Violet eyes
Chapter 3
"Yohji, uhm, are you really sure I can pull this off? I mean, maybe I can
just help Omi out with the research or something."
Yohji put out his cigarette with a long suffering sigh. Ken’s case of the nerves
were getting to him. Ever since Weiss had closed the Koneko no Sume Ie for the
day and gone into mission planning mode, the soccer player had been getting
more and more jittery. Omi and Yohji had relented on the idea of Ken posing
as somebody cruising for a boyfriend while combing the clubs for leads; he was
much more likely to pass out the first time he tried to hit on someone. The
other two assassins had decided to pass him off as a student reporter looking
into a story no one else was willing to touch. However, even with that adjustment
to the game plan, the brunette was still as jumpy as the cat he was codenamed
after. "For the final time Ken, relax and treat this like any other mission.
I mean, really, what is up with you? To think that you and Aya of all people
thought you could handle this assignment by yourselves. What would you be doing
without me here to baby- sit the two of you?"
"All you have to do is go in there, flash those big brown eyes of yours
and wave around a notepad while claiming what a disgrace it is no one is covering
the ongoing tragedy, all because of where the crimes are taking place. Play
up the sympathy card, be willing to talk to anybody, and I mean anybody, write
it all down and return to the house at the end of the night. Repeat until mission
is finished. Sheesh. Be glad you aren’t working a bar all night like Aya, or
playing the social butterfly like me." Yohji fished out another cigarette
and lit it, giving him something to do in an attempt to hide the evil smirk
on his face. This was going even better than he expected. Ken was already freaking
out, and they hadn’t even left for the entertainment district yet. It had taken
a minor miracle and some major pleading from Omi to get Ken to even try dressing
so he could fit in. At least his jeans were clean and the knit top something
other than a soccer jersey. Still, it was a far cry from the sinfully tight,
low slung black jeans and black leather vest that the blonde was decked out
in. Yohji had to make sure to cross paths with the younger assassin during the
night to enjoy his discomfort. When he wasn’t busy checking out leads on his
own or rescuing Aya. The latter was his main priority for this evening. He’d
hit a bar or two first to lay some groundwork, and then swoop in to save his
ferocious little kitten from the mistake he made on picking this assignment.
Although at the moment, Yohji wasn’t quite sure who he would be saving, Aya
from a bar of lust crazed customers or said customers from a homicidal assassin
pushed over the edge. Odds were good either way…
Angry at the amusement his teammate was failing to hide, Ken snapped back at
the blonde. "I know what’s expected of me Yohji, I ‘ve helped out on other
cases before. It’s just, what do I do if someone hits on me?" Ken ducked
his head at this point, trying to hide his blush.
Yohji paused in front of the door to the garage, where the two men had been
heading to. "That sure of yourself, are you Kenken?" Yohji smirked
again at the glare he received from the brunette, it was nothing compare to
the ones Aya usually sent his way.
" Yeah, well I might be the man-whore you are Kudoh," Ken smirked
himself at Yohji’s bristling towards the insult, "but let’s keep in mind
the type of bars we’re heading out to. Anything breathing is considered fair
game. I’m not exactly used to this sort of thing."
Stung by the sudden name calling, Yohji decided to not hold back. Besides, an
angry Ken was preferable to a nervous Ken, at least for this mission. "What’s
the matter, you certainly don’t seem like the aggressive type from what I’ve
observed. The direct approach too much for you? Just tell them you’re in a serious
relationship and they’ll leave you alone. You’re not worth that much effort."
Ken stood there stunned for a minute, soaking in what the blond had just thrown
at him. "Why do you have to be such a bastard, Yohji. Worried no one will
pay attention to you if you’re not the sexiest thing around anymore? And what
the hell was that first comment about?"
"Just commenting on the pathetically empty state of your love life at the
moment. If it gets any deader we’ll have to start calling you Aya."
"I do not throw myself on anything that breathes like you do, I have a
bit more class than that. Don’t know what I’m so worried about, the guys at
the bars tonight can’t possibly be any worse than you." With that parting
comment, Ken revved his motorcycle and took over, leaving an amused Yohji behind.
