[fic] Viewfinder: AU: All Hallow's Eve
Title: AU All Hallow's Eve
Fandom: VF
Pairing: Asami x Takaba
Rating: R (gore and violence)
Spoilers: None
Warning: AU, OC monsters, kind of nasty, not really related to folklore but my own brand of them. I kind of stretched truth on the weapons involved as well, but not that much.
Notes: kawaiigato wanted a Halloween story but I wasn't going to write one because nothing came to mind. But in the middle of a silly fic, this one interrupted. I've never written anything like it. I think it's more adventure than horror, though some parts are kind of gross, there being monsters and all. (None of the grossness is sexual btw.) But it's just a little bit of fun.
Mist swirled overhead, trailing through the lichen-covered gravestones, shielding the entrance to the caverns from sight. A small figure scurried from stone to stone, disrupting the lazy patterns, until finally settling in behind one of the larger monuments and pulling out a camera.
Takaba grumbled under his breath, "Trust Asami to pick a graveyard on Halloween for an arms deal. I suppose this is his idea of a sense of humor." The boy shivered and pulled his coat close, then reached into his knapsack for his thermos. The fragrance of hot coffee filled the air. He settled against the cold stone and began his wait.
Over in the cavern entrance, a pair of red eyes glowed briefly then vanished below.
--
The phone in Asami's pocket rang. He set his scotch into one of the limo's cup holders then answered.
He laughed. "He's so predictable."
His picked up his glass and sipped the gold liquor.
"No, leave him. Later tonight I plan to introduce him to the American concept of Tricks or Treats."
He listened a moment more. "Good. I'm 15 minutes away. That will give them a chance to get a little nervous before I show up. If they're smart, they'll know what they should really be frightened of."
He hung up and looked up through the darkened windows at the full moon as the black limo silently sped to its destination.
--
Far below the surface of the earth a party was in progress. There was no music, per se, but the shrieking of men and women in agony was music to the ears of the hosts. The floor ran with blood, bits of flesh and hair mixed in, as the denizens of the caverns feasted on this their holiest night.
A lone figure gingerly picked his way across the floor, taking care not to slip. He gazed longingly at the torn throats about him. He had been assigned to guard duty this evening for a past transgression and was allowed no part in the ceremonies. He stopped before the largest of his kind, who had his mouth buried in the entrails of young woman.
He cleared his throat. "Sire."
The goblin king raised his face, gore dripping from his fangs. The woman moaned feebly. He smiled down at her. "Don't worry, my love. I'll return to you as soon as I've dealt with this interruption."
He snarled. "This had better be good."
The guard bowed. "There are humans above, sire. It looks like a group of criminals gathering for a meeting."
The king swung his arm, claws ripping into the guard's side. "You interrupted me for this?"
The guard curled himself about his wound on the floor. "I heard them say his name! They said Asami! They're waiting for Asami."
The goblin king paused, then growled softly. "What does he mean by coming here on this night of all nights? Their so-called King of the Underworld. Does this mean he finally knows of me and is challenging?" This last rose to a roar that silenced all noise within the cave, save for stray whimpers and moans from the victims.
The beasts stared at their king, eyes growing wilder with anticipation.
"I'll skin him! Slice him! Roast him! Grind him! How dare he come here???"
Howling rose and echoed from the walls, goblins jumping about in glee, long claw-tipped arms waving like so many scraggly bare branches.
"Sire! There is more."
The king held out his hands for silence. "Speak."
"They spoke of a boy Asami considers important. Considers his. He hides above, watching. He is beautiful. Full of fire. Whoever feasts on him will be pleasured for hours."
The goblin king roared. "Bring him to me! But don't harm a hair of him or I'll rip you to shreds. I want Asami to watch as I eat his treasure. I want him to learn what true power is, and that it is all mine!"
The cave rang with the laughter of the damned as the guard set out to do his king's bidding, the crazed host following in anticipation of the feast to come.
--
Takaba started, then shook his head to clear it. He must have dozed off a moment and fallen into a nightmare. He tilted his head to listen for the roar he thought he'd heard only to find silence. He laughed at himself. Kou is not going to hear about this, or I'll never hear the end of it.
He should have brought his cheerful friend along. At least the time would have passed more quickly. Asami's men had scouted around the graveyard, taking up positions throughout, but somehow they'd missed him.
He could no longer drink his coffee because the scent would give him away, so he entertained himself with thoughts of how Asami's face would look when his picture showed up on the front page. He felt a twinge of something at the thoughts -guilt maybe briefly- but mostly fear. Maybe a short vacation was in order as soon as he dropped the prints off later tonight. Asami is the real monster to fear here.
The sound of approaching motors made him sit up and focus on the road, where he saw several pairs of headlights headed his way. It looked like a couple of trucks and the limo, and he started to snap some pictures. He was so engrossed in it that he didn't notice the men who had been stationed near him being dragged off into the darkness. He didn't even notice when it happened to him.
--
His form slumped and the goblin guard dropped the rock he'd used to knock the boy out.
Voices hissed from around him. "Did you damage him? Did you kill him? You'd better hope not. You-know-who will be unhappy. Very unhappy to have his toy ruined. He wants to ruin it himself."
He spun and hissed back. "Mind your own business. He's just sleeping now, so he won't try to run. If he ran he'd get hurt. Now it's no problem. Just a little blood here..." The goblin bent and sniffed and moaned. "Oh just a lick won't hurt."
His tongue was dipping into the shallow gash on the boy's head just as he was cuffed aside by his sergeant. "He is not for you! Take the boy below and chain him to the throne. Have someone guard him so he doesn't harm himself. If he kills himself you know who will get eaten in his place, don't you? We'll be munching on your bones."
The guard sullenly picked the boy up, slung him over his shoulder, and started the long journey back to the cavern below.
--
Miyasako, Asami's chief of security, was worried. He'd lost radio contact with two more of his men. No one had seen or heard anything. He called them in to a tighter formation, all within sight of the others, then he picked up his cell phone. He spoke softly and tersely, then froze at the answer. He spoke again, this time hesitantly questioning. He winced at the harsh answer, then acknowledging the order, hung up.
He ordered all of the men back to the meeting point, except for two who were to get the boy and bring him in.
By the time Asami arrived he knew those two were lost as well. And there would be hell to pay for losing the boy.
--
Zhu Shuzhen stood at the back of his delegation watching the growing nervousness among his own men, and more disquietingly, among Asami's. At first he had suspected a trap, but the increased agitation of Asami's security showed that whatever was happening, it wasn't their plan and it wasn't going well.
He spoke to his men sharply, telling them to be alert for unexpected attacks. There were strange growls coming from the darkness around them. He wasn't sure what was causing them and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. But he knew that if it dared to come close, he would kill it before it killed him.
The headlights to the east caught his eye. Asami was finally here. Perhaps there would be answers. Perhaps not. But he would be prepared for whatever happened and meet it head on.
--
Asami wasn't happy; he was, in fact, pissed. Things were not going as planned, and those responsible would pay.
He stepped from the limo, only to be met by his distraught security chief. "Miyasako. If you let emotions get in the way you cannot do your job effectively. And if you cannot do your job effectively I'll replace you. What has happened?"
