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“It’s a simple job,” Mori told them. “You won’t even need to engage with the target, just keep an eye on her until Atsushi and Akutagawa step in.” he added, his hands folded underneath his chin with an amused look on his face.
“If we don’t need to engage, why put us on this mission in the first place?” Jun’ichiro remembered responding, earning a scoff from the battalion leader.
The oldest of the two of them cocked a grin towards him, “Careful now, you’re acting like you don’t want to spend any time with me.” He said.
With a sarcastic smile on his face, Jun’ichiro added to his previous question as he looked towards the Port Mafia boss; “And why exactly did you stick me with your dumbest operative?”
To say Jun’ichiro Tanizaki and Michizo Tachihara disliked each other was an understatement; in the eyes of both companies, hate wasn’t a strong enough word to describe their feelings towards each other. While some people bond over one holding a gun to the other’s head, both gingers were the opposite.
Though, it wasn’t just about that.
Jun’ichiro couldn’t stand the cockiness the older man portrayed in himself; as if he was untouchable when it came to participating in a good fight. The way he carried himself as if he smelled of roses and vanilla made the detective want to right-hook him square in the jaw just to see the look of surprise on Tachihara’s face.
Meanwhile, Tachihara couldn’t stand the way Jun’ichiro always thought he was right when it came to the different teams they were on; that just because he works under “good people '' that he was better than him or something. And while Tachihara wasn’t one to judge someone based on their relationships, his opinions on whatever the hell is between Jun’ichiro and his sister, Naomi, were not supportive.
Their distaste for the other was clear as day, the tension that grew from merely being in the same room with one another was thick enough for Rashomon’s cloth or the claws of Beast Beneath the Moonlight to cut through. So to say there was confusion amongst Mori’s request to put the duo on a team with each other was indeed beyond that.
The cheeky grin he once had faded from view as Tachihara snarled towards the younger man. “Excuse me? I’ll have you know that I’m more intelligent than any of you detective douche-bastards.”
“Uh huh.”
“Boys,” Mori spoke up, drifting their heated glares from each other and back towards him. “Mika Milchovich is a very dangerous opponent, her ability is something neither of us want to fall into the wrong hands.” He said before adding,”I requested you two specifically for your illusionist ability. And you never miss a shot. If things go sideways, we need to be prepared to take her out.”
“Take her out?” Jun’ichiro questioned, looking between the boss and his (unfortunately) partner. “As in kill her?”
Pushing past the question as if it was a fly buzzing in his ear, Mori continued on; “We don’t have time to debate over your lack of interest in each other. Akutagawa and Atsushi are already in place.” Mori states, picking up a folder from his desk before passing it over to the Black Lizard operative. “This is all the information you need. I suggest you both be on your way now.”
The inside of the bar was loud as business blossomed with customers coming and going for drinks and a chat. The building used to be an old diner that was closed down ten years ago; after going under renovations and getting a liquor license, it was a more vintage-styled club. The lights weren’t LED based, but a warm glow that reminded someone of their house lamp.
Both teams of two sat on opposite sides of the building, Akutagawa and Atsushi sat up front, eyeing at the target while the hot-headed guns man and the agency’s illusionist sat towards the back with a clear view of the wet bar area.
Both redheads were still hostile towards each other despite the circumstances that required them to be more tolerable in each other’s presence. Tachihara’s trigger finger tapped at his belt anxiously as he was practically waiting for things to fall apart, the churning feeling in his gut wouldn’t settle as he stared at the woman ahead of them.
Mika Milchovich was an English operative that recently went rogue in France for reasons that weren’t explained in transition; now, she was an assassin for hire. Her ability was a powerful one; Lustful Desire allows her to persuade anyone who has a lust for her to do whatever she wants, and it wasn’t hard for people to get gutter thoughts about her. She was a gorgeous woman; golden blonde hair that traveled past her shoulders and ended at her waist, long, smooth and soft looking legs that were designed for a model’s figure, doe eyes that were hypnotizing when looked into.
Between her looks and how her ability works, she was a danger to any man or woman.
