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~A Fool’s Paradise~*]

[*Author:
Danaeyl Panthernopaeus.

Theme:
Alternate Universe.

Storyline:
Fuuchouin Kazuki enjoys hiding behind his wall of serenity. It makes him feel safe and warm and it stops him from getting too close to people. Even with Juubei, he isn’t completely honest. He found that when people know about what he enjoys doing; they never look at him the same way.
There’s a problem happening in the Infinity Fortress. People are dying and MakubeX can’t seem to find a reason behind it. There is nothing outwardly wrong, so that leaves with the possibility of internal.
Midou Ban doesn’t really like the Infinity Fortress. He doesn’t like the way Ginji changes when he’s in there and the way it affects the rest of them. Ban knows that deep down all the ex-Volts members want it to return to the way it once was. At least, he thought that was what they all wanted.

Disclaimer:
The names, faces and places used in this story do not belong to me. This is a work of fiction, created to fuel my own dark and twisted nature and hopefully all of you.

Author’s Note:
A friend of mine, Aerys Krystie was telling me about a story that he and his friend LunarPlexus are planning to write. Of course, this is not that story. However, I would like to send out my thanks to those two crazy friends of mine for giving me this idea.
Also, please be aware that a lot of the characters will be out of character, especially the further on the story goes.

XxX

“What makes you more of man than I?”

The question rolled around my head as I strolled back to my house. I didn’t remember anything else about the conversation. I only remembered asking that question because there was some snide remark made. I never understood the way some minds worked. Not that I was particularly interested in the mindset of some people.

Pretending to be interested was one thing. Pretending to care was something entirely different. Not many people got that sort of affection from me. Most of the time people didn’t even get my feigned interest. It wasn’t as though my laziness would come as a surprise to anyone.

My house was waiting for me where I had left it. Surprisingly enough, Ginji was with it. As I got closer, I saw that the blond idiot wasn’t alone. He was talking to someone. I knew that he had to see people that day; something about a birthday for Emishi. I lost interest when he said that he wasn’t going o be around. I had to entertain myself for the day.

I walked up to Ladybug and lovingly patted her roof. I had a feeling that Ginji was going to ask something very important of me. Unlike the ex-Volts members, I had no problem with saying ‘no’ and leaving it at that. Sometimes he would get the best of me and I would be forced into something that was extremely annoying. That was basically anything that involved his old gang.

“Emishi-kun actually likes him, Ginji-san. Even if he does say no, at least we asked,” a gentle voice said.

I couldn’t see the face but I knew it had a calm smile. His brown eyes would be twinkling in a way that made everyone feel safe and would do anything he wanted. Threadspinner Kazuki was the most manipulative person I had ever met.

It wasn’t that he was false – it would have made hating him a lot easier, though – and it wasn’t in the way he manipulated people. He never did anything to anyone that would make them feel bad about what had happened. Kazuki usually only used his powers of persuasion for little things. Such as getting Ginji to ask me something that they both know is going to en with a huge, resounding no.

I pulled a cigarette out. Where I continued to get my supply from was something that would remain a mystery.

I stayed on the other side of the car, listening to Ginji whining about asking me to attend Emishi’s party. I hadn’t even said anything giving that idiot a ‘happy birthday’ from me. Emishi was a close second to Shido for my hate.

It seemed that Ginji was going to be giving Kazuki a difficult time, today. Nothing the Threadspinner said was getting through to the blond. I had to admit, I was grateful about that. Crushing Ginji wasn’t something I prided myself on. And I knew he would heartbroken if I refused to attend that damned party.

Kazuki straightened and spotted me. He didn’t say anything. In fact, his eyes went blank as though whatever life Ginji had breathed into them was gone because I was around. I knew how all of the ex-Volts felt about me. I took their precious Thunder Emperor from them. It was a damn good thing, as far as I was concerned. The rate that Ginji was going at, he would’ve been dead by now.

Of course, I knew that wasn’t reason why Kazuki decided to go numb around me. I actually don’t have the slightest idea on what I did to the Threadspinner.

About a month ago I noticed it. He came into the Honky Tonk, saw Ginji and me in there and walked out. Everyone knew that was completely out of character for Kazuki, even when Ginji called out the ridiculous nickname he had for the last Fuuchouin. Kazuki didn’t even acknowledge that Ginji was in the room. Naturally, Kazuki had apologised for it the next day and Ginji tried to get a reason out of the Threadspinner. Hell, I was curious.