"Oh yeah, this is going to be a fun couple of weeks. Can’t wait to see
how well Aya is making out."
********
‘Must not kill the customers. Must not kill the customers. Just serve the drinks
and do not kill the customers.’
Aya kept chanting the litany as he was running from the bar to his tables and
back again. Bacchus was surprisingly busy for a Sunday night, and his customers
were definitely in the drinking mood. They were also in the mood to fondle the
waiter. More than a few of them were nursing bruised toes and pinched nerves
for their more adventurous gropes. One of Aya’s more daring (and inebriated)
customers, who had attempted to drag the swordsman onto his lap, was currently
breathing rather gingerly due to some very sore ribs that had been solidly whacked
by the red head’s elbow. Sheer willpower alone was keeping the Shi-ne glare
and glacial tones from being directed towards the men in Aya’s section; flirting
back with them, as he witnessed the other servers doing, was completely out
of the question.
Heading back to the bar to pick up his drink orders, the red head noticed Mickey,
the bartender, shaking his head while wearing a big grin. The mountain of a
man was highly amused at the antics of the bar’s newest employee. Aya had taken
mental note of him when they had been introduced earlier in the evening. The
American bartender was at least 6’ 4", and solid muscle. Grey eyes peered
out of a face surrounded by wild black beard and hair. Aya could understand
why the manager Kei had said Mickey would handle any difficulties the younger
man had while working. The foreigner was scary enough just serving drinks.
The assassin had tried to gather some information about the man, and about Enjo
Totsuka, the first victim who had also worked at the bar. However, Aya had found
his new coworkers were not in a very talkative mood, at least when around him.
Their reticence was most likely based on the assumption that the red head would
not manage to last a shift. It was in part that assumption his co-workers and
even his teammates were making, and the need to see a mission completed, that
kept Aya heading back to his tables and the harassment awaiting him there.
Despite the less than cordial treatment from their server (which really wasn’t
that anti-social for Aya), the red head’s customers were amused. They had been
amazed when presented with the young man, and several were instantly smitten.
As Kei had predicted, they were also intrigued by the challenge before them.
Several men began to conspire together in an effort to gauge the red head’s
reactions. Mild flirting and casual touches earned a quick glare and quicker
step back. Outrageous flirting brought out the glare coupled with drinks being
slammed down on the table, and anything more than a brief touch, or any contact
in ‘inappropriate’ places left one rubbing a very sore wrist and toes that had
been crushed under steel toe boots. No one yet had scored a blush, though several
had earned a long suffering sigh from the object of their attention. All in
all, it was the most fun the men could recall in a long time. It also helped
that ‘Red’ was one of the better servers at the bar, quickly returning with
the correctly ordered drinks and snacks. The only downside to this speedy service
was that it didn’t leave Aya’s customers much time to come up with new battle
plans. Still, the challenge was an excellent distraction, along with the hope
that someone would score a direct hit, and maybe more, with the red head.
While busy filling orders and fending off his customers, Aya was keeping an
eye on the premises, looking for likely suspects. A few of the customers matched
the physique that Weiss was on the look out for, the assassin had to hope they
were regulars so he could gain more information about them. They were quite
busy interacting with the wait staff and the other customers, laughing and flirting
as were most of the people in the packed club. Aya had learned quickly to not
focus too long on the dance floor or the tables situated in the darkened corners.
Staring too long at those areas threatened to bring out a blush, especially
when the occupants of said places happened to notice the attention and tried
to entice the red head to join in. The place was definitely living up to its
reputation.
Maybe I’ve been an assassin too long, Aya thought darkly to himself. But even
when he had been a much more innocent Ran, he could not understand the desire
to drag oneself out to a crowded, noisy, smoke filled club, all in the hopes
of meeting up with a complete stranger and engaging in PDA’s with them. How
could it be that worthwhile? Look at Yohji, engaging in the same course of action,
night after night. If it was really that satisfying, why did one feel the need
to return the next evening? Aya acknowledged that he wasn’t exactly the most
sexual person in the room, most likely he was the least. He had had very little
experience in the matter, and was seeing things tonight he hadn’t even imagined
before. Part of the problem was that he felt very little attraction to another
person. He had been too shy to act on those sparse sparks when he was younger,
and too focused on revenge in the past few years. In fact, there had only been
one person Aya had found himself drawn to since he had joined Kritiker, and
that was an extremely aggravating, playboy of blonde named Yohji Kudoh. Which
just showed one how illogical the whole matter of attraction was. If the red
head could not see himself making a casual connection with some stranger, he
most definitely was not going to give himself to a teammate notorious for his
fickle nature. It would just be too painful.
