Chapter 11: Phantasm
Sunlight glimmered in the cerulean sky; palm trees wafted in a calm breeze and the scent of the tropics stimulated her senses. Well, at least that was the lie being sold here. If only she really was on a beach in the Caribbean far away from the likes of Lan Asuka and her demonic alter ego. Unfortunately, Jun was merely plying her trade on a studio set with a large matte painting behind her that only teased the exotic locale. Plastic palm trees towered in strategic positions around her to enhance the effect. This was a particularly lucrative job; though another one not really about selling clothes. Instead, this was selling other places; warmer climes during the Japanese winter. This also meant doing something else relatively uncommon in the jobs that she regularly accepted; working with male models. Exhaustive photography documented her lying on the beach, sitting in the shade under a parasol and playing volleyball; for the final shots, the clients wanted to sell the romantic aspect of holidays abroad, and so she found herself posing in duo shots with a very handsome young man; no, boy was more apt. He couldn't have been more than eighteen, and despite his chiselled good looks and perfectly slicked hair, there was something rather mawkish about him.
"So uh, do you do work like this often?" He asked as she stood behind him, as they waited for the photographer to start.
"No, not particularly," Jun answered back, "Are you nervous?"
"A little," he admitted, "I haven't worked with a professional before. I'm still part-time."
"Don't be, there's nothing to it. If you have any doubts, just follow my lead." Jun looked over towards Yuasa. She wondered if there is anything to what Asami had said before, about him having some kind of interest in her. She felt interest in him; she liked being around him. Perhaps today offered opportunities to gain his attention.
"Listen, Tomoe, was it?" She asked, continuing when he nodded, "One thing they like in this profession is being willing to go a step or two further than they might feel is polite to ask to sell yourself, to sell products. People react to seeing audaciousness. You follow?"
"Right..." Tomoe wondered whether this was going.
"We'll make our poses just a little a bit more provocative. I'm warning you that you might feel a little bit uncomfortable, but I promise it will be beneficial. Can you trust me?"
"I... I guess so. " It wasn't exactly a reply of confidence. Jun didn't feel there'd be any harm in her ploy, and it would probably get people talking about Tomoe, maybe even get him more opportunities. At least, that was the excuse she granted herself.
"You'll be fine, don't worry," she assured him.
"Alright people, we're ready to start," one of the assistants said loudly, as everybody onset got into positions. As Jun and Tomoe posed, there was little doubt that they wanted exactly what Jun thought; to communicate beauty, sex, and satisfaction of being where they were, to be the alluring but largely impossible dream for most. Because of this, Jun felt little trepidation in what she did next. As she was asked to stand behind Tomoe with an arm draped over one of his shoulders, and her other arm resting on his hip, she leaned forward further and reached inside his denim jeans towards his crotch. She could see from the side of his cheek that Tomoe blushed red.
"Relax, I won't go any further than this," she assured him, "Keep your cool, remember why you're here."
"I can see Miss Fudo, that you're feeling quite frisky today. The camera likes it," the photographer, Shoji Tanaka, commented as he took his various shots. Jun still remembered the solo shoot she had worked on with him before any of this started, and that he had indicated interest in her. The forwardness of his photographing style had impressed her in their more recent collaborations. No doubt her more aggressive attitude this time was making an impression; and not just on Tanaka. When Jun looked towards Yuasa, he didn't meet her eyes. He took his phone from his pocket and then called over;
"Jun, I need to take a call, I'll meet you down in the car park."
"All right," she replied, sultrily. What an odd thing she was feeling right now; almost pleased that in one way or another she had affected every male in the room. But she was only selling a character in her head, someone who looked completely natural in this simulated ideal that would be used to sell holiday packages. She could practically feel Tomoe's temperature raise. He hadn't expected this today.
"It's not very becoming to be so discomforted when a lady touches you, you know," Jun , "You are into girls, right? If not, then I'd understand the issue."
"I, uh, I mean yeah, I'm not gay if that's what you mean," Tomoe stuttered out. Jun rubbed her cheek against his.
"Then relax. If you're going to enter this profession full time, you need to learn to cope with this kind of thing; if you just keep doing the bare minimum, you won't get gigs." she advised him. Still, to try to help his nerves she didn't get as intimate with the rest of the poses despite Tanaka's frequent suggestions; after all, she wanted to see how Yuasa would react and she got that answer. After finishing the photography session with Tomoe, Jun sat down outside the set to take a breather. Tanaka approached her.
"Miss Fudo, I just wanted to say, making that little bit of extra effort is always something I appreciate. If anybody ever asks me for any recommendations, I would have to put you at the top of the list for sure." Jun stood up and bowed politely.
"Thank you, I greatly appreciate the compliment. I think Tomoe did rather well for his level of experience." Tanaka shrugged and nodded, not arguing against the point, and seemingly lacking interest in discussing it.
"I have a meeting with a few clients this evening; at Bar Galerie in Kabukicho. Would you be interested at all in meeting me there for some drinks afterwards?" Jun smiled coyly.
"I'm not sure what I'll be doing this evening, I'll think about it. I'll know where to find you," she waved and walked off, making her way to the changing rooms to put on the attire for the next photography session. Tanaka took another photograph as she turned around.
"Hey, you're not supposed to do that outside the set," Jun remarked, not disapprovingly.
"Sorry, finger slipped," Tanaka laughed, "I'll take it as a goodbye gift, if I don't see you tonight," he said slickly. Jun liked his candor, and offered a smile for one more photo.
After finishing up for the day, Jun finished changing back into her street clothes, and exited the women's locker room to find Tomoe waiting there.
"Hey, sorry, I just wanted to say they gave me a little bonus on my paycheck, and I wanted to thank you because I know you're the reason why." Jun felt a pang of guilt, all of a sudden; the boy was more naïve than she thought.
"That's uh, good Tomoe. I'm happy to hear it worked out for you."
"I was maybe wondering if we could hang out a while, go for lunch or something. Oh, sorry, I don't mean like a date or anything like that," he blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "I just would like to pick your brain for more advice, 's all." Jun shook her head.
"Sorry, no time today. I have another gig, and I have to meet my agent. He's going to drive me there." Tomoe nodded, not too put out by her rejection.
