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"You're not supposed to be here."
"Neither are you."
Akutagawa Ryuunosuke, while carrying out his assassination assignment, has bumped into some unexpected complications - quite literally.
He studies the meek-looking waiter before him in the dimly-lit hall. The man looks about his age and terrified, probably regretting his retort to the strange security guard he's walked into. "I'm sorry - I was definitely not slacking - I'll just... get back to the ballroom..." He starts backing away.
"No. Come with me." Sometimes there will be civilian casualties; it's unavoidable in his line of work. The trick is knowing how to make it seem like an accident. Oh, maybe he can even think of a way to paint the waiter as the murderer. It's not like he'd still be alive to worry about the police pressing charges. His tone was authoritative enough that the other man follows him without much question.
"Awfully secluded balcony you've brought me to," the waiter remarks, looking over the railings down into the mansion grounds. There's no one else on this side of the property; the maze and outdoor furnishings are on the other end.
"You're a fool for following" Akutagawa says, advancing. He'll snap his neck, then throw him off the balcony. If he can kill his original target quickly enough, the difference between their time of death won't be so apparent.
Maybe he'll poison the target. It can be made to seem like the waiter, after poisoning the government official, felt consumed by guilt and threw himself off the balcony, even before the poison killed the target. That way their times of death can be explained reasonably enough. Yes, child's play...
His hands are on either side of the unfortunate nuisance's head -
He's staring into a brilliant pair of purple-yellow eyes, and something sharp is digging into his neck.
Akutagawa can snap a person's neck within a single second, so for the waiter to not only sense the threat but to make a counterattack of his own within that timeframe...
"Oh?" Akutagawa looks down at the knife against his throat.
The waiter glares at him, ignoring the hands still dangerously close to his own neck. "You're one of them."
There are only two organizations in the city, so the waiter must be from the other one. An annoyance, since killing one of their people would bring about a whole lot of trouble from the higher-ups. They have a sort of strange balance.
"Yes. Now what?" Akutagawa smirks. "Aren't you supposed to be on the side that doesn't kill?"
"I've taken that into account." The knife digs a little deeper. "The chemical coating on this blade will only knock you out, once it enters your bloodstream."
Hey now. This is more trouble than Akutagawa bargained for. He can actually feel the skin where the knife is touching going numb by the moment.
"It'll still be enough time for me to snap your pretty neck in half." A half-lie, since he really shouldn't kill a rival agent, but the waiter doesn't have to know that. To drive in his point he brushes his fingers lightly against the waiter's throat. Your life is still in my grasp. He feels trembles beneath his fingertips. "Why don't we stay out of each other's business?"
"You're not here to stop me?"
"No. We don't interfere with whatever your side is up to."
The waiter glares at him for a beat longer, then lowers his knife. "Not directly, at least."
"True." Akutagawa moves his hands away from his throat, only to lean in and grab the waiter's necktie, pulling their faces close together. "What did you think you're doing, threatening me like that?" he says into the other's ear, coldly.
A flash of fear darts across the waiter's face, but it was gone quickly. It was almost commendable. "We are on opposite sides."
"You better not get in my way."
"I won't."
Akutagawa releases him and leans back against the railings. "So, what's your mission?"
"...I have to steal something. You?"
"I could just not answer."
"You will."
"Why?"
"Just a hunch."
"So cocky for a newcomer to the industry." Akutagawa sighs. "Assassination."
"Typical of the syndicate. Which one?"
Something in the waiter's face changes when Akutagawa divulges the name of his target. "Oh, you know him?"
"He deals in human trafficking." The waiter's eyes are hard, a cold fury burning inside them. "Orphaned children especially."
"I take it you don't like the guy."
"Not at all," the waiter replies. "In fact, I might even know where you can find him."
Akutagawa turns the piece of information around in his head; it does make his assignment much easier, not having to search for his target. "Been eavesdropping on the guests' conversations, I see. Not very professional behaviour from a waiter."
"You're assassinating someone while dressed as a security officer."
"Point taken." He can't say he's not enjoying this new turn of events. "What about your assignment?"
"A flash drive with dirt on another government official."
"The one receiving bribes?"
"I can't imagine how that can narrow it down for you, but yes," the waiter remarks bitterly. "We have a process for bringing him to justice."