Snapped back to reality by a long arm snaking around his waist, Aya reminded
himself of his litany and his need to focus on the matter at hand, not distracting
thoughts. Maybe I should to start moving on to shins, the swordsman thought,
foot poised to deliver a vicious blow.
*******
"Oh man, I HAVE to drag Ken into this place, and make sure to bring a camera."
Yohji had just entered the Velvet Room, and stood for a moment or two, taking
in the scene. Velvet wall hangings that draped down from the ceiling and along
the walls gave the club the impression of a circus gone horribly wrong. The
performers here were wearing leather and latex costumes, among other things,
however the blonde spotted a few animal inspired costumes, and several pairs
of tights. Knowing that a lot of the people in the room were nothing more than
wannabe posers, the real fetish freaks being in the members only rooms downstairs,
Yohji was mainly interested in checking out the place that evening. Omi was
supposed to break into the club’s computer system to investigate the membership
list; he would alert Yohji if there were any promising leads. It would then
be up to the older assassin to somehow manage an invite to the rooms below.
He figured that he’d spend some time at the bar, nursing a drink or two while
doing some people watching, pretty much along the lines of what he had done
at the two previous bars so far that evening. The blonde was hoping to become
a familiar figure, making it easier to hit the staff and regulars up for some
information after a night or two. Right now he was just doing some preliminary
recon while waiting for the right time to go check up on Aya.
Making his way to the bar, Yohji found himself distracted from the mission as
his imagination went into overdrive picturing his red head in some of the outfits
he was seeing. At the image of the younger assassin dressed in a pair of laced
up, patchwork leather pants and a matching collar and handcuffs set that one
guy was wearing, the blonde had to wipe his mouth to make sure he wasn’t drooling.
"Screw getting Ken here, what I need to do is drag Aya into this joint.
Why oh why couldn’t he of gotten a job here?" When his black jeans started
feeling a few sizes too small, Yohji realized he need to stop fantasizing about
his kitten decked out in bondage gear rather quickly. Grabbing the first available
seat at the bar, he mentally dredged up anything that would help calm his body
down. Distracted by his raging hormones, he was startled to hear his name being
shouted out.
Snapping his eyes open, he was greeted by a familiar face grinning at him from
the other side of the bar. "Joji, long time no see. What are you doing
here?"
Smiling still, the young man with the long, blue dyed hair shook his head. "That’s
supposed to be my line. I’m just tending bar, never thought I’d see you walk
into a place like this. So what are you doing here?" The two men had known
each other for a couple of years, and had been casual lovers a time or two.
They kept crossing paths every few months, due to the fact that Joji made a
living working at bars and Yohji a habit of spending most of his free time in
them. They always parted friends, and while the bartender was happy to see the
blonde, he was also puzzled by his presence at the fetish club. Yohji wasn’t
adverse to trying something new, but this really wasn’t the type of scene Joji
expected to find him in.
Blinking at the question, Yohji tried to do some fast thinking. The other man
knew that Yohji had been a private investigator way back when; the assassin
didn’t want any word of an investigation to get out and scare away the target.
However, the only thing his lust-crazed mind could come up with was the images
he had been fantasizing over a few minutes before. "Well, you see, I sorta
got this….. friend. And, he, we, uh, I mean…." The blonde was desperately
trying to figure out what he was babbling on about.
The longhaired man was rather amused at his friend’s confused attitude. Thinking
he knew where this was headed, he decided to tease the other man. "Friend,
as in boyfriend? Serious boyfriend at that? You actually settling down with
someone? Man, he must be something special."
"Yeah, he really is something special. And I was thinking, you know, that
maybe we could try something new, something he’d never done before, so I figured
I’d come on down here and maybe get some ideas." Yohji was mentally kicking
himself. What the hell was he saying? If any of this got back to his ‘someone
special’, that person would be quick to remove his head from his body. Most
likely other body parts as well. But Joji seemed to be buying the story.