And I still didn’t know what I had done.

“Ask him or don’t ask him, Ginji-san. That is up to you,” Kazuki said coldly. Ginji’s head snapped up and I could see the dumbfounded gleam in his eyes.

I raised an eyebrow and smirked as Kazuki stared at me. Ginji called Kazuki’s name gently. It wasn’t often that anyone saw the Threadspinner go into a daze. Not without Kakei around to make sure he wasn’t in trouble. I lit the cigarette and finally got Ginji’s attention.

“Ban-chan!” he cried happily as he grinned at me, forgetting for the moment that Kazuki was still in la-la land.

I ignored Ginji and continued to gaze at Kazuki. It seemed that he was content on not blinking until I did. I didn’t even realise that we were having a ridiculous staring contest. Eventually it came to an end. For some reason he winced.

“Will I see you at Emishi’s party, Ginji-san?” Kazuki asked. He was almost back to normal. His face and voice still lacked the usual warmth that surrounded him.

Ginji turned back to Kazuki. “I’m still not sure, Kazu-chan,” he said honestly. He looked back at me. “Did you want to attend Emishi-chan’s birthday party, Ban-chan?”

I shrugged and threw the end of my cigarette to the ground, crushing it beneath my heel. “Sure. It sounds like fun.”

I knew it was going to be far from fun, as far as I was concerned. My idea of fun meant tormenting people. Not in the, I’m-going-to-make-you-bleed-until-I’m-bored way. Hell no. I enjoyed riling people up and making them so angry, they attacked me. I missed having a good fight. I missed someone that could challenge me that way.

“I’ll let Emishi-kun know, Ginji-san,” Kazuki said quietly. Ginji had yet to calm down from his happiness dance.

I watched as Kazuki walked away. He didn’t even look at me again. That annoyed me. What gave that girly man the right to act so high and mighty around me? I wished Kazuki would stop acting like an idiot and just tell someone what was bothering him. I was almost certain that Kakei would know what was wrong with threadspool.

Ginji stopped his happy dance and turned to me. He lent on the car. His eyes glazed over and I knew he was going to ask me a question I couldn’t answer. “Do you know why Kazu-chan is acting so weird around you?”

“Probably PMS,” I answered half-heartedly. At that moment, it was a good answer as any.

Ginji said something about having to find a gift for Emishi and ran off. That made me curious on what he had been doing all day. If I knew Ginji, it was most likely that he got lost or got distracted. He probably helped out anyone he thought needed it.

While he ran off, I sat on the hood of the car. Kazuki’s strange behaviour was still on my mind. What was going on with him? Why was he acting that way? Why me? I was beginning to think it was possible I had wronged the brunet in a past life. It seemed a little late to be pissy with me about it, though.

I decided to push Kazuki and his odd behaviour to the back of my mind. I wish I could say I had too many other things to worry about. I didn’t really have any, except the usual ones. Mainly getting money so I could eat.

“Ban-chan!” Ginji called as he ran back towards the car.

I couldn’t think of anything that the blond could have forgotten. Upon closer inspection, I saw that he was waving something in his hand. I didn’t expect him to find a gift for Emishi that quickly. Ginji was extremely indecisive at the best of times.

When he got to the car, he stopped and pulled out his mobile phone. He grinned when he looked at the caller ID and answered. “Kazu-chan! I just found your wallet. Okay. Okay. Of course. Yup! Bye, Kazu-chan.”

I removed another cigarette and placed it between my lips. I looked at Ginji. Usually he told me in great detail what the conversation was about. His grin didn’t seem as big as it usually was and his eyes weren’t as lively. I figured Ginji would tell me when he was ready.

“Kazu-chan said he would swing back here to pick it up. But I don’t want to get to the shops too late or they’ll be closed.” Once again, Ginji’s indecisiveness kicked in.

I watched him talk to himself for a few minutes before I sighed in annoyance. He had a good two hours left before the shops closed but I knew he would need much longer than that.

I held my hand out. “I’ll hold onto it while he walks back here. I didn’t realise he gotten so far away. It only seemed like twenty minutes ago he left.”

Ginji looked at the wallet then at my hand. He repeated several times. My impatience was growing by the second. I knew that if Ginji didn’t find a half way suitable gift for Emishi, he would whine and mope about it for days, maybe even weeks. I didn’t want to be subjected to that kind of torture.