"I understand," he said as she began heading for the elevator, and he followed, "Then maybe if it's not too much to ask, could you give me a lift to the station? I'm not familiar with this area, I don't want to get lost." Initially Jun felt annoyance; she didn't need a lost puppy dog trailing her. But sighing inwardly, she knew it was best to be polite where possible; and she did use him earlier in a rather unfair way. She should try to make it up to him at least a little.
"Sure, that shouldn't be a problem. I like to help out my peers where I can." Internally, she felt mirth suddenly rise up at the statement; he was hardly her peer in any shape or form. More odd feelings; even as she felt she knew it was unlike her, at least unlike her before now. Was it what happened at the Sonoba residence? Ever since then, she'd felt almost frustrated, bored with her human life. Toying around like she just did, it made her feel more alive; and it made her feel in control. Something she felt she had lacked almost her whole life up till now. They stopped in front of the elevator and waited as Jun pressed the call button.
"Thanks, I really appreciate it. Most people aren't as nice as you've been." The compliment bounced off Jun who remained occupied with her thoughts. As the elevator arrived and the door opened, a man likely in his late thirties and probably an office executive who worked in the building was embracing a girl in school uniform, their lips firmly locked together. An awkward moment passed as the pair unashamedly released one another and walked by, laughing at the situation. Jun's nose twitched. The air was thick with human pheromones. Her body couldn't help but react to it.
"He looked old enough to be her father. Pretty shameless," Tomoe remarked.
"Guess so," Jun replied as they entered the lift. After Tomoe press the button for the car park, the lift doors closed and the elevator began its descent, Jun couldn't wait a second longer. She reached forward with both arms so that she could trap Tomoe against the side of the lift, and then pulled him into her lips. Her loins flared, and she felt the beast inside, that wanted to come out, have her way with this powerless human and probably leave his flesh shredded and his bones broken. He wasn't built suitable for her needs, but he was all she had to hand right this moment. She wanted to press the button that would stop the lift so this could continue, but her pathetic human side refused, and would not budge. As the lift reached its destination and the doors opened, Jun saw Yuasa from the corner of her eye as she still gripped Tomoe. But the shame was enough to overpower the beast entirely. Jun let Tomoe go. Like another boy she had handled similarly in the past her lipstick left a smear on his lips, and he seemed lost.
"I, I, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Forgive me," she said quietly as she walked guiltily past Yuasa and into the back seat of his car.
Tomoe didn't say anything, as Yuasa approached him.
"Please, let me apologise on her behalf," he began to say. Suddenly Tomoe felt a rising anger at his realisation.
"What's with her? What she did during the shoot was one thing, but what was that? Women press charges for a lot less, you know," Tomoe pointed out, "I'd get into such shit if I pulled anything like that." Yuasa nodded.
"I realise that," Yuasa replied, "And if you feel you need to do that, I understand. I'm not asking this as her agent, but as her friend. She's been unwell lately, but has insisted on working. I think after this she shouldn't, and I intend to ask her to take a leave of absence and to seek treatment if she's willing. I am truly worried about her," he pleaded. "I'll make sure you're never paired with her again. I care for her well-being, and I assure you this is most unlike the Jun Fudo I know."
"I'll need to think about it," Tomoe replied, "But I'll take your words into consideration." Yuasa bowed.
"That's all I can ask. I appreciate it. Will you be alright from here? I can call someone if you need any help." Tomoe rubbed the back of his head.
"No, I'll be alright, thanks though."
"Okay." Yuasa watched as Tomoe entered the lift again to take it up to the ground floor, presumably heading for the pedestrian exit. Shaking his head, he hoped that would be the end of the matter, and headed to his car after Jun.
As Yuasa got into the driver seat, he addressed Jun as he put on his seatbelt.
"Jun, I feel I should drive you home rather than to the next job. I don't think you're in any kind of state to be expected to work right now." For a moment Jun started to argue, but sat back in agreement.
"You're probably right, Mr. Yuasa. Thanks." Ten minutes passed in silence, approximately half the length of the journey before Yuasa spoke again.
"Jun, it's obvious you've been going through a lot lately. If there's anything you ever need to talk about, you can tell me about these things."
"I can't, Yuasa. It would be better for both of us if you didn't pry into my life, it's none of your business," Jun replied coldly.
"If that's what you want," Yuasa accepted, although he had never seen Jun be this belligerent before. Some moments later, Jun heard her phone chime. She pulled it from her bag to read whatever text had just been sent. She didn't recognise the number, and the text simply said:
You were having fun in that elevator. Why did you stop?
She glared at the words stonily.
"What is it, Jun? Anything important?" Yuasa asked.
"No, it's nothing. Please just get me home, I don't feel well." she answered him abruptly.
"Alright," Yuasa said, willing to accept that right now, Jun simply didn't want to talk to him.
Jun entered her apartment, still shaken from before. Kazumi sat in the living room watching television, still in her nightwear, still very much free of the concept of working weekends.
"Hi. You're back from work early today. Anything wrong?" Jun paused for a second before responding. She didn't really want to show her distress to Kazumi.
"No, I did feel a little under the weather and asked Yuasa to drop me off here," she downplayed, "I guess I'll just take it easy the rest of the day. You have any plans for tonight?" She asked as she sat down beside her friend.
"Yeah, going to hang out with Takae and Chika. We'll probably go see a movie or something, and Chika's invited me for a sleepover. Don't worry, we'll be at hers well before nine. Though I could stay if you want company, it's not a big deal." Jun shook her head.
"No, it's fine. I'd rather you go out and enjoy yourself. I can make us both dinner, whilst you get ready."
"Sounds great, I'll go and take a shower then." Jun sat still, on the sofa for several minutes as she heard Kazumi start up the shower. She looked up and closed her eyes as she found herself imagining her friend, naked and alone doing what she must be doing right now. A smile crept along her lips. She stood up and slid off her shirt and slacks, before walking to the door of the bathroom. She reached around behind herself and undid her bra, placing them on a nearby mantle, and finished by taking off her panties, leaving them on the floor, upon them a small amount of wetness. She casually entered the bathroom, causing Kazumi to turn around.
