Categories > Celebrities > Dir en grey > Risoka
Sliding Down Stairs
He paced again, clenching his fists and muttering to himself, all possible solutions to the problem he had just been presented with running through his mind in the form of elaborate calculations. He was aware of the calculating milky colored eyes following his every move as the woman sitting behind his desk fiddled with the buttons on her cell phone. This odd little scene had been continuous for the last few minutes and there was no sign of it slowing.
"Won't you just sit down, Shin-Shin. I believe I have the answers to your problems." Doll muttered, smiling to herself as she answered her phone right as it began to ring loudly, filling the small office with the delicate notes of Fur Elise. Shinya fixed his second in command with a venomous expression, long auburn hair framing his feminine face. He knew that his glare was wasted on the woman, but it was worth a shot to hope that his authority would affect her.
"Don't call me that. I am your superior." He hissed, crossing his arms over his narrow chest. The triggerman made a face at him, the movement of her muscles causing her to look like a teenager and then pressed her face to the earpiece of her cell. There was voice that could be heard, the muffled sort of things that you catch when trying to listen to someone's phone conversation. From what he could tell, the person on the other line was male and very tired. Doll's face fell into a look of interest, milky silver eyes becoming wide with childish curiosity.
"Doll-san?" Was all that he managed to hear before his subordinate gave him the go away look. He huffed and let his face fall back into its normal stoicism. Doll giggled, as she made sure to register the voice.
"I knew you'd call. I'm alwaaays right." She giggled rather immaturely into the mouthpiece.
What a façade... The crime lord thought wryly as he began to pace again, hoping to catch even the slightest trace of the conversation that the silver-haired assassin was engaged in. She was fascinated with phones. He had no idea how old she really was or anything else about her, except for the fact that she loved to fiddle with almost any electronic devise, whether she had a severe distaste for them or not. She wanted to figure them out, like she had never been near them before in her entire life. Shinya scratched at the back of his neck in an impatient manner as more of the conversation drifted over to him.
"You must know-" The voice tried to ask, the exhaustion evident through the signal and the obvious distance of the speaker. Doll smiled, showing her fangs and then cold rushed into the room, making him shiver.
"Oh, hai. I know why you called. And I know what you want." Shinya's patience failed.
"Who the fuck is that?" He demanded only to receive the fingered mimic saying 'wait a minute'. He snarled and slammed his hands down on the desk, knocking several pens and papers to the floor. His favored assassin glared at him and made a shooing motion, her graceful hands pale as a ghost's in the dim lighting of the office. She returned to her conversation and promptly began to give directions to the mansion that they resided in at that very moment. "Doll, I don't know who you just gave my address to, but if I wind up dead you're the first one that I am going to shove down a staircase as a poltergeist."
She ignored him.
"Get here as soon as you can. If this is going to work you need to get back to your division as soon as possible." She hung up her phone and set it down on the desk. Her milky silver eyes met his sepia ones with a level authority and then it was gone. Somehow in the last fifteen minutes she had managed to regress to the point of an eleven year old. She gave him a bubble-headed smile and he rolled his eyes.
"Are you going to tell me now? Who the hell were you talking to?" He attempted his demand again.
"A special person." Silence.
"Tell me." Shinya prompted Doll. She lowered her head a little so that silken strands of hair fell to obscure her vision.
"Iie. It's a surprise." Her cheery infantile disposition was gone.
"I hate surprises." His voice was dark and commanding as he crossed his arms over his chest again and pursed his lips. Doll blinked up at him and slowly rose from the chair that she had refused to relinquish.
The woman rounded the desk and began to walk towards the door, sure to brush her arm against the taller humanoid's as she passed. He shivered, never able to make himself used to the winter that hid beneath her porcelain skin. She put her hand on the doorknob and licked her lips as she thought.
"You'll like this surprise... I promise..."
Not thirty minutes after Doll had left the room had the guards stationed outside informed him that there was a man outside requesting entrance. He knew that it had been the person Doll was chatting with on the phone but upon looking at the surveillance camera he became disappointed with the lack of detail.
The man had had his back to the camera and the image was in black and white. Not very descriptive. He thought over what Doll had said, her words often giving him nudging guidance no matter how featherbrained they sounded.
"Terachi-sama? Shall we send him in?" The glassy-eyed man watching the cameras asked quietly. Shinya took another long look at the image and watched as the man lit a cigarette, bouncing a little as a cold breeze hit him hard.
"What do you think?" He inquired honestly. The surveillance guy arched a brow, pondering if it was a trick question or not. He glanced at the footage to see the unknown man turn to one of the guards and say something, but there was no audio.
"Well, sir, the bodyguard that came in said that he doesn't look like much of a threat. He's beat up and ragged." Surveillance Guy mumbled timidly to his superior. The crime lord blinked until he could almost interpret the image's posture.
