Work Text:
Aside from the light that shimmered through the windows in the lowest floors, the tall skyscraper across the street lay entirely dark. There had to be stars overhead, but the light of the city drowned them entirely. The only shimmering thing was the jewellery of the men and women who approached the entrance. The men were all wearing suits and ties while the women wore glamorous dresses, some of them long and wide, elegantly flowing around their bearers, others, like her own, tighter and more form-fitting.
It was Yuzu’s first time being invited to a high-society party and she was pretty nervous about it. She had spent almost three hours in front of the mirror, before she was satisfied with her look. In the end she had donned a citrus-coloured, sleeveless dress along with long gloves and a pair of small note-shaped earrings.
Now all that was missing was Yuya.
For the one-hundredth time she checked her phone, but there still wasn’t any message from him. “Damn. Where are you?” she muttered, almost hammering the words into the phone. She didn’t expect an answer, but still it made her feel a little bit better.
She let out an annoyed sigh and looked down the streets. Hundreds of street lights… Hundreds of mocking faces laughing at her, the only one who was left out again. A glance on her phone told her it was 21:03 already. He was more than half an hour late.
This did it. If that jerk showed up after all he would have to look how he came in. Yuzu looked left and right before she crossed the street and approached the entrance. Although she knew how embarrassing it was to show up alone, this party was something she definitely didn’t want to miss.
One of the muscular men at the entrance noticed her and stepped in her way. “Excuse me, Miss…”
“Hiragi. Yuzu”, she replied. “I have an invitation.” She showed him the letter and he gave it a brief look.
“That may be, Miss Hiragi, but you need to have an escort.”
W-What? Oh, right. The invitation had said something about that.
“I don’t know why, but my boyfriend doesn’t show up.”
“I am sorry, Miss, but admittance is only for couples.”
“But couldn’t you…”
“I am afraid not.”
Yuzu could sense a few of the other guests looking at her. Great. Now she wasn’t just the girl who showed up on the party alone, but the girl who wasn’t even allowed to enter. If one of the other girls from school would learn about that, she’d die of embarrassment. She wished the ground would just open up to swallow her.
“Excuse me, Miss. May I offer myself to be your escort then?”
Surprised, Yuzu turned to the young man who was suddenly standing behind her. He was wearing a plain black suit over a white shirt with a small black tie. Long red curls framed his fair, smiling face.
“Who… Who are you?” she asked bewildered.
“Oh, my pardon. My name is Dennis Mackfield. Unfortunately my escort has cancelled at the last minute, so I’m currently having the same problem you have.”
“I… I see”, she muttered.
Well… To be honest Yuya hadn’t been very keen on going to this party either. It had been quite a task to talk him into coming, so… this guy couldn’t be much worse, right?
“I wouldn’t mind.”
A smile flickered over the man’s face and suddenly he leaned forward and took her hand. “Your boyfriend must be insane to ditch such a marvellous-looking girl like you”, he muttered and breathed a light kiss on the back of her hand.
Yuzu could feel a surge of heat rising to her cheeks as she stared at him. “T-Thank you, Mister”, she whispered breathlessly.
He gave out a chuckle as he straightened and scratched the back of his head. “Oh, please call me Dennis. Now, let’s enjoy ourselves.” He turned to the doorman. “That would be okay, wouldn’t it?”
“Err… Yes, I guess so.”
Was it just her or did she hear a hint of reluctance in his voice? She decided she didn’t care when Dennis placed his arm on hers and escorted her through the door.
After passing a large cloakroom where Yuzu left her handbag, they entered an even larger hall.
At first Yuzu was dazzled by all the light. Golden chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling which was supported by palatial carved columns, the walls showed old oil paintings of dancing ladies in capacious ball gowns and men wearing old-fashioned suits and white wigs and everywhere people in sophisticated clothing were standing and talking to each other. In the background soft violin music was playing.
Before they made more than five steps into the room, a waiter approached them and offered them a tray of champagne. Dennis took two glasses and passed one to her.
“Well… Here’s to you”, Yuzu said. “Thank you for helping me.”
“You were the one helping me”, he replied and chinked glasses with her, producing a high ringing sound. “Here’s to you. May you stay as beautiful as you look today.”
An insecure smile tugged at her lips and she took a sip from her glass.