Knowing this, Tachihara kept his twitching fingers close to his sides, ready to snatch up his firearm the moment he saw things were going south.
Of course, Jun’ichiro didn’t see it like that.
What the detective saw was a trigger-happy thug who didn’t know how to not jump to fighting as a solution for his problems. Before he was sent to the Port Mafia headquarters, Fukuzawa made it clear just how dangerous their target was and how if the situation wasn't taken care of as soon as possible, it could mean chaos for the streets of Yokohama. He was worried too considering how important Fukuzawa had made this out to be.
But that didn’t mean he was ready to jump in fist swinging (and if he was, he would “accidentally” hit the older man).
Right now, Jun’ichiro was thinking of how to avoid that possible outcome, or what he should do if it does get to that point; how he would avoid civillains’ involvement as much as possible. Of course, he knows if it does come to it and a fight did break out, there would be innocents getting involved either way.
So for the moment, they were at an impasse until something occurred.
Jun’ichiro sighs as he could feel the rapid movement of the other’s knee against his. In retaliation, he kicks Tachihara, earning a hard glare from him in return.
“What the fuck was that for?” Tachihara hissed.
Jun’ichiro rolled his eyes, “Bouncing your knee a mile a minute is not going to speed this whole thing up.” He told him, before he added; “And it was annoying me.”
Tachihara turned his body slightly so he could fully look at the detective, “Oh, how mature. You annoy me just by breathing but you don’t see me kicking you under the table.” He said.
“That’s because you’re too much of a baby to do it.”
If it wasn’t for the fact that they were trying to stay hidden, Tachihara would’ve already started shouting curses at the younger man. But instead, he bit his tongue and glanced back over at the wet bar, where Milchovich stood with a new guest.
“Who the hell is she with?” The mafioso muttered under his breath, hearing Jun’ichiro speaking in a hushed voice next to him. No soon after that did Akutagawa’s voice come in through their coms.
“We aren’t sure either, but it looks like they know each other.” He told them, “It doesn’t look like we need to get involved just yet.”
“Then when are we supposed to get involved?” The gunsman cut into their conversation.
“It’s unclear… Mori said we had to be cautious about approaching her.”
Scoffing, he replied, “Yeah, well he also didn’t mention that she would be meeting with someone other than the guy who’s trying to hire her either.” Watching as the man was ordering himself and Milchovich drinks, he spoke again, “Let Houdini use his ability on us so we can get closer.”
“No. Do not engage, Tachihara.”
Huffing, the nineteen-year-old leans back on the booth, lifting his cup to drink. He ignores the eyes staring into his head from his left until he here’s the ability-user speak up.
“Are you seriously trying to jeopardize us by moving closer?”
“Your ability would give us cover. Isn’t that why Mori said he wanted you partnered with me to begin with? To be my houdini?”
“Yeah, for incase things go south and we need to…” Remembering how the mob boss worded earlier’s conversation, Jun’ichiro chose not to finish his sentence. “Why are you always so quick to look for a fight? He could just be someone buying her a drink-”
Slamming his cup back onto the table, Tachihara turned towards him, “Or he’s another problem we have to put up with if things do go south. He could be someone equally as dangerous as her or he could-” The harsh tone died on his tongue as he cut himself off. “Shit.”
Straightening his posture, Jun’ichiro looks between the mafioso and their target. “What? What’s wrong?”
He was met with silence. Tachihara raises a hand and taps on the ear piece, “Akutagawa?” Both gingers winced at the sound of static erupting in their ears. With another muttered curse, Tachihara pulled out his ear piece and looked at Jun’ichiro, “They know we’re here.”
The Light-Snow ability user jumped up from his seat, “What’s going on?” He asked more sternly now.
Casting a quick glance towards him, Tachihara spoke as he got up from his seat, “That’s the contractor she’s meeting with. We need to move in, now.”
“We can’t just jump in-”
“Watch me.”
Following him, Jun’ichiro grabs under Tachihara’s forearm to stop him in his tracks. “We need a plan!” He told him, earning an eye roll before being shrugged off.
“I have a plan; shoot off her knee caps and then she can’t run. Simple.”