"Send him in. If Doll thinks it'll work then it might be worth a shot. Tell the guards to take him to my study and then I want someone to wrestle Doll into a collar long enough to get her to help me with this man. I don't know what to expect. Check him for weapons anyway. None past the door." Shinya stated calmly, making his way from the surveillance room and into the hall. He turned on his heel to make his way to the study, but was stopped as the man running the cameras called out.
"Uh, sir, are you sure?"
"Nani? What is it?" Shinya muttered, becoming disgruntled. Surveillance Guy slumped his shoulders.
"H-he's Risoka." Shinya smirked, a movement that was not related to rage or any other sort of turbulent emotion.
"At this point I'll try anything."
Kyo inhaled sharply as a large Yakuza bodyguard grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him roughly into the mansion, sending his body in one direction and his lit cigarette in the other (Probably to set the lawn on fire). Being shoved was something he was used to by now so he only grunted and worked to stay upright as the offending guard remained at the door and another one, doubtlessly twice the size of the first, led him down a hallway.
The inside of the crime lord's mansion was lavishly decorated with ink paintings and the like covering the cream colored walls. Kyo had rarely ever been in places so nicely decorated. Kaoru's apartment might've been something close but he hadn't seen that place in forever. Lots of things can change given the time. His brown eyes focused on his hulking escort, who hadn't paid him any mind since their trek had began.
"Where is the study?" He asked quietly as the guard turned sharply. It took the bartender's body a moment to register the change in direction and he was embarrassed that he almost missed the turn. The guard still didn't look at him. "Are you mute?" Kyo feigned stupidity, growing impatient with the lack of acknowledgement that the Neanderthal was giving him.
"Iie, I'm not mute. I just don't like you."
"Oh, you've decided that already?"
"Hai." The guard muttered in response. Kyo blinked, the urge to be as annoying as possible suddenly welling up from nowhere. He was quiet, normally. But the past two days had just jolted something out of him that he had never thought he could be capable of: Brazen Indifference.
This new little discovery was going to be put to the test as often as he could manage, seeing as he'd already given himself an allotted amount of time to enjoy himself.
"You've only known me for two and a half minutes, how could you form an opinion so fast?" He inquired with an air of immaturity. The guard bristled and turned to look at the much smaller male, dark cedar colored eyes smoldering with annoyance. Who would've thought that someone so low browed could figure out that someone was poking fun at them. Kyo smiled widely, showing crooked teeth, and for some reason the behemoth deflated and turned around.
"You're lucky the boss needs you otherwise I'd use you like a punching bag." The trek continued.
"I wouldn't last long." Kyo laughed, trotting so that he could walk in step with the large man. The guard shot him a rather uncaring glance and kept moving, most likely cheering inwardly when his raven-haired nuisance lost interest and began to look at the décor again. Five minutes passed, along with the climbing of two staircases and another sharp turn. "Ya know-"
"Be quiet." His voice was dark and threatening, giving a clear warning that he was inches away from truly flattening the chocolate-eyed man. Kyo pouted.
"Can I ask your name at least?" The guard groaned and ran a large hand through his stringy black hair. The bartender had realized quite a few moments ago that the large man wasn't as stupid as you'd expect with someone his size. Definitely not an Einstein, but still smart.
"Okaruto." He stated simply in a gruff and old sounding voice.
"Okay."
"You done?" Okaruto asked.
"Done what?" Kyo blinked, his chocolate brown eyes inflating with sleep-deprived curiosity. He'd only slept an hour since his shift had ended and dreaming about some sort of impending doom really didn't count as good sleep either way. At least he was distracting himself enough to ignore his ribs.
"Asking me stupid questions." The cedar-eyed guard prompted the small man.
"Yea, sure. I'm done. No more questions." Okaruto glared down at him. "I'll shut up now..."
He entered the Yakuza boss's study with undisguised nervousness that automatically overrode the playfulness that had filled him while he tormented the hulking guard. Okaruto had stopped at the door, directed him in, and then left to take care of some other business. Kyo swallowed, but the motion of his throat was odd since his mouth was dry.
Glancing around he noticed that the walls were lined with shelves filled with reference material and novels. There were sconces on the walls where the few gaps between the dark-wooded shelves were located, but very little light was provided. His chocolate eyes worked to adjust to the dimness until he could make out a long table in the center of the study. It was most likely used as a sort of conference room as well. He looked closer and was soon able to make out two seated figures in the darkness.
The bartender blinked when the figure seated at the middle of the table facing him waved nonchalantly, pale skin frighteningly visible amongst the gloom.
"You can take a seat if you wish." A male voice drifted over from the end of the table that was farthest from Kyo. The dark haired man nodded more to himself than the speaker and shuffled over to the grand table, feeling very conscious of the two pairs of eyes watching his every move. He suddenly felt like he didn't want to be there and that feeling ripped at his stomach like nausea. Once he was seated in a chair at the opposite end of the table, with the figure that had waved in the center, the male spoke again. " My assistant here has refused to answer my questions, so please, tell me your name."
