preferred clothing style but also her personality. This was far from the first time someone was foolish enough to think the place at his side was up for grabs simply because there were no official legal documents tying the priestess to him. Her name was nowhere to be found in any of his buildings' deeds or paperwork from Toman's business fronts. Of course, they weren't married either. When that was added to her deceptively quiet demeanor whenever they met with outsiders, anyone who thought some research could give them an image to try and replicate tended to parade in front of him were all shy and demure birds. If this woman felt brave enough to act like this, it was likely because Kisaki was well aware Me-chan was anything but subservient.
An unbelievably pointless attempt to make the woman whose name Mikey couldn't be bothered to remember look more appealing. All it did was make her look like a puffed up chick.
Kagome didn't refer to the bird trapped in the cage but to the demon lying in wait.
"This…this isn't a good time," his second in command was quick to interject, clearly trying to stop this before blood flowed. "I'll make sure to work out this deal and send a report with the details."
"But you said…!" Crude red was creeping into the woman's face.
"Come on, Kasumi." The preening man had better sense than his daughter, clearly. "We should take our leave now."
"But you came all the way here, didn't you?"
Echoing through the suddenly silent room, the sound of her voice alone made his irritation transform into curiosity as black eyes abandoned the pathetic sight sitting across him.
Unlike the nameless woman trying to imitate her, Me-chan looked natural as she stood in front of the open door, pushing back a strand of midnight hair; that glint in her eyes was the same as it had been when they first met so many years ago. Me-chan had never been one to revel in the cruelty and violence in the same way he did, but the priestess could only truly live when she was surrounded by it. Because while everyone else had failed to see it, and Mikey wouldn't be surprised to find that at one point Kagome herself had been fooled herself, the truth of it was that she'd never been a bird. And now …
The demon was ready to pounce.
Holding out his hand in her direction was all the indication his lover needed to cross the room towards him, her motions graceful while hiding how feral her nature was and the brutality she was capable of. In one fluid move, Me-chan took his hand and easily knelt on the ground, resting her head on his knees in a very theatrical way, clearly directed to their unwanted audience. Bringing the squeaking bird without approval had been a ridiculous idea, but while Kisaki had never managed to completely hide his dislike Towards her, the man would've never been bold enough to bring a wanna-be replacement in front of Kagome, he didn't think she'd finish with the list this soon. One look at his second in command was enough to notice the increased tension filling posture, and growing even worse at the sight of his lover's assigned bodyguard for the day.
"Most of our business is done. There's no need…" Kisaki started.
"Who do you think you are?!" The bird screeched, cutting off its best chance of survival.
"Careful there, miss, our lady goes where our lady wants to go." Kokonoi's voice cut through the noise as he walked into the room, closing the door behind him and leaving the complaining bodyguards arguing with the rest of Toman's security. "That's a bit of a rule around here, right boss?"
"Apologies, but I was under the impression your schedule was full for the day, Kagome-san." It was more a statement than a question.
Oh, the tension was turning into panic now, helped by the anger of seeing Kokonoi walking around the couch Mikey was seated at and stopping at his back.
When it came to infighting, the blond usually didn't care enough to keep tabs on all those squabbles, but things were different when it involved his lover's favorites, and this particular feud was long-standing. Back when Toman first made the jump from a biker gang to a yakuza clan, Kisaki had brought his own people to fill in the more demanding positions in an attempt to increase his influence within the group, and the financial expert was one of them. Of course, Kokonoi was as opportunistic as it came, so when the man realized how deep Me-chan's connections ran and the sort of pull she had with them, he didn't hesitate to switch sides, doing everything in his power to earn Kagome's favor, including antagonizing Toman's second in command going as far as destroying business deals that'd benefit Kisaki and his faction. In the long run, the priestess' favor would bring more than just an economic increase; for those Me-chan liked, Mikey was willing to grant both leniency and abundant rewards.
If Kokonoi was here, there was no way Kisaki could manage to sweep the aftermath of his mistake under the rug.
"Kagome, what do you want to do?" His gaze was focused only on her though, his interest growing as his mood calmed down.
"Since she made the effort to come here, it'd be a pity to send her back like this." The priestess leaned into his hand as he caressed her cheek. "It wouldn't hurt to hear him out."
Me-chan was planning something then. Amused, the yakuza leader turned his gaze to the paralyzed bird. "Go on, speak."
