MFL: Chapter Three
Title: My Fair Lady
Chapter: Chapter Three: The Family Members
Pairing/s: Daiki x Umika
Genre: AU
Summary: With a new name, and a new environment to adapt to, Miyamoto Umi is all set to meet everyone in the "Family".
Note:
* No manip, just a character chart at the end.
* This = Monster Fic.
It took them about four hours to buy everything they needed, and a few other "unnecessary things" (as Umika called them, seeing as she only really cared about the things she really needed. 'Why would anyone buy cute bento boxes and different sets of utensils anyway?' she thought to herself.) By the time they were finished, it was already lunch time.
"Should we eat out somewhere? As celebration?" Hana excitedly offered as she placed the last of their groceries into the car trunk. "It's worth it, right?"
"It is not necessary, I think." Umika answered with a thoughtful expression. "We spent quite an amount of money."
Hana then stared at his brother, puppy eyes and all. "Don't be stingy, please?"
Chuckling a bit, Daiki shook his head. "I wouldn't be stingy, but I think Umi-chan would be happier with home-cooked food. You can even teach her how to."
"Ooh~" Eyes widening in excitement, Hana went over to Umi's side and hugged her arm. "I finally have a big sister I can cook with~"
Despite herself, Umika could not help but smile a bit. She was an only child and barely had any interactions with anyone in the family. It was only with her father that she was able to talk for long periods of time. Her cousins, especially the female ones, found her boring and too strict. Most of her female classmates were intimidated by her. That was why she never had these kinds of moments. She never had the time for such hobbies anyway. It was always about strict business with her. Finally, she would be able to relax and widen her abilities.
"That sounds nice." She said, letting herself be pulled into the backseat of the car with Hana. She watched as Hana's smile widened.
"It would be so fun!" The little sister squeeled.
...
The next hour was spent with Hana and Umi cooking. Hana was pleased to see Umika's skills on the kitchen. Despite not having any experience, she had a theoretical background because of the numerous books she had to read for their hotel business. But of course she needed Hana for a lot of the important things.
"This was harder than I imagined." Umika sighed as she placed some plates on the table. "I admire my chef now. He makes food so quickly."
"You have your own chef?" Hana asked curiously. "Did you have a butler for your own?"
Laughing quietly, Umika shook her head. "We had a chef in our house and we had maids. Having a butler for my own is not that economical. I was to have a secretary but I did not stay long enough to meet her."
"Ooh~ Curry?" Daiki looked pleased as he sat on his usual seat on the dinner table. "This looks delicious. Good job, Umi-chan!" He smiled at her.
Smiling to herself (being complimented had always been her weak point), she shook her head and said "Hana did most of the work."
Hana bounced to her side and cuddled her fondly, giggling. "Can I call you Umi'nee-chan? You're the cutest and the smartest nee-chaaan~"
She still felt a bit awkward about cuddling and being all touchy like this, but Hana was a sweet girl and it felt nice to be called 'Onee-chan'. It made being in a family more real. She patted Hana's head tentatively, while saying "Of course. You will be my imouto."
Daiki smiled to himself, eyes changing into a more tender expression. "Now, let's eat!"
...
After lunch, it was time to meet the rest of Daiki's team. He said there were basically four people in the team, now five because of her addition. There was someone who gathered information, there was Riida who made fake things and sometimes help with making the strategies, there was another guy who handled equipments (Umika suspects it's all illegal machineries and those things) and there's Daiki, the leader of the group who does the "errands" of their work. Daiki was glad to have her in the team, since they had to use Hana and Riida's wife for work that needed girls before.
"Hana had to? I cannot imagine her doing dirty work." Umika narrowed her eyes.
A chuckle escaped his lips. "Dirty work...? We don't really do much. You could even call us heroes. Well, you're from the other side so you won't understand. Rather than profits, we value helping the poor people your kind so despises." A dark look passed through his eyes, but was immediately gone as he looked at the side of their apartment building where the stairs was. "Riida is on the third floor."