“Did you want to get the gift for Emishi, or not? If not, then you can stay here and wait for threadspool. If you want to the gift, I suggest you give me the wallet and run like crazy.” I tried to remain as calm as possible. Ginji had been around me long enough to know that while I might sound calm, I wasn’t.

Ginji placed the wallet in my hand and grinned as he ran off, waving. I lowered my eyes to the white leather object in my hand. For a male wallet, it seemed feminine. It was entirely Kazuki. I glanced around to make sure I was alone before I opened it. I didn’t want to deal with an agitated Kazuki. I heard stories of what he could do with those strings of his.

I pulled out the slip that was made to store cards or pictures. It seemed that Kazuki used it for pictures. I looked through them. There was something strange about the photos. Kazuki had at least one picture of everyone, including Himiko, Hevn, Natsumi, Paul and Akabane. As I studied them, I came to realise what was odd about them. They weren’t photos. They were drawings.

I didn’t know if it was Kazuki who had drawn them, but whoever did had done an amazing job.

I dropped the wallet as my phone began vibrating in my pocket. I usually didn’t get startled. Then again, I wasn’t usually looking through someone’s personal shit. I frowned as Ginji’s number appeared on the screen and answered it.

Ginji quickly informed me that Kazuki had to go home and change, due to an unfortunate event that involved a group of teenagers and balloons filled with paint. I committed the address to my memory so I wouldn’t get lost and hung up. I picked up the wallet and saw a piece of paper that I didn’t notice fall out, probably when I opened it.

My natural curiosity got the better of me. It wasn’t meat with much restraint and I unfolded the paper. There was an address written on it, along with a name: Syl Pharmaceuticals. It was located in the Infinity Fortress. I had to question why Kazuki would have that address. I doubted it was because he got medicine from there.

Whenever we were in the Infinity Fortress, we always went to old Gen. I would admit that I didn’t know much about the Infinity Fortress, but I wasn’t expecting there to be so many pharmacies. That was, of course, if Syl Pharmaceuticals was indeed a pharmacy or a wholesaler.

Of course, there was also the option that it was a job for Kazuki. That didn’t explain why he had the paper, either. Kazuki probably had an eidetic memory, with all the information he kept inside his head. So, I was out of ideas why he would have that address kept in his wallet.

I slipped it back in and pushed off the car. I opened the door and sat inside, staring out the windshield for a few minutes. I was chastising myself for getting too curious about another person. Kazuki usually welcomed people to be around him. Lately, it seemed as though he was trying to push them away. I had no idea what to expect at the party.

With a sigh, I started Miss Ladybug and made my way over to Kazuki’s pad. I often wondered what everyone’s house looked like. I got the feeling that Akabane and Hevn lived extravagantly. They just seemed like the people who would. Monkey-Man didn’t really have his own place. Emishi and Kakei lived in the Infinity Fortress with MakubeX.

I thought about Kazuki’s address. He was within walking distance of the Infinity Fortress. Everyone would naturally assume it was so he could be close to Kakei. Why those two didn’t just announce they were a couple was beyond me.

Outside, the skies darkened. There had been a storm warned for this evening, but no-one believed the weatherman anymore.

I pulled up outside of the apartment building. It looked as though it hadn’t been maintained in years, possibly decades. I sighed and closed my eyes. Why was I doing this? Couldn’t Threadspinner have picked it up at the party?

I looked at the passenger seat, where the wallet was laying. I raised an eyebrow. It seemed comfortable there and that was when I decided that I needed to get more sleep. I snatched up the pile of leather and threw open the door. I closed and locked it. When I turned around to look up at the building, a sudden downpour of rain came.

The three seconds it took me to get inside the building was enough to soak me. Threadspool owed me big for this. If I got sick and died, I was going to haunt his ass for the rest of his life.

I shook his head and wrung out as much water as I could from my shirt. I went over to the elevator and growled when I saw the red ‘Out of Order’ sign on it. I huffed over to the stairs. I could be grateful that Kazuki wasn’t on the tenth floor. If he was, I would’ve just told Ginji to tell Kazuki that he could come down and get it himself.

I took my time walking up to the second floor. If paint had been involved, Kazuki would probably be showering. I had enjoyed looking at his body in the hot springs, but that was under the assumption he was female. I didn’t want to see him wrapped only in a towel, again.