"I…that's…" Fake blue flickered towards Kisaki, looking for something to hold onto, only for the man to avoid her gaze. Seeming to take a second to recover, the bird began to squeak again. "Ever since I heard about Toman, I've admired you, and I knew I had to meet you. I can be of help to you. I have the right connections, and I've helped with the business before. I can give you more support."
"And?"
"A-and I know I may be acting a little impudent, but I couldn't just stay quiet." Recovering its bravado, the bird kept going, arrogance dripping from its words. "There's no better match."
"Because you love him?" Me-chan's voice was unperturbed as she abruptly stopped the bird's squawking.
"O-of course." Already, the bird was cracking. "My feelings are real!"
"Right, and you believe you'd be willing to do anything for him?" Even without seeing her, he knew her gaze was sharp, pinning the foolish critter in front of her down.
"It's not a belief!' It didn't even realize how badly it'd bitten the bait. "I'm loyal, and…!"
"You don't have any problems with killing others for him? Die for him?" Her words were faster now, not giving it time to think things through.
"Naturally." A proud smile managed to make its way to the bird's face. "I was raised in this world. I know what it means to be a true partner."
"Do it then."
His words made silence fall upon the room, but they earned him a gentle brush of lips on the back of his hand.
Less fond of violence as she was, Kagome had always been ruthless to those who threatened those she loved, and for his amusement, she'd help set up games and come up with ways to break the foolish birds who thought they could take her place. There were few things that could make her cruelty shine through, and that was one that tore at a scar that never fully healed, so of course, Mikey would play the game she'd prepared for him right now. He really didn't think it'd take much to break it, either of them.
"S-sorry…what?" The ego-filled father was the first one to recover his voice.
"I'll handle the rest and send a report," Kisaki tired again, standing up and trying to block the view of the incredulous birds. "I'll escort them to the exit."
"The head of an executive's family member, that'd be maybe…7% of his yearly revenue? Between the two, it definitely wouldn't take more than 25%… how fast can our lady get that?" Kokonoi's cynical question cut off Kisaki's attempt.
"If I call nii-sama today…" she trailed off for a second but didn't move away from him. "How long will it take for a transfer to go through?"
"Who do you think you are to…!"
"You said you'd die for me. I want to see." A familiar motion had the financial expert pass a blade to him as Mikey interrupted the bird once more. With a lazy throw, the weapon clanked on the ground in front of its feet. "Here you go."
Absurd babbling sputtered out of the outsider's vulture, desperate to spew out excuses, all but begging for forgiveness, all of its fake preening easily forgotten. Executive of another clan's family or not, neither of these people was important enough for their lives to matter. Especially since the reason this meeting was set up to begin with was that the family wasn't reaching the expected revenue, combined with the insult of trying to replace his lover, it wouldn't be hard to pay off two corpses being sent back. And it was clear the craven vulture knew it too. The five bodyguards waiting outside the closed door wouldn't be able to do anything to stop Mikey from shooting the two outsiders in time, and even if those two birds tried to fight back, there was no way they could hold him off.
Judging by the wide, dilated eyes of the unnamed woman, the reckless bird had finally caught up.
"P-please…S-sano-san."
"Why doesn't she do it then?!" And just like that, it broke, knife unstable in its hands as the bird pointed at the priestess. "If I have to prove myself, then so does she!"
"Me-chan."
Bright azure looked up at him.
No hint of fear or hesitation tainted her gaze; instead, there was an amused smile on her lips. Rough fingers combed through midnight locks. From the moment they met, he'd pushed her limits and boundaries, trying to test how far he could go, but Me-chan had always met his every challenge with one of her own, taking from him just as much as he took from her. Slender fingers trailed a path on his thigh before moving to grab the knife strapped to his belt. The blade was steady in her grip.
"You'll follow right after." It wasn't a question; Kagome didn't need to ask. "Or I'll make sure to curse you."
"Of course." He smiled back at her.
"Good," his lover said with a satisfied nod, her expression never faltering even as she aimed the blade at her neck. "See you in a bit."
The high-pitched scream hurt his ears as red filled his vision, the sprayed blood warm on his flush and creating a stark contrast against her pale cheek. He could feel people moving around him, but Mikey didn't pay any attention to the frantic movement of the people panicking because of their actions; instead, his focus was on the way her eyes widened for only a heartbeat before narrowing. Quick motions that betrayed how used she was to his whims, the girl let go of the knife's blade to carefully pull his hand to her. The pain in his hand dull and well worth it for the concern that shone through the girl's motion as she studied the way the blade pierced his flesh before calmly demanding a first aid kit. She was upset, she always was when he got hurt, but there was something in the way the priestess carefully studied the wound and took off the knife, uncaring that the light yellow of her skirt was now wet with crimson while she treated his palm.