The voice was curt and unrevealing of anything, more guarded than he had ever heard a human's voice. Then again, the crime lord that he faced now was young and his position was threatened on all sides.
"My name is Kyo." His voice was hoarse. Even if the poor lighting obscured the man at the other end of the table he could practically see slim, well-groomed eyebrows arching with amusement. This made him bite his lower lip and sink a little into his own mind to ponder what he knew about Yakuza bosses. It was hard. He was more used to keeping track of his own faction and their habits. The name of the boss at the opposite end of the table flitted through his mind like a fly and the image he had seen on the television screen, that small glimpse of a face, followed it. They circled his mind and ran laps until it finally sank in. And he smirked, his brown eyes suddenly lighting up with mischief.
"I'm going to ask this now so that we can get it over with. What is a Risoka doing on my doorstep with so much hell-bent determination in his eyes?" The boss questioned, the pale figure, Doll probably, shifting uncomfortably in its place. Kyo ignored the question and decided to ask one of his own.
"So, why did your adoptive father let you keep your name? Or did you change it back after he died?" The bartender ventured, smiling as widely as he had with Okaruto when the bodyguard had been about to knock his front teeth out. Tension filled the air and a feminine voice confirmed Doll's presence when a small sarcastic 'Ouch' could be heard. The crime lord rose so quickly that his chair fell over with a loud clatter. Kyo didn't flinch, he only smiled.
"Kyo is not your real name!! Who are you? How the hell do you know that?" Shinya's voice bordering a screech as his delicate auburn tresses flew around his face with the sudden upward movement. Ire and a little bit of embarrassment flooded the room, thicker than the lack of light. Still Kyo's smile didn't falter as he stared into the sepia colored eyes of the slightly younger man.
"Wow, you caught that pretty fast. I want you to guess my name though. And then we can get down to business." The Risoka chuckled, leaning back in the chair with half lidded eyes. He was getting tired and he needed to get this meeting over quick so that he could get back to the club. His shift would be starting again soon and he had never gotten to sleep. Shinya cocked his head to the side and looked over at Doll, who just gave him a bubble-headed smile that she always gave him. It stated clearly 'Fend for yourself'.
Judging things carefully, Kyo was quick to deduce that all the wheels in Shinya's head were turning and mental file cabinets were being sifted through. If he could remember then Shinya should definitely have no problem with it. After all, Shinya had had the better memory. The young crime lord's eyes widened slightly and his mouth slowly fell open.
"T-Tohru?" The name was almost inaudible. Doll looked from her superior to the vertically challenged bartender, her milky silver eyes for the first time ever, lost.
"You turned out better than I did." Kyo almost whispered. It was Doll's turn to rise violently, her gaze still rotating between the two males.
"Hold on!! Stop right there!! You two already know each other?" The silver haired woman huffed, bristling with confused indignation. Shinya blinked lazily as Kyo settled himself deeper in the chair, becoming more tired by the second. If he didn't stand he would be down for the count.
"Might as well not. It's been thirteen years." The auburn haired man turned slowly and righted his chair. When the chair was upright again he sat down and stared seriously across the table. "But I need proof. Anyone could've gotten that information if they had the free time. Give me proof that you're who you say you are."
"Let's see..." He mumbled, shifting a bit to get more comfortable. He could think of several different things from their short friendship, but almost everything was something ridiculous and humiliating. You know, the kid stuff. Finally, he decided on one. "When I was seven and you were around... six... I thought that it would be a good idea to slide down the stairs in sleeping bags." Shinya gaped, but recovered quickly before anyone could catch it. "I only realized how stupid it really was when we both fell and you broke your arm." Doll sniggered then silenced when a small paperweight bounced off of her head with a thunk. "And I think that you hit your head somewhere."
Kyo was smiling broadly and his eyes were closed. He took a break to yawn like an old tomcat and then continued, much to Shinya's dismay.
"Yep, you did. I think there's a place on the back of your head where your hair never quite grew back..." Shinya's hand shot to the back of his head and his face turned bright red. "Oh and-"
"That's good enough!!" The young crime lord shouted, silencing the older man and making his second in command flinch as his raised voice smashed into her ears.
"Thank god. Can we finish? I haven't been to bed yet and I already missed my chance to sleep. I need to be at the Complex in an hour..." Kyo muttered darkly sitting up and opening his eyes. Shinya looked him over and knitted his brows.
"You work under Niikura?"
"Hai."
"He did that to you?" His pensive sepia gaze had moved to the gruesome bruise on Kyo's cheek and neck.
"More or less. That's why I'm here." Kyo stood up with a more audible than intended growl as his bones creaked and popped. Doll had folded her arms over her chest and remained standing, her porcelain face frozen (Haha) in a look of mild betrayal. Her mind hadn't grasped yet the fact that whatever upper hand she thought she had had was gone. Shinya stood again as well and motioned to another door that was untouched even by the little light from the sconces. Both his subordinate and guest understood the motion and the trio made their way to it. Doll opened the door for the two men and remained with her mouth shut; milky eyes dull with concentration. Her eyes always held more than her face.