Dennis cut his way through the crowd until they reached a small table near the end of the hall. “Please wait here while I get us something to eat, okay?”
She nodded and he began to make his way over to the buffet. She watched him for a while. He was moving very smoothly through the crowd. To her it looked like an unpredictable mass of humans and more than once she saw someone suddenly making a step back. But for some reason Dennis managed to weave his way through without effort. Whenever someone seemed to block his way, he miraculously was one step ahead already.
He was a strange individual, she thought, but there was something about him that fascinated her. She wasn’t quite able to put her finger on it though.
Yuzu sighed and let her gaze wander through the room. Scraps of conversation reached her ear. A young manager who bragged about the profit of his company. Two women who talked about the upcoming fashion trends. A young couple who quietly exchanged endearments. She didn’t really care about the words, just enjoyed the sound of it, of all the prestigious and wealthy people around her. She enjoyed being part of it.
In a short distance she could see the father of the classmate who invited her. Probably he’d be around here too, trying to find someone he could brag to about his latest achievements.
“I’m sorry”, Dennis said as his red thatch appeared beside her. “There certainly are too many people here.” He handed her a plate that was buried beneath so much food she needed to be careful not to drop anything.
“Umm, I… didn’t know what you like, so I tried to take a little of everything. I hope you don’t mind.” In contrast to the charming behaviour from earlier, now he almost looked awkward. It was kind of cute.
“Say, do you know someone here, Dennis?” she asked as she tasted a filled egg.
“Not personally, no”, he answered. “I… I came here in place of a friend who was tied up with business. But, umm… I think the man over there is the head of the Maiami bank. And the woman next to him is the leading actress in the current opera. And at the table behind them are the CEO of the evening post and the chairman of the Soen group.”
“Wow”, Yuzu said surprised. “You know a lot of people.”
“Well, it is part of my job to know the VIPs.”
“Really? And what is your job?”
He gave her a wry smile. “I guess you could call me some kind of lobbyist.”
She made a disbelieving face. It really was hard to imagine this lively young man flattering politicians and businessmen to manipulate decisions. But then again, maybe that was what made him perfect for it.
He sighed when he saw her reaction. “It’s not a very clean job, I know. Sometimes I wish I could just quit and do something else.”
She was about to make a reply, when suddenly a loud voice made her turn. “Yuzu! There you are!”
“O-Oh. Shingo.”
“You’re looking splendid, Yuzu”, the boy in the light grey suit said with a faint smile as he joined them at their table. “Not as splendid as I do, but…”
“Thank you”, she replied friendly. She had already had enough time to get used to his egocentric demeanour and it didn’t bother her anymore. It was just who he was.
Suddenly he made a confused face when he noticed Dennis. “Who’s that? Didn’t you want to come with Yuya?”
She let out an annoyed sigh. “That jerk didn’t show up”, she said sulkily, “so he picked me up at the entrance.”
“Dennis Mackfield”, Dennis said with a light bow. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Err… sure”, Shingo replied. “Sawatari Shingo, son of the Mayor Sawatari.”
“Ah, I’ve already heard of you”, Dennis said and a brief smiled flashed over his face.
“You… You have?” After a moment Shingo’s bewilderment vanished and he tilted back his head. “Of course you have. For a moment I almost forgot how famous I am.”
Something cracked and then there was a nasty screech of a loudspeaker. Around them the talking ceased and heads started to turn to the dais at the end of the hall where a blonde-haired man in a purple suit with a microphone had appeared.
“Oh, it’s starting”, Shingo said. “Well then, see you.” And within a blink he had vanished into the crowd.
“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen”, the man with the microphone began. “I hope you all are having fun already.”
Unobtrusively, Dennis leaned to her. “Is he always like that?” he asked, looking to where Shingo had disappeared.
“Most of the time, yes.”
“As you all know we have gathered here to congratulate Mayor Sawatari to his victory in the election. We hope that he will lead our city into a prosperous future. Mister Sawatari, would you like to address a few words to you guests?”
For a moment there was silence as the short man set down his champagne and climbed the steps to the dais.
“Well, first of all I’d like to thank everyone who gave me their vote”, he said into the microphone. “Although today I will tolerate even those who didn’t.” A small wave of laughter surged through the room.