Before he could utter a word of response, the older man was already moving towards Milchovich. Cursing under his breath, Jun’ichiro followed after him with the intent to stop him from doing something uttering reckless. Several feet from the wet bar, Jun’ichiro catches out of the corner of his eye the shocked expressions on Atsushi and Akutagawa faces, no doubt wondering what the hell they were doing.
What neither of them expected though was for Milchovich and her guest to turn towards them with a grin displayed on their faces; as if they had been waiting to be approached by one if not all of them.
“Hello boys,” Milchovich spoke up, her British accent thick. “I was wondering when you would stop being shy and come say hi.” With a snap of her finger, ten men within a fifthteen foot radius stood up from their chairs and were staring directly at them. “As much as I would love to chat, I can’t have you boys ruining my business.”
Through gritted teeth did Tachihara respond, “Then perhaps you should head back to France, where you belong.”
“That would spoil my fun. Boys,” She tilts her head to the side, eyeing around the four of them with a cocky grin displayed on her face, “Break their necks for me.” She commanded, voice smooth as silk.
Everything after those words happened too quickly. Before she could so much as turn on her heel to leave, a man dressed in black appeared before them and swung his fist into the side of Tachihara's face, sending him flying into the side of the wet bar. The younger man’s eyes widened in surprise. Noticing movement out of the corner of his eye, he let Light Snow consume him, letting a blond man swing a beer bottle through what were now green particles.
Looking around for their teammates as he reappeared, the copper-haired man noticed Akutagawa and Atsushi were already running out the door and after their target. The silver-haired man stopped momentarily, looking back towards his friend with a worried look. Jun’ichiro only nods in his direction, silently telling him to go after Milchovich.
Watching as Atsushi leaves after Akutagawa, Jun’ichiro looks back towards the wet bar before re-digitizing himself as he was lunged at once more, watching as a red-haired man passed right through him and hit the ground. He makes his way towards Tachihara, soon reappearing next to him as he looks around with a weary look.
“Let’s get out of here.” He told him, grabbing underneath his arm to take him under Light Snow.
However, the older man only laughed at his worriedness. Amber eyes snapped towards him with a bright glimmer, adrenaline coursed its way through his veins. Tachihara merely shrugged the detective’s hand off of him as he stood up straight.
“And miss out on a bar fight? No way.” Tachihara said, looking at the three men lining up to take a swing at the two of them.
Taken-aback by his words, Jun’ichiro asked, “Isn’t this where- in your words- you would have me “houdini” us out of here?”
With a cocky grin and a daring look in his eyes, Tachihara looked back at him once again with the following response. “Where’s the fun in that?”
This time, they both acted quick. The moment Jun’ichiro sees the glimmer of metal, he stretched out his arm and wrapped a hand around the mafioso’s wrist, forcing the barrel of the gun to point up into the ceiling as it went off with a loud bang. The loud noise caused a commotion amongst the crowd of citizens that were watching the fight break out, a few screams of panic could be heard throughout the building.
As the weapon was pried from Tachihara’s hands, a sharp glare was sent towards the detective as the older man snapped his head in his direction. “What the fuck ?” He shouted.
With a sharp and stern look, Jun’ichiro said; “We can’t just shoot up a bar!”
Before Tachihara could make another comment, Jun’ichiro felt the back of his hair being grabbed before he was thrown backwards roughly, which resulted in him skidding across the floor and into the hardwood leg of the bar table. The gun which was previously in hand now slid across the room and made its way away from the two of them. Tachihara’s eyes widened slightly, not expecting the fast motion, he bit back a wince as he noticed how hard the impact was, and had no doubt that the younger redhead would be in pain as the night went on.
The sound of knuckles cracking brought his attention back to the three men lining up in front of him, the man with curly hair had his eyes glossed over; a physical effect of Milchovich’s ability, no doubt. An amused look passed over Tachihara’s face. Jun’ichiro wasn’t particularly wrong when he called him out for looking for a fight; sure, it annoyed him that the detective called him out on it, but he couldn’t deny that he was right. In his opinion, there was something thrilling about being put in a situation like this one. Perhaps, that made him an adrenaline junkie.