They walked in silence as Umika wondered what kind of work Daiki really did. How could they protect people with their illegal ways? Who does her kind hate, anyway? She knows the rules of the trade, and she knows weak people will suffer for the stronger to have more success. It was the law of nature, wasn't it? It wasn't really the business people's fault.
"We're here." Daiki pointed to the last door on the third floor of the apartment building. "We all live close so that it would not be hard to plan." He knocked three consecutive times on the door. "It's a code. If we're visiting, we knock three times."
Umika simply nodded before looking at the plain white door.
Soon enough, a beautiful smiling woman opened the door. She looked really welcoming as she opened the door further to let them in. "Dai-chan, who's this girl?"
"She just moved in with me. My partner." Daiki simply said.
Eyes shining with the same intensity as Hana's, the woman clasped both of her hands and smiled more brightly. "You must be Umi! You look so beautiful~ Please take care of our baby, okay? Dai-chan is still young and he's really childish despite all that." She giggled.
A blush appeared on Daiki's cheeks. "Yu-chan! Don't say that!"
"Oh come on~" Yu teased. "I've heard from Hana-chan. Your back story is really cute~ You must be really proud~ My son is so amazing~"
Pouting a bit (was Daiki really this childish?) he exclaimed, "I won't call you 'Okaa-san' if you keep doing this!"
"Oi, oi," A man came out from a room, looking so sleepy that he appeared like he was just sleepwalking. "Yu-chan, don't tease him too much. He's on his rebellious period."
"I'm not!" Daiki huffed as he sat down on the couch. Catching the stare Umika was giving him, his eyes widened. He cleared his throat and breathed deeply to calm himself. "This is Yu-chan and Riida. They've been married for who knows how long and they semi-adopted me into the group. They're both on crack most of the time."
"Watch your mouth, son!" Yu-chan was half-teasing, half-scolding. She then looked at Umika. "Sit here." She gestured to the closest sofa. "Kidding aside, we're really glad you're here. Such a capable girl in our team, it will be a pleasure to work with an heiress."
"Ex Heiress. I left that family behind." Umika's voice sounded almost cold.
"Fierce. I like her." Riida muttered before taking out some pieces of paper from under the table. "How could I help you today?"
Daiki nodded and went from that blushing, embarrassed boy to an all-business man. He looked so serious as he took out a list from his pocket. "For now, any kind of ID would do. A passport and our marriage certificate too." His voice lowered as he added, "And Boss said you have the materials finished. We need it for tomorrow so just give it to Hana later."
Riida listed down the requests before looking at the door where he came from. "Iroh! We have a job here. Stop studying!"
Moments later, a beautiful (boy? girl?) person with short curly hair came out from the room. He was wearing a light blue polo, a red necktie and black pants. He looked smart and really responsible, as opposed to the slack Riida. "Oh." The person looked pleased as he immediately went towards Daiki. "Dai-chaaaaaaaaan~ I missed you!!!"
Uh. So it's a she? The voice sounded a little girly as well.
"And what do we have here~?" An amused smile appeared on her lips as she looked at Umika. Taking Umika's hand, she kissed it lightly.
....wait what?!
So it's a... what?!
"I'm Iroh. Or at least that's what Riida calls me here. I'm his part-time assistant and I'm a handsome university student too. Yoroshiku~ If you want to know me more, I can give you my number~!" He, if he really is male, winked at her flirtatiously. "Want to hang out sometimes?"
Eyes narrowing dangerously, Daiki punched Iroh (with an obvious strength).
"Ouch!" He exclaimed, eyes widening. "You're so violent, Dai-chan! I was just being friendly with your fake wife!"
Still looking really annoyed, Daiki pulled Iroh away and sat on the nearest sofa to her. "Don't. Touch. Her." His glare looked really deadly just then. With a scary whisper, he added, "Or I'll kill you."
Shuddering visibly, Iroh raised both hands innocently. "She's all yours. All yours!" He looked helplessly at Yu-chan before muttering, "So it's true..."
"Daiki, what is with the attitude change?" Umika asked curiously. "You lose your calm too easily for a swindler." She frowned, disturbed by the confusion she was feeling.