"Tch, so slow. How many more lives can he destroy in that time?" The waiter's mouth is set in a grim line; so he's aware of this fact. Akutagawa pushes off the railing. "I have a proposal, agency boy."
"I have a name - " The waiter cuts himself off.
" - that you're not supposed to give." Akutagawa finishes his sentence for him and slides his hands into his trouser pockets. "My proposal is this: we have a competition. The faster one to finish his assignment wins."
"And the slower one?"
"He loses, obviously. Did I pull your tie too hard?"
"No, I mean - will there be a punishment?"
Thinking immediately of that, huh. "Naturally. I just haven't thought of what it'll be yet."
"That's only if you win."
"I like that confidence." Akutagawa grins. "Well then, see you later."
He disappears back into the many halls, leaving the waiter on the balcony.
-
The target did not put up much of a fight, but then again no one does, nowadays. It's underwhelming.
His steps are light as he makes his way to the garden maze, where they've decided to meet. The northeastern corner - that's the most secluded spot.
Down these stairs, along a few more hallways, and out a side door...
A crackle from the walkie-talkie at his waist.
"...suspicious activity in East Wing... requesting support... nearby personnels..."
East Wing... that's where the office with the flash drive is.
If he went there from where he is currently, the direction he came from would raise suspicion. He's definitely supposed to be somewhere else.
But still... if the waiter gets caught it'll be a while before they get to meet again.
"Copy," Akutagawa says quietly into the walkie talkie, cursing himself endlessly. He heads over.
-
The north end of the junction, directly opposite him, is a flight of stairs leading both up and down. The door to the study lies on the east end, out of sight from where he is, approaching from the south end. Akutagawa knows from the map he has memorized that to the west the hallway stretches far, with no place to hide.
There are two guards standing in the junction. Knowing he only has a few moments to act Akutagawa racks his brain for a way to get them to move and leave a clear path to the stairs.
"Is it this room?" he says, hopefully loudly enough for anyone in the study to hear. He throws open a door he knows he is not supposed to, much to the horror of the two security officers, and the couple making out in the room. "Oh. Sorry."
The officers, as he had hoped, rushed towards him, their backs to the junction. "What are you doing?"
"I... heard the message on the walkie-talkie," Akutagawa answers obediently.
"Why did you come from that direction, anyway?" One of the officers peers over Akutagawa's shoulder suspiciously, into the hallway behind.
"I went... to the bathroom."
"There's loads nearer, though?"
"...I did not want to make the guests uncomfortable." Bullshit. Oh, he's so far out of his comfort zone. Why has he done this? Even if the agency boy did land himself in prison the rival organization will just get him out soon enough. Why did he think he'd need his help?
Akutagawa puts on his best earnest face, which mostly involves him looking with wide eyes at the person he's talking to. Actually, he's not sure how it works, but his fellow syndicate members tell him he's perfected it. He hopes they are right. It usually isn't his style, then again nothing about tonight has been like his regular nights.
"Oh, please." One of the security guards claps him on the back heartily. "Don't worry about shit like that. We use the fancy bathrooms whenever we get to, got it?"
Akutagawa nods. "Alright."
Behind them, the waiter pokes his head into the intersection, then disappears down the stairs. He did all this very very silently, making not a single sound, even to Akutagawa who has been trained to pick up the slightest noise.
"It's this room over here." They lead Akutagawa back to the office at the end of the east-west hall. "There was a crash from inside."
"A crash?" That seems entirely at odds with how quiet the rival agent was just now.
"Yes. This room has sensitive material in it, so patrol around it is a bit tighter... ah, you know all that already, no doubt."
Akutagawa nods silently - he knows more than they could've even guessed - and they open the door, guns drawn.
Inside is a simple study: a desk surrounded by bookshelves and filing cabinets. Large windows on the opposite wall. Some potted plants in the corners. And on the rug, a tabby cat curled up but looking at them warily.
"Oh, it's just the cat." The shorter guard rights a stationery stand that has fallen off the desk, presumably the handiwork of the animal. "False alarm. Back to patrolling."
Akutagawa turns silently to go. "Don't get caught wandering off now, lad." One of them calls after him. "Thanks for coming over to help."
He nods once in reply.
-
"You're late." The waiter straightens from where he had been leaning against a fountain stand.