When I reached the second floor, I raised an eyebrow. Kazuki was waiting outside of his apartment. He had his hands behind his back as he stared down at the floor. There was something strange about him. I had grown accustomed to the sudden chill that could surround him, as well as the warmth. He looked different, though. Almost scared and sad.

“Hey, itomaki,” I called.

Kazuki looked up. He had a strange expression on his face. I was just glad to see that he remembered how to show emotion around me. He straightened his posture as I got closer.

I stood next to him and rested my shoulder against the wall. I held out the wallet and Kazuki took it. He turned to enter his apartment without saying ‘thank you’. Normally, I wouldn’t care. But I had gotten soaked because of him. It was the least he could do.

“Yo, threadspinner.” Kazuki paused with his hand on the door. He didn’t look at me, not that I was expecting him to. “Where are your manners?”

“If I ever need a lesson in etiquette, Midou, I will not come to you.”

He entered his apartment. Before he could close the door, I grabbed it and forced it open. I wasn’t going to enter his home without permission; I wasn’t that much of a douche. Kazuki glared at me and I returned the look. I wasn’t going to let him think he could treat me however he wanted.

“Considering I got soaked due to your idiocy, I think the least you could do is thank me.”

For a second, I saw compassion flitter through Kazuki’s chocolate eyes. It vanished as he slammed the door in my face. My eyes widened. What the hell could have happened that made Kazuki decide he hated me? I shook my head. It was possible that while Kazuki seemed to be the sanest one of the ex-Volts, he was just as fucked up as the rest.

I had no idea how long I was standing at that door, staring at the cold wood. I knew that people walked by, muttering to themselves about the company that the girl on the other side kept. I didn’t care what they said. Kazuki was probably the most interesting thing that had happened to this dump.

I wanted to leave and forget about happened. I knew it would have been easy, if I didn’t have to see Kazuki again. I would be seeing him later that night and even worse, I got the feeling that there was something going on inside the Infinity Fortress. It could have something to do with the address in Kazuki’s wallet.

I guessed my body didn’t care what I wanted as I opened the door to Kazuki’s apartment. I moved my head as a string came at me. I knew it was only a warning, but maybe I could get Kazuki to see sense. He wouldn’t want to make his beloved Thunder Emperor more upset with him.

“Get out.”

“No,” I said flatly as I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans. I observed Kazuki and raised an eyebrow slightly when I thought I saw his left eye flash white. “Come on, itomaki. You’re upsetting Ginji with this little fit you’re having.”

Kazuki crushed the delicate teacup he was holding. “Leave now, while you’re still in one piece, Midou or I will send you back to Ginji-san in several.”

I was beginning to wonder if Akabane and Kazuki had traded personalities for a while. This Kazuki wasn’t the one I had grown accustomed to. This Kazuki was somewhat frightening, and I never thought I would be scared of the threadspinner.

Still, I wasn’t going to let him get away with treating me like I was worthless. If he had a problem with me, he could tell me to my face. I didn’t want to have to worry about looking over my shoulder because of his mood swings. And if we did end up in the Infinity Fortress, I didn’t want another thing to worry about.

“I don’t think Ginji would be impressed by that. Look, if you have ––” I moved my head as another string came at me. Unfortunately, I moved my head into a second one I didn’t know about. “What the fuck, Kazuki?”

I placed a hand to my left cheek and pulled it away. I looked at the blood on my fingertips and glared at the threadspinner. I was perfectly capable of talking to Kazuki like he wasn’t some sort of psycho. But I wasn’t going to stand there and be attacked for no reason.

Kazuki’s left eye flashed white, again. “Get out.”

“I’m even less inclined than I was before,” I shot back. “This has gone too far, now. If you’re attacking me, it won’t be long before you’re attacking anyone that looks at you the wrong way!”

Kazuki lowered his eyes. I could feel relief rushing through my body. I was glad that I had gotten through to him. Now, all I needed to know was why he was acting this way. I couldn’t think of anything that could cause such a drastic change in someone’s personality.

Kazuki raised his head. “I suggest you leave before I start with you.”

I sighed and shook my head. “Whatever. Sooner or later, you’re sexual frustration is probably going to cause you to attack Ginji.” I smirked as a blush crept onto Kazuki’s cheeks. Even when he was angry, he still blushed like a little girl at the mention of sex.

“And only you would assume it was something as simple as that.”

I laughed. It probably came out less mockingly than I wanted it to. Kazuki was becoming himself again. “Everyone has their suspicions about you, itomaki.”