"You could've just asked me to stop if you'd changed your mind." With a huff, his lover tightened her grip around the open wound.
"I wanted to see…that new dress Mitsuya is making. I want another in this color." His free hand moved to smudge a drop of red in her skin before black eyes snapped back to the woman who had fallen to the ground. "It's your turn now; I'll stop you if you feel like it."
"Ah…t-that's…"
"Leave," Kagome cut the bird off, her gaze landing on every one of the people present as she spoke. Her order was cold and irritated. "The game's gotten annoying."
Taking advantage of her loose wording, Kisaki disregarded any semblance of diplomacy and roughly shoved the father/daughter duo, hurried to get the birds to safety even as Kokonoi let out a bark of laughter. The only reason Manjiro cared about profit margins was because it allowed him to do what he liked without having to worry about repercussions; the deal with whatever family the vulture came from could fall through for all he cared. Though he'd probably have to spend more than just money to make up for irritating his lover. Maybe he should prepare an outing for them once the mess with the rat was over and done with. It had been a long time since she'd gone anywhere other than the Mikazuki buildings. Especially because Me-chan was worried about something else too. Something she'd yet to confirm and was keeping quiet about.
Patience wasn't something he was particularly good at, but for her, he made an effort.
When the time was right, she'd share whatever little secret was causing her to space out every so often. And once she did, she'd either have a plan already in mind, or he'd be free to handle it however he wanted just like every other time she decided to hold on to some piece of information or another.
"Did you finish early?"
"Who knows," Me-chan scoffed, never stopping her movements and refusing to look up. "Now hush and let me stitch you up."
"I'll try not to bleed next time, but he is breaking and will be yours to discard soon." His apology was rewarded with bright azure flickering towards him.
"I think I have our rat, but I'll need a personal meeting to confirm." There was still a hint of annoyance in her voice, but it looked like he'd appeased her. "Good news is, I don't believe he was a plant."
With a tired sigh, the woman leaned on his knee.
"Me-chan?"
"Come with me?" She asked after a small pause. "To Souta's...I just…"
Gently, the yakuza leader pulled her up, placing her on the couch's armrest, his gaze finding the violent red staining her skin. As always, the sight was enchanting. It suited her; even when she rarely got messy herself, it tempted his self-control. Maybe letting himself get lost in desire wasn't the right thing to do when it was so obvious that she was anxious enough to ask for something they both knew was a bad idea. Then again, this meeting would be stressful either way. From the way her hands were starting to play with his shirt's buttons, the priestess might want the distraction too. If he was particularly attentive, it might help soothe her irritation about his carelessness, and she'd need to wash either way.
"This is where your brother lives?"
"Be nice, Koko," Me-chan said, absentmindedly scolding the financial expert as she went around the small room. "He's paying for everything himself."
"A damn waste of connections and money if you ask me," Kokonoi scoffed.
Mikey supposed it was.
The apartment was small and located in the very outskirts of Tokyo, one look at the furniture was enough to know none of these things had been new when bought, far from what anyone would imagine the family of the crown jewel of the two strongest yakuza clans to live like. No one would've complained were she to ask for a monthly stipend to give to her family. From what he remembered, the Mikazuki clan still gave anonymous donations to the shrine much to their chagrin. Trying to find what portion of the family's earnings came from organized crime was impossible, so the Higurashi matriarch had no choice but use the money. But while the Higurashi family as a whole had grown to hate him, Souta despised him with a passion, unwilling to use any money that could be considered blood money, he rejected any help from the shrine and this seemed to be the result. A more tempered way of complaining, since the boy never cared to choose his words either. Yelling insults at his face, angry phone calls, even going as far as storming into one of their buildings with irrational demands, any of those actions would've warranted a severe punishment, but the yakuza leader had let all that and more slide. It's not like he didn't understand where Souta was coming from.
In her family's eyes, Kagome had been and still remained a bird.
Gentle and delicate, to them, she was someone they could be proud of. A pure, white dove, untainted by the grime around her, she'd been the hero of the fairy tales she shared, never letting show how edited all those stories were and how much cruelty and pain were hidden behind clever wordplay. A good, kind, and empathetic person was what they'd raised her to be, and for fourteen years, Me-chan had acted how she'd been taught, until Mikey invaded their lives and tore her away from them. But that had simply been willful ignorance. Because a bird, no matter how resilient or adaptable, would've never been able to survive what she went through, and yet, Kagome had found herself at home in the chaos of the spaces between one bloody battlefield to the next brutal conflict. Regardless of how peaceful the world she'd been born in was, her nature had always been better suited to the violence of the Japan swallowed by wars, of his modern version of that world, and it had never changed.