Miyasako bowed. "Asami-sama. I'm sorry. The men I sent after Takaba-san can't be reached. We don't have the boy and we don't know what's happened to him. There were shots and screams and nothing more. Sada was the last one out, and he stayed on the phone until the end. Right before it was cut off, he said..." Miyasako swallowed. "He screamed 'Monsters. They're fucking monsters. Their teeth...' Then the connection broke."
Asami's jaw clenched.
"How many men are no longer reporting in?"
"Seven of the original twenty I'd brought."
"And the Chinese? How have they been acting?"
"They're nervous, Asami-sama. Zhu-san has been holding them in place by will alone. Still, for a moment they seemed about ready to leave, but then you showed up."
"They're the obvious culprits. Let's see if they bite. Bring the men in and take them to the second truck. Equip them from the weapons you find there. Tell them to shoot on sight, and tell them to find out where Takaba is, now. I want to know what happened to him and who caused it to happen, in that order. And I want to know it yesterday or more of them will be disappearing, only by my hand. Understood?"
"Understood, Asami-sama."
Asami put on an air of casual indifference and walked over to join the members of the group meeting him. The leader was Asami's age and handsome, in a rough sort of way, with the grace of a fighter. Asami had come to respect the man's keen intelligence, even if he disliked his politics.
"Zhu. I hope I haven't caused you any inconvenience by the place I've chosen to meet."
The Chinese man bowed his head slightly. "It was quite a drive from the city, but the view of the ocean more than made up for it. Though the setting is rather more melodramatic than this one would have been led to expect from Asami Ryuichi. It is, however, very private. Not many would venture out to a Christian cemetery on Halloween."
"Indeed. I chose it for just such a reason. That and because I found it amusing. You'll wish to inspect the cargo? It includes the experimental rifles acquired from developmental labs at X-Tech in America. Even their army doesn't have a working model yet. You'll learn much from the technology within them."
Zhu laughed. "As your men no doubt have already."
Asami shrugged, eyes amused. "What kind of salesman would I be if I didn't understand all the products out there, so that I might best meet my client's needs?"
"Indeed -"
A shriek split the air several hundred feet away. The two men spun, guns out, but they could see nothing. Long tongues of flame appeared, shooting out of a flame thrower. Inhuman cries filled the air as they found a target, a flaming bundle that ran directly for Asami.
His eyes widened as he took in the odd shape of the running figure, but he stood his ground with a sadistic smile and pumped shot after shot into it until it fell dead at his feet, still afire. Zhu stepped up beside him, a handkerchief over his nose.
"This," he gestured. "What is this thing, Asami-san? Are you attempting to demonstrate something to us? I do not appreciate surprises."
"Actually Zhu, I'd been wondering what you had to do with it. I see now that it's outside of your realm of influence." Asami crouched down by the burning thing. "You know, this doesn't appear to be human. I'm as skeptical as the next man, but I don't have any explanation for this." He hit the intercom on this phone. "Miyasako! It sounds like there are more of them. Bring me another."
As if hearing his command, more beasts began charging out of the darkness and gunfire exploded around them. Asami and Zhu stood shoulder to shoulder, emptying their pistols. Two of the beasts suddenly charged Asami at the same time, knocking him backwards with the force of it. He got off only one shot, killing one but the other would reach him before he could swing his gun over. But just before it reached him, it too fell dead.
Zhu stepped up beside him and blew on the end of his pistol and grinned. "Some party you're throwing."
Asami smirked in return, but then another wave of the things drew all their concentration. Three of the Chinese fell under teeth and claws, their shots going wild.
"Zhu, I suggest we fall back to the trucks. We can use the supplies there. At no charge to you of course."
Asami's phone rang as they began to run. "Good," he shouted. "Bring it to the trucks. I want all men back here now. And Takaba?"
The news wasn't good.
"Dammit."
The beasts were on their heels, but the remaining Chinese men were trained soldiers, both in weapons and hand to hand martial arts. Heels crunched skulls. Explosive rounds shattered bones. Fists felled their pursuers until they could be shot. But not without cost. The group that made it to the inside of the rear truck was bloody where both tooth and claw had found flesh, Asami and Zhu included.
Miyasako was there, three men with stun guns surrounding what looked like a mutated human. It was groveling and thrashing on the floor, trying to strike out and escape.
Asami walked straight up to it and kicked it in the head. It lay there dazed for a moment, then lashed out with its talons.
Asami's hand shot out and grabbed the arm below the wrist and twisted it. There was a ripping sound from the creature's shoulder, and it screamed. Asami stood on the other wrist with one foot, then placed his other on the thing's throat.
"Now. You're going to tell me a few things. In this order. What are you? Where is the boy, Takaba? Why are you attacking us? How many of you are there? Where is your base? Each time you don't answer I rip something of yours off. And don't try to pretend you don't speak Japanese. You were listening to our shouts. You know what we're saying. Now, the first question."
The thing was reluctant to talk but Asami never made a threat he didn't keep, and after 5 fingernails and 2 fingers were wrenched off with pliers the beast finally gave in. It told of the goblin king and his court and his hatred for Asami, and his plans for Takaba.
Asami listened, his anger growing with each new piece of information. He didn't give a fuck what these things were or where they came from -- he was hated by the best. But they were challenging him and they were trying to take what was his. The thought of what they had planned for Takaba made him furious, his mind whirring through different routes to vengeance and his lover. If only the boy weren't below they could just drop some explosives into the caverns and roast the fucking things. But they couldn't afford to. They were going to have go in there, into their lair.
He turned to the Chinese leader. "I know you didn't bargain for this, and you've lost some men because of my decision to hold our meeting here. I owe you, and I will pay. You know my word is good. But the night isn't over. They hold someone important to me and I'm going down there to get him back. Can I count on you as allies?"
Zhu looked at him dispassionately. "I never thought to see the day when you would speak of someone with emotion in your eyes. You cannot afford it where we're going."
"Where we're going?"
"Yes. They've killed my men. They'll die for it. And you will be giving me these weapons as a gesture of this friendship we're forging."
"Take the fucking weapons. After we get Takaba out alive."
Zhu nodded. "Then, my friend, we have plans to make."
"First things first." Asami grabbed a machete out of one of the boxes and grasped the goblin's head. He sliced through the neck, black blood pouring from the gaping wound, then sawed across the spine until it came from the torso. The body spasmed in its death throes as Asami walked to the back of the truck.
He raised the gate and hurled the dripping head into the darkness, shouting after it. "Tell your king his message is received. And tell him this. Tonight he's going to die for what he's done."
He slammed the gate back down. "Now," he said with a cold smile, "where are those laser rifles from X-Tech?"
--
After the severely wounded were dismissed to the back of the truck, there were fifteen of them left: five Chinese soldiers, seven Japanese, Miyasako, Zhu and Asami. Asami had called for reinforcements, but they were over two hours from Tokyo. A helicopter could get a few there, but it still had to ready for flight. They had to expect to be on their own for the next few hours. In other words, it was all up to them.
"Listen up. Most will have fallen back to the caverns because they have an advantage in fighting us there. But a few will likely have remained behind. We're going to have to take them out first so no one is between us and the entrance once we get down there."