"It's nothing." Daiki smiled at her before pointing at Iroh. "This guy was my high school classmate. He flirts too much with girls even though he looks too gay. Don't EVER go near him. He's dangerous."
Umika mentally noted it, smiling a bit. These people looked really interesting. And despite the fact that she knew they handled illegal things and hated her kind, she felt really comfortable with them. It was nice seeing them interact. It was like an extension of the family she just knew yesterday. Will everyday be as nice as this? She hopes so.
"I'm NOT dangerous. Nor am I gay. I'm bi, but that's besides the point." Iroh pouted. "Anyway." Having calmed down, he looked at Riida. "So, what job?"
Riida took the list and threw it to him. "I'm going fishing. You can do the draft and I'll just ink it later. I've made the papers needed. They're at my room." He yawned before standing up and going back to the room.
"Ugh, I had so many assignments too..." Iroh grumbled as he read through the list.
Yu-chan sat beside him and brightly suggested, "How about I help you?"
Iroh inched away, looking back at the room. "Yu-chan, Riida is cold blooded and all but when it's about you, he gets really annoyed. So NO THANKS." He tried to sound as polite as possible but he looked really terrified at the idea of Riida getting angry. The team sure looks like a war-freak batch of men. "Just go with him fishing. He'll like that." Sighing, he took out his pen and started making notes of things he should start doing. "These gang members and their possessive streak... Ugh." he muttered.
....
Their next stop was a house just around the corner. It was where the programmer-slash-information seller was at. They arrived there about 15 minutes later. It was a small one-floor house with a low gate.
Daiki went ahead and rang the doorbell three times. "It's the same everywhere, we have to do it three times for them to know it's us." He explained. "Ah. Let's go." The door opened slightly. Daiki opened the gate from the outside and let her in. "He doesn't go out. I guess you could call it a sickness of the heart."
Umika's eyes widened. "Sickness of the heart...?"
"I'll explain later." He simply replied as he went on inside.
Following suit, she saw that the lights were all turned off and it looked pretty dark. At the end of the hall was a light coming from the open door of a room. They walked towards the light in silence.
"Yo, Falcon." Daiki plopped down the bed, casually waving his hand at the direction of the handsome guy sitting at the corner, typing furiously on a laptop. He looked like he hasn't been asleep for days, obvious from the dark lines under his eyes. "Seems busy huh?"
Falcon looked up for a second before going back to typing. "Can't. Too much. Hassle. Difficult. Boss."
"Boss made you do something crazy again?" Daiki chuckled a bit before sitting up and patting the space beside him. "Sit here, Umi. I'm sure Hornet will be back soon. We can't really talk with this guy when he's like this."
"No make-outs on my bed." Falcon said, glancing another quick look at them. He smirked. "Fished a beauty. Lucky."
Visibly ignoring any of Falcon's comments, Daiki looked at Umika and started explaining. "This is Falcon. He's a hacker, a programmer, and also the informations officer of the group. He's a genius but he always gets too preoccupied with hard jobs our Boss challenges him with." He glanced at Falcon for a bit before continuing. "So he's basically a weirdo genius who is competitive and workaholic."
"Nice way to sum it up." A younger guy, probably the same age as Umika, walked in. He looked like a more refreshed version of Falcon. He was even wearing the same black jacket. "Good afternoon, Daiki-san." He bowed a bit. "And you must be Umi? I'm Hornet, Falcon-san's apprentice. Nice to meet you."
"Not apprentice. Just a brat." Falcon commented, not even looking up.
"He's Falcon's apprentice." Daiki nodded and grinned impishly at Falcon's direction. "He's the one we can talk to a lot of times, especially when Falcon is too busy. He lives here too. He gathers information outside since Falcon can't."
Hornet looked back and shouted, "Mi-chan, hurry up! We have guests!"
"Stop bringing you girlfriend." Falcon took the time to glare at his apprentice.
"She helps out here and you know you like having her around~" Hornet laughed as Falcon continued glaring at the keyboard.