“Come on, buddie,” He taunted, “Gonna glare at me all day or are ‘ya gonna take a swing?”
The older redhead ducked underneath the man’s fist and reached up and around to grab at the back of the attacker’s head, soon moving swiftly to slam the man’s head into the countertop. Walking underneath the swinging arm coming towards him, Tachihara lands a punch into the black-haired man’s side, causing the man’s movements to falter before being punched in the nose, sending him backwards as the redhead moves away from him.
Later on when the adrenaline wears off, he’ll notice the pain coming from his left shoulder, but for now, Jun’ichiro was just annoyed; both from being thrown and by the man who was unfortunately his partner. In the back of his mind, he was plotting Mori’s assassination for even considering pairing the two of them together.
“An easy mission’ he said,” Jun’ichiro snarled, rising up to his knees before pushing himself off the ground, staggering as he regained his balance. “Just keep an eye on her- you won’t even need to engage with the target’ he said.” He continued on, huffing as he looked over to see Tachihara moving out from underneath a black-haired man’s arm. “Remind me to tell your boss that his judgment in planning is lacking very much!”
With a scoff, Tachihara casted him a quick glance, picking up a stray beer bottle from one of the tables close by before smashing the bottom half off. “No need, I have my own notes to give him.”
“Do not stab them!”
“Well, what else am I gonna do?” His response earns him a (well earned) glare, which makes him sigh as he drops the now broken bottle. “You are literally no fun.”
Offense makes its way to Jun’ichiro’s face as he activates his ability to avoid his attacker, soon appearing a few inches from Tachihara. “I am plenty of fun.”
With an eye roll, Tachihara pulls Jun’ichiro to the side just in time for the curly-haired man that attacked him early to fall past them. “Uh huh. Do tell me, what was the last fun thing you did then?” He raised a brow towards him, almost as if he was daring him to answer.
What the mafioso was not expecting was for his head to snap to the right and for the left side of his face to burn from Jun’ichiro’s palm. Looking back at him with a look of surprise, he sees a smug-like look on the younger’s face. “Did you just-?”
“To answer your question,” The detective pushed the older man away as he activated his ability once again to avoid another attack. Noticing Jun’ichiro was gone, the blond that was aiming for him turned his attention towards Tachihara. But before he could react, the sound of glass shattering echoed in the room followed by the sight of the man falling to the ground. Soon, Jun’ichiro reappeared before the unconscious man with pieces of a broken bottle laying on the ground. “That,” The copper-haired man points towards the mafioso’s cheek, “Was the last fun thing I did.”
If it was anyone else, the Black Lizard operative would’ve been a bit angry; being slapped wasn’t something surprising, whatever god is out there knows he had done enough to deserve a slap or two in his lifetime. Of course, that didn’t mean he didn’t want to hit the person back.
Right now, however. He couldn’t help but to stare at Jun’ichiro with an amused expression, a scoff-like laugh rumbled in his chest. “There’s that fire I’ve been looking for.”
His words made the detective confused, but before either one could say another word, the sound of guns cocking and footsteps walking forward interrupted their conversation (if you could call it that. Looking towards the front of the building towards the front entrance stood Yokohama’s police force with their guns in hand and pointing towards them.
“Freeze!”
“Don’t move.”
“Aww man,” Tachihara scoffed, eyeing the police out of the corner of his eye, “Way to kill the mood, guys.” Mockingly, he raises his hands in surrender before looking towards Jun’ichiro, “Okay, get us out of here.”
“No.”
Jun’ichiro’s response was quick and simple, but it still forced a shocked expression onto the other’s face. “What do you mean “no?” He was asked, to which he shrugged in response as he raised his hands. “Do you want me to say it in spanish? Noh .”
That had been an hour ago; now both men sit on the inside of a concrete box, their only window being the bars they were locked behind. The cell itself wasn’t very spacious; at best, it was ten feet by ten feet. But the two of them took advantage of what little space they had to sit as far away from the other as possible.