He pointed to several crates on the right. "Those are mortars." He pointed to another crate. "Those are napalm shells. You four. Burn anything out there that moves. And leave a path to the damned caverns clear."
"The rest of you, choose your weapons at will, whatever and as much as you want. Zhu and I will take the XL5's. I wouldn't assume any nerve gas affects them the way it does us. But we know burning does, and we know cutting and shooting does. They're fast. They're wicked with those claws. But they're animals that can be killed, and they only have the one set of weapons. We have far more." He turned to his ally. "Zhu, let's talk."
--
Far below the surface Takaba was slowly waking up, but he kept his eyes shut so he could figure out where he was before giving away the fact that he was alert. His head was killing him, and his throat was being squeezed by a collar of some sort. Oh God, Asami got me already?
He struggled to control his breathing, and as he did he began to notice things. The stench for one. It was the overwhelming smell of rotted meat and offal. Like a slaughterhouse. He almost vomited but managed to choke it back. Not Asami then. Asami was nothing if not fastidious.
Next he listened. Growls and moans and screams filled the air. Sounds like animals feeding. Like he'd been dumped into a pit of wild animals. Oh my God, is that it? Someone dropped me into a cage at a zoo? Asami would never go that far though. What the hell is going on?
He slowly opened his eyes. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight that greeted him. And nothing would ever erase it from his memory. Three feet away a demon feasted on a young boy's body, the boy still alive. Takaba's body sprang where his mind couldn't follow. His chain was short, but not that short. The force of his jump knocked the surprised goblin away from the child.
"You filthy monster!" Takaba wound the chain around its neck and twisted. "How could you? I don't care what pit of hell this is, no one does that in front of me and gets away with it. He's a little boy. You fuckers. He's just a little boy." He began to cry.
The goblin fell, unconscious or dead, Takaba didn't care. He turned back to the boy and gathered him in his arms, trying to put back the pieces that had been ripped out of place. He couldn't tell if he was doing it right, because the tears in his eyes made it impossible to see. "It'll be alright. We'll get out of here. I'll keep you safe until then."
But the boy was beyond hearing, and soon died. Takaba continued to hold him and rock him, not knowing.
The goblins soon tired of jeering the unresponsive young man and went back to their meals.
--
The fields were glowing with the vapors of burning chemicals. Every so often a blazing goblin would hurtle by, a meteor that quickly turned to ash, but most of the enemy had retreated far below. The men jogged past the flames, keeping close until they reached the mouth of the cave.
The man on point lit a flare and tossed it deep inside. Two men moved in, scouting for enemies, shooting at anything that moved. Two more men leapfrogged across them, moving a little further, repeating the pattern as they slowly penetrated the cave. Luckily there were no offshoot caves big enough to confuse them. The path had been worn by countless goblins and their refuse was piled along the sides. The way was clear. And it was being followed far too easily for Asami's satisfaction.
He signaled the last two men. "Begin planting the explosives. No timers, just electrical signals. I'll trigger them as I leave, and I intend to be the last one out."
The men quickly stuck the plastique to the walls and embedded the fuses, then moved on down the line.
The resistance was light, and yet they lost one of Asami's men. A goblin had been hidden above them and waited until they had all passed before striking. The goblin had been dead before it hit the floor, 13 men shooting it, but not until it had been too late for Wakui. They took his weapons, then laid him to the side of the corridor. Yet another thing this goblin king owed them.
The sounds ahead of them grew until they knew they were minutes from the main cavern. The din was terrifying. Asami inched to the front with Zhu and risked a look. His chest tightened. There were over 300 goblins in there, some eating people, most just in a frenzy. And in the middle, in a center of calm, chained to what looked like a throne was Takaba. He was holding a child's body in his arms and just sitting there, head down.
Alive. He's alive.
Asami closed his eyes for a second.
Then he opened them and turned to Zhu, who must have seen a renewed fire in the tired face because his eyes asked a question that Asami answered. "He's alive and chained to a throne in the center of the room. It makes it harder. If they'd killed him we could have just blown them all to hell." Asami grinned. "Now we have to wait before we blow them all to hell."
"How many of them are there?"
"About 300."
The men were floored. "How the fuck...?"
"I have a plan."
--
Takaba had finally realized that the boy he held would never again see the light of day. He laid him gently down and covered his wounds with his jacket, then cautiously began taking in his surroundings. Upon the throne to which he was chained there sat a large demon, observing him. "Is this hell? Am I dead? Are you Satan?"
The demon roared with laughter. "It will seem that way to you, my lovely one. When I eat you before Asami, your pain will bring me the most exquisite pleasure."
Takaba's head had shot up at the mention of Asami's name. "Is he here? He's dead too?"
"You're not dead yet, though you soon will be. As for him, he's on his way. Evidently you're too precious for him to give you up. And that will be his undoing. He will do all that I ask to save you from pain."
"You're wrong!" Takaba shot back. "He doesn't care about my pain. He enjoys it. If he's coming here it's to kill you for taking what was his. And he will." But as Takaba looked around, he had doubts that even Asami would be able to win here.
"You don't believe it yourself, my tasty boy. You can see that he cannot win. Does it hurt you, to know that he's walking straight into a trap from which he cannot escape? Your pain over the child was delicious. Let me taste more."
Takaba shook tears from his eyes. "Never. No more."
"Really?" He lifted Takaba gently onto his lap. "Bring me that last child."
"No. No please!" Takaba begged. "You can have all the tears you want. Please. You don't have to kill anyone else."
"Oh," said the goblin king tenderly, "but I think I do."
A young girl was passed forward and thrown to the floor before the king.
He raised one hand to signal her death, while the other forced Takaba's face forward to watch it. Takaba closed his eyes, waiting, trying not to let himself feel anything. But a commotion high on the wall stopped everyone in their tracks. Silence fell over the room, and Takaba opened his eyes.
Sitting at the top of some stairs next to a cave's entrance into the main hall, lighting a cigarette, was Asami. Takaba felt a glow burning inside that he could not mistake. A goblin dashed towards the yakuza, who calmly cut him in half with the laser rifle in his lap. He drew on the cigarette, then blew smoke from his nose.
"Which of you is the king of this dump?"
The goblin king drew a sharp talon along Takaba's cheek, causing him to cry out in pain. Asami's eyes had been on Takaba from the moment he sat down. Takaba saw the cold fury at what he was witnessing.
"That would be me," the king answered. "And this would be your boy. Now mine."
Asami gazed thoughtfully at the goblin king. "Perhaps. Perhaps you might be interested in a trade."
"What do you have that could possibly interest me? I hold all the cards."
"Do you? From where I sit, I see a bunch of animals with no tools, up against the best tools of the armies of earth. That makes you a little predictable. If you didn't have something I wanted, we would have introduced your hell here to the inferno that's burning above. We still might, if you're uncooperative."
Asami gestured at his gun. "But I deal in weapons. I care about profit. I don’t care to whom I sell. I see a huge market here, frankly. I think we could do business together. Don't you think, oh goblin king, that your minions would be much more effective if armed with some of these?"