A few seconds later, a serious looking girl with short hair went running to the room. "Our visitors are-"
"Mirai!" Umika stood up in surprise, staring at the new girl in shock. "Why are you-"
Mirai's eyes were as wide as hers as she walked towards the lady slowly. "I could ask you the same question! Everyone's worried about you! Your father sent so many detectives to search for you!"
"This is... Anou... Please do not tell anyone about this. I am..." Umika did not like panicking. But she really had no idea how to get through this problem.
Daiki stood up and went in front of Mirai. "You're Hornet's girlfriend, Ishiguro Mirai? If you're really as supportive as I've heard, you know what to do right now. It's Hornet's name on the line here."
"What?" Hornet looked really confused.
"I understand." Mirai simply nodded before facing Umika. "What's your new name? I'm... well, you could call me a spy. I'm a secretary at your company... Supposedly yours, if you remember..." There was hurt in her voice but she continued without a change in expression. "I work for the Kawashima Corporations but my loyalty lies with Boss. Of course Hornet refuses to accept it, but I'm a part of another group under Boss."
"Boss is crazy for making you a spy." Hornet frowned but did not make any other comment.
Umika stared wide eyed at her friend, her classmate since High School who was chosen as her secretary before she ran away. "I didn't expect you to be a..." As if remembering something, her expression changed from shock to curiousness. "How about your brother? Hideo-kun... Does he know?"
Daiki's expression hardened upon hearing the name. "The police officer?"
"Of course he doesn't. Onii-chan is a detective. Besides, Falcon is a spy too who pretends to help Onii-chan while feeding him false information. As I said, my loyalty is with Boss." Mirai explained, almost too calmly. It was as if she was talking about such boring topic as the weather. "Oh just forget that for now, Umi! I bought a cake. Let's eat it at the living room. You have plenty of things to tell me!" Her smile was still the same joyful and carefree smile Umika remembered. It made her a little bit more at ease.
Umika nodded, wanting to talk to her as well. Despite it only being two days, she has been submerged into a culture she did not know before. Having the chance to talk to someone familiar would be nice. Especially since she could also ask about various things like how her father reacted, or if the company encountered problems because of what she did.
...
They sat on the couch in the living room, now with open light. The door to Falcon's room was closed, probably to give them privacy for whatever they had to talk about.
"There's a new job for Daiki's team. It's about illegal drugs, it seems..." Mirai worriedly stared at the closed door. "It's always dangerous, those kind of jobs."
"Does this Boss make people sell drugs?" Umika's eyes were wide.
Mirai looked genuinely surprised at her question. "Of course not!" She exclaimed, voice showing that she was a little offended by the suggestion. "If you're gonna be part of the group, you should trust Boss first and foremost. The Boss saves people, not make them do things. We're all working under the group because of our debts of gratitude."
"The Boss is someone that amazing...?" Umika knew everyone looked up to that person, but she thought it was mainly because of fear. Don't underground groups work that way most of the time?
"Un!" Mirai's smile was confident and sure. She clearly had 100% trust in that person. "Let's change the topic~" Her smile changed to a teasing grin. "How did you find Daiki?"
"It was a coincidence. He knew me so he said he will help me win against father." Umika simply explained.
"Win against your father? What happened, really?" Mirai was obviously curious.
Umika then explained everything, from the moment she went home and heard about the enggagement plans to the time she talked to Daiki.
"So that enggagement rumor was true... Nishikido-san went to the office a lot of times last month. It must be for that." Eyes widening, Mirai took out a notepad from her bag. "But... Nishikido-san still went to the office yesterday. He looked pretty confident. Doesn't that mean that the enggagement plan is not yet halted?"
"I guessed as much." Umika sighed tiredly. She dreaded it, but she knew her father was not someone who would quit so easily.
Reading through the notepad, probably her spy log or something to that extent, she frowned some more. "According to onii-chan, Kawashima-san sent five detectives to search for you. Onii-chan was not part of the team but he is doing an independent search, since he's really worried for you."
A blush appeared on Umika's face. Mirai smiled a bit at that before continuing with a serious expression.