"Jun, what are you doing?" She asked red-faced.
"Mind if I join you?" Jun asked sultrily.
"Ah..." Kazumi began to say, as water poured over her head, but she failed to say anything in follow-up before Jun stepped into the shower with her. Jun felt the water flow upon her head, the heat sending shivers through her body. She wrapped her arms slowly around Kazumi, who didn't resist. At first, Kazumi had her head low, practically buried in Jun's bosom. She could feel her anxiety.
"Relax, Kazumi. We're alone, nobody else can see us," Jun purred gently, "Look up at me." Slowly Kazumi did as asked, and Jun leaned in to kiss her. Rather than merely lock lips, she smothered Kazumi with her lips and tongue, and before long Kazumi returned in favour.
"Jun..." was all she could say. Jun felt her body begin to drip, and the insistence deep within her body to transform, to fully embrace her desires. She couldn't stop herself. The transformation took hold, and raised Kazumi into the air with her as she grew. She must have held her two feet from the ground, and the shower barely had enough space to contain her inflating body. It was such that she had to basically hold Kazumi against the wall, though she took care not to crush her. Her body was so fragile, so minute; it would be so easy to break if she lost control. Kazumi herself barely seemed to notice, so focused was she on their mouth play. Jun was easily able to still hold her up with one arm as she reached between Kazumi's legs with her other. Kazumi moaned.
"Do it faster, harder!" she begged, and it wasn't something Jun would deny her. But after the initial wave of euphoria, Jun was bored by this mere foreplay. She grabbed Kazumi's throat, and carried her one-handed out of the shower.
"Jun, I can.. can't breathe," Kazumi gasped, doing her best to hold onto Jun's arm to soften the grip. Jun felt fire in her loins over how powerless her lover was. She relented her grip however, dropping Kazumi to the ground. Kazumi was still coughing for breath as Jun kneeled down, still looming over her. There was little Kazumi could do when Jun grabbed her again and began ravaging her body, digging her claws into Kazumi's neck and back; whilst her head lowered towards Kazumi's chest; she began licking and biting ceaslessly.
"It hurts, Jun! Stop, God please stop!" But why should she stop? This was Kazumi's place; she was her protector and so this was her right, to draw pleasure and blood from her property. She then pulled back in order to force Kazumi's head down towards her crotch; she desired reciprocation, and was going to get it. Then she heard her phone beep, and like missing the step in a dream, she rocked awake. It snapped her out of her trance. She found herself still on the sofa, not quite sitting, more lying down with an arm snaked down her pants and the other inside her shirt. She brought her hands out sheepishly to look at the new text she just recieved.
Feeling lonely, are we?
She stood up and looked around frantically, but quickly realised that there simply wasn't anything there. She panted heavily, but managed to calm her breathing as she sat back down and listened to the rhythm of the shower water she could hear from the bathroom, and considered what just happened; rather the scenes that had played through her mind. Contemptible lust, the fantasies of a monster. She cared for Kazumi deeply; she felt grotesque for allowing such desires any presence within her mind. Yet not only had she countenanced them, her body leaked the evidence of pleasure it gave her. That awful experience, that awful woman; had Manako Sonoba really connected with her bestial side? She tossed the phone aside and reached for the tissues sat on a nearby dresser to quickly clean herself up. At this point it was beginning to feel like a futile effort; everything she'd gone through since Asuka had woken her other half had left taints upon her she felt would never heal. After she did what she could, she headed to the kitchen mantle to start doing what she told Kazumi she would do. She reached into the cupboards and fridge for things to make, to take her mind off of everything that had just transpired. She decided to make salmon with savoury rice balls and salad. Kazumi came back into the living room wearing a bathrobe as she cut up the ingredients for the salad.
"Mmm, smells lovely," she said, "By the way, you haven't seen my black heels, have you? They seem to have gone missing."
"Really?" Jun turned her head, "I can't say I have." Kazumi looked nonplussed.
"Weird, well do you mind if I borrow a pair of yours? I was hoping to not go out wearing trainers for once."
"Sure, I don't mind," Jun replied. After a momentary pause, she asked, "Are you missing anything else, Kazumi?" Kazumi tilted her head quizzicly.
"Nothing I know of, why do you ask?" Jun shrugged her shoulders.
"Don't know really, just thought I'd ask."
Both the dinner with Kazumi and seeing her for the night had lifted Jun's spirits again. But the matter of the illicit texts started to dwell heavily on her mind, and for some reason she felt strange about the shoes Kazumi couldn't find. She decided to spend some time looking through her own things. Something was going on, and she didn't like it one bit. She checked out all of the wardrobes and dressers, shelves and tables. It distressed her to find that she was missing a few items; a pair of red stiletto heels, a black dress, a pink jacket and at least one set of expensive lingerie. Her anxiety built up, and she began frantically and systematically checking every potential blind spot and hiding place in the apartment. She found nothing out of the ordinary, no one hiding, no hidden cameras or microphones. She knew the HA posted watchers across the street, but she was pretty sure it had nothing to do with them. Eventually, she picked up her house phone to dial Asuka. Kogare answered.
"Yes, Fudo?"
"I need to talk to Asuka. Right now." Her tone was agitated enough that Kogare immediately relented.
"What's happened, Jun?" Asuka came on with a concerned tone.
"I... well I have reason to suspect I'm being stalked by someone," Jun began.
"Go on," Asuka prompted.
"Well, I ah, I've been recieving texts from a number I don't recognise. And I feel whomever might be sending them can see me, might be watching me as we speak. Maybe even inside my apartment, somehow. Some of my clothes have disappeared, I'm certain of it."
"That sounds concerning, Jun," Asuka calmly replied, although not dismissive of Jun's worries. "Nothing out of the ordinary has been reported to me by your... guardians, but, given what we can face day to day, and knowing we have enemies, I would like to bring out a team to examine your apartment thoroughly for anything suspicious."
"Will that take long? Kazumi is out for the evening and probably will be staying over at a friend's, , but she might suspect something if she happens to come home instead to a bunch of people tearing my place apart. And aside from that, I'm also worried about her safety."