He pulled the trigger of the rifle, cutting a swath through the crowd, shearing bodies in half. The goblins scrambled to get out of his sights.
Takaba watched in horror as he realized what Asami was trying to do. He never thought the man would betray the human race. He shouted, "Don't do it Asami! Let him kill me! Don't do this or they'll be unstoppable. If you care about me..." His voice trailed off. What was he saying? What a fool he was.
"Ah, child, that's it, feel his betrayal."
The king looked up at Asami. "I may consider this, and let you live. On two conditions. You kneel to me as my slave and serve me. And your service starts with watching me eat the boy."
Asami laughed. "I don’t think so. I came down here to get the boy out. You let him go and promise to never touch him again. Then we'll talk about my servitude."
Takaba looked at Asami in shock. This wasn't right. His mind was racing.
"Let the boy go. What is he to you? Once I'm in your hands you'll need nothing to control me but your strength. His continued freedom will be my guarantee of good behavior."
The king regarded Asami in silence. "Come here then, and kneel to me. Wear this collar that the boy wears."
Asami stood. "Let me inform my men to not interfere." He turned to the Chinese man standing behind him and handed him the rifle.
"Wait!" the goblin king called out. "Bring the weapons."
Asami turned back around. "I will bring one. The other will be my guarantee that Takaba goes free." He took the rifle back from Zhu, instructing loudly. "Shoot him in the head if he breaks his word."
Zhu nodded, and raised the rifle to his shoulder.
Asami jumped to the floor of the cavern and began walking towards the throne, his eyes on Takaba's the whole time. Takaba pleaded with him silently to return, to fight his way out. But Asami approached until he was mere feet from the man, standing by the girl still huddled on the floor. "Let the boy go."
"Give me the rifle."
Asami pointed the rifle at the king's head. "Let the boy go."
"Kneel to me."
To Takaba's horror, Asami sank to his knees, the rifle still pointed at the goblin king. "Let the boy go."
The goblin king laughed at the sight his foe made, still defiant on his knees. "You will be so much fun to break." He unlocked the collar and pushed the boy to the side.
"Asami...no..." Takaba stepped towards Asami.
"Akihito. Do you trust me?"
There was no hesitation. "With my life."
"Just your life?" Asami asked lightly. "Will you kiss me before you leave? It will be our last."
"Wait," said the king. "Do you promise to serve me?"
"Of course. I thought I made myself clear. In return for his happiness and freedom."
"Then I will allow this, but only if you give me the gun first."
"Certainly. Just remember that one is still trained on you if you decide to break your word." Asami stood and tossed him the gun. He reached for Takaba, the goblin's gun now trained on them both. He lowered his lips and brushed them across Takaba's, and Takaba felt something break inside him. He pushed himself forward into the kiss, all the emotional turmoil within him coming out as he pulled Asami's lips against his. He opened his eyes to see Asami watching him, amused, pleased. He was confused. Asami kissed his way down to his ear.
"Akihito," he murmured. "Give me your hand and run like hell."
He pulled back in shock as Asami bent down and snatched the child off the floor, then grabbed his hand and started running. Goblins jumped into their paths, but a light from above cut through them leaving a path to the stairs as Zhu used his rifle.
They had made it to the bottom of the steps when the king cried out. "Move aside. Leave them to me."
"Asami!"
"Climb you little monkey!"
Takaba scrambled up the steps, tripping in his haste, nearly bringing both of them down. He glanced behind them to see the king raise the rifle and aim it. A hand grasped his belt and threw him over the top of the steps to the waiting arms of Asami's lieutenant. He was thrown to the cave's floor with the girl as the king pulled the trigger. A blossom of flame unfurled across the cavern floor as the plastique-loaded gun stock exploded in the goblin king's hands. Asami jumped over the edge of the stairs as the shock wave hit.
"Everyone up! Move it! Now!"
Takaba was picked up and thrown along as they raced back up the slopes of the cave. Those goblins who hadn't died in the blast were already beginning to pour into the cave chasing them in a murderous frenzy. Takaba's breath was fire in his lungs. He wanted to pause but Asami wouldn't let him. Asami finally picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, carrying him up and out. He saw the girl hanging over the other shoulder.
Asami tossed the transmitter to Zhu. "Take care of this. My hands are full."
Zhu laughed, delighted, and began pressing the keys. The explosions started below, the earth rocking around them, dumping dirt and stone on their heads. They saw light ahead where the napalm still burned outside the tunnel. The men raced for the entrance, the ceiling shaking loose as the explosions came closer, then they shot out to safety as the last charges caused the cave to collapse upon itself, sealing the way shut forever.
They didn't slow until they got to the trucks. Asami handed the child to one of his men, then tossed Zhu the keys for the first truck.
Zhu grinned and grabbed them, waving his men forward. "We have to stop meeting like this."
Asami laughed. "But this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Club Sion. Tomorrow night at 9:00."
Zhu nodded. "I'll be there." Then he ran for the truck and they roared off, Asami and his vehicles following. News and police helicopters began to arrive on the scene shortly afterwards, but they didn't know what to make of it. The papers the next day would say it was gang warfare.
The back of the limo was blessedly quiet as the two men finally caught their breaths. Takaba sat, staring at the floor, unmoving. Asami pushed a glass of scotch into his hands and made him drink it. He coughed, tears leaking from his eyes.
"Asami. There were people down there. We didn't save them. They were all killed." The boy lowered his head into his hands and began sobbing.
Asami picked him up and held him. He thought about sex, but for once decided it wasn't the right time. He stroked the brown head of hair, thinking about how close he'd been to losing him. Thinking about that last kiss.
A sob recalled him to the present. He spoke gently. "Akihito. You saw what kind of condition they were in. They were dead already. Only the girl was still whole. And she may never be sane after going through that. But I'll see that she's cared for as long as she needs it."
"You saved us. You came for me." Takaba still sobbed. "I thought I was dead until I saw you sitting there. I've never been so happy to see anyone. Why? Why did you do that?"
Asami knew he didn't mean just showing up. "What good is my pride if I let it get in the way of saving someone who is important to me? Kneeling was nothing. Especially since I knew he'd be dead in minutes."
Takaba raised his head. "The gun. What happened? It was working when you shot it."
"I switched it with the one we had rigged when I gave it to Zhu. The stock was mostly hollow plastic. Miyasako filled it and set it to explode when the trigger was pulled. He must have added a little something extra to cause that fireball. I think I will give him a nice bonus for that..."
"I can't believe you pulled that lame plan off. So much could have gone wrong."
Asami smirked. "It saved your ass, didn't it? It couldn't have been that lame. You know, I was trying to be kind and refraining from sex. But you're just asking for it, aren't you? I think your mouth needs to be occupied. I think you should kneel to me."
"Fuck you Asami!"
"I love it when you talk dirty. It shows me how much you really want it. And look, this is already hard...."
The limo sped off as the lovers within fell into their usual habits, the normalcy reassuring as they forgot about all but each other. Later though, they would recall the night as a turning point in their relationship, each better understanding what the other meant to him.
Behind them on the hillside the flames danced silently, slowly burning down, that year's sabbath now drawn to a close. As if scripted, a cock's crow greeted the dawn.