"Revenge? Sounds like fun. I guess we both would get something from whatever you propose then." Shinya said thoughtfully walking into the office that he and Doll had been arguing in not an hour earlier. The papers were still awry and the auburn haired bishounen quickly noted that his silver haired lackey had been using his favorite chair as a pincushion. There were several fountain pens and viciously sharp pencils sticking up from the leather cushion.
"I know very well how I could benefit from it but what would you get out of it?" Kyo asked, watching as Shinya pulled the pens out of his chair and threw them one by one at Doll like he had the paperweight. She dodged all but one, which cracked against the back of her head and snapped in half, letting pitch colored ink spill through her once monochrome hair. The female gasped and attempted to remove the ink from her mane with her hands only to moan in childish anguish when she managed to make it worse. Kyo returned his attention to Shinya.
"I was given a task today that I was looking for a solution to. That's when you, I assume it was you, called Doll. My current leader, the only man that outranks me here in the Yakuza has set a contest." Shinya explained, not looking at the Risoka who refused to sit again. "Whichever Yakuza sect can destroy or irreparably damage the visual mob gets as much funding as they need for any project they wish. The acceptance of this challenge was unanimous."
"Then we both will benefit. We work together? Agreed?" Kyo slipped his hands under his shirt to rub his hurt ribs anxiously. Shinya smiled, showing very well cared for teeth.
"Hai. We work together."
"Good. One thing though. There are a few people, including myself, that I demand you do not go near. If I intend harm, then I'll do it myself."
"Who?"
"Niikura. Andou. Hara. Shi."
"They will be left alone. Unless of course you're found out and they decide to come after me, then I guarantee you nothing."
"We meet on my days off and if it's important... we meet before I work. At this point I don't care if Kaoru shoots me for being late. It might override the headache." Kyo stated as another door opened and Okaruto entered, ready to escort him to the door and no doubt willing himself to keep calm in case the small man decided that he wanted to be a pest again. Kyo turned around before leaving the small office and reentering the dark study. "If we pull any sort of damage off... what will you do with the funding?"
Shinya smiled, a ghost of something that could've been pleasant.
"That will be something for the next time we see each other. It'll be a grand scheme."
"I don't fucking pay you to be late, Kyo. Die needs your notes, he has an important job tonight!" Kaoru fumed, towering over Kyo as the smaller man trudged in through the back entrance and into the private lounge that he and the others often used. The smell of coffee grounds and cigarette smoke was nothing compared to the smell of ink that filled his nostrils, lingering from the broken pen that had left a stain in Doll's flawlessly silver hair. Kyo growled low in his throat, letting the noise fill the room in a slow feral rumble.
"You hardly pay me at all anyway, you bastard!!" Whether it be his lack of caffeine, nicotine, or sleep his fuse was frayed and his head pounding. Kaoru was walking in dangerous territory and if that pink haired man didn't see it now he would probably end up losing something important, like an arm... or worse. The chocolate eyed Risoka stomped his way over to the older man until he was only a few inches away and then he grabbed the taller's leather jacket. Kaoru made a move to knock Kyo away but it was futile as the raven haired Risoka wrenched him down so that they were looking each other in the eyes. Then Kyo spoke in a deathly quiet tone. "I work almost a hundred hours a week, serving liquor to people that are already complete fucktards and writing the death sentences of an average of eight a night! I sleep less then sixteen hours during that week and I'm gonna tell you this RIGHT NOW-I am not in the mood for your high-and-mighty bullshit. STAY OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY!"
Kaoru's jaw went slack as Kyo screeched the last sentence and shoved him hard. He was silent even as he landed flat on his ass. The bartender took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his fists, and in mere seconds he was out the door and headed to the bar. Die looked at him, having entered when Kyo's tirade had started. The redhead looked to his superior, then in the small planner that had stormed away in.
"What happened?" Die squeaked, somewhat afraid that, even though he was heavily armed (Kaoru had given his gun back, YAY), the small angry bartender would come after him next. Kaoru blinked, hawk-like hazel eyes blank as he still worked on processing the situation. The crime lord didn't seem bothered that he hadn't made a move to stand in the least.
"I think he found his spine." Toshiya smiled, coming through the back entrance where Kyo had entered. He had gotten to work earlier but had been sent out again on errands. Though his expression told that he had heard the entire angry speech he hadn't, only the last screeched words. His crooked teeth were showing in his grin as he help Kaoru to his feet, but the crime lord just kept staring at the door Kyo had exited the lounge through. He was more dumbstruck than ever. "What do you think Kao?" Toshiya inquired, forgetting the honorifics altogether.
"Yea, sure... whatever..." The pink haired Risoka began to brush himself off, and with the same blank expression. He went up a staircase that was usually only used by the dancers and was gone.
=TBC=
A/N: I'll fix this later. I'm in a hurry! Sorry this chapter is bad. My dog died while I was trying to finish it... Ja.