"It shouldn't take more than two hours, we should be done well before she returns. However if there's any issues, we always have a cover story in place. Emergency maintenance, or whatever. Don't worry too much about that Jun, we're not completely new to this. Also, we keep tabs on Kazumi whenever she goes out." Jun was pretty sure Asuka had stopped herself from ending with the words just like you. "First off, can you give me the exact times you recieved the texts, and where you were at the time; and then can you give me the number that is sending you the texts? I can try to have it traced," Asuka said, snapping Jun from her torpor.
"Alright." Jun gave her the details she asked for, she presumed Asuka was noting them down.
"Okay, we can be there within half an hour," Asuka said when she was finished, "Don't go anywhere, and be vigilant, Jun" Asuka said, as if she was explaining stranger danger to a child.
"Right, I'll just sit right here; basking in the warm glow of my anticipation," Jun shot back sarcastically.
It wasn't a long wait; Jun answered the rapt knock on her door, which led to a flood of people trailing into her apartment led by Asuka and her secretary. Most of the accompanying group were a team of six investigators, dressed in white smocks and carrying small black cases, likely containing their tools. Two of them were women. There were also a pair of men dressed like plumbers, likely just here to provide the cover Asuka talked about if anyone got too curious. The others, men dressed in crisp black suits felt even more out of place, and looking at them, based on their posture, she was sure that they were armed.
"Don't mind them, Jun. I brought them just in case we find more here than we bargained for." Asuka assured her after noticing Jun's trepidation towards them, "Right now we're going to focus on your living room, so I would maybe suggest sitting in your bedroom if you don't want all of this going on around you. This is delicate work, less distractions my team has, the better." Jun knew better that simply going into another room was going to end up with her getting any peace and quiet, as long as these people were around pulling apart her living space.
"Just what are they going to do?" She inquired.
"A full forensic sampling of the premises," Asuka explained, "When we look for traces of potential devil beast excursions, we're never quite sure what we're looking for exactly. These beasts can leave traces behind that greatly resemble animals, and sometimes they leave substances we've never encountered before. At this point we're just looking to establish if there's been any alien traces left behind somewhere in your apartment."
"At least, traces we can establish didn't come from you," Kogare tacked on in a comment intended to needle Jun. Jun didn't rise to the bait, sighed in resignation and walked into her bedroom. After Jun slammed the door to express her irritation, Asuka turned to her secretary.
"You do enjoy goading her, Kogare, dear. One of these days it might not pay to be on her bad side." Kogare shrugged.
"I'm not afraid of her. She's tamed, and pathetic." Asuka tilted her head in interest at the comment.
"I wouldn't be so sure," she replied, ambiguously. "In any case, we have work to do. Jun's instincts are keen, and I think there is something going on."
Jun sat on her bed to stew. Having Lan Asuka and Izumi Kogare in her living room was one of the most unpleasant things she could think of. But not the most, the most had entered her thoughts earlier and she still felt disgusted with herself. She didn't want to be in this apartment right now, she needed distraction. She reached over to her bedside phone, and dialled Yuasa's home number.
"Hello, Yuasa residence?" a young, high pitched femine voice answered casually.
"Hello, you must be Mayu. Your dad tells me about you all the time. Can you fetch him? Tell him its Jun Fudo, from work."
"Sure, no problem," Yuasa's daughter replied. She sounded very cute. A few moments later, Yuasa answered.
"Hi, Jun. Anything wrong? You don't call me at home usually," he said with genuine concern. There was a lot wrong, really; but Jun simply wanted company.
"I'm sorry I was so curt with you before. It wasn't right of me to rebuff you like that," she apologised, "Right now, I really need someone to talk to. I was wondering if we could meet up at the Blue Orchid for a while." The Blue Orchid was a bar on the outskirts of Kabukicho where they sometimes visited in between or just after jobs. It seemed the most appropriate place to meet.
"Yes, I think I can make it. I just need to finish up a few things here. I can meet you, lets say at seven?" Yuasa offered.
"That's great. I just really need to get out of the house, so I'll be there before you. I'll see you when you get there," Jun said, worried about the potential excitability in her voice.
"See you soon," Jun paused for Yuasa to say before hanging up. She decided to waste no time and quickly got ready, grabbing the first suitable pair of shoes she could find. Her handbag was still in the living room, and under normal circumstances she would take some time to make herself more presentable; but she really wanted to leave as soon as possible. She strode through her bedroom door and grabbed her bag, before heading towards the exit of her apartment. Technicians were at different parts of the room doing their work, but one of Asuka's suited heavies stood in front of the door.
"Just where do you think you're going?" Asuka, who sat in the kitchen area with Kogare looked up from whatever notes she was going over on the dining table.
"I'm going to meet my agent, for a drink. You don't need me here." Jun said as she slipped on some heels. Asuka frowned.
"And what if we find your 'stalker' whilst your out?" Jun shrugged.
"If it planned to attack openly in here, it's had far too many chances to do so before now. That is, if I'm simply not going mad, cooped up in here, and imagining it."
"You didn't imagine those texts, we know that for sure," Kogare put in, "It would be irresponsible of you just to leave, if it were up to me..."
"But it's not up to you, is it?" Jun spat, "Asuka, unless you're prepared for several of your men to go in to the hospital right now, they won't prevent me from leaving," she threatened. Asuka sighed in resignation.
"Fine, but I'll be setting a tail on you. Keep in touch," Asuka said, "Your recent acts of insubordination have reflected badly on us. Some have expressed doubts about you. We can't afford to give them more ammunition" Jun turned around without acknowledging Asuka's demands, and slammed the door heavily on her way out.
"Her behaviour is becoming suspect," Kogare remarked, "She doesn't seem capable of keeping her temper in check right now. I think it was a mistake to let her off the leash; you coddle her far too much." Asuka leaned back in her chair.
"Sometimes it's necessary to loosen the chain," she answered cryptically, "But she's never off the leash."