~end~
Fandom: VF
Pairing: Asami x Takaba
Rating: R (gore and violence)
Spoilers: None
Warning: AU, OC monsters, kind of nasty, not really related to folklore but my own brand of them. I kind of stretched truth on the weapons involved as well, but not that much.
Notes: kawaiigato wanted a Halloween story but I wasn't going to write one because nothing came to mind. But in the middle of a silly fic, this one interrupted. I've never written anything like it. I think it's more adventure than horror, though some parts are kind of gross, there being monsters and all. (None of the grossness is sexual btw.) But it's just a little bit of fun.
Mist swirled overhead, trailing through the lichen-covered gravestones, shielding the entrance to the caverns from sight. A small figure scurried from stone to stone, disrupting the lazy patterns, until finally settling in behind one of the larger monuments and pulling out a camera.
Takaba grumbled under his breath, "Trust Asami to pick a graveyard on Halloween for an arms deal. I suppose this is his idea of a sense of humor." The boy shivered and pulled his coat close, then reached into his knapsack for his thermos. The fragrance of hot coffee filled the air. He settled against the cold stone and began his wait.
Over in the cavern entrance, a pair of red eyes glowed briefly then vanished below.
--
The phone in Asami's pocket rang. He set his scotch into one of the limo's cup holders then answered.
He laughed. "He's so predictable."
His picked up his glass and sipped the gold liquor.
"No, leave him. Later tonight I plan to introduce him to the American concept of Tricks or Treats."
He listened a moment more. "Good. I'm 15 minutes away. That will give them a chance to get a little nervous before I show up. If they're smart, they'll know what they should really be frightened of."
He hung up and looked up through the darkened windows at the full moon as the black limo silently sped to its destination.
--
Far below the surface of the earth a party was in progress. There was no music, per se, but the shrieking of men and women in agony was music to the ears of the hosts. The floor ran with blood, bits of flesh and hair mixed in, as the denizens of the caverns feasted on this their holiest night.
A lone figure gingerly picked his way across the floor, taking care not to slip. He gazed longingly at the torn throats about him. He had been assigned to guard duty this evening for a past transgression and was allowed no part in the ceremonies. He stopped before the largest of his kind, who had his mouth buried in the entrails of young woman.
He cleared his throat. "Sire."
The goblin king raised his face, gore dripping from his fangs. The woman moaned feebly. He smiled down at her. "Don't worry, my love. I'll return to you as soon as I've dealt with this interruption."
He snarled. "This had better be good."
The guard bowed. "There are humans above, sire. It looks like a group of criminals gathering for a meeting."
The king swung his arm, claws ripping into the guard's side. "You interrupted me for this?"
The guard curled himself about his wound on the floor. "I heard them say his name! They said Asami! They're waiting for Asami."
The goblin king paused, then growled softly. "What does he mean by coming here on this night of all nights? Their so-called King of the Underworld. Does this mean he finally knows of me and is challenging?" This last rose to a roar that silenced all noise within the cave, save for stray whimpers and moans from the victims.
The beasts stared at their king, eyes growing wilder with anticipation.
"I'll skin him! Slice him! Roast him! Grind him! How dare he come here???"
Howling rose and echoed from the walls, goblins jumping about in glee, long claw-tipped arms waving like so many scraggly bare branches.
"Sire! There is more."
The king held out his hands for silence. "Speak."
"They spoke of a boy Asami considers important. Considers his. He hides above, watching. He is beautiful. Full of fire. Whoever feasts on him will be pleasured for hours."
The goblin king roared. "Bring him to me! But don't harm a hair of him or I'll rip you to shreds. I want Asami to watch as I eat his treasure. I want him to learn what true power is, and that it is all mine!"
The cave rang with the laughter of the damned as the guard set out to do his king's bidding, the crazed host following in anticipation of the feast to come.
--
Takaba started, then shook his head to clear it. He must have dozed off a moment and fallen into a nightmare. He tilted his head to listen for the roar he thought he'd heard only to find silence. He laughed at himself. Kou is not going to hear about this, or I'll never hear the end of it.
He should have brought his cheerful friend along. At least the time would have passed more quickly. Asami's men had scouted around the graveyard, taking up positions throughout, but somehow they'd missed him.
He could no longer drink his coffee because the scent would give him away, so he entertained himself with thoughts of how Asami's face would look when his picture showed up on the front page. He felt a twinge of something at the thoughts -guilt maybe briefly- but mostly fear. Maybe a short vacation was in order as soon as he dropped the prints off later tonight. Asami is the real monster to fear here.
The sound of approaching motors made him sit up and focus on the road, where he saw several pairs of headlights headed his way. It looked like a couple of trucks and the limo, and he started to snap some pictures. He was so engrossed in it that he didn't notice the men who had been stationed near him being dragged off into the darkness. He didn't even notice when it happened to him.
--
His form slumped and the goblin guard dropped the rock he'd used to knock the boy out.
Voices hissed from around him. "Did you damage him? Did you kill him? You'd better hope not. You-know-who will be unhappy. Very unhappy to have his toy ruined. He wants to ruin it himself."
He spun and hissed back. "Mind your own business. He's just sleeping now, so he won't try to run. If he ran he'd get hurt. Now it's no problem. Just a little blood here..." The goblin bent and sniffed and moaned. "Oh just a lick won't hurt."
His tongue was dipping into the shallow gash on the boy's head just as he was cuffed aside by his sergeant. "He is not for you! Take the boy below and chain him to the throne. Have someone guard him so he doesn't harm himself. If he kills himself you know who will get eaten in his place, don't you? We'll be munching on your bones."
The guard sullenly picked the boy up, slung him over his shoulder, and started the long journey back to the cavern below.
--
Miyasako, Asami's chief of security, was worried. He'd lost radio contact with two more of his men. No one had seen or heard anything. He called them in to a tighter formation, all within sight of the others, then he picked up his cell phone. He spoke softly and tersely, then froze at the answer. He spoke again, this time hesitantly questioning. He winced at the harsh answer, then acknowledging the order, hung up.
He ordered all of the men back to the meeting point, except for two who were to get the boy and bring him in.
By the time Asami arrived he knew those two were lost as well. And there would be hell to pay for losing the boy.
--
Zhu Shuzhen stood at the back of his delegation watching the growing nervousness among his own men, and more disquietingly, among Asami's. At first he had suspected a trap, but the increased agitation of Asami's security showed that whatever was happening, it wasn't their plan and it wasn't going well.
He spoke to his men sharply, telling them to be alert for unexpected attacks. There were strange growls coming from the darkness around them. He wasn't sure what was causing them and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. But he knew that if it dared to come close, he would kill it before it killed him.
The headlights to the east caught his eye. Asami was finally here. Perhaps there would be answers. Perhaps not. But he would be prepared for whatever happened and meet it head on.
--
Asami wasn't happy; he was, in fact, pissed. Things were not going as planned, and those responsible would pay.
He stepped from the limo, only to be met by his distraught security chief. "Miyasako. If you let emotions get in the way you cannot do your job effectively. And if you cannot do your job effectively I'll replace you. What has happened?"