Dull blue stood out to him, making him stop in front of one of a well-cared frame. He recognized the torn photo inside. It was taken during Souta's birthday, only a few days before Mikey asked the priestess not to return to the shrine. Her posture was stiff, her expression not quite as forced as it had been when she was surrounded by her school friends, but it was still a little strained. The yakuza leader could see it with just one glance, but it was evident her younger brother couldn't see it, cherishing a fake image while trying to remove what the boy considered a stain in their lives by pretending there wasn't one more person in the original photo.
"He's trying to live an honest life, that's all." She didn't sound nearly as convinced as she should. "It's not that bad."
"Right, honest, and honorable, my bad."
"You'd agree that the sky was green if I said so," she said, and Mikey could imagine her rolling her eyes, never stopping her rounds. "Can you put up some tea?"
"Changing the meaning of a word isn't exactly impossible, not with the right method." Even as he spoke, Kokonoi made his way to the small kitchenette.
The comment earned the financial expert a laugh, though the priestess kept pacing around the tiny apartment. Mikey forced down his frustration at the sight. Me-chan could stand up to the most vile people in the world without flinching, but meeting her human family was enough to make her this nervous. She wouldn't leave him, he knew that, not once had she hesitated to pick the choices that'd keep her by his side, but she still cared about her family.
Marriage wasn't something he'd ever been interested in, but it would've been one more chain for her to willingly place around her own neck. Were he to ask, he knew she'd accept without missing a beat and would smile for him throughout the ceremony, but he knew her family would never attend, and Kagome would absolutely resent their absence. And that's what truly made his irritation stir. No matter how friendly she was to others or the sort of affection she shared with her favorites, Mikey knew she wouldn't feel that hut over any or all of them being discarded, so the yakuza leader usually didn't mind how she acted with others, but this…watching the heartache she was going through just from the anticipation of the inevitable confrontation only served to make him feel like something was clawing at his entrails.
He couldn't lose her.
She was the one thing he couldn't afford to lose.
"Do we leave the good tea here?"
"I…sure, why not, just…"
The creaking sound of the door opening forced the woman to come to a complete stop.
"Nee-chan…Kagome-neechan? How are…" The boy's voice rose in wonder only to trail off as soon as brown eyes found Mikey. "What are you doing here?"
"I asked him to come, but let's sit down first, please? We have a lot to talk about, so…" Her tone was off; it'd been so long since the blond had heard her sound so fucking uncertain.
"Come on, kid, your sister worked really hard to get the time to come here." Kokonoi was quick to jump in to help the woman quiet down the situation. "There's no harm in talking."
Uncertain, the boy glared at him once more before nodding and slowly taking a seat at the low table. It really was ironic how much of a dramatic contrast there was between Souta's behavior now and how he'd acted back when Kagome had first introduced them. At one time, Sano Manjiro had been the cool gangster who kept his sister safe despite how much of a trouble magnet she was, and now he was the monster who kept her trapped in a tower.
"So…" Me-chan was hesitating, slowly sitting down in front of the boy. "How have you been?"
"Fine."
"Look, Souta, I know you'd rather not see us here," she said with a sigh. "But we have to talk."
"I don't mind seeing you." The words were accompanied by yet another hateful glance in Mikey's direction.
"I'll leave if Me-chan wants me to." Niceties wouldn't help things, so he didn't bother to even try. "Same as always."
"As if she has a choice! Have you stopped breathing down her neck once for the last damn decade?!" Yes, this was quite the familiar scene now.
"That's enough, Souta!" Kagome's stern voice rose above the sound of her hand slamming on the table. This too, was a well tread path. "I told you already, he's here because I asked him to; Mikey's never forced me to do anything, not 10 years ago and not now."
"He doesn't need to. You do anything he wants you to do, and you don't even realize why that's wrong!" Pain laced the boy's voice as his head whipped back to his sister.
"Tea's ready!" Kokonoi yelled as he forced the siblings to stop by hitting the table with the tea kettle and noisily playing around with cheap ceramic cups. "Here you go."
Heavy silence stretched over the room, the siblings refusing to look at each other.
