Reunion [Hikaru/Saga]

HE USUALLY KEPT TO THE LOUNGE when the club was in operating hours—a private space, with all the comforts of a home (except, perhaps, a bed) that was away from the sweating, altered clubgoers that usually flocked to his establishment. Some nights—particularly on the nights of live performances—the youngest Mizutani would venture out to mingle. But otherwise, he kept to himself. Hikaru lounged on a small couch, one leg crossed delicately over the other.

His bodyguard and companion Creature sat opposite of his employer on a full-sized couch—though, due to the mutant’s size, he occupied nearly the entire sofa on his own.

Unbeknownst to Hikaru, someone familiar had crossed the threshold into the club, and was seeking the auburn-haired gentleman out specifically—bypassing the line altogether in her pursuit. The bouncers at the door, adhering to their usual protocol for “guests of interest”, touched their ear and spoke quietly into their bone mics.

“Please advise Mizutani-san that Saya Sumiyoshi just showed-up,” was the message that was relayed. Creature, having a similar bone mic in his ear, pressed the bone mic and tapped the microphone portion twice. Under-stood.

He leaned forward on the sofa, tapping Hikaru’s shoulder. Hikaru rolled over on the couch, glancing at his bodyguard.

“Yes?”

Creature’s hands fluttered deftly as they sculpted the following signs, <<Sa-ya Su-mi-yo-shi is here. Are you expecting her?>>

If Hikaru’s urgent rouse from the couch wasn’t indication enough, the frantic, “No, this is a surprise to me!” certainly provided some clarity, “Let me speak to them.”

Creature pressed the bone mic again, stooping down so that Hikaru could speak into it.

“If possible, keep visuals and let Creature know where she is.”

God, it had been years since they’d seen one another. So much had happened since then. Taking ownership of the club, the death of his eldest (and only) brother, rising to first lieutenant, the… accident… come to think of it, did Saya leave the country before or after the accident…? His recollection of that period in time were so foggy…

Hikaru paused a moment before a full-length mirror, straightening his tie and smoothing his suit coat with his palms, fixing his hair… As Creature passed behind him, he signed something within Hikaru’s range of vision—

<<You look fine, Romeo,>> Creature signed with a droll expression, <<Come on.>>

Hikaru smirked with a faint “heh”, and led the way out of the room. The pair wandered down a quiet hall, the vibrations from the dancefloor increasing in magnitude as they drew closer and closer. Finally, the pair pushed through a locked door, and the music dilated into its full splendor as they entered onto a catwalk above the main dancefloor, surveying the throngs of clubgoers from above.

There was far too many people, really, to discern any one face from the crowd, particularly in the garish neon lights that lit the space. Hikaru moved efficiently along the catwalk, towards one of the exits that would lead towards the ground-level. She was likely somewhere in the fray. Creature remained close, sidling behind him.

<<Any word?>> he signed to Creature, turning to look at him.

<<Nothing yet.>>

They descended down a spiral staircase onto the main floor, gaze skimming the crowd for the Kobayashi heiress’s familiar face.

ft. saya sumiyoshi

quirk: d-rank damage/ strength/ burn, range, disorient; d-rank martial arts, acting; e-rank wealth/ influence, stealth; f-rank dancing, driving

HIKARU MOVED CAREFULLY ALONG THE EDGE of the throng of clubbers, Creature close behind him, his head swiveling from side-to-side searchingly as his beady, black eyes swept the floor. Since Creature was well over two meters tall, it was easy for him to skim the crowd—additionally, he’d be very easy to find, whereas his superior was average-height.

The mutant seemed to snap to attention, after a moment, black tongue flicking out of his maw in an almost reptilian fashion. He pat Hikaru’s shoulder, then signed hurriedly.

<< Spotted her! In the crowd. >>

Hikaru attempted to follow the mutant’s gaze, but being unable to—he decided to let Creature lead the way.

The white, vaguely crocodilian mutant with his whip-like tail wove carefully through the crowd, tapping clubgoers on the shoulder to ask permission to pass. He wore the same shirt as any club security—a black tee emblazoned with Chrysalis’s logo—and a pair of cargo pants. So if the severe mutation was not enough to garner their attention, his outfit certainly was.

When Creature reached the well-dressed woman, he wordlessly bobbed his head—being wholly nonverbal—and stepped aside, bringing Hikaru into focus. The auburn-haried gentleman smiled brightly.