Miyasako bowed. "Asami-sama. I'm sorry. The men I sent after Takaba-san can't be reached. We don't have the boy and we don't know what's happened to him. There were shots and screams and nothing more. Sada was the last one out, and he stayed on the phone until the end. Right before it was cut off, he said..." Miyasako swallowed. "He screamed 'Monsters. They're fucking monsters. Their teeth...' Then the connection broke."
Asami's jaw clenched.
"How many men are no longer reporting in?"
"Seven of the original twenty I'd brought."
"And the Chinese? How have they been acting?"
"They're nervous, Asami-sama. Zhu-san has been holding them in place by will alone. Still, for a moment they seemed about ready to leave, but then you showed up."
"They're the obvious culprits. Let's see if they bite. Bring the men in and take them to the second truck. Equip them from the weapons you find there. Tell them to shoot on sight, and tell them to find out where Takaba is, now. I want to know what happened to him and who caused it to happen, in that order. And I want to know it yesterday or more of them will be disappearing, only by my hand. Understood?"
"Understood, Asami-sama."
Asami put on an air of casual indifference and walked over to join the members of the group meeting him. The leader was Asami's age and handsome, in a rough sort of way, with the grace of a fighter. Asami had come to respect the man's keen intelligence, even if he disliked his politics.
"Zhu. I hope I haven't caused you any inconvenience by the place I've chosen to meet."
The Chinese man bowed his head slightly. "It was quite a drive from the city, but the view of the ocean more than made up for it. Though the setting is rather more melodramatic than this one would have been led to expect from Asami Ryuichi. It is, however, very private. Not many would venture out to a Christian cemetery on Halloween."
"Indeed. I chose it for just such a reason. That and because I found it amusing. You'll wish to inspect the cargo? It includes the experimental rifles acquired from developmental labs at X-Tech in America. Even their army doesn't have a working model yet. You'll learn much from the technology within them."
Zhu laughed. "As your men no doubt have already."
Asami shrugged, eyes amused. "What kind of salesman would I be if I didn't understand all the products out there, so that I might best meet my client's needs?"
"Indeed -"
A shriek split the air several hundred feet away. The two men spun, guns out, but they could see nothing. Long tongues of flame appeared, shooting out of a flame thrower. Inhuman cries filled the air as they found a target, a flaming bundle that ran directly for Asami.
His eyes widened as he took in the odd shape of the running figure, but he stood his ground with a sadistic smile and pumped shot after shot into it until it fell dead at his feet, still afire. Zhu stepped up beside him, a handkerchief over his nose.
"This," he gestured. "What is this thing, Asami-san? Are you attempting to demonstrate something to us? I do not appreciate surprises."
"Actually Zhu, I'd been wondering what you had to do with it. I see now that it's outside of your realm of influence." Asami crouched down by the burning thing. "You know, this doesn't appear to be human. I'm as skeptical as the next man, but I don't have any explanation for this." He hit the intercom on this phone. "Miyasako! It sounds like there are more of them. Bring me another."
As if hearing his command, more beasts began charging out of the darkness and gunfire exploded around them. Asami and Zhu stood shoulder to shoulder, emptying their pistols. Two of the beasts suddenly charged Asami at the same time, knocking him backwards with the force of it. He got off only one shot, killing one but the other would reach him before he could swing his gun over. But just before it reached him, it too fell dead.
Zhu stepped up beside him and blew on the end of his pistol and grinned. "Some party you're throwing."
Asami smirked in return, but then another wave of the things drew all their concentration. Three of the Chinese fell under teeth and claws, their shots going wild.
"Zhu, I suggest we fall back to the trucks. We can use the supplies there. At no charge to you of course."
Asami's phone rang as they began to run. "Good," he shouted. "Bring it to the trucks. I want all men back here now. And Takaba?"
The news wasn't good.
"Dammit."
The beasts were on their heels, but the remaining Chinese men were trained soldiers, both in weapons and hand to hand martial arts. Heels crunched skulls. Explosive rounds shattered bones. Fists felled their pursuers until they could be shot. But not without cost. The group that made it to the inside of the rear truck was bloody where both tooth and claw had found flesh, Asami and Zhu included.
Miyasako was there, three men with stun guns surrounding what looked like a mutated human. It was groveling and thrashing on the floor, trying to strike out and escape.
Asami walked straight up to it and kicked it in the head. It lay there dazed for a moment, then lashed out with its talons.
Asami's hand shot out and grabbed the arm below the wrist and twisted it. There was a ripping sound from the creature's shoulder, and it screamed. Asami stood on the other wrist with one foot, then placed his other on the thing's throat.
"Now. You're going to tell me a few things. In this order. What are you? Where is the boy, Takaba? Why are you attacking us? How many of you are there? Where is your base? Each time you don't answer I rip something of yours off. And don't try to pretend you don't speak Japanese. You were listening to our shouts. You know what we're saying. Now, the first question."
The thing was reluctant to talk but Asami never made a threat he didn't keep, and after 5 fingernails and 2 fingers were wrenched off with pliers the beast finally gave in. It told of the goblin king and his court and his hatred for Asami, and his plans for Takaba.
Asami listened, his anger growing with each new piece of information. He didn't give a fuck what these things were or where they came from -- he was hated by the best. But they were challenging him and they were trying to take what was his. The thought of what they had planned for Takaba made him furious, his mind whirring through different routes to vengeance and his lover. If only the boy weren't below they could just drop some explosives into the caverns and roast the fucking things. But they couldn't afford to. They were going to have go in there, into their lair.
He turned to the Chinese leader. "I know you didn't bargain for this, and you've lost some men because of my decision to hold our meeting here. I owe you, and I will pay. You know my word is good. But the night isn't over. They hold someone important to me and I'm going down there to get him back. Can I count on you as allies?"
Zhu looked at him dispassionately. "I never thought to see the day when you would speak of someone with emotion in your eyes. You cannot afford it where we're going."
"Where we're going?"
"Yes. They've killed my men. They'll die for it. And you will be giving me these weapons as a gesture of this friendship we're forging."
"Take the fucking weapons. After we get Takaba out alive."
Zhu nodded. "Then, my friend, we have plans to make."
"First things first." Asami grabbed a machete out of one of the boxes and grasped the goblin's head. He sliced through the neck, black blood pouring from the gaping wound, then sawed across the spine until it came from the torso. The body spasmed in its death throes as Asami walked to the back of the truck.
He raised the gate and hurled the dripping head into the darkness, shouting after it. "Tell your king his message is received. And tell him this. Tonight he's going to die for what he's done."
He slammed the gate back down. "Now," he said with a cold smile, "where are those laser rifles from X-Tech?"
--
After the severely wounded were dismissed to the back of the truck, there were fifteen of them left: five Chinese soldiers, seven Japanese, Miyasako, Zhu and Asami. Asami had called for reinforcements, but they were over two hours from Tokyo. A helicopter could get a few there, but it still had to ready for flight. They had to expect to be on their own for the next few hours. In other words, it was all up to them.
"Listen up. Most will have fallen back to the caverns because they have an advantage in fighting us there. But a few will likely have remained behind. We're going to have to take them out first so no one is between us and the entrance once we get down there."
