No One Worth Fighting, II (Seigaku, Rikkai, Hyoutei)
Title: No One Worth Fighting, II
Characters: Seigaku, Rikkai, Hyoutei (others teams mentioned)
Rating: PG for now
Word Count: 1078
Summary: There's no one worth fighting anymore. Futuristic!AU
Notes: I told fsop to give me a prompt and she said "Assassins/spies/mafia with Rikkai and Seigaku and common enemies."
Communications between the gangs is limited; spies are the best source but no one has enough spies to keep an eye on each gang. So its through word of mouth, through mutual connections, allegiances and hate that rumors spread.
Everyone, in the compound and out, knows by morning that Seigaku is going to Hyoutei. By the time Tezuka joins his second-in-command and top spies, he's sure even Hyoutei knows to expect him.
"We'll fly the colors when we get closer," Tezuka instructs, and picks up a flag. "And Oishi, bring a white flag, just in case."
"We'll take a back way there," Inui tells Tezuka. "And leave well after the two of you do."
Tezuka looks at Inui and Fuji and nods. There's no need to say anything. They've been doing this long enough.
-
"The computer is too hard to carry," Inui murmurs, as he picks up a new notebook and a pen. "Pity. I'm almost out of notebooks."
"We'll find you more," Fuji reassures him. "Maybe Hyoutei will have some we can grab. Certainly with their current status, they won't need to be gathering any information."
"I wonder if their computers are still functional." Inui glances at the machine in the corner of the room, slim and powerful, lovingly cared for. The luckiest of gangs have one, and the connections to transmit information still. Hyoutei has - had - several, due to Atobe's power. But no one is sure what that blaze destroyed.
"They would be like the notebooks, of little importance," Fuji says, and carefully tucks away a gun, hidden beneath pants. "Tezuka and Oishi have been gone long enough."
"The back alleys are useful for rumors."
-
"To what do I owe this pleasure, Tezuka?" Atobe asks.
"We've been waiting for almost half an hour," Oishi says before Tezuka can respond; Tezuka's lips twitch, curling into a frown for half a second before he adjusts his features, but he says nothing. Oishi has a point.
"In case you haven't noticed, I have been busy." Atobe steps into the room, the only room in the compound given solely to pleasure, as far as Tezuka can tell, because there's nothing that seems remotely related to the workings of a community in there. "It would have been nice if I had some warning."
"Your spies are lacking, then," Tezuka speaks up. "We knew last night."
"But not even you knew the time when you'd leave," Atobe counters, and turns to the shadow lurking behind his shoulder. "Kabaji, water."
There's silence behind him, but Tezuka sees the shadow shift and move, and looks at Oishi, who is openly shocked. Hyoutei can't have that many problems if they are still offering water to rivals.
It takes only a minute before the shadow is back, and Atobe steps forward to allow the shadow to enter, taking shape from a shadow into a real person as he walks the room, setting down a tray with a pitcher of water and glasses on a table.
He doesn't leave, Tezuka notices.
"What happened-" Oishi begins, but before he can finish, Atobe's interrupting him, raising a hand and walking further into the room.
"Refreshments before we start in on anything serious," Atobe says, folding his form into a chair, and watching them carefully until both Tezuka and Oishi are seated.
This is all very odd and Tezuka can't help but wonder why Atobe is taking his time with them, making it seem as if it is a leisurely day, rather than a day where he ahs to replace half of his compound.
They might not have seen the burns, the destroyed buildings, but they have to be there; the force of the shockwave last night was far too powerful to be a simple show.
Before even one glass has been poured, there are more people in the room; Tezuka glances at all of them, recognizes them by sight if not by name, and glances at Oishi. He's almost wishing he brought Fuji or Inui with him, rather than leave them to the outskirts of the compound.
"Shishido, Ohtori, Jirou, and Muhaki," Atobe mentions, waving a hand behind him, as though he had been reading Tezuka's mind. Tezuka notices one of them scowl, and another wave, and memorizes their faces so he can tell them to Fuji and Inui later, figure out who they are. They've got to be important, or else Atobe wouldn't allow them in the room. "You are curious about last night."
"We saw the fire," Oishi says, and Tezuka lets him do the talking for now. He'll ask questions later, if he needs to. "And felt the shockwave."
"One of our buildings burned down, over in the south quadrant. Barracks."
"An explosion from a barracks created that much force?" Oishi asks, incredulous, and stares at him for a moment.
Atobe smirks and says nothing.
"How did it burn down?" Tezuka asks, speaking up finally.
"Just a little party that got out of hand." It's a lie, at least Tezuka thinks it is a lie; but there will be no more from Atobe. He's playing at something, but they are not his audience.
Tezuka hopes Fuji and Inui have something to report when they return.
-
"Atobe didn't fail us." They're not at the compound, but word has already reached them. Tezuka's leaving Hyoutei, riding back to Seigaku, with no knowledge and no answers. They - all of them, not just the two talking - are still secure in their shadows.
"I told you he wouldn't."
"You make it sound as if I didn't trust you. I trust you. It's the other people I don't trust."
-
"It couldn't have been a party that got out of hand, but everyone is saying it is," Inui reports back, when they are all in the compound again. "Even the surrounding areas are saying the same thing. It seemed to be a great party."
Tezuka frowns and rubs the bridge of his nose. "Does it seem like they are lying?"
"No. The stories all differ enough that it wasn't planned. There really was a party." It's Fuji who speaks up. "And no one else is mentioned, other than the Hyoutei people."
"So their barracks magically explode during a party, creating a shockwave big enough to hit us, and everyone seems to not be upset about this." Tezuka speaks aloud, rare for him, and he frowns at the group around him.