"Now that I think about it, it was odd that they didn't find you... But it makes sense if you're protected. This part of the town is free from the Kawashima Corporation's grasp, so you can walk around without fear." Mirai nodded in understanding. "Your father also seems pretty calm about it. He seemed sure you'll be back soon."
"He does not trust my abilities." Umika felt the grudge come back with full force. If there was anyone who knows how Kawashima Tsutomu's mind worked, it was his daughter. She was sure her father thinks that she'll flake out soon enough. That she can't and won't survive in this type of surroundings. Well, he's underestemating his daughter's skills.
"Umika-chan..." Mirai looked sympathetically at her, holding her right hand and squeezing it comfortingly. "You're in good hands now. If there's anyone who could trust your skills more than anyone, it's Daiki. That's why he's the leader, because he believes in each of their strengths."
The lady nodded. "This place is unusual and new... but it feels nice." She smiled a bit. "Hana is a good child as well..."
"Right? It's just so fun here! That's why I love it here!" Her smile was bright and understanding. "Ah, then, what's your new name? Daiki gave you one?"
"Miyamoto Umi."
"...Miyamoto?" Mirai's eyes widened, then narrowed suspiciously as she asked, "Wife?"
Blinking in surprise, (it was unexpected for someone to guess it that easily) Umika nodded slowly. "How did you know?"
"That chibi..." Mirai suddenly glared at the door. "Just because he's leader! Mouuu! Listen to me, Umi-chan... Daiki is a good person, yes. But you're still new and you shouldn't, and I really mean this okay, you should NEVER fall in love with him!"
"I do not think that is a problem..." Umika muttered, tilting her head to the right.
"I'm saying this because I'm a friend, okay?" Mirai looked staright at her eyes. "Daiki's past is too-"
"Too what, Mirai-chan?" Daiki was walking towards them, eyes showing curiosity. "The meeting is over. Hornet is calling for you."
Nodding quickly, Mirai made her escape, not bothering to finish that sentence.
Daiki stared at Umika for a few seconds, eyes full of emotions she could not decipher. He then gently took her hand and pulled her up before walking towards the front door. "We're going to Boss now. Boss is probably out of the country though, so we'll talk with the secretary."
Umika stared at their hands, wondering if she was just imagining the tiny shaking she was feeling. It felt like he was nervous about something. With all that confidence, did he really know how to be nervous. "Will you tell me about your past too? When I trust you enough and you tell me your name...?"
He looked ahead, refusing to look at her. "You wouldn't want to know, I'm sure."
She stared at his back. It felt cold and lonely.
...
"I wonder where she is..." Ishiguro Hideo was drinking tea at the porch, waiting for his only sister. "That Mirai..." He grumbled, a little annoyed. "She really ran off with her boyfriend just because it's her day off!"
A chuckle escaped from the lips of the man beside him. He was wearing a formal suit and sunglasses. "Your sister is grown up now. Let her be." He sipped his tea calmly. "It's because of her absence that we can talk, after all."
"You have a point there. But Ryo-kun," He looked at the other guy curiously. This was a famous and rich man, someone completely different from his own status. Hideo was a simple detective, but this guy is the richest man in Japan. "Why did you want to visit?"
Smiling mysteriously, he took off his sunglasses and placed it on the table. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to ask about that case you're researching on your own."
A defensive look appeared on Hideo's face. "There's a bunch of detectives looking for her. Why ask me?"
"They're useless." Ryo sighed. "I need to find that Kawashima girl soon."
Narrowing his eyes, Hideo stood up in anger. "You don't even remember her name? Come on, Ryo, just cancel the wedding! You don't even know her!" Recomposing himself, he sat down and sighed. "Snatching her away like that is unfair..."
"Still hopelessly in love with the heiress?" Ryo smirked. "It's for business, Hideo-kun. You know how I am. She's too much of an important person to give away."
"I understand that as much as I can't..." Hideo groaned. "Why does she have to marry an asshole like you?"
Smiling to himself, Ryo shrugged.
...
"We're here." Daiki pointed towards a big Japanese-style house, just a little smaller than the main building of the Kawashima estate. "This is where the Boss stays." He rang the doorbell three times. "It's the same code here as well."