He bowed at the waist, then rose again, extending a hand towards the woman as if asking to lead her somewhere. Should Saya accept it, he would lightly take hold of her hand at the fingertips, as if he were a footman preparing to escort her somewhere.

He could feel the vibrations of the music in his limbs, so he knew it was loud in here—impossible to hold a conversation in. So Hikaru would draw closer, leaning towards Saya’s ear as a means of speaking over the din.

“Seeing you is a wonderful surprise, miss,” he said warmly, “Shall we retreat somewhere quieter? I’d love to catch-up.”

He’d step back as soon as he said this, inclining his head as he said this. Gracious, had he known that one of the Kobayashi family would be gracing his nightclub so soon, he wouldn’t have paid so handsomely to speak with that ravishing informant. It felt so much more moralistic to catch-up with an old friend, rather than having a third party divulge information.

At Saya’s behest, Hikaru would turn to Creature and sign, <<To the library, please?>> should she request venturing to a quieter space. The club itself was split into two floors, with she second floor acting as a balcony that faced the dance floor.

The second floor hosted a lounge space, with a few high-backed booths that could be rented for private parties located behind the bar. It was somewhat sheltered from the pulsating music of the main dancefloor. And Hikaru made a habit of keeping one table reserved at all times.

Creature and Hikaru would move steadily through the crowd, the blond turning periodically to ensure that Saya hadn’t been lost in the venture upstairs. The unusual trio pushed past partiers on the stairs, through the lounge and into the booths beyond. The vibrations of music in the air, almost to the point that Hikaru could barely feel them.

Low lights lit the blue leather benches that formed a “U’s” around black, rectangular tables. Some booths hosted groups, others were unoccupied. They reached one that, on a small golden plaque, declared that it was “Reserved”, and had one guard stationed near it.

Creature snorted and nodded their head sharply, and the guard slipped away. Hikaru turned to Saya, gesturing towards the booth.

“I hope this is more to your liking?” Hikaru inquired, “How have you been?”

ft. saya sumiyoshi

quirk: d-rank damage/ strength/ burn, range, disorient; d-rank martial arts, acting; e-rank wealth/ influence, stealth; f-rank dancing, driving

THERE REALLY WAS SOMETHING SWEET AND NOSTALGIC about seeing Saya, Hikaru had to admit—each of them had been children of yakuza oyabun’s, half-siblings to the boss’s other progeny—yakuza brats, if you will. In that regard, they were kindred spirits—so it was natural to be thrilled for them to see each other.

And for all of his flowery language, Hikaru couldn’t help but be a little nervous about the encounter. If appearances were anything to go by, Saya seemed to be doing well for herself—meanwhile, Hikaru was… here at the club, deafened and burnt and… kind-of pathetic, compared to his former greatness? His “fall from grace” had happened somewhere around the time that Saya had left, so he couldn’t be too sure how much she knew… so the anxiety over keeping up appearance stirred in the pit of his stomach.

Be your usual, charming self, Hikaru thought with a sigh. Slither your way out of this.

When the two withdrew into the booth, Hikaru leaned with his elbows upon the table, arms crossed at the wrists. His dark eyes cleaved attentively to Saya’s face, following her words with rapt attention.

The low-light, however romantic, made lip-reading next-to impossible.

“I’m glad it’s to your liking,” Hikaru insisted. If it hadn’t been, he could have easily done anything within his power to remedy that. But if she was content, no accommodations were necessary.

“I don’t know about the Queen of Hawaii,” Hikaru replied, a sort of guilelessness flickering across his features. He said this in such an over-the-top way, it was difficult to say if he was truly clueless, or if he was simply seeking more details for the sake of fostering a connection, “Tell me more.”

And, naturally, Saya asked about him. Hikaru rested his chin upon the heel of his hand, leaning on the table in an almost sulky way.

“I’ve been here,” he said simply, gesturing with his free hand towards an empty spot of air, “After my brother’s untimely passing, I was promoted to first lieutenant, which has kept me decently busy in the meantime.”

This was explained somewhat dismissively, as if being the second-in-command of a yakuza outfit was the least interesting thing a person could do. As if it were comparable to reporting on grass’s growth in real-time.

“Tell me about Hawaii, though,” Hikaru insisted, sitting rapt once again, “What was it like? What did you do?”

tagged person

quirk: d-rank damage/ strength/ burn, range, disorient; d-rank martial arts, acting; e-rank wealth/ influence, stealth; f-rank dancing, driving