“Say, do you know who he is?” Yuzu asked and pointed at the man in the purple suit who had taken a step back.
“Jean-Michel Roget”, Dennis replied quietly. “The organiser of this party. It’s said most of the donations for the mayor’s campaign were actually coming from him.” She noticed there was a secretive sort of smile present on Dennis’ lips, fascinated, but also a little grim. “In fact, this whole election was nothing but a farce. Roget is the one who’s pulling the strings behind this. And with Mayor Sawatari he has just found himself a new puppet.”
“…and I promise I will do everything I can to maintain peace and prosperity in our city.”
The guests applauded as he bowed his head and handed the microphone back to Roget. Close to the dais Yuzu could see Shingo, crowded by a few girls. Probably he was telling them he was the son of the man who just spoke before going on about how his own career would become much greater, she thought with a smile.
“Now, ladies and gentlemen, as you all have longed for, I herewith declare the dance floor on the first level open and I invite all of you to follow us.”
The people around began shuffling to the stairways. Only a few didn’t move. It appeared dancing was much more common here than in the circles she was used to. Yuzu still remembered her first middle school party where only a handful of boys were even willing to dance and the rest just stood around to gape.
Suddenly Dennis turned to her and made a light bow. “May I ask you for a dance, milady?” he asked and once again Yuzu felt her cheeks flushing red.
“Umm… Yes, of course.”
He gave her a beaming smile and they joined the stream of people to the ballroom.
They were welcomed by a calm and stately piano melody. Various couples were covering the huge dance floor already, slowly swirling to the music. Without a word their hands entwined and they began to dance.
On the way up here Yuzu had wondered if Dennis was even able to dance. She had already been paired up with people who hardly knew the basics and it had been up to her to make sure they kept to the rhythm and didn’t step on her feet. However, Dennis turned out to be a good dancer. He led her firmly, not with the overconfidence of someone who wanted to show their skill, but with the calm security of someone who knew their part. He was obviously more experienced than Yuya who was interested in dancing as well, but was still making many mistakes.
After a first minute of careful observation Yuzu noticed how her initial tension faded and she began to relax, leaning into his gentle grip.
“Say, Yuzu”, he asked after a while. “There’s one thing I’ve wanted to ask you the whole time. Why does such an amazing girl like you want to go to a party like this? It may look different on the outside, but in truth it’s just a means for the elite to show their wealth to each other.”
She blushed at the compliment and cast down her eyes.
“It may sound a bit shallow, but… doesn’t every girl want to attend such a fancy party at least once in their life?”
For a moment he made a surprised face. “I see.”
“And what about you? You don’t seem to have a good opinion of this party, so why did you come?”
“Well… actually it was for business reasons”, he answered wryly.
“You mean socialising with important people?”
“I guess you could say that.”
“Then why don’t you do it? I think I’m the only person you’ve been talking to this evening.”
Dennis cracked a smile and suddenly he leaned forward. Yuzu felt her body grow hot at the sudden closeness.
“That’s because I think you’re absolutely worth it”, he whispered into her ear.
The smile on his face made it hard to tell how serious he was about this, but nevertheless Yuzu’s heart was beating incredibly loud, almost drowning out the music of the piano.
When another couple passed them, she almost tripped over her feet and it was just thanks to Dennis’ arm around her waist that she didn’t fall.
“I-I’m sorry”, she muttered. “That was my mistake.”
“An old teacher of mine once said ‘There are no mistakes. Only chances to learn’.”
Ashamed, she cast down her eyes. “Your… Your girlfriend is a most fortunate woman.”
“Actually I don’t have one.”
“Huh? Then who did you…?”
“Oh, she. Well… She is just a friend. Nothing more. I have promised myself not to have a girlfriend. Although…” He gave her a mischievous smile. “Maybe for you I’d make an exception.”
Yuzu averted her head. “P-Please stop that. You’re embarrassing me.”
He chuckled lightly. “I’m only joking.”
The music stopped and one after another the couples around them stopped moving as well. A few of them started shuffling towards the corners of the room.
“Still, I am glad to be here with you.”
She gazed into his eyes and for a moment she didn’t think there was any gemstone in this world that could match up to their beauty.
“Yes. I… I feel the same.”