Here, the only illumination comes from the moonlight. "Sorry, got lost."
"Oh please, you must've memorize the layout of the entire property." The waiter grins. "Including this maze. It's how you're able to know this is the most secluded corner, right?"
"Of course." He has a cute smile. "I guess you won, huh."
"Yep. Here's your punishment."
He's fast, faster even than Akutagawa imagined possible. A hand grabs his collar - maybe revenge for earlier - and something soft presses against his cheek.
Akutagawa blinks in surprise as the waiter kisses him.
Oh.
The waiter pulls back, releasing his hold on Akutagawa's collar. "As thanks... for your help." He's pointedly avoiding Akutagawa's eyes. "It's not like I would've won without you causing that distraction."
The blush on his cheek, Akutagawa admits, is terribly adorable. "I thought it'd be harsher of a punishment," he remarks lightly.
"Like I said," the waiter huffs, "it's a thank you. Now we're even."
"I think I'll be the judge of that." Akutagawa leans in before he can stop himself - before he can even think, really. Ah, he's a little taller than the agency boy. Gently, Akutagawa tilts the waiter's chin so their eyes meet. "May I?"
What is he doing?
What is he doing?
But he receives such a shy nod in reply that he has to go on with it. Akutagawa presses their lips together.
For a few moments he feels like a normal resident of the city, kissing his sweetheart in some shadowy corner, and not an undercover agent with blood perpetually staining his tired hands.
The waiter's shirt is soft beneath his other hand. Arms wrap themselves hesitantly around his waist as the enemy agent kisses him back.
It's an unfamiliar feeling that makes him want to pull away - to hold the other closer - to forget this moment ever happened - to burn every detail into his mind. He feels like he's lost something the instant he found it. It tears him apart from the inside, this fleeting joy that he doesn't deserve and will never experience again.
"Remind me to lose more of our bets," Akutagawa remarks as casually as he can, and the way the purple-yellow eyes light up at the word 'more' makes his chest hurts.
"Oh, do you still need a reminder after that?" There's a lopsided smirk on the waiter's lips - lips that he had been kissing, a voice pipes up in his mind - and yes, this is definitely not good for his heart.
Now it's Akutagawa's turn to pretend to find something in their little corner suddenly fascinating. Hiding his face behind a fist he tries to change the topic. "Well, you could've just killed the security officers and gotten away."
"You know I can't - " There was a slight pause after that, where Akutagawa's name should've gone, but the agency boy doesn't know it, so it was left empty.
"What would you have done, then? Surely you had more than one exit planned."
"I would've had to climb out the window."
Akutagawa turns to look if he's joking. He's not. "That room was on the fifth floor."
"Well they don't call me Byakko for nothing."
"Last time I checked tigers don't climb walls," Akutagawa retorts almost automatically, and realizes what the enemy agent has done. He has a name now. He has been trusted with a name. White Tiger... so that's who he's dealing with.
"This one does. He's very good at it too." Byakko smiles a little bashfully, like he isn't used to speaking of himself in a positive way. "Your turn."
He shouldn't. He really shouldn't.
"I could just not answer."
"You will."
"A hunch?" Akutagawa smiles as they repeat their earlier conversation, almost word for word.
"Yes."
"...Rashoumon."
Byakko freezes for a millisecond, and Akutagawa almost regrets giving away his codename. Of course the agency would've warned him about the cold-blooded murderer working under that name, even if they don't know his face; it strikes fear even among Akutagawa's own colleagues. Perhaps he should've lied, but that doesn't feel right either. He doesn't want to lie to him.
"Place name?" Byakko recovers quickly enough.
"Yeah. Something like that." That's where they found me.
"Pleasure meeting you, Rashoumon." A loud crash comes from the direction of the mansion, followed by a shriek of horror. "I think they've discovered your handiwork."
"Our cue to go, then."
"Seems like it." Byakko's gaze lingers on him for a moment longer, even as he prepares to disappear into the maze. "I hope to see you around." And then he's gone.
"...Likewise," Akutagawa mumbles into the empty space he had been just a moment ago.
This may not be his most successful mission yet - far from it, actually - but it hasn't been an awful experience either. Hell, it might've even been fun. Not that it's an emotion he's allow to have, but maybe - maybe - just for tonight he'll savour the feeling.