He pointed to several crates on the right. "Those are mortars." He pointed to another crate. "Those are napalm shells. You four. Burn anything out there that moves. And leave a path to the damned caverns clear."
"The rest of you, choose your weapons at will, whatever and as much as you want. Zhu and I will take the XL5's. I wouldn't assume any nerve gas affects them the way it does us. But we know burning does, and we know cutting and shooting does. They're fast. They're wicked with those claws. But they're animals that can be killed, and they only have the one set of weapons. We have far more." He turned to his ally. "Zhu, let's talk."
--
Far below the surface Takaba was slowly waking up, but he kept his eyes shut so he could figure out where he was before giving away the fact that he was alert. His head was killing him, and his throat was being squeezed by a collar of some sort. Oh God, Asami got me already?
He struggled to control his breathing, and as he did he began to notice things. The stench for one. It was the overwhelming smell of rotted meat and offal. Like a slaughterhouse. He almost vomited but managed to choke it back. Not Asami then. Asami was nothing if not fastidious.
Next he listened. Growls and moans and screams filled the air. Sounds like animals feeding. Like he'd been dumped into a pit of wild animals. Oh my God, is that it? Someone dropped me into a cage at a zoo? Asami would never go that far though. What the hell is going on?
He slowly opened his eyes. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight that greeted him. And nothing would ever erase it from his memory. Three feet away a demon feasted on a young boy's body, the boy still alive. Takaba's body sprang where his mind couldn't follow. His chain was short, but not that short. The force of his jump knocked the surprised goblin away from the child.
"You filthy monster!" Takaba wound the chain around its neck and twisted. "How could you? I don't care what pit of hell this is, no one does that in front of me and gets away with it. He's a little boy. You fuckers. He's just a little boy." He began to cry.
The goblin fell, unconscious or dead, Takaba didn't care. He turned back to the boy and gathered him in his arms, trying to put back the pieces that had been ripped out of place. He couldn't tell if he was doing it right, because the tears in his eyes made it impossible to see. "It'll be alright. We'll get out of here. I'll keep you safe until then."
But the boy was beyond hearing, and soon died. Takaba continued to hold him and rock him, not knowing.
The goblins soon tired of jeering the unresponsive young man and went back to their meals.
--
The fields were glowing with the vapors of burning chemicals. Every so often a blazing goblin would hurtle by, a meteor that quickly turned to ash, but most of the enemy had retreated far below. The men jogged past the flames, keeping close until they reached the mouth of the cave.
The man on point lit a flare and tossed it deep inside. Two men moved in, scouting for enemies, shooting at anything that moved. Two more men leapfrogged across them, moving a little further, repeating the pattern as they slowly penetrated the cave. Luckily there were no offshoot caves big enough to confuse them. The path had been worn by countless goblins and their refuse was piled along the sides. The way was clear. And it was being followed far too easily for Asami's satisfaction.
He signaled the last two men. "Begin planting the explosives. No timers, just electrical signals. I'll trigger them as I leave, and I intend to be the last one out."
The men quickly stuck the plastique to the walls and embedded the fuses, then moved on down the line.
The resistance was light, and yet they lost one of Asami's men. A goblin had been hidden above them and waited until they had all passed before striking. The goblin had been dead before it hit the floor, 13 men shooting it, but not until it had been too late for Wakui. They took his weapons, then laid him to the side of the corridor. Yet another thing this goblin king owed them.
The sounds ahead of them grew until they knew they were minutes from the main cavern. The din was terrifying. Asami inched to the front with Zhu and risked a look. His chest tightened. There were over 300 goblins in there, some eating people, most just in a frenzy. And in the middle, in a center of calm, chained to what looked like a throne was Takaba. He was holding a child's body in his arms and just sitting there, head down.
Alive. He's alive.
Asami closed his eyes for a second.
Then he opened them and turned to Zhu, who must have seen a renewed fire in the tired face because his eyes asked a question that Asami answered. "He's alive and chained to a throne in the center of the room. It makes it harder. If they'd killed him we could have just blown them all to hell." Asami grinned. "Now we have to wait before we blow them all to hell."
"How many of them are there?"
"About 300."
The men were floored. "How the fuck...?"
"I have a plan."
--
Takaba had finally realized that the boy he held would never again see the light of day. He laid him gently down and covered his wounds with his jacket, then cautiously began taking in his surroundings. Upon the throne to which he was chained there sat a large demon, observing him. "Is this hell? Am I dead? Are you Satan?"
The demon roared with laughter. "It will seem that way to you, my lovely one. When I eat you before Asami, your pain will bring me the most exquisite pleasure."
Takaba's head had shot up at the mention of Asami's name. "Is he here? He's dead too?"
"You're not dead yet, though you soon will be. As for him, he's on his way. Evidently you're too precious for him to give you up. And that will be his undoing. He will do all that I ask to save you from pain."
"You're wrong!" Takaba shot back. "He doesn't care about my pain. He enjoys it. If he's coming here it's to kill you for taking what was his. And he will." But as Takaba looked around, he had doubts that even Asami would be able to win here.
"You don't believe it yourself, my tasty boy. You can see that he cannot win. Does it hurt you, to know that he's walking straight into a trap from which he cannot escape? Your pain over the child was delicious. Let me taste more."
Takaba shook tears from his eyes. "Never. No more."
"Really?" He lifted Takaba gently onto his lap. "Bring me that last child."
"No. No please!" Takaba begged. "You can have all the tears you want. Please. You don't have to kill anyone else."
"Oh," said the goblin king tenderly, "but I think I do."
A young girl was passed forward and thrown to the floor before the king.
He raised one hand to signal her death, while the other forced Takaba's face forward to watch it. Takaba closed his eyes, waiting, trying not to let himself feel anything. But a commotion high on the wall stopped everyone in their tracks. Silence fell over the room, and Takaba opened his eyes.
Sitting at the top of some stairs next to a cave's entrance into the main hall, lighting a cigarette, was Asami. Takaba felt a glow burning inside that he could not mistake. A goblin dashed towards the yakuza, who calmly cut him in half with the laser rifle in his lap. He drew on the cigarette, then blew smoke from his nose.
"Which of you is the king of this dump?"
The goblin king drew a sharp talon along Takaba's cheek, causing him to cry out in pain. Asami's eyes had been on Takaba from the moment he sat down. Takaba saw the cold fury at what he was witnessing.
"That would be me," the king answered. "And this would be your boy. Now mine."
Asami gazed thoughtfully at the goblin king. "Perhaps. Perhaps you might be interested in a trade."
"What do you have that could possibly interest me? I hold all the cards."
"Do you? From where I sit, I see a bunch of animals with no tools, up against the best tools of the armies of earth. That makes you a little predictable. If you didn't have something I wanted, we would have introduced your hell here to the inferno that's burning above. We still might, if you're uncooperative."
Asami gestured at his gun. "But I deal in weapons. I care about profit. I don’t care to whom I sell. I see a huge market here, frankly. I think we could do business together. Don't you think, oh goblin king, that your minions would be much more effective if armed with some of these?"