The musicians began to play again, a faster song this time. Especially the older couples left the dance floor and a few younger ones got on in return.
“I noticed you have grown pretty constrained”, Dennis remarked.
“Is there anything wrong with it?” Yuzu asked.
“Oh. No, there isn’t. But when I first saw you, I thought you were burning with a fire I have rarely seen before.”
“Well…” Yuzu began uncomfortably. “People keep telling me I tend to act a bit too impulsive.”
Suddenly he cupped both of her hands with his and looked her straight in the eye. “I don’t mind you being impulsive”, he said gently. “So how about it? Would you like to show me that fire of yours?”
After a moment of surprise she couldn’t help but return his smile. “If you can keep up with me”, she replied teasingly.
“I’ll do my very best.”
When they walked off the dance floor, Yuzu was pretty out of breath. She had meant to hold back, but Dennis had indeed kept up with her, somehow even enticing her to let out more and more of the passion she had bottled up for so long. She had never really met anyone who harmonised this much with her, who even seemed to predict what move she was going to make.
“Wow… This was… awesome”, she muttered, not caring about how red her face must look at the moment. “I think I’ve never had this much fun dancing before.”
“Yes. It’s the same with me.” He paused for a moment. “Umm… Excuse me, but would you mind if I leave you alone for a minute. I need to check out the plumbing.”
Yuzu looked down at her sticky hands. “I guess I could use a washbasin too.”
They left the ballroom and stepped into a much quieter corridor. At its end Dennis spotted the sign leading the way to the toilets. Yuzu took the door to the woman’s toiled while Dennis stepped through the other one.
As she washed her hands, she gave herself a look in the mirror. The sweat had already skimmed part of her makeup, but to her surprise she found she actually didn’t care about it. Excitement was still too present on her mind. She had felt so vibrant, so alive… Whatever might happen, this evening was one she wouldn’t regret.
She drew in a long breath and walked out of the toilet. Dennis was already waiting for her, looking at the stairway that lead upwards.
“So, I’m done”, she said.
He nodded thoughtfully. “What do you think is up there?” he asked.
“Dunno.”
“Hmm… Would you like to find out?”
“W-What? But… I don’t think we’re supposed to go there.”
He gave her a beaming grin. “That’s what makes it exciting, isn’t it?” With that he began climbing the stairs.
“Hey! Dennis, wait!” He didn’t turn around. “Oh, the heck with it”, she muttered as she followed him.
The stairs went up for another twenty floors, but Dennis stopped at the eighth one. “I’m still not convinced we should do this”, she muttered out of breath as she caught up to him.
“Ah, so what?” he asked, pulling her on. “Hey, I bet the view from up here is breathtaking.”
Too late Yuzu realised what he was about to do and she couldn’t stop him from opening the next door. It led to a spacious office with a large desk which was placed so whoever was sitting behind it wouldn’t be distracted by the lights of the city.
Yuzu noticed a second door leading to the adjacent room. Light was shining beneath it and she could hear muffled voices on the other side. Her instincts told her to turn back and she was about to comply when her eyes met the sight beyond the window.
At once her mind went blank. Slowly she walked around the desk until her breath started to fog the glass.
There were myriads of lights out there. Street lights, traffic lights, but also lights in the windows of lower buildings. In the distance she could see the blue glow of the big Ferris wheel in the amusement park. Above it, the blinking lights of an airplane drew their path across the nightly sky.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Dennis muttered faintly as he stepped next to her.
“Yes”, she whispered, afraid the sight could disappear if she turned away for just a second.
She wasn’t sure how long they stood there. Probably it was less than five minutes, although if someone had told her it had been hours or even years, she would’ve believed them immediately.
There were so many… So many colours, so many lives, each fragile on its own, but together they formed this vibrant, pulsating spring of life. It was… marvellously beautiful.
Suddenly the sound of chairs being pushed back tore her out of her enchantment. The voices on the other side of the door drew closer. Panicking, she looked at Dennis who was already looking around in search of a hiding spot. In the last moment he grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a curtain, just in time before the door opened and a group of people stepped into the office.
“Thank you for coming, gentlemen”, the voice of Jean-Michel Roget said. “I expect this to be a very lucrative term for all of us.”