Disregarding his earlier decision, the blond moved away from the wall and sat down next to his lover. As if on instinct, Me-chan reached for him, delicate fingers closing around his arm not quite leaning on him. Were it any other person in front of them, Kagome wouldn't have had to yell; she'd never been insecure about asserting her position to those who confronted her. Hell, had the blond chosen any other way to stop that blade earlier, there would've been at least one bod sent to the basement just because her jealousy flared up. Yet here his lover was, clearly biting her tongue while desperately looking for a way to keep going clinging onto his arms instead of climbing to his lap just because she didn't want to harm her brother's feelings. Holding herself back and trying to fit into a false mask once more, all while hiding the pain she felt.
Truly, the boy had no idea how lucky he was.
"My choices are my own, but if you don't want to believe I'm happy, it doesn't change a thing." Her voice was strained with the frustration of years of failed communication. "You can hate Toman all you like, and we can turn a blind eye to your antics…but you can't do this again."
"This?"
"Detective Fukuzawa." Two words were all that was needed for the boy to lose steam, brown eyes going from his sister to the yakuza leader as she kept talking. "You were the one who spoke with him, weren't you?"
"Wha…how?" White skin paled while his head refused to understand the words.
"Our lady's safety and protection is our boss' number one priority," Kokonoi scoffed, playing with the cup of tea. "You don't think we'd just let someone fuck with her without hitting back, right?"
"What are you planning, you assholes?!"
Regaining his strength, the boy stood up, anger mixing with fear, and Mikey could see the cracks start to form.
"Sit down, Souta." Mikey's voice cut through the incoming rant, his stare pinning him down. He was fine with staying in the background of the conversation for Kagome, but there was a line, and the boy was close to crossing it. "Even if you manage to get a call through, it's pointless."
Getting the information on the people involved with the detective's play to get Kagome away from him barely took any time at all. The Mikazuki clan had spent generations making sure to place the right people in the right place; access to information like an ongoing police investigation was a given. But Toman was the one who'd take care of getting rid of the nuisance, and for that, Mikey had chosen to take his time. The last thing he wanted was for complications to arise because of the apparent connection the detective had to the Higurashi family. Coming all the way here so Kagome could try to get her brother to understand she wouldn't leave Toman was important, but it also ensured there'd be no way the boy could try to play the hero by doing something stupid like attempting to intervene in the detective's retrieval process.
For the next few weeks, Toman would make it clear that they were not to be crossed, faithfully taking out those Kagome had picked from those involved. Their message would be showcased to the public with just the right timing between shows. And Mikey planned to take care of the impertinent man himself.
"What does that mean?!" The boy demanded, looking everywhere, still denying the obvious.
"Security around the shrine will be increased. And there'll be proper surveillance placed on you from now on." Kagome demanded her brother's attention once more, her voice stern as she pinned him down with a cold, azure stare. "I already talked with Shippo. You will be monitored from now on; any indications that you're planning to contact the police will have consequences."
"You…are you serious?!" Souta leaned forward, getting as close to the woman as he could.
"Be careful, kid." With a loud clank, Kokonoi placed the teacup down, voice low in a quiet warning when it became evident the boy was close to losing what little restraint he had left. "Your sister's saved your neck more times than you can imagine."
"Can you hear what they're saying?! They're talking about killing people like it's normal! They're monsters!"
"Then so am I! And if you want to hate me then, go on, but please just stop it!" Tears laced her words but were still pushed down as she spoke. "I just want you to be safe, so please…please don't force my hand by crossing a line I can't bend for you."
"What…what's that supposed to mean?" At last, the boy seemed to sag in his place, the cracks almost enough to shatter him.
"I love Mikey, and I love Toman as well." The blond could recognize her tone of voice now. "There's nothing I won't do to keep them safe."
Her words lingered in the silence as the meaning sank in. Mikey savored the feeling; black eyes focused on the deceptively delicate figure of the priestess as she regained her calm. Finally pushed to her limits, her true nature was shining through.
The low buzz of his phone broke the stillness. The job was done. Standing up, Mikey grabbed the woman's slender wrist and gave a light tug; with a graceful move, she stood as well, Kokonoi following suit. He didn't bother to say anything else as he moved towards the room. There was nothing left for anyone to add. Long-honed instincts noticed the movement before he could fully process it. Expensive tea dropped from the wall in front of him, pieces of the broken cup clanking when they touched the ground.
"Me-chan does what Me-chan wants to, just like always."
A/N: This got a little dark, but I think that was very much a given considering the story itself started with dark implications so…
As always thank y you guys for reading and any and all reviews/comments/criticism are greatly appreciated.