Jun entered the bar after disembarking from her taxi; grateful for whenever she could shed the company of Kogare and Asuka. She entered the modest but welcoming place through its relatively ornate doorway. A large neon sign hung above, bearing the name and an image of the titular Blue Orchid. The light level was low and the mood was relaxed. It served affluent clientele, but she had no problem entering given she was a semiregular and she was known by the staff. She got a handful of odd looks that she ignored. Things didn't look too busy tonight, there was only sporadic number of people abound. She wondered if less people went out in the evenings in general lately. She approached the bar and ordered a bottle of red wine along with two glasses. The barman popped the cork in the bottle and poured the claret -coloured drink into a glass; she motioned him to not pour the other, informing him she would be waiting a while for her companion to arrive. She carried the tray with the bottle and glasses to one of the various booths situated to the side of the bar, and sat down. She calmly breathed in and out, willing some of her troubles away. She picked up the glass that had wine poured inside of it and took a swig. The sweet-but-bitter taste pleasantly swirled around her tongue, and did much to relax her mood. Often in her silent moments, she would see things, unpleasant things on her mind. Most recently, those poor innocents that Manako Sonoba had drugged until their minds were almost destroyed. At least, thinking of them trying to grope her wasn't a turn on. It was still horrifying, so at least she retained some level of decency inside. But there was a litany of awful events in her recent past. There was Sakura Imai, that poor girl she had been forced to slay underneath Ueno Park; then the visage of Genichi Tachibana, pleading for mercy when she had made the decision to not stop the revenge of the plant beast she found beneath that forsaken skyscraper. Before that it had been Hitomi Konno, the tragic victim of her own alter ego. And then what tormentered her the most; the abject fear and anguish etched on Kazumi's face before she fainted, on that fateful night the creature called Sirene visited the Takiura household. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep them out, and really, seeing them made her frustrated, and angry. The anger scared her, so she did her best to simply keep her mind empty of thoughts. Lost in her torpour, she didn't notice someone approach the booth.
"Hi Jun. It's been a while since we just met socially, when was the last time, the work night out?" Yuasa mused, as he sat down. "Glad to see you. After your call earlier I wasn't sure how you were feeling; I was worried." It had even been some time since they last had a proper conversation. Jun's other 'commitments' had been increasingly absorbing time from her modelling work, and even when she was doing that, her mind often wandered elsewhere. Like toying with Tomoe's crotch to get Yuasa to notice you.
"I've felt better, but this sounded better to me than stewing in my apartment. How are you?" Jun replied as she poured wine into Yuasa's glass. He picked it up by the neck, swirled it back and forth and then took a sip from it.
"All right, I suppose. And Kazumi, what is she up to tonight?" Jun shrugged, and took another drink herself. She might have drunk half the bottle by now.
"She said she was going to hang out with her friends, and they probably went to see a movie. I imagine she's out enjoying herself, maybe that also made me realise I should do the same," she said whimsilly, swirling her glass.
"You have been very," Yuasa began, before clearly pausing to consider his words "...distant as of late. If I've been very quiet when we work together, it's really because you didn't strike me as wanting conversation much for a while. Have you reconsidered at all about wanting to talk about whatever is wrong?" Jun simply shook her head in response.
"Okay, then we don't need to talk about it then," Yuasa smiled ruefully.
"How's your family?" Jun asked instead, looking to divert the subject. Yuasa looked wistful for a moment.
"Mayu is doing well. She's studying for her exams, very focused on that. Maybe too focused..." Jun let Yuasa consider if he wanted to say more, but he didn't.
"And Satomi?" Jun asked after Yuasa's wife, staring at her glass rather than Yuasa himself.
"Fine, we're all doing fine, I guess." Jun nodded, but found it quite noticeable that whilst Yuasa talked about his daughter with a smile on his face, that smile never really stayed when the subject moved to his wife. His tone always became more awkward. That and his unwillingness to really say much, she wondered what the state of the relationship actually was. Not that it was really any of her business.
"I saw on the news what happened at that PR firm. The guy who sent you those flowers, he worked there didn't he? He was killed in it. I imagine that must have hit hard."
"Yes, the fire. It was very tragic," Jun feigned. The cover story for that whole incident had been that it was a fire, and the HA squad did some work to make that look more convincing. Genichi had been the only 'casualty', and really the damage to the building had been pretty tame, but the whole incident had definitely been enough to shut down that PR firm for good. She didn't know what had happened to anyone involved after that, she didn't particularly want to know. They made some more small talk about work as time wore on, and Jun got gradually more inebriated. She didn't drink all that often, and didn't have a great stomach for it even with her superhuman constitution.
"Is what Asami said really true?" She asked eventually.
"What did she say?" Yuasa asked for clarification.
"Well I think she said, you act like a 'school boy' around me. I admit I've never really noticed." Yuasa smiled jovially.
"I think that's her imagination acting up a little bit. I don't treat you any differently from anybody else I work with, I just take the job seriously." Despite his denials, Jun felt he sounded rather nervous, and not being wholly truthful with her.
"You always say I do great work, which I appreciate. But how do you think of me, outside of anything that has to do with the work. I'm curious." Yuasa took the question in stride.
"I think your a great person, Jun. You work hard, you're always kind and polite to everybody, you don't let the job go to your head. You are easily one of the most pleasant people I've ever worked with day-to-day," He took a long drink from his glass, finishing the wine and then pouring out more. "Although lately, I just can't help but wonder what else is in your life right now. You always seem distracted, and well it's obviously been worked out with the higher-ups but you're not as reliable as you used to be." Jun nodded.
"That's not unfair. I can only tell you it's for a good reason. I wish I could say more." Yuasa shrugged.
"Is what it is, it's not changed what I think of you by any means."
"Have you ever, well, wanted to be closer to me? I'd like to be closer to you," Jun said nervously, "You can be honest with me. I'd like to know, Tatsuya." She couldn't be sure, but that may have been the first time she ever called him by his first name; if not, it was certainly the most calculated use.
"I don't know what to say," he replied, clearly cornered.
"There's that hotel across the street," Jun said conspiratorially, "We could go, spend some private time together. You've always been there for me, you've always been so good to me. I've always wondered what I could maybe do for you in return. Nobody else has to know about it." Yuasa looked at her sadly.