He paced again, clenching his fists and muttering to himself, all possible solutions to the problem he had just been presented with running through his mind in the form of elaborate calculations. He was aware of the calculating milky colored eyes following his every move as the woman sitting behind his desk fiddled with the buttons on her cell phone. This odd little scene had been continuous for the last few minutes and there was no sign of it slowing.
"Won't you just sit down, Shin-Shin. I believe I have the answers to your problems." Doll muttered, smiling to herself as she answered her phone right as it began to ring loudly, filling the small office with the delicate notes of Fur Elise. Shinya fixed his second in command with a venomous expression, long auburn hair framing his feminine face. He knew that his glare was wasted on the woman, but it was worth a shot to hope that his authority would affect her.
"Don't call me that. I am your superior." He hissed, crossing his arms over his narrow chest. The triggerman made a face at him, the movement of her muscles causing her to look like a teenager and then pressed her face to the earpiece of her cell. There was voice that could be heard, the muffled sort of things that you catch when trying to listen to someone's phone conversation. From what he could tell, the person on the other line was male and very tired. Doll's face fell into a look of interest, milky silver eyes becoming wide with childish curiosity.
"Doll-san?" Was all that he managed to hear before his subordinate gave him the go away look. He huffed and let his face fall back into its normal stoicism. Doll giggled, as she made sure to register the voice.
"I knew you'd call. I'm alwaaays right." She giggled rather immaturely into the mouthpiece.
What a façade... The crime lord thought wryly as he began to pace again, hoping to catch even the slightest trace of the conversation that the silver-haired assassin was engaged in. She was fascinated with phones. He had no idea how old she really was or anything else about her, except for the fact that she loved to fiddle with almost any electronic devise, whether she had a severe distaste for them or not. She wanted to figure them out, like she had never been near them before in her entire life. Shinya scratched at the back of his neck in an impatient manner as more of the conversation drifted over to him.
"You must know-" The voice tried to ask, the exhaustion evident through the signal and the obvious distance of the speaker. Doll smiled, showing her fangs and then cold rushed into the room, making him shiver.
"Oh, hai. I know why you called. And I know what you want." Shinya's patience failed.
"Who the fuck is that?" He demanded only to receive the fingered mimic saying 'wait a minute'. He snarled and slammed his hands down on the desk, knocking several pens and papers to the floor. His favored assassin glared at him and made a shooing motion, her graceful hands pale as a ghost's in the dim lighting of the office. She returned to her conversation and promptly began to give directions to the mansion that they resided in at that very moment. "Doll, I don't know who you just gave my address to, but if I wind up dead you're the first one that I am going to shove down a staircase as a poltergeist."
She ignored him.
"Get here as soon as you can. If this is going to work you need to get back to your division as soon as possible." She hung up her phone and set it down on the desk. Her milky silver eyes met his sepia ones with a level authority and then it was gone. Somehow in the last fifteen minutes she had managed to regress to the point of an eleven year old. She gave him a bubble-headed smile and he rolled his eyes.
"Are you going to tell me now? Who the hell were you talking to?" He attempted his demand again.
"A special person." Silence.
"Tell me." Shinya prompted Doll. She lowered her head a little so that silken strands of hair fell to obscure her vision.
"Iie. It's a surprise." Her cheery infantile disposition was gone.
"I hate surprises." His voice was dark and commanding as he crossed his arms over his chest again and pursed his lips. Doll blinked up at him and slowly rose from the chair that she had refused to relinquish.
The woman rounded the desk and began to walk towards the door, sure to brush her arm against the taller humanoid's as she passed. He shivered, never able to make himself used to the winter that hid beneath her porcelain skin. She put her hand on the doorknob and licked her lips as she thought.
"You'll like this surprise... I promise..."
Not thirty minutes after Doll had left the room had the guards stationed outside informed him that there was a man outside requesting entrance. He knew that it had been the person Doll was chatting with on the phone but upon looking at the surveillance camera he became disappointed with the lack of detail.
The man had had his back to the camera and the image was in black and white. Not very descriptive. He thought over what Doll had said, her words often giving him nudging guidance no matter how featherbrained they sounded.
"Terachi-sama? Shall we send him in?" The glassy-eyed man watching the cameras asked quietly. Shinya took another long look at the image and watched as the man lit a cigarette, bouncing a little as a cold breeze hit him hard.
"What do you think?" He inquired honestly. The surveillance guy arched a brow, pondering if it was a trick question or not. He glanced at the footage to see the unknown man turn to one of the guards and say something, but there was no audio.
"Well, sir, the bodyguard that came in said that he doesn't look like much of a threat. He's beat up and ragged." Surveillance Guy mumbled timidly to his superior. The crime lord blinked until he could almost interpret the image's posture.