Annoyance and embarrassment flashed through Kazuki’s eyes. “Get out!”

I decided that was my cue. I didn’t want to dodge anymore of his strings. I had also managed to warm up a little before I had to step back into the cold. At least I knew that there was still some of the old Kazuki left inside.

What was I saying? Of there was still some of the old Kazuki. That came out every time he spoke to Ginji without me around. He was probably his normal self with everyone else but me. What made me so special? Maybe he was more comfortable around me? I highly doubted that.

I knew I wasn’t going to get anything out of Kakei. There was nothing left to do, aside from disregard any thought that might pop up in the future. And if I’m lucky, Kazuki will get drunk at the party and I can interrogate him.

XxX

I spent an hour hunting around for Ginji, before I finally grew bored of it and called him. He neglected to mention that he had met up with Monkey-Man and Madoka and was going with them, unless I wanted to drive them all. Madoka, not a problem, but not Monkey-Man.

I parked Ladybug just outside of the entrance. I wasn’t going to run the risk of her getting stolen or destroyed over some stupid party. I took my time. Even if I didn’t know where I was headed, all I had to do was go in the direction of all the noise.

I paused outside of an alley. I wouldn’t be missed from the party. Ginji would be having a great time and Kazuki wasn’t going to mention me. I decided that while I was in the damned Fortress, I could check out Syl Pharmaceuticals. I was still curious about that, and it was one of the things I wanted to talk to Kazuki about.

I didn’t actually know where the address was, but if I was lucky, I could find someone who did. As I passed by Gen’s place, I saw Ren running down the stairs. She was likely to be on her way to the party. She might not like Emishi much, but Kazuki was going to be there.

“Ren,” I called, getting her attention. She stopped and looked over her should, grinning at me.

“Hi. Are you headed to Emishi’s party?” she asked as she walked over to me.

I shook my head. “I’m trying to find a place. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it – Syl Pharmaceuticals?”

Ren frowned. “Why would you be looking for a place like that? I don’t even know why they call themselves a pharmacy.”

I raised an eyebrow. She seemed to know a lot about it. Maybe I wouldn’t need to ask Kazuki. “What do you know about it?”

“Not much,” Ren admitted. “I only know what I’ve heard from people. A place like that isn’t spoken about by normal folks. It’s really close to the Beltline, so I haven’t gone there and seen it for myself.”

I nodded. “What do people say about it? It seems to anger you a lot.”

“People say that when someone goes in, they don’t come out the same. I don’t know much else, other than that. Why are you looking for them?”

“A friend of mine had their address written down.” That was a half-truth. Kazuki wasn’t exactly a friend but Ren didn’t need to know that.

“I know that Kazuki-san was looking for it. I don’t actually know if he found it, though. Maybe I’ll ask him at the party. He might be able to take you there. You sound concerned for this friend of yours.” Ren smiled and began walking towards the party.

I watched her for a few minutes, until she stopped and told me that Kazuki-san was already there. I knew I was going to have a hard time thinking of an excuse for this one. I cursed my curious nature and trailed after Ren, placing a cigarette between my lips.

Ren and I arrived at the scene sixteen minutes later. We were both greeted excitedly by Emishi. Ren pulled out a small box from the pocket of her jacket, and handed it to the joker. I shrugged and walked in, hoping there would be alcohol of some sort.

I was surprised to see a bar set. Kazuki was talking to Kakei about something. I didn’t bother to eavesdrop. I had way more important things to do. Avoid Kazuki and get drunk. It sounded simple enough.

“Ban-chan, you made it!” Ginji cried as he jumped onto my back. “I was beginning to think that you got lost, until I remembered that I was only person that gets lost in here. Did you want something to eat? Natsumi-chan made a lot of good stuff.”

I shrugged Ginji off. “Not right now. You go and have fun, though.”

“Ban-chan, did something happen between you and Kazu-chan when you dropped off his wallet? I asked if you had and the moment I mentioned your name, he growled. It was kinda scary.”

I glanced at the threadspinner. I was tempted to interrupt him and Kakei and demand to know more about Syl. There had to be a reason why someone wanted them investigated. They wanted someone that could get the job done, too. Maybe that was why Kazuki wasn’t acting like himself.

“Ban-chan?”