"I'm flattered, I truly am. But I wouldn't do this to Satomi. And I don't believe you really want to do this either. It would be taking advantage of your trust. I'm sorry but I can't, and won't." It was really in every way a reasonable response. Yet Jun didn't find herself feeling it was reasonable. Inside of her, the beast was rather incensed. How dare this pathetic human reject her. She was offering him a far greater prize than he would ever likely receive in his worthless life. She poured the remainder of the wine from the glass down her throat angrily.
"If that's your answer, fine," she said as she stood up, "I suppose I have to look elsewhere for what I need tonight." Yuasa continued to look at her with the same sad expression on his face. "I'm not looking for pity, Yuasa," she snapped at him, "I'm sure if you don't want this opportunity, someone else will." Yuasa shook his head.
"They're willingness isn't the problem, Jun, I'm worried about yours. I don't know if I particularly feel comfortable with the idea you're going to wander around Kabukicho like this." Jun glared at him, then sighed.
"I can look after myself, Yuasa," Jun said curtly, before placing the yen for the bottle of wine on the tray, "You don't always have to look out for me, I'm not some wilting flower." Before Yuasa managed to get a response out, "I'll see you again at work," Jun cut in sharply, before turning and heading for the exit of the bar. She didn't look back.
On the street, Jun's attention immediately honed towards the conspicuous black sedan occupied by the men Asuka had assigned to tail her. She glared towards them angrily, but her observers didn't so much as roll down a window. Sighing in frustration, she began walking, heading aimlessly into the labyrinth of backstreets and alleyways of Kabukicho. Much like inside the Blue Lotus, she felt there were fewer people engaging in the nightlife than she would have expected. However, that didn't mean it wasn't still quite boisterous, as people milled around her, going about their business; which in Kabukicho, could be almost anything. She passed by numerous taverns and hostess bars, realising that she was going to have to choose a place to enter before long, when she noticed a familiar face. Standing outside of a small place called Bar Galerie smoking a cigarette was the photographer, Shoji Tanaka. He did mention he would be here, though Jun wasn't sure if it was just luck that brought her here or instinctively acting on his invitation. His red-dyed hair was hard to miss. She found herself wandering closer towards him, anticipating him noticing her.
"Oh, Miss Fudo," he called when he spotted her, tossing a cigarette to the ground and extinguishing it with his foot, "I didn't expect to find you wandering around here, you never seemed much of a night bird." Jun decided to waste no time.
"Mr. Tanaka," she bowed politely, "I'm wondering, if you don't have any company for tonight, would you like some? I'm in need of some myself, anyway," she admitted. Her request did immediately get his attention.
"Well, I just got done meeting with some clients, working out my next few shoots. I'll not say no to company now, as they left about fifteen minutes ago. Shall we?" He gestured towards the bar he stood outside of.
"Don't mind if I do," Jun accepted. It would be polite to have a few drinks first, but she very much entered with an agenda, and given Tanaka's previous interest in her, she was confident she would get her way before long. Following from behind him, she heard her cellphone beep again. She paused, dreading what she might see as she took the phone from her bag to see.
I've been watching you all day. You've been like a cat in heat the entire time.
Immediately she looked all around her, and did her best to try and identify everything she could sense around her. There was too much going on around her however to pick up anything unusual by scent, too many people and too much ethanol. And whatever it was, it did not show itself in her vision. Inwardly she was incensed, and frustrated, but also determined to do what she planned, the watcher be damned. She decided to turn her phone completely off. It could rot, if it wasn't going to come out and fight.
"Is anything wrong?" Tanaka turned and called back to her.
"No, it's nothing," She replied quickly as she put her phone back in her bag. She strode up to him and took him by an arm.
"Why don't you show me a good time?" she asked sultrily. Tanaka smiled sleazily.
"All you needed to do was ask."
Lan Asuka sat on a stool, drumming her fingers on Jun Fudo's kitchen mantle waiting for something to happen. For a phone call, for news from the investigators that they've turned up something, for an update on Jun's whereabouts. There wasn't really anything else for her to do, and though she would never admit to it openly, she did regret letting Jun walk out the door without a struggle; things would be less dull if she was around. Her secretary, Kogare was busy dealing with paperwork that Asuka herself would usually have to do, that was the only good thing about the current situation. When her phone on the counter finally started ringing, it was up to her ear in a flash.
"We've identified the phone number you gave us, it belongs to a Tomoe Igasaki, a student from Okinawa currently living at the Residence Halls of the University of Tokyo," the male caller, an HA officer said, "We are looking for him, but haven't been able to locate him yet."
"All right, keep looking, call me again as soon as you have another update."
"Yes Ma'am," the man acknowledged, before hanging up. Asuka called over to Kogare who was sitting in the living room area.
"Do we have anything on a Tomoe Igasaki?"
"That sounds familiar, give me a second," Kogare picked up a notebook and gazed through some recent entries.
"Yes, a model that worked with Jun this morning."
"Is that everything?"
"Yes, he didn't seem like a person of interest according to our observers."
"Jun did mention something happening in the elevator with him, now, come to think of it, shortly before the first text she recieved," Asuka wondered out loud, "Maybe he's involved somehow."
"Perhaps, but we don't really know anything about what's actually happening yet. I wouldn't jump to conclusions." Kogare replied sceptically. Before Asuka could say anything else, her phone rang again.
"Yes?" What Asuka heard caused her to stand up. "All right, Kogare and I will head straight to their last reported whereabouts, get us some backup to meet us there."
Kogare recognised the situation and started quickly making her own preparations to leave.
"Kobashi and Ryuko didn't make their last report update, and nobody has been able to reach them," Asuka explained tensely, "They last reported that they were in Futako-Tamagawa, tailing Jun who was accompanying a male to his home there."
"I take it that's our destination," Kogare asked for clarification as they both headed for the door.
"Yes, I'm fearing the worst, and I think we need to get to Jun as fast as possible," Asuka stated as they walked through the front door. "You, Hirota was it?" She stopped momentarily to point at one of the dark suited men guarding the doorway. He gave her a terse nod.
"Finish things up here, as soon as the investigation is finished make sure things look normal. Reporting if anything at all unusual happens, and don't let the girl see you if she happens to come back early." The man tersely nodded again, and Asuka was satisfied her words would be followed. She feared they were racing against a ticking clock, as she and Kogare descended to the ground floor, and would arrive too late; but she was very interested to see where all this was leading.