He pulled the trigger of the rifle, cutting a swath through the crowd, shearing bodies in half. The goblins scrambled to get out of his sights.
Takaba watched in horror as he realized what Asami was trying to do. He never thought the man would betray the human race. He shouted, "Don't do it Asami! Let him kill me! Don't do this or they'll be unstoppable. If you care about me..." His voice trailed off. What was he saying? What a fool he was.
"Ah, child, that's it, feel his betrayal."
The king looked up at Asami. "I may consider this, and let you live. On two conditions. You kneel to me as my slave and serve me. And your service starts with watching me eat the boy."
Asami laughed. "I don’t think so. I came down here to get the boy out. You let him go and promise to never touch him again. Then we'll talk about my servitude."
Takaba looked at Asami in shock. This wasn't right. His mind was racing.
"Let the boy go. What is he to you? Once I'm in your hands you'll need nothing to control me but your strength. His continued freedom will be my guarantee of good behavior."
The king regarded Asami in silence. "Come here then, and kneel to me. Wear this collar that the boy wears."
Asami stood. "Let me inform my men to not interfere." He turned to the Chinese man standing behind him and handed him the rifle.
"Wait!" the goblin king called out. "Bring the weapons."
Asami turned back around. "I will bring one. The other will be my guarantee that Takaba goes free." He took the rifle back from Zhu, instructing loudly. "Shoot him in the head if he breaks his word."
Zhu nodded, and raised the rifle to his shoulder.
Asami jumped to the floor of the cavern and began walking towards the throne, his eyes on Takaba's the whole time. Takaba pleaded with him silently to return, to fight his way out. But Asami approached until he was mere feet from the man, standing by the girl still huddled on the floor. "Let the boy go."
"Give me the rifle."
Asami pointed the rifle at the king's head. "Let the boy go."
"Kneel to me."
To Takaba's horror, Asami sank to his knees, the rifle still pointed at the goblin king. "Let the boy go."
The goblin king laughed at the sight his foe made, still defiant on his knees. "You will be so much fun to break." He unlocked the collar and pushed the boy to the side.
"Asami...no..." Takaba stepped towards Asami.
"Akihito. Do you trust me?"
There was no hesitation. "With my life."
"Just your life?" Asami asked lightly. "Will you kiss me before you leave? It will be our last."
"Wait," said the king. "Do you promise to serve me?"
"Of course. I thought I made myself clear. In return for his happiness and freedom."
"Then I will allow this, but only if you give me the gun first."
"Certainly. Just remember that one is still trained on you if you decide to break your word." Asami stood and tossed him the gun. He reached for Takaba, the goblin's gun now trained on them both. He lowered his lips and brushed them across Takaba's, and Takaba felt something break inside him. He pushed himself forward into the kiss, all the emotional turmoil within him coming out as he pulled Asami's lips against his. He opened his eyes to see Asami watching him, amused, pleased. He was confused. Asami kissed his way down to his ear.
"Akihito," he murmured. "Give me your hand and run like hell."
He pulled back in shock as Asami bent down and snatched the child off the floor, then grabbed his hand and started running. Goblins jumped into their paths, but a light from above cut through them leaving a path to the stairs as Zhu used his rifle.
They had made it to the bottom of the steps when the king cried out. "Move aside. Leave them to me."
"Asami!"
"Climb you little monkey!"
Takaba scrambled up the steps, tripping in his haste, nearly bringing both of them down. He glanced behind them to see the king raise the rifle and aim it. A hand grasped his belt and threw him over the top of the steps to the waiting arms of Asami's lieutenant. He was thrown to the cave's floor with the girl as the king pulled the trigger. A blossom of flame unfurled across the cavern floor as the plastique-loaded gun stock exploded in the goblin king's hands. Asami jumped over the edge of the stairs as the shock wave hit.
"Everyone up! Move it! Now!"
Takaba was picked up and thrown along as they raced back up the slopes of the cave. Those goblins who hadn't died in the blast were already beginning to pour into the cave chasing them in a murderous frenzy. Takaba's breath was fire in his lungs. He wanted to pause but Asami wouldn't let him. Asami finally picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, carrying him up and out. He saw the girl hanging over the other shoulder.
Asami tossed the transmitter to Zhu. "Take care of this. My hands are full."
Zhu laughed, delighted, and began pressing the keys. The explosions started below, the earth rocking around them, dumping dirt and stone on their heads. They saw light ahead where the napalm still burned outside the tunnel. The men raced for the entrance, the ceiling shaking loose as the explosions came closer, then they shot out to safety as the last charges caused the cave to collapse upon itself, sealing the way shut forever.
They didn't slow until they got to the trucks. Asami handed the child to one of his men, then tossed Zhu the keys for the first truck.
Zhu grinned and grabbed them, waving his men forward. "We have to stop meeting like this."
Asami laughed. "But this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Club Sion. Tomorrow night at 9:00."
Zhu nodded. "I'll be there." Then he ran for the truck and they roared off, Asami and his vehicles following. News and police helicopters began to arrive on the scene shortly afterwards, but they didn't know what to make of it. The papers the next day would say it was gang warfare.
The back of the limo was blessedly quiet as the two men finally caught their breaths. Takaba sat, staring at the floor, unmoving. Asami pushed a glass of scotch into his hands and made him drink it. He coughed, tears leaking from his eyes.
"Asami. There were people down there. We didn't save them. They were all killed." The boy lowered his head into his hands and began sobbing.
Asami picked him up and held him. He thought about sex, but for once decided it wasn't the right time. He stroked the brown head of hair, thinking about how close he'd been to losing him. Thinking about that last kiss.
A sob recalled him to the present. He spoke gently. "Akihito. You saw what kind of condition they were in. They were dead already. Only the girl was still whole. And she may never be sane after going through that. But I'll see that she's cared for as long as she needs it."
"You saved us. You came for me." Takaba still sobbed. "I thought I was dead until I saw you sitting there. I've never been so happy to see anyone. Why? Why did you do that?"
Asami knew he didn't mean just showing up. "What good is my pride if I let it get in the way of saving someone who is important to me? Kneeling was nothing. Especially since I knew he'd be dead in minutes."
Takaba raised his head. "The gun. What happened? It was working when you shot it."
"I switched it with the one we had rigged when I gave it to Zhu. The stock was mostly hollow plastic. Miyasako filled it and set it to explode when the trigger was pulled. He must have added a little something extra to cause that fireball. I think I will give him a nice bonus for that..."
"I can't believe you pulled that lame plan off. So much could have gone wrong."
Asami smirked. "It saved your ass, didn't it? It couldn't have been that lame. You know, I was trying to be kind and refraining from sex. But you're just asking for it, aren't you? I think your mouth needs to be occupied. I think you should kneel to me."
"Fuck you Asami!"
"I love it when you talk dirty. It shows me how much you really want it. And look, this is already hard...."
The limo sped off as the lovers within fell into their usual habits, the normalcy reassuring as they forgot about all but each other. Later though, they would recall the night as a turning point in their relationship, each better understanding what the other meant to him.
Behind them on the hillside the flames danced silently, slowly burning down, that year's sabbath now drawn to a close. As if scripted, a cock's crow greeted the dawn.
~end~