A colorful mix of yellow and purple bruised the left side of Tachihara’s face; trailing from his temple down to his cheek bone. He had no doubt that his ribs were bruised as well judging from how painful it was to breathe, though he expected as much after being slammed into the wet bar earlier on.
Jun’ichiro wasn’t any better; his left shoulder ached (he was silently praying that it wasn’t broken or dislocated otherwise he would have to deal with Yosano’s “methods of treatment”) and the right side of his bottom lip had finally scabbed over after being busted open.
However, only some can go so long without hearing a sound or uttering a single word.
Exhaling loudly, rust-colored hair leans back against the cold and gray wall, amber eyes trailing up to stare at the ceiling. “... Well, this is a nice change of scenery.”
“This is a jail.”
“I was being sarcastic.” Tachihara snarled, closing his eyes for a second before looking towards Jun’ichiro with annoyance on his face. “And for your information, this isn’t a jail. We’re still in the police station. However, we wouldn’t be here if you had just “houdinied” us out of the bar.”
“Aww, but where’s the fun in that?” The detective mocked, quoting Tachihara’s words from earlier. “Besides, it’s not like you’ll be in here for long. Someone from your side is probably already on their way to bail you out.” He added.
“That doesn’t mean I want to be stuck in a box with you.”
“Well what do you know, the feeling is mutual.”
After meeting each other’s gaze with a mutually tired glare, the two of them went silent and sat in the quiet for a minute. The bright lights above their heads flicker; a sign at how old the electricity in the building is.
Growing uncomfortable in the position he was in, Jun’ichiro leans away from the wall, wincing lightly at the change in pressure that was once against his shoulder. He casts another look towards Tachihara and this time, he takes a minute to take in the others’ presence; taking note of the colorful bruises on his face and how uneven his breaths were.
“How’s your face?” He asked him, earning a look of confusion from the other before being met with a cocky grin.
“What? Don't you think the bruises are a sexy addition?”
“Oh, piss off.” Tachihara chuckled lightly, making Jun’ichiro crack a smile. “Seriously though, you took the brunt of those punches back there.”
With a shrug, he then said, “Well, I don’t think being thrown across a room feels pleasant either.”
“Well, maybe not in this situation.”
Tachihara cocks a brow, “So there’s a pleasant time to be thrown across a room?” He asked him. When he was met with no response but with a flushed look instead, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Damn, you and your sister get wild, huh?”
“Wait what?” Jun’ichiro’s brows furrowed, “What about Naomi?”
“I knew you guys got it on, but-”
“Hold on, what?” Straightening his posture, Jun’ichiro looked at Tachihara in shock, “You think me and Naomi…?” When he was met with a nod, he snarled and shot up from his seat, “Why does everyone think I am screwing my sister? My fucking sister !”
“Wait, you’re not?”
“ No !” He scoffed, shaking his head as he looked down at the older man with a vague look of disgust, “The Agency is one thing, They’ve gotten used to the fact that Naomi can be a bit of a flirt. But even you think that? Seriously?”
“Well, in my defense,” Tachihara started, “Whenever I’ve seen you two around, she’s hanging off your arm, she’s always making comments and you’re way more overprotective then a normal older brother should be-”
“Of course I’m going to be a bit more overprotective, asshole. She’s the only family I have left.” The news made Tachihara go quiet; annoyance and offense were visible on Jun’ichiro’s face, but he doesn’t push the matter further. Instead, he lets out a sigh as he leans back against the bars of the cell. “The point is, I’m not like that. So it would be nice if people would stop thinking that I am.”
The younger had his gaze trained onto the ground, but he could feel the mafioso staring at him. He may not have Atsushi’s ability to hear things clearer than others, but he could hear the gears turning in Tachihara’s head. He almost wanted to ask what he was thinking, both out of curiosity and to strike up a conversation as a way to pass the time.
“... Quit putting pressure on your shoulder.”
Hazel eyes snapped up and towards the battalion, watching as the older man stood up. “What?”
“Don’t act so shocked. You’ve been making faces since the bar whenever you lean on it.” Tachihara states, crossing his arms over his chest. “Clearly, you’ve done something to it. ‘Probably from when you got thrown.”