Jun grasped her hand around the bed frame as Tanaka rode her body sensually. It was slower and softer than she wanted however, and she found herself reaching up, grabbing him and pulling him to the side, allowing her to roll over onto him.
"Woah", he yelped in surprise. He clearly didn't expect her to do that, nor doing it with the casual ease that Jun's enhanced strength allowed for. It did allow her to dictate the pace, and she accelerated, knowing however that she would need to pull back if she felt a transformation start to trigger; she had realised through her experiences with it, that it could trigger against her will under certain circumstances, unless she deliberately suppressed it, and she realised that sexual gratification was one of those things. It was one of the reason she really wanted to get this over with; yet the pleasure was sating a need she had felt strongly ever since the photo shoot with Tomoe that morning. As Tanaka neared his climax, they both grunted like animals. Jun screamed in pleasure at the apex, but also managed to successfully suppress the transformation trigger. She rolled off of Tanaka panting in satisfaction. Tanaka breathed heavily a few times, before reaching to his bedside cabinet for box of cigarettes. He offered one to Jun, that she declined.
"Suit yourself," he said as he lit up. He took a drag, and puffed it out. It did cause Jun to cough a little.
"I have to wonder, have you ever considered adult modelling? I'd say after that, you'd be pretty good at it." 'Adult modelling' entailed rather a lot of things that Jun was aware of.
"No, I've never been interested in any of that," Jun replied bluntly, "I was drawn to modelling because I like it when it's done tastefully, the grace of it. I'm not much of an exhibitionist."
"Well, you do fuck like one," Tanaka said casually, "Very enthusiastically," he added quickly when he realised Jun might have been offended. However, she knew he wasn't particularly wrong. At least ever since the start of her current situation. A lot of things about her had changed. She thought back to when Tanaka first showed an interest in her; she was too shy to even turn him down directly, she let Yuasa do it for her.
"Can we go again?" She asked, more confident about her self control, and still feeling the need to sate her lusts. Maybe a lot of her recent problems just meant she needed laid. She hadn't done any dating since leaving Sendai. Tanaka laughed.
"Gotta admit, you're the first lady asked me that less than five minutes afterwards. I gotta go to the john though, so give me a few minutes? Feel free to have a look around the house if you get bored waiting." The way he was breathing, Jun was pretty sure it was a cover for the simple fact he hadn't recovered from the first time yet, and he was legitimately shocked at her virility.
He's just a mere human. Let him recover first.
"Alright, but, don't keep me waiting," Jun offered.
"Okay. Feel free to grab a beer from the fridge if you want," Tanaka replied, before putting on a gown heading to his bathroom. Jun stretched herself out, and decided to walk downstairs to the kitchen to consider if she wanted more to drink. The house was impressive, a two-storey detached home with its own garden located in Futako-Tamagawa. It seemed like far too expensive of an area for a photographer to live in, and when she told Tanaka, he said that it was his family home that he had leased from his mother who'd moved to the countryside. "I'm making probably just enough that I might be able to buy it off by the time I'm ready to move out." he had said. A fair set of circumstances, though Jun still felt somewhat jealous. Even with her recent pay rises from the lucrative gigs she was getting and was able to complete, she still couldn't afford more than the apartment she already had in Nakano, and she'd made the front cover of a handful of national magazines. Before setting foot in the kitchen, she decided to enter the living room. She paused when she looked into the gaze of a monstrous visage; reptilian glass eyes unblinking. Her heart skipped a beat, but she calmed down when she realised she was merely looking at a reflection in a mirror; and that it was reflecting a painting on the opposing wall. She walked into the living room to see the portrait proper; it was a very large piece that took up almost the entire wall, with the face that she saw angled to appear perfectly in the mirror. There were many faces in the painting however. Mad, grinning, bestial impulse, invasive glares, all seemingly of the same grotesque countenance with subtly different but equally haunting expressions. It was all carved in stark colours and chaotic brushstrokes. It was a provocative piece, no doubt but it wouldn't be one you could pay her to hang on her own wall.
The tumultuous feelings she got from the disturbing façades made her sit down for a few moments to catch her breath. She was about to get back up a few moments later, when her hand touched something lying off the arm of the sofa. She picked up the bra, wondering what it was doing there so conspicuously. It was velvet coloured, and matched a pair that she had found to be missing earlier in the day. She dropped it, knowing that another woman had likely left it here. She was under no illusion about Tanaka's lavisciousness. However, curiosity made her look around more, and she found a pair of red heels on the ground; almost, but not quite underneath the coffee table. She felt her muscles start to tense; and sweat formed her brow. Cautiously she walked back out into the hall. The door underneath the stairs creaked open, almost feeling as if it was an invitation. Slowly she approached the door to look around it, and she found herself staring at a recess with several shelves, and various items of clothing hanging on pegs; it was a small cloakroom of sorts. Whilst most of the things in the cupboard likely belonged to Tanaka, Jun found another pair of shoes, panties and jacket that matched what she had found missing earlier. On top of one of the higher shelves she noticed what looked to be large photo albums arranged neatly in a row. One of them was sticking out conspicuously. She looked around, towards the stairs, the living room door and the front door, before cautiously pulling down the album. As she browsed through the early pages, it seemed to be a work album; it was all modelling photography, and she found a few photographs of herself, taken during shoots. But there were working shots of many women, and there was nothing out of the ordinary about it, it seemed it was simply his work portfolio. That changed when she decided to skip towards the last pages of the album; photographs of models, taken during photo shoots comprised the majority of the album; but not all of it. Some of the subjects of the later photographs were clearly not aware that they were being preyed upon by a camera; many of the subjects were the same fashion models Tanaka had worked with, including herself, but there were also pictures of women who may not have even been models. They were all people going about their business in their private lives; walking in parks, eating in restaurants or café's, playing sports. They were off the clock, and these had been taken without their knowledge or consent. The man was a voyeuristic creep. Deep inside, Jun felt a desire to simply kill him. That was the beast, she knew. No, she could confront him about it, or perhaps just slip out with this album and report him. After all, if he had been a beast, he'd had so many chances to attack her before now. At least that was her intention, before turning to a page where there were a number of photographs of her, and Kazumi. Except Kazumi's face had been scored out by marker pen on each one.
