Archive of Our Own

But, in a seedy alleyway in a bad part of the city, who exactly would that be?

"'Sou Hiyori', right?"

The sound of the name made him jump, eyes darting over to the person speaking to him. The Chidouin family was full of important people, wasn't it? It seemed bizarre to have their daughter running errands for small-time criminals like himself .

"Sara Chidouin," he replied promptly . Seeing a tall young man with long dark hair at her side, he threw in a hasty bow. The bodyguard seemed unimpressed, but didn't say anything. "I, uh... brought the money I owe your father. I didn't have a nice bag to put it in, or anything..."

Flashing a disarming smile, Sara shook her head and held out a plain-looking folder to him. Without even asking to see his payment? For an heiress gangster, she seemed surprisingly laid back.

"Oh, don't worry about it! The thing is, I want to make sure I didn't forget anything, since it's my first time making a delivery like this. All the standard papers should be there. Bank account information, identification, previous addresses, credit history, SIM card and cell phone contract..." She counted on her fingers as she spoke, then trailed off to glance at her bodyguard.

"...Am I missing something, Kai?"

"The death certificate for the former identity."

She nodded rapidly , looking grateful. "Right! Everything else wouldn't be much help with out that, would it? But, please look everything over!"

If she was fine with it, he didn't see a reason to refuse. Opening the folder, he tipped it over and let a small square of plastic fall into his hand. An ID with his picture.

That was him, wasn't it? Not Shin Tsukimi, but Sou Hyori. The new identity he'd purchased from the Chidouin family. His second chance.

After taking in the sight for a few seconds, he snapped back to reality. Standing there not saying anything made him look stupid. Lingering for too long would be legitimately stupid.

He stuffed a hand into his pocket and pulled out a roll of bills wrapped with a rubber band. Sara took it with both hands before passing it off to her bodyguard for safekeeping.

"Thanks for your help," he said after a relieved breath. "And thank your dad for me too, alright? Nice meeting you and all, but I need to get going. I need to scan these and file these, you know? Starting your life over is really time consuming."

He'd turned and only managed half a step before a weary sigh cut through his farewell. The man, Kai, didn't seem content to leave things there. Ah, well. He half-expected this to happen.

"...This is less than half of what you owe the Chidouins."

"Are you sure, Kai..?" Sara's tone was harder to place now. Like she was more disappointed than surprised. "Maybe there's been a mistake?"

He turned back, holding his hands up as if surrendering. Looking as hapless as possible would serve him well here.

"Oh... was that not the agreed upon amount?" Did that sound sincere? He'd practiced this so many time, it had to work. "I'm awfully sorry, but it's all I have to my name. If you still need more, there's nothing I can give you today."

Lying to a gangster should have been harder. As scared as he was, it felt good. Anything to grasp some power for himself, now that he was someone new. Shin Tsukimi couldn't pull this off, but Sou Hiyori could. He had to.

"This isn't good..."

Grimacing, Sara crossed her arms and seemed to consider her options. Looking back to Kai, she tipped her head in Sou's direction. He then heard something unexpected come out of the friendly girl's lips.

"Get him against the wall and check his pockets, then. We might as well do our due diligence."

It would have been to simply go free, but the bodyguard was on him within seconds. Pushed up against one of the alley's many stained brick walls, he didn't resist. The texture was cold and rough against his face as the man's inquisitive hands rummaged through his pockets .

When Sara moved into view once more, he offered a self-deprecating smile.

"Well, this is embarrassing. If I promise to keep making payments, can I keep my papers? I'll be in some big trouble without them."

The look of deep-thought still hadn't left her face. His luck really was changing already, wasn't it? That someone so young and sympathetic would be the only real obstacle left in his way.

"I need to have all the money tonight, but..." She crossed her arms and trailed off, weighing her options. Lucky for him, she seemed reluctant to ruin his night. "Alright. I'll cover the remaining amount you owe, and you can pay me back instead of my dad. That's probably the best way to do this."

Letting out a sigh, he gave several grateful nods.

"I would appreciate it, Miss Sara. Would you like to meet to discuss a plan? As soon as tomorrow would be fine with me, whatever is most convenient f-for... you."

He choked partway through his sentence, ending it awkwardly . Kai's hand had moved into the front of his jacket and paused. Two fingers then slipped into a hole in the lining, pulling out a piece of stiff paper. He scrutinized it in the low outdoor light.

"...A train ticket," Kai announced, with little fanfare. "It would be difficult for him to meet you tomorrow, from such a far-off location. One might wonder if he ever had any intentions of settling up with your family."

That didn't feel fair. Where else was he supposed to hide it? In his hat? His shoes or underwear? Swallowing, he felt himself pale. He wasn't looking at the generous young woman anymore. He didn't think his stomach couldn't handle her reaction.

"Ah, I really hate liars..."

The pressure of the bodyguard's grip lifted. Before he could wonder why, a slender hand gripped his shoulder and spun him around roughly. He was face to face with Sara Chidouin, and she didn't look as understanding now.

"But I do like meeting interesting people," she continued. The sharpness in her eyes was unsettling; like a samurai about to strike true with her blade. "So, how about this? I'll pay for your new identity. The whole thing!"

She reached back, gesturing for Kai to hand her his paltry roll of money. Her gaze never leaving his, she pushed the bundle against his chest with a smile.

"As of right now, I own Sou Hiyori. I'll lend him to you, and I can even find you well-paying work until you can afford buy him back from me."

He could only stammer in response, flushed with embarrassment. Deep down, he was still Shin Tsukimi, wasn't he? Changing yourself was harder than simply emptying his pockets and running away.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Sara finally stepped back, leaving him in the hole he dug himself. Before making her exit, she turned to give one more order to Kai.

"Can you keep an eye on him tonight? And bring him to the main house for breakfast so we can figure out how to make him useful." Her tone was back to normal. When she flashed him one last smile and wave, he couldn't help but flinch. "No skipping town, okay? You belong to me now, after all."

He swallowed a large lump in his throat, gripping his new identity and remaining money tightly . When he spoke up, Kai answered at the same time, with the same words.