“It’s not that bad.”
Cocking a brow, Tachihara added, “You know, I’m not as dumb as you think I am.” He said, “I’ve had my fair share of shoulder pains, I’ve even had them dislocated and put back into place. It can hurt like a bitch.” Seeing the stubborn look on the other person's face, he added, “Come on. Don’t be a brat.”
“You seem like the type to like one.”
“Well, maybe not in this situation.” Being met with an eye roll, he watches as Jun’ichiro leans away from the bars. Pulling a cheeky grin, he spoke again. “Feeling better?”
“... Maybe.”
“It’s okay to admit that I’m right, Juni.”
The new name took the younger man by surprise, “Juni?” He questioned, brows furrowed as he looked at Tachihara confused.
Tachihara shrugs at him, “Yeah. “Jun’ichiro” is too long. And calling you “Tanizaki” would get confusing, especially if your sister was around.” He explains, “Besides, it’s a cute nickname for ‘ya.”
“Are you implying that you think I’m cute?”
“Piss off.”
This made the two of them laugh a little, their voices echoing off of the concrete walls. With a small smile on his face, Jun’ichiro spoke again. “Well, should I start calling you “Hara” then since “Tachihara” is too long?”
“Oh, I know I’m long.”
“Oh my god-”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Tachihara was quick to say, watching as Jun’ichiro shook his head. “But no. “Hara” doesn’t exactly have a nice ring to it.”
“Okay well, what’s your first name?”
“We just got done with an assignment together and you don’t even know my first name?” He was met with a shrug. Shaking his head in a feign disbelief, he told him, “It’s Michizou.”
The ability user let out a small hum at first, tilting his head slightly as he took his time to think. “Alright. “Michi” it is.”
“ Michi ?” Jun’ichiro nodded. Under different circumstances, he would’ve cringed a bit at the nickname, saying how “girly” it sounded for him. But much to his surprise, he didn’t find himself minding it. “Alright, Juni .”
His amber eyes met Jun’ichiro’s hazel for a moment. For the first time throughout the whole night, neither of them were upset to be in the others’ presence. For that moment in the cell, neither one found a justifiable reason to show any dislike for the other. It was a nice change, to say the least.
The sound of a metal door slamming open, followed by the sound of keys jingling and footsteps slapping against the ground interrupted their silence. Jun’ichiro turned around while Tachihara looked past him to see what was going on. Coming around the corner was a guard, and Naomi.
“Hey, brother.” The black-haired girl smiled up at Jun’ichiro, but sent a sharp glare towards the mafioso.
With a sigh of relief, Jun’ichiro replied happily. “Hey, Naomi.” Watching as the cell door was unlocked and swung open, he hears Tachihara speak up from behind him.
“So, I guess this is where we part ways.”
Jun’ichiro turns towards him, “Mh?” He hummed, feeling himself being pulled out of the cell by Naomi as the officer closed the door once again. “Don’t tell me you’re actually gonna miss me.”
“Aww, like you wouldn’t want to see this pretty face again.” Tachihara commented, leaning against the bars once he heard the lock click shut. As Jun’ichiro opened his mouth to speak, he felt a light pull on his arm, Naomi beginning to pull him away. “I’ll see you around, houdini .”
Looking over his shoulder as he walked, Jun’ichiro waved back at him shyly. That was the last he saw of him before the metal door at the end of the hall closed behind him.
Tachihara sighed, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop smiling. Moments from their bantering began to replay in his head, but he couldn’t shake the part where Jun’ichiro had slapped him out of spite; he had that same fire in his eyes from the day they had first met and had a gun pressed to his forehead.
Turning around to go and sit back down, he caught a glimpse of something shining on the bench where the two of them were originally sitting. The lights flickered just right to make the metal shimmer from where it sat; a silver hair clip that once pinned red hair out of Jun’ichiro’s face.
Looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was looking, Tachihara raised his hand up; the small metal accessory followed his movement and soon flew to his hand. An amused huff past his lips as he examined the object.. Maybe this wouldn’t have to be the last time he’d see the detective.