Darkness had completely taken hold as Izumi Kogare drove herself and Lan Asuka to the last reported whereabouts of the men she had sent to follow Jun. Asuka could not hide her agitation at the fact that she couldn't reach Jun by phone, though there could be a few reasons for it, it was most likely the idiot had actually turned it off. She bit on one of her fingers. Neither woman spoke, but the silence was interrupted by Asuka's phone.
"Yes, speak?" She answered tersely. "He was found dead an hour ago? What's the prognosis?" Asuka listened carefully, taking all the information in. "All right, keep me posted." She hung up and inserted the phone back into her pocket. "Tomoe Igasaki," she explained to Kogare who had looked back curiously. "His body was found, in the vicinity of Jun's photo shoot this morning. We must assume then that our stalker decided to make convenient use of his phone after taking it from him."
"Which means we still have no information about the identity of whomever has been sending those texts to Jun. Unless..." Kogare puzzled.
"Unless what?" Asuka asked, intrigued.
"Jun's behaviour has been so erratic. Maybe we have a situation like the one with Hitomi Konno. Maybe the texts are how her other personality has been communicating with her. " Asuka considered the statement, as she noticed the car crossing the Tama river.
"You're considering the possibility she killed him and took the phone. It's very unlikely, Igasaki was still alive when Jun left that studio in Shinjuku with her agent, I did cross-reference the times she gave me with the daily report. The first text also came almost immediately after that. No, Jun's behaviour is the result of stress, and frustration. She might be cracking under the pressure, and her stalker knows it," Asuka said after her deliberation.
"The time may be coming to cut her loose then, if she doesn't have the strength of character to shoulder this burden," Kogare pointed out.
"That remains to be seen. But, I'm worried. We need to find her as soon as possible," Asuka replied.
"We're five minutes away from Nogemachi park, and about ten minutes from where we think the last communiqué came from Kobashi and Ryuko."
"That's going to feel like an eternity," Asuka responded rhetorically as she sat back, trying not to tense so much. When they finally reached their destination, a car park near a small oasis of woodland, situated at a junction corner, Kogare parked the car on the opposite side of the road. It was deathly quiet, and the only light came from streetlamps. Asuka got out the car with torch in hand, and ran across to a lone parked car that matched the one they were looking for. When she shown her torch through the door window into the interior, she grimaced. A moment later, Kogare caught up with her.
"They look like they've been frightened to death," Kogare said clinically. Indeed, the faces of Kobashi and Ryuko wore horribly twisted expressions; yet other than the paleness of the skin, there was no other signs of violence.
"The door is locked, from the inside," Asuka observed when she tried to handle, "I don't know how that's possible."
"I'll call Yamazaki, we might need his men to deal with the situation," Kogare suggested.
"All right, do it. Jun must be in one of the houses in this area, but it's going to take us a while to search..." Asuka said, cut off by a piercing scream that came from the building opposite the wooded area.
"I think we know where to look," Kogare deadpan stated the obvious.
"Get everybody here as fast as you can," Asuka said as she took out her gun and loaded it, "I'm going in."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Kogare asked, without much concern in her voice.
"Obviously not," Asuka replied, "But I'm not waiting."
Jun breathed heavily, in, and out. Her bare chest and midriff were splattered with blood; the same blood that also dripped from her claws. At her feet was Tanaka's broken, torn body. Her attack had been brutal; she played it through in her mind. When Tanaka had entered the room, he had started to scream in horror at the giant demoness closing in on him. She had cut that short by picking him up by the throat. His body had weighed nothing.
"You bastard, I won't let you hurt Kazumi!" She had growled, before tossing him bodily across the room. The impact against the wall probably shattered his back; it had certainly splintered the wall. But that hadn't been enough; she slashed across his face and chest for good measure, creating spurting fountains of crimson. She tasted it on her tongue; the metallic iron of blood.
"Satisfied? It looks like you had a good time tonight after all." Sang a female voice with an unnatural timber. Jun froze. Then she looked towards the wall the voice emanated from. Towards the painting. Against the laws of reality, the faces in the portrait moved. They smiled, they laughed and giggled.
"What are you!? Show yourself!" Jun demanded. The faces in the portrait started slowly to elongate and merge, forming one hideous visage which then pulled itself from the portrait as if stepping out of a different, nightmarish dimension. As it made its way into physical manifestation, grotesque limbs and a deep shock of red hair grew outward from the painting as it laughed maniacally. The creature's form was a mockery of the human shape, completely lacking a torso. With its gangly limbs it pulled itself out of the painting, as if simply squeezing itself through a small window.
"Did it feel good? They break so easily, don't they?" The creature queried as it looked at Tanaka's wrecked body. Jun suddenly felt nauseous, and a disconcerting loss of her awareness. Even so, she tried to lunge at the hideous creature. Her momentum caused her to fall forward as her claws passed harmlessly through the air; the creature had vanished.
"Attacking me with not but tooth and claw; how incorrigibly dull," the voice emanated from behind Jun.
"Who are you?" Jun demanded to know, her voice shaking.
"I apologise, indeed it's rude not to introduce myself," the mad visage said as it flew around erratically and continued to chuckle, "I'm the magnificent and fantabulous, the evasive and illusive, the one and only, Psycho Jenny!" Jun panted anxiously, and found her body reverting its form; something had occurred to her; a terrible occurrence. She looked at Jenny, realisation dawning.
"Looks like you figured it out; such a difference a little graffiti in the right place makes," Psycho Jenny continued gloating, "That was all it took, in the end; to make you take a human life. All it took, to turn you into one of us." Jenny's words were punctuated by the sound of two gunshots and the splintering of wood.
"No... no... no!" Jun lost all feeling in her arms and legs and collapsed to the ground. She curled into a fetal position, still murmuring denials to herself as Psycho Jenny melted into the air, her horrible laugh still echoing around the room. Asuka entered the room barely a second later.
"Jun! ...what have you done?"