There are no answers forthcoming.
Characters: Seigaku, Rikkai, Hyoutei (others teams mentioned)
Rating: PG for now
Word Count: 1078
Summary: There's no one worth fighting anymore. Futuristic!AU
Notes: I told fsop to give me a prompt and she said "Assassins/spies/mafia with Rikkai and Seigaku and common enemies."
Communications between the gangs is limited; spies are the best source but no one has enough spies to keep an eye on each gang. So its through word of mouth, through mutual connections, allegiances and hate that rumors spread.
Everyone, in the compound and out, knows by morning that Seigaku is going to Hyoutei. By the time Tezuka joins his second-in-command and top spies, he's sure even Hyoutei knows to expect him.
"We'll fly the colors when we get closer," Tezuka instructs, and picks up a flag. "And Oishi, bring a white flag, just in case."
"We'll take a back way there," Inui tells Tezuka. "And leave well after the two of you do."
Tezuka looks at Inui and Fuji and nods. There's no need to say anything. They've been doing this long enough.
-
"The computer is too hard to carry," Inui murmurs, as he picks up a new notebook and a pen. "Pity. I'm almost out of notebooks."
"We'll find you more," Fuji reassures him. "Maybe Hyoutei will have some we can grab. Certainly with their current status, they won't need to be gathering any information."
"I wonder if their computers are still functional." Inui glances at the machine in the corner of the room, slim and powerful, lovingly cared for. The luckiest of gangs have one, and the connections to transmit information still. Hyoutei has - had - several, due to Atobe's power. But no one is sure what that blaze destroyed.
"They would be like the notebooks, of little importance," Fuji says, and carefully tucks away a gun, hidden beneath pants. "Tezuka and Oishi have been gone long enough."
"The back alleys are useful for rumors."
-
"To what do I owe this pleasure, Tezuka?" Atobe asks.
"We've been waiting for almost half an hour," Oishi says before Tezuka can respond; Tezuka's lips twitch, curling into a frown for half a second before he adjusts his features, but he says nothing. Oishi has a point.
"In case you haven't noticed, I have been busy." Atobe steps into the room, the only room in the compound given solely to pleasure, as far as Tezuka can tell, because there's nothing that seems remotely related to the workings of a community in there. "It would have been nice if I had some warning."
"Your spies are lacking, then," Tezuka speaks up. "We knew last night."
"But not even you knew the time when you'd leave," Atobe counters, and turns to the shadow lurking behind his shoulder. "Kabaji, water."
There's silence behind him, but Tezuka sees the shadow shift and move, and looks at Oishi, who is openly shocked. Hyoutei can't have that many problems if they are still offering water to rivals.
It takes only a minute before the shadow is back, and Atobe steps forward to allow the shadow to enter, taking shape from a shadow into a real person as he walks the room, setting down a tray with a pitcher of water and glasses on a table.
He doesn't leave, Tezuka notices.
"What happened-" Oishi begins, but before he can finish, Atobe's interrupting him, raising a hand and walking further into the room.
"Refreshments before we start in on anything serious," Atobe says, folding his form into a chair, and watching them carefully until both Tezuka and Oishi are seated.
This is all very odd and Tezuka can't help but wonder why Atobe is taking his time with them, making it seem as if it is a leisurely day, rather than a day where he ahs to replace half of his compound.
They might not have seen the burns, the destroyed buildings, but they have to be there; the force of the shockwave last night was far too powerful to be a simple show.
Before even one glass has been poured, there are more people in the room; Tezuka glances at all of them, recognizes them by sight if not by name, and glances at Oishi. He's almost wishing he brought Fuji or Inui with him, rather than leave them to the outskirts of the compound.
"Shishido, Ohtori, Jirou, and Muhaki," Atobe mentions, waving a hand behind him, as though he had been reading Tezuka's mind. Tezuka notices one of them scowl, and another wave, and memorizes their faces so he can tell them to Fuji and Inui later, figure out who they are. They've got to be important, or else Atobe wouldn't allow them in the room. "You are curious about last night."
"We saw the fire," Oishi says, and Tezuka lets him do the talking for now. He'll ask questions later, if he needs to. "And felt the shockwave."
"One of our buildings burned down, over in the south quadrant. Barracks."
"An explosion from a barracks created that much force?" Oishi asks, incredulous, and stares at him for a moment.
Atobe smirks and says nothing.
"How did it burn down?" Tezuka asks, speaking up finally.
"Just a little party that got out of hand." It's a lie, at least Tezuka thinks it is a lie; but there will be no more from Atobe. He's playing at something, but they are not his audience.
Tezuka hopes Fuji and Inui have something to report when they return.
-
"Atobe didn't fail us." They're not at the compound, but word has already reached them. Tezuka's leaving Hyoutei, riding back to Seigaku, with no knowledge and no answers. They - all of them, not just the two talking - are still secure in their shadows.
"I told you he wouldn't."
"You make it sound as if I didn't trust you. I trust you. It's the other people I don't trust."
-
"It couldn't have been a party that got out of hand, but everyone is saying it is," Inui reports back, when they are all in the compound again. "Even the surrounding areas are saying the same thing. It seemed to be a great party."
Tezuka frowns and rubs the bridge of his nose. "Does it seem like they are lying?"
"No. The stories all differ enough that it wasn't planned. There really was a party." It's Fuji who speaks up. "And no one else is mentioned, other than the Hyoutei people."
"So their barracks magically explode during a party, creating a shockwave big enough to hit us, and everyone seems to not be upset about this." Tezuka speaks aloud, rare for him, and he frowns at the group around him.
There are no answers forthcoming.