"Send him in. If Doll thinks it'll work then it might be worth a shot. Tell the guards to take him to my study and then I want someone to wrestle Doll into a collar long enough to get her to help me with this man. I don't know what to expect. Check him for weapons anyway. None past the door." Shinya stated calmly, making his way from the surveillance room and into the hall. He turned on his heel to make his way to the study, but was stopped as the man running the cameras called out.
"Uh, sir, are you sure?"
"Nani? What is it?" Shinya muttered, becoming disgruntled. Surveillance Guy slumped his shoulders.
"H-he's Risoka." Shinya smirked, a movement that was not related to rage or any other sort of turbulent emotion.
"At this point I'll try anything."
Kyo inhaled sharply as a large Yakuza bodyguard grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved him roughly into the mansion, sending his body in one direction and his lit cigarette in the other (Probably to set the lawn on fire). Being shoved was something he was used to by now so he only grunted and worked to stay upright as the offending guard remained at the door and another one, doubtlessly twice the size of the first, led him down a hallway.
The inside of the crime lord's mansion was lavishly decorated with ink paintings and the like covering the cream colored walls. Kyo had rarely ever been in places so nicely decorated. Kaoru's apartment might've been something close but he hadn't seen that place in forever. Lots of things can change given the time. His brown eyes focused on his hulking escort, who hadn't paid him any mind since their trek had began.
"Where is the study?" He asked quietly as the guard turned sharply. It took the bartender's body a moment to register the change in direction and he was embarrassed that he almost missed the turn. The guard still didn't look at him. "Are you mute?" Kyo feigned stupidity, growing impatient with the lack of acknowledgement that the Neanderthal was giving him.
"Iie, I'm not mute. I just don't like you."
"Oh, you've decided that already?"
"Hai." The guard muttered in response. Kyo blinked, the urge to be as annoying as possible suddenly welling up from nowhere. He was quiet, normally. But the past two days had just jolted something out of him that he had never thought he could be capable of: Brazen Indifference.
This new little discovery was going to be put to the test as often as he could manage, seeing as he'd already given himself an allotted amount of time to enjoy himself.
"You've only known me for two and a half minutes, how could you form an opinion so fast?" He inquired with an air of immaturity. The guard bristled and turned to look at the much smaller male, dark cedar colored eyes smoldering with annoyance. Who would've thought that someone so low browed could figure out that someone was poking fun at them. Kyo smiled widely, showing crooked teeth, and for some reason the behemoth deflated and turned around.
"You're lucky the boss needs you otherwise I'd use you like a punching bag." The trek continued.
"I wouldn't last long." Kyo laughed, trotting so that he could walk in step with the large man. The guard shot him a rather uncaring glance and kept moving, most likely cheering inwardly when his raven-haired nuisance lost interest and began to look at the décor again. Five minutes passed, along with the climbing of two staircases and another sharp turn. "Ya know-"
"Be quiet." His voice was dark and threatening, giving a clear warning that he was inches away from truly flattening the chocolate-eyed man. Kyo pouted.
"Can I ask your name at least?" The guard groaned and ran a large hand through his stringy black hair. The bartender had realized quite a few moments ago that the large man wasn't as stupid as you'd expect with someone his size. Definitely not an Einstein, but still smart.
"Okaruto." He stated simply in a gruff and old sounding voice.
"Okay."
"You done?" Okaruto asked.
"Done what?" Kyo blinked, his chocolate brown eyes inflating with sleep-deprived curiosity. He'd only slept an hour since his shift had ended and dreaming about some sort of impending doom really didn't count as good sleep either way. At least he was distracting himself enough to ignore his ribs.
"Asking me stupid questions." The cedar-eyed guard prompted the small man.
"Yea, sure. I'm done. No more questions." Okaruto glared down at him. "I'll shut up now..."
He entered the Yakuza boss's study with undisguised nervousness that automatically overrode the playfulness that had filled him while he tormented the hulking guard. Okaruto had stopped at the door, directed him in, and then left to take care of some other business. Kyo swallowed, but the motion of his throat was odd since his mouth was dry.
Glancing around he noticed that the walls were lined with shelves filled with reference material and novels. There were sconces on the walls where the few gaps between the dark-wooded shelves were located, but very little light was provided. His chocolate eyes worked to adjust to the dimness until he could make out a long table in the center of the study. It was most likely used as a sort of conference room as well. He looked closer and was soon able to make out two seated figures in the darkness.
The bartender blinked when the figure seated at the middle of the table facing him waved nonchalantly, pale skin frighteningly visible amongst the gloom.
"You can take a seat if you wish." A male voice drifted over from the end of the table that was farthest from Kyo. The dark haired man nodded more to himself than the speaker and shuffled over to the grand table, feeling very conscious of the two pairs of eyes watching his every move. He suddenly felt like he didn't want to be there and that feeling ripped at his stomach like nausea. Once he was seated in a chair at the opposite end of the table, with the figure that had waved in the center, the male spoke again. " My assistant here has refused to answer my questions, so please, tell me your name."
The voice was curt and unrevealing of anything, more guarded than he had ever heard a human's voice. Then again, the crime lord that he faced now was young and his position was threatened on all sides.