"Trying to keep the spark alive and all that, huh. I can comprehend. Been
seeing someone steady myself lately. Never thought to bring any of my work home
with me, so to speak. Maybe he’d like that."
Sensing an opportunity, Yohji leaned over the bar top, looking at his friend
intently. "You wouldn’t happen to know anyone who could help me out maybe,
someone other than these posers here, do you?" Turning on the full Kudoh
charm, the blonde watched as his friend paused for a minute, deep in thought.
"You know, there is this one guy who might not mind showing you around.
He’s a member here, but he isn’t as uptight as some of them can be. Give me
some time to see if he’s okay with this, maybe come back Tuesday night. Things
should be a bit slower then. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to get back to
work before you ask me something that will get me in trouble." Smiling
to show he really wasn’t put out by the request, the bartender headed over to
another customer, waving as he went.
Getting up from the bar, Yohji felt rather pleased with himself. He pretty much
succeeded in everything he’d set out to do that night for the mission, and then
some if Joji came through for him. Only one last thing to do, and he had saved
the best for last. Time to go see what sort of mess his red headed kitten had
gotten himself into, and swoop in to rescue him. Imagination going into overdrive
yet again, Yohji walked out of the club with an evil grin on his face.
*******
As Yohji searched the crowded bar, he thought how Bacchus, much like the Velvet
Room, was living up to its reputation. He had already been propositioned several
times, and had stopped two rather enthusiastic attempts to drag him out on the
dance floor. The place was filled with gorgeous men hell bent on having a good
time, and not too worried about where or how they were having it. Yohji had
spotted several red heads, but none were Aya. He was starting to wonder if the
younger assassin had already quit or been fired. It was even worse in here than
the blonde has imagined. He began making his way to the bar, trying to recall
Aya’s cover for this job so he could find out if he was still working, when
he came to a complete stop.
That… couldn’t possibly be Aya could it? Yohji stood there, stunned, as he watched
the red head wait tables. That couldn’t possibly be his icy, repressed teammate.
This red head was sexy as hell, decked out in an outfit that would of done the
blonde proud. Tight, faded blue jeans encased long legs, and were cut low enough
to show a smooth expanse of hips and abdomen. Yohji, not tearing his eyes away
from the sight of all that white skin, caught the gleam of silver around that
slender waist, and was shocked anew. When had Aya gotten his navel pierced?
Was this what he had been hiding under that hideous orange sweater all this
time? The tightest clothes the blonde had ever seen his kitten wear was his
mission uniform, and that was usually covered over by his dark purple trench
coat. A wave of anger swept over the older assassin, upset about being denied
seeing this side of his teammate before. Hell, he had considered himself lucky
if he saw the other man wearing a t-shirt, let alone the getup he was currently
walking around in.
It was apparent that he wasn’t the only one appreciating the sight. The area
that Aya was working was filled with men who kept their eyes on the red head’s
every movement. Seeing one of the swordsman’s customers pat him on the hip and
casually leave his hand there, Yohji felt himself start to move towards the
table, ready to rip said hand off. Before he got more than two feet however,
he was stopped in his tracks once again.
The same red head he had expected to rescue that evening was already handling
the situation. Not bothering to look down, Aya grasped the offending limb by
its pinky, and bending it back sharply, easily removed the hand from his person
and set it down on the table. He then patted the hand, and leaned down to say
something to its owner. Yohji couldn’t catch what was said in the noisy bar,
but whatever it was the man, despite the pain from his mistreated finger, and
his companions laughed and resumed drinking.
This is just so not what I expected, the blonde thought to himself. Nothing
had prepared him to witness a very fuckable looking Aya handling a bunch of
drunk, amorous men in any manner not containing edged weapons and copious amounts
of blood. So much for my great rescue attempt. No wonder he didn’t want me in
on this mission, he can clearly take care of it himself. Yohji leaned up against
the bar, feeling depressed and useless. Might as well have a drink or two and
then call it a night.