Yuzu’s heart started beating so fast she thought it would shatter any moment, and this time it wasn’t just because she was pressed tightly against Dennis. Her breath was running wild. What if they were caught? They were obviously not allowed to be here and there was no way they could talk themselves out of this.
“Calm down”, Dennis whispered into her ear.
“I… I can’t”, she whispered back.
His eyes flicked to the people for a moment. Then he leaned forward and captured her lips.
Yuzu’s body froze at once, the wondrous sensation drowned out everything else. There was just her, him and the feeling that there actually wasn’t any difference between them. She heard the steps of the people leaving the room, heard their muffled talking, but it didn’t have any importance to her.
Though her breath had stopped right now, Dennis didn’t pull away. Instead he seemed to go even deeper into the kiss. Slowly Yuzu’s arms slid around his back.
“All of you, have a safe trip home. Oh and enjoy yourselves at the party for a while”, Roget said behind her. Then the door snapped shut and through a veil of bliss she could hear him turn around, walking over to the desk.
Yuzu began to awake from her trance, as a sudden panic crept back into her heart. She hadn’t considered the possibility someone would stay here. Eventually she’d run out of breath and then he would hear her gasp for air. Then everything would be over.
She attempted to pull away, but Dennis wouldn’t let her. His hand wandered to the back of her head and pressed her against him.
“These fools”, Roget muttered quietly. “None of them notices I am only using them. I never thought it could be this easy.”
Suddenly Dennis’ other hand brushed her arm and she could feel something cold and hard in it. Then there was the noise. It was actually very quiet, but it tore the deep silence like a thunderbolt.
Yuzu’s eyes grew wide and she pushed away from Dennis. When she turned around, the man in the purple suit was staring first at her and then at the red spot that started to spread on his chest. With a rattling sound he collapsed.
Dennis pushed away the curtains and stepped towards him. In his hand he was holding a pistol with a silencer.
“But… But why?” Roget muttered weakly.
“I’m afraid your greed has grown too large, Mister Roget”, Dennis replied in a soft voice that was dreadfully similar to the one he had used to address compliments to her. “You have made a few people very angry.” He gazed down at the dying man and a cold, merciless smile played around his lips. “Actually you can’t imagine how happy it makes me to be the one to kill you.”
Roget opened his mouth, but all that came out were a few incoherent sounds, before his head lolled back and he stopped moving. A puddle of crimson was spreading on the laminate. The colour made Yuzu want to throw up.
“Dennis, what…?”
“Bribery and fraud were just the least of his crimes”, Dennis said, still smiling. “His rise to the richest and most powerful man in this city is littered with dead bodies. It was inevitable to erase him from this world one day.”
“But… I don’t understand… You…”
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m a lobbyist. It is my job to make people understand what my boss wants. And… sometimes that involves a little unpleasant measures.”
Yuzu stared at him in dismay. “This is what you have to say? You just murdered someone. You fucking murdered him!”
“Yes, I’m sorry you had to see this, Yuzu. And I’m also sorry I lied to you. In truth I never had an invitation to this party.”
Yuzu sank to her knees when she understood. “So you just used me?” she muttered wanly. “You planned on killing him from the start and you needed me just to get you in?”
“I’m afraid, yes.”
He stepped to her and reached for her shoulder, but she smacked away his hand and backed away. Tears were welling up in her eyes, but she didn’t care. All she could think of was how gentle he had held her. And in the next moment he had coldheartedly killed someone.
Why… Why did her heart suddenly ache this much?
Dennis lowered his hand. The look he gave her was almost sympathetic. “I guess I cannot blame you for hating me now”, he said. “But you should know that not everything I said this evening was a lie. I really think you are the most amazing girl I’ve ever met. It is just that my fate has been cursed from the very beginning.”
He turned around, gave Roget’s corpse another glance and stepped to the door. “If I may give you an advice, you should disappear from this place before someone finds him. Oh, and don’t worry about your boyfriend. He’s asleep right now, but he should wake up in a few hours.”
“Shut up!” she said, her voice shaking with anger and shock. “I don’t want to hear another word out of your mouth. Just go and never come into my life again!”
He gave her a last sad look and stepped out into the corridor.
Yuzu managed to control herself for another few seconds, but then she couldn’t hold back the tears any longer and violent sobs began to burst out of her.