"My name is Kyo." His voice was hoarse. Even if the poor lighting obscured the man at the other end of the table he could practically see slim, well-groomed eyebrows arching with amusement. This made him bite his lower lip and sink a little into his own mind to ponder what he knew about Yakuza bosses. It was hard. He was more used to keeping track of his own faction and their habits. The name of the boss at the opposite end of the table flitted through his mind like a fly and the image he had seen on the television screen, that small glimpse of a face, followed it. They circled his mind and ran laps until it finally sank in. And he smirked, his brown eyes suddenly lighting up with mischief.
"I'm going to ask this now so that we can get it over with. What is a Risoka doing on my doorstep with so much hell-bent determination in his eyes?" The boss questioned, the pale figure, Doll probably, shifting uncomfortably in its place. Kyo ignored the question and decided to ask one of his own.
"So, why did your adoptive father let you keep your name? Or did you change it back after he died?" The bartender ventured, smiling as widely as he had with Okaruto when the bodyguard had been about to knock his front teeth out. Tension filled the air and a feminine voice confirmed Doll's presence when a small sarcastic 'Ouch' could be heard. The crime lord rose so quickly that his chair fell over with a loud clatter. Kyo didn't flinch, he only smiled.
"Kyo is not your real name!! Who are you? How the hell do you know that?" Shinya's voice bordering a screech as his delicate auburn tresses flew around his face with the sudden upward movement. Ire and a little bit of embarrassment flooded the room, thicker than the lack of light. Still Kyo's smile didn't falter as he stared into the sepia colored eyes of the slightly younger man.
"Wow, you caught that pretty fast. I want you to guess my name though. And then we can get down to business." The Risoka chuckled, leaning back in the chair with half lidded eyes. He was getting tired and he needed to get this meeting over quick so that he could get back to the club. His shift would be starting again soon and he had never gotten to sleep. Shinya cocked his head to the side and looked over at Doll, who just gave him a bubble-headed smile that she always gave him. It stated clearly 'Fend for yourself'.
Judging things carefully, Kyo was quick to deduce that all the wheels in Shinya's head were turning and mental file cabinets were being sifted through. If he could remember then Shinya should definitely have no problem with it. After all, Shinya had had the better memory. The young crime lord's eyes widened slightly and his mouth slowly fell open.
"T-Tohru?" The name was almost inaudible. Doll looked from her superior to the vertically challenged bartender, her milky silver eyes for the first time ever, lost.
"You turned out better than I did." Kyo almost whispered. It was Doll's turn to rise violently, her gaze still rotating between the two males.
"Hold on!! Stop right there!! You two already know each other?" The silver haired woman huffed, bristling with confused indignation. Shinya blinked lazily as Kyo settled himself deeper in the chair, becoming more tired by the second. If he didn't stand he would be down for the count.
"Might as well not. It's been thirteen years." The auburn haired man turned slowly and righted his chair. When the chair was upright again he sat down and stared seriously across the table. "But I need proof. Anyone could've gotten that information if they had the free time. Give me proof that you're who you say you are."
"Let's see..." He mumbled, shifting a bit to get more comfortable. He could think of several different things from their short friendship, but almost everything was something ridiculous and humiliating. You know, the kid stuff. Finally, he decided on one. "When I was seven and you were around... six... I thought that it would be a good idea to slide down the stairs in sleeping bags." Shinya gaped, but recovered quickly before anyone could catch it. "I only realized how stupid it really was when we both fell and you broke your arm." Doll sniggered then silenced when a small paperweight bounced off of her head with a thunk. "And I think that you hit your head somewhere."
Kyo was smiling broadly and his eyes were closed. He took a break to yawn like an old tomcat and then continued, much to Shinya's dismay.
"Yep, you did. I think there's a place on the back of your head where your hair never quite grew back..." Shinya's hand shot to the back of his head and his face turned bright red. "Oh and-"
"That's good enough!!" The young crime lord shouted, silencing the older man and making his second in command flinch as his raised voice smashed into her ears.
"Thank god. Can we finish? I haven't been to bed yet and I already missed my chance to sleep. I need to be at the Complex in an hour..." Kyo muttered darkly sitting up and opening his eyes. Shinya looked him over and knitted his brows.
"You work under Niikura?"
"Hai."
"He did that to you?" His pensive sepia gaze had moved to the gruesome bruise on Kyo's cheek and neck.
"More or less. That's why I'm here." Kyo stood up with a more audible than intended growl as his bones creaked and popped. Doll had folded her arms over her chest and remained standing, her porcelain face frozen (Haha) in a look of mild betrayal. Her mind hadn't grasped yet the fact that whatever upper hand she thought she had had was gone. Shinya stood again as well and motioned to another door that was untouched even by the little light from the sconces. Both his subordinate and guest understood the motion and the trio made their way to it. Doll opened the door for the two men and remained with her mouth shut; milky eyes dull with concentration. Her eyes always held more than her face.