About to turn around and catch the bartender’s attention, Yohji paused upon
hearing a loud crash. Spinning around to see what had caused the noise, he once
again found himself leaping into action.
Evidently, one of Aya’s drunken admirers had gotten bored with the games and
rejections, and had decided to do something about it. Waiting until the red
head was clearing a table of empty glasses, he came up behind the smaller man
and enfolded him in a bear hug. Surprised at finding himself trapped, with his
arms pinned to his body and being lifted off the ground, the swordsman dropped
the glasses. He tried to wriggle free, but that just seemed to excite his captor
all the more. He was busy trying to figure out how to get free without breaking
any of the man’s bones when he felt the other man nuzzle his neck.
"Got ya now Red, you’re gonna have to pay to get free. I’m thinking a nice
kiss sounds just about rii..IIEEE!!"
Finding himself abruptly let go of, Aya whirled around, only to be grabbed again.
However, he recognized the person this time, and shock kept him somewhat immobile.
It was Yohji of all people who had grabbed him this time, and had dragged him
over to his side, left arm firmly wrapped around the shorter man’s waist. His
other arm was busy gripping Aya’s attacker’s throat, fingers digging into the
soft flesh. The drunken man was gasping for breath, hands feebly trying to break
the blonde’s grip.
"MINE. You. Do. Not. Touch." Aya stared at the blonde, unable to speak.
He had never heard the other man speak in such a menacing tone. The older assassin
tightened his fingers briefly, and then let Aya’s customer drop to the ground,
gasping as he filled his deprived lungs with air.
Yohji drew in a deep breath himself, and shifted to face the stunned red head
at his side. Looking at Aya’s perplexed expression, the older man opened his
mouth to speak, only to lose his train of thought. Aya was staring at him with
wide violet eyes made all the more brilliant due to the smoky black kohl surrounding
them. Unable to believe how beautiful the other man looked, Yohji found his
head dipping towards the face tilted up at him. "You alright Kitten?"
the blonde asked huskily, his lips mere centimeters from the other’s. Before
he could breach that last bit of distance however, a loud voice made him jerk
his head back up.
"Just what is going on here?" Yohji was greeted with the sight of
a stocky, older man glaring angrily at him and Aya, his eyes sweeping to take
in the man still gasping on the floor and the crowd of people who had gathered
to watch the activities. Behind him was a wild-haired giant gripping a bat.
Yohji pulled Aya in closer, wrapping both arms around the red head protectively.
Sensing the red head draw in a breath to speak, Yohji quickly tightened his
arms even more. "What’s going on is I come in here to check on how my boyfriend
is making out, and find him being attacked by some drunken lout. Isn’t that
right, Kitten?" Yohji felt Aya stiffen in his arms, although whether at
the boyfriend comment or the nickname, he couldn’t tell. The blonde still couldn’t
remember the name Aya was working under.
The stocky man, obviously someone in charge, looked at Aya. "Is that right
Red?" The swordsman, not trusting his voice at the moment, nodded his head.
"You ok?" Another nod. "Well then folks, the show is over. Mickey,
help escort the gentleman on the floor out the door, please. Red, why don’t
you take a break, maybe calm your boyfriend down or something. Speaking of which,
I didn’t catch his name."
When Aya seemed to be unwilling or unable to respond back, Yohji decided to
answer for him. "It’s Yohji Kudoh. Sorry but I didn’t catch your name either."
Yohji decided to use his real name, chances were he would run into more people
who knew him, just like Joji.
"It’s Kei Takeshi. I’m your boyfriend’s boss. We usually don’t encourage
our staff’s significant others hanging out while they work, you might want to
remember that."
"Yeah, well, good thing I was here tonight. No telling what that bastard
could of done to the kitten here. Don’t you believe in making sure the customers
keep from mauling your employees or something?"
"Believe it or not, but these things don’t usually happen. Now take your
boyfriend outside for a couple of minutes and make sure he’s alright."
With that the manager turned around and left.
Feeling the taut bundle of muscles in his arms, Yohji didn’t think he wanted
to take his ‘boyfriend’ anyplace that wasn’t full of witnesses. He had a feeling
that he was not about to enjoy next few minutes, and even less likely to survive
them.