I blinked and looked at Ginji. He grinned and shoved a plate of sushi beneath my nose. It smelt divine and I couldn’t stop myself from eating it. I enjoyed it a great deal, too. Ginji grinned and helped me with the devouring.

Once we were finished, I placed the empty plate on the bar, and got to my feet. Ginji was called away by someone else. I figured that Emishi had enough places for everyone to sleep, if they got too drunk.

I wandered down the bar, looking over the selection that I had a choice of. Emishi had every kind of alcohol available. There were gin, rum, vodka, bourbon, whiskey, liqueurs and many others. I picked up a bottle of bourbon. It had been so long since I last drank that I had probably turned into a lightweight.

I got a glass and hunted down the cola to mix it with. As I looked, I overheard Kakei. “Promise me you won’t go back there. Every time you go there, you come back angrier and not like yourself, Kazuki-sama.”

“I thought you of all people would understand, Juubei.” Kazuki got to his feet and walked off.

“You can stop pretending that you aren’t listening, Midou-san.” Juubei turned his head towards me slightly and I shrugged.

Whatever their little tiff was about, it had nothing to do with me. It did, however, have something to do with a place that I was interested in. “Were you asking itomaki to stay away from Syl Pharmaceuticals?” I asked innocently, finally finding the damned cola.

“It seems as though he’s addicted to that place.” Kakei stood. “I had better get him.”

I contemplated my unmade drink and taking Kakei’s place. Kazuki would probably attack him, and that wouldn’t end well. Then again, I didn’t have any reason, other than wanting to see this place, to follow Kazuki.

“Good luck,” I said absently as I mixed my drink.

In front of me, the rest of the guests were playing some insane looking game. Ginji tried to get me to take part, but I would rather stab needles in my eyes.

Besides, I couldn’t get Kazuki off my mind.

Just as I was about to take the first sip of my drink, my phone began vibrating. I couldn’t think of anyone that would be calling me. Whoever it was, I was going to kill them. All I wanted was one night where I could get so smashed, I could blame it on Ginji the next morning.

I looked at the screen. The number was blocked. “What is it?” I asked bluntly.

“Ban, it’s Hevn.”

My eyes scanned the room. She wasn’t there. I figured for sure she would have been invited to this little celebration. I got to my feet and headed out the way that Kazuki and Kakei had gone. She sounded terrible and I needed somewhere slightly less noisy in order to hear her.

“What have you done, now?”

“It isn’t what I’ve done, but what I’ve gotten for you and Ginji. I need the GetBackers to do a job.”

I looked up the street and saw Kakei trying to stop Kazuki. “What sort of job?” I inquired as I watched the scene between the lovers. I was just like everyone else; I assumed they were together.

“A client wants a place in the Infinity Fortress checked out. Apparently, there are human experiments going on.” I could hear the disgust and anger in her voice. I was beside her on that one.

“Ginji and I are currently at Emishi’s birthday party. Did the client want to meet up tonight or wait until the morning? Either way, it isn’t going to make much difference.” I lit the cigarette that hadn’t left my lips since I entered the Fortress.

“Tomorrow morning, eight at the Honky Tonk. Don’t be late.”

The call ended and I slipped the phone back into my pocket, as a cold breeze swept past me. I continued to watch the scene between Kakei and Kazuki from the corner of my eye. It came to an abrupt halt when Kazuki answered his phone. I wondered if Hevn was calling all of us for this little mission.

“Of course, Hevn-san,” Kazuki’s voice floated to me. It had the usual warmth, and gentleness to it that I found I was beginning to miss.

I continued to puff on my cigarette. It wasn’t often that I heard Hevn sounding as though she was scared. She was usually so confident and fiery. I guess it had to be urgent as the music inside stopped.

Kazuki was off the phone and I could hear Ginji’s excited voice. I could only hope that Monkey-Man wasn’t going to be part of the mission. I couldn’t deal with him at the best of times.

I finished my cigarette and placed another between my lips. Kazuki was walking towards me. As expected, he didn’t look at me as he entered. His head was lowered, as though he was deep in thought. He probably was. If he was arguing with Kakei, I assumed he finally figured out that he was going down the wrong path.

The music was turned on again and the party resumed. Ginji was probably going to enjoy it for as long as possible. It was never fun having to give up a good time in order do something we didn’t want to. Still, a job from Hevn usually had a decent price attached to it. And it usually had a decent amount of danger, also. That was something I was not looking forward to.

XxX
End Chapter I.