"Revenge? Sounds like fun. I guess we both would get something from whatever you propose then." Shinya said thoughtfully walking into the office that he and Doll had been arguing in not an hour earlier. The papers were still awry and the auburn haired bishounen quickly noted that his silver haired lackey had been using his favorite chair as a pincushion. There were several fountain pens and viciously sharp pencils sticking up from the leather cushion.
"I know very well how I could benefit from it but what would you get out of it?" Kyo asked, watching as Shinya pulled the pens out of his chair and threw them one by one at Doll like he had the paperweight. She dodged all but one, which cracked against the back of her head and snapped in half, letting pitch colored ink spill through her once monochrome hair. The female gasped and attempted to remove the ink from her mane with her hands only to moan in childish anguish when she managed to make it worse. Kyo returned his attention to Shinya.
"I was given a task today that I was looking for a solution to. That's when you, I assume it was you, called Doll. My current leader, the only man that outranks me here in the Yakuza has set a contest." Shinya explained, not looking at the Risoka who refused to sit again. "Whichever Yakuza sect can destroy or irreparably damage the visual mob gets as much funding as they need for any project they wish. The acceptance of this challenge was unanimous."
"Then we both will benefit. We work together? Agreed?" Kyo slipped his hands under his shirt to rub his hurt ribs anxiously. Shinya smiled, showing very well cared for teeth.
"Hai. We work together."
"Good. One thing though. There are a few people, including myself, that I demand you do not go near. If I intend harm, then I'll do it myself."
"Who?"
"Niikura. Andou. Hara. Shi."
"They will be left alone. Unless of course you're found out and they decide to come after me, then I guarantee you nothing."
"We meet on my days off and if it's important... we meet before I work. At this point I don't care if Kaoru shoots me for being late. It might override the headache." Kyo stated as another door opened and Okaruto entered, ready to escort him to the door and no doubt willing himself to keep calm in case the small man decided that he wanted to be a pest again. Kyo turned around before leaving the small office and reentering the dark study. "If we pull any sort of damage off... what will you do with the funding?"
Shinya smiled, a ghost of something that could've been pleasant.
"That will be something for the next time we see each other. It'll be a grand scheme."
"I don't fucking pay you to be late, Kyo. Die needs your notes, he has an important job tonight!" Kaoru fumed, towering over Kyo as the smaller man trudged in through the back entrance and into the private lounge that he and the others often used. The smell of coffee grounds and cigarette smoke was nothing compared to the smell of ink that filled his nostrils, lingering from the broken pen that had left a stain in Doll's flawlessly silver hair. Kyo growled low in his throat, letting the noise fill the room in a slow feral rumble.
"You hardly pay me at all anyway, you bastard!!" Whether it be his lack of caffeine, nicotine, or sleep his fuse was frayed and his head pounding. Kaoru was walking in dangerous territory and if that pink haired man didn't see it now he would probably end up losing something important, like an arm... or worse. The chocolate eyed Risoka stomped his way over to the older man until he was only a few inches away and then he grabbed the taller's leather jacket. Kaoru made a move to knock Kyo away but it was futile as the raven haired Risoka wrenched him down so that they were looking each other in the eyes. Then Kyo spoke in a deathly quiet tone. "I work almost a hundred hours a week, serving liquor to people that are already complete fucktards and writing the death sentences of an average of eight a night! I sleep less then sixteen hours during that week and I'm gonna tell you this RIGHT NOW-I am not in the mood for your high-and-mighty bullshit. STAY OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY!"
Kaoru's jaw went slack as Kyo screeched the last sentence and shoved him hard. He was silent even as he landed flat on his ass. The bartender took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his fists, and in mere seconds he was out the door and headed to the bar. Die looked at him, having entered when Kyo's tirade had started. The redhead looked to his superior, then in the small planner that had stormed away in.
"What happened?" Die squeaked, somewhat afraid that, even though he was heavily armed (Kaoru had given his gun back, YAY), the small angry bartender would come after him next. Kaoru blinked, hawk-like hazel eyes blank as he still worked on processing the situation. The crime lord didn't seem bothered that he hadn't made a move to stand in the least.
"I think he found his spine." Toshiya smiled, coming through the back entrance where Kyo had entered. He had gotten to work earlier but had been sent out again on errands. Though his expression told that he had heard the entire angry speech he hadn't, only the last screeched words. His crooked teeth were showing in his grin as he help Kaoru to his feet, but the crime lord just kept staring at the door Kyo had exited the lounge through. He was more dumbstruck than ever. "What do you think Kao?" Toshiya inquired, forgetting the honorifics altogether.
"Yea, sure... whatever..." The pink haired Risoka began to brush himself off, and with the same blank expression. He went up a staircase that was usually only used by the dancers and was gone.
=TBC=
A/N: I'll fix this later. I'm in a hurry! Sorry this chapter is bad. My dog died while I was trying to finish it... Ja.
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