Nonetheless, he felt a steel grip clamp down on his wrist, and was all but dragged
out a side door. Once the door was shut, the red head released the blonde only
to shove him up against the wall. "Boyfriend? Kitten? Just what the hell
are you up to Kudoh? Have you finally lost whatever few brain cells you have
left?" Aya was beyond mad. More than anything, he wanted to know what the
older man was up to, and what had caused him to act like that in the bar. Treating
the red head as if they were lovers. What had given the playboy that right?
Brain in overdrive trying to figure out something to calm the swordsman down,
Yohji pulled out and lit a cigarette. After a drag or two, he glanced down at
his teammate. Sensing that grievous bodily harm was about to be committed against
his person, the blonde knew it was time to quit stalling.
"Look, I came into the bar to check things out, maybe have a drink or two,
and see if anyone was in a chatty mood. How was I to know I would walk in and
see you being assaulted. I figured I’d act the enraged boyfriend, spare you
from blowing your cover before you dismembered the guy. It worked didn’t it?
Your boss was more pissed off at me than you, and maybe those guys in there
will cut you some slack if they think you have a psycho boyfriend looking out
for you. As for the nickname, in all the excitement I couldn’t remember your
cover, so I just said the first thing that entered my head." Yohji held
his breath in anticipation, wondering what body part the red head would go for
first.
"Kitten? That was the first name that popped into your head?" Aya’s
tone was more incredulous than aggressive, as he was still trying to absorb
the blonde’s story. So Yohji was just trying to spare the customer and Aya’s
cover, was he? The older man must be an even better actor than Aya had previously
given him credit for. The assassin would of bet his katana that Yohji had been
dead serious in there. The mere thought that the other man might have feelings
for the red head and was being protective towards him was what had stunned Aya
so much back in the bar.
Sensing that he might survive after all, Yohji offered a sheepish grin. "Yeah,
well, Abyssinian, cat, kitten. That’s what you get for being codenamed after
a feline. Just what is your cover i.d. anyway? Surely Omi came up with something
better than ‘Red’."
Looking away from the blonde, the younger man mumbled, "It’s Makoto. However,
one of the guys working the door is also named Makoto, so they came up with
the nickname to prevent any confusion."
"Huh, makes sense I guess." Yohji finished his cigarette as an awkward
silence stretched between the two men. Aya was looking at anything other than
the blonde, trying to make his emotions understand that the man had meant nothing
with his actions a few minutes ago. Yohji was trying to memorize the exact feel
of the red head in his arms, marveling at how well their two bodies had fit
together. He was also busy cursing that Kei fellow for interrupting his opportunity
to kiss Aya. I was so close, the blonde kept repeating to himself.
Both men jumped at the sound of the door opening. Peering out into the darkness,
a young brunette smiled when he spotted the two men. "Hey Red, Kei told
me to check up on you and let you know you have some tables waiting to be served.
Feel up to coming back in?"
"It’s okay, Seiichi. I’m heading back now. I’ll see you later." This
last bit was directed to Yohji as the red head started for the door. Determined
not to let this chance pass him by, the older man grabbed Aya and tilting his
face up, planted a kiss on his lips. Stunned by the attack, the red head remained
frozen for several heartbeats, trying to assimilate the fact the Yohji was kissing
him.
‘Kami-sama, he tastes even sweeter than I imagined.’ Yohji had to hold himself
back from thrusting his tongue into his kitten’s mouth, he knew there was a
limit to how far he could push Aya that night. He contented himself with savoring
the flavor of the younger man’s lips, and with how right it felt to hold him
in his arms once again. When he felt the younger man overcome his startlement
and tense up, Yohji ended the kiss and stepped back quickly. Noting the glare
that the red head was giving him, he winked back in return. Smiling at the amused
Seiichi, Yohji waved goodbye. "Keep an eye on the kitten for me. I’ll see
you at home, love. Take care." The blonde decided that it would be in his
best interest to beat a hasty retreat at that time.
Heading back into the bar, Aya ignored the grin his co-worker was giving him.
"Guess it’s back to work for the kitten, huh?"
As the red head made for his section of the bar, a new litany was beginning
in his head. ‘Must not kill Yohji. Must not kill Yohji………’