Moments later, a scary looking bald man went out to greet them. He was just a little bit taller than the two but he had this amazingly powerful aura. "Oh Daiki." He nodded his head in greeting. "Here to talk about the job?" Noticing Umika for the first time, he looked at her from head to toe. "Nice wife you've got there."
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't look at my wife like that, Kii." Daiki glared, clearly annoyed. "Here and there, all of you guys are like perverted old men..."
"You're too easily annoyed!" Kii chuckled goodnaturedly. "Come in, you two. I'll brief you about your first job as partners."
Umika quietly followed, mind full of questions about Daiki's confusing reactions and the weird personalities she met today.
Daiki glanced at her. "This is Kii. He's the weapons master of the group. He's basically the body guard when things get tough. He also gives the expensive materials or the money needed for each job. He's Boss' right-hand man."
"And this job is...?" Umika asked curiously. "A difficult, drug-related case?"
"You know that much already? Brilliant..." Daiki looked pretty proud of her. "That's right, it's a difficult one..."
Kii opened the door to one room and asked them to come in.
Stepping in that room, she didn't realize it then but it was that step that brought her to the other side. She was now officially a member of the underground group she didn't even know existed. She was now the Boss' soldier.
Character Chart!
So yeah, now we have all the characters laid out and we've met the allies(?) and the enemies(?). The real fun starts on their job, of course ^^ It will be so fun~♥ /excited
Please give constructive criticisms! Daiki's role is still weird shady so I just want to say he has his reasons! Also random but Iroh is my favorite character forever ♥-♥
Chapter: Chapter Three: The Family Members
Pairing/s: Daiki x Umika
Genre: AU
Summary: With a new name, and a new environment to adapt to, Miyamoto Umi is all set to meet everyone in the "Family".
Note:
* No manip, just a character chart at the end.
* This = Monster Fic.
It took them about four hours to buy everything they needed, and a few other "unnecessary things" (as Umika called them, seeing as she only really cared about the things she really needed. 'Why would anyone buy cute bento boxes and different sets of utensils anyway?' she thought to herself.) By the time they were finished, it was already lunch time.
"Should we eat out somewhere? As celebration?" Hana excitedly offered as she placed the last of their groceries into the car trunk. "It's worth it, right?"
"It is not necessary, I think." Umika answered with a thoughtful expression. "We spent quite an amount of money."
Hana then stared at his brother, puppy eyes and all. "Don't be stingy, please?"
Chuckling a bit, Daiki shook his head. "I wouldn't be stingy, but I think Umi-chan would be happier with home-cooked food. You can even teach her how to."
"Ooh~" Eyes widening in excitement, Hana went over to Umi's side and hugged her arm. "I finally have a big sister I can cook with~"
Despite herself, Umika could not help but smile a bit. She was an only child and barely had any interactions with anyone in the family. It was only with her father that she was able to talk for long periods of time. Her cousins, especially the female ones, found her boring and too strict. Most of her female classmates were intimidated by her. That was why she never had these kinds of moments. She never had the time for such hobbies anyway. It was always about strict business with her. Finally, she would be able to relax and widen her abilities.
"That sounds nice." She said, letting herself be pulled into the backseat of the car with Hana. She watched as Hana's smile widened.
"It would be so fun!" The little sister squeeled.
...
The next hour was spent with Hana and Umi cooking. Hana was pleased to see Umika's skills on the kitchen. Despite not having any experience, she had a theoretical background because of the numerous books she had to read for their hotel business. But of course she needed Hana for a lot of the important things.
"This was harder than I imagined." Umika sighed as she placed some plates on the table. "I admire my chef now. He makes food so quickly."
"You have your own chef?" Hana asked curiously. "Did you have a butler for your own?"
Laughing quietly, Umika shook her head. "We had a chef in our house and we had maids. Having a butler for my own is not that economical. I was to have a secretary but I did not stay long enough to meet her."
"Ooh~ Curry?" Daiki looked pleased as he sat on his usual seat on the dinner table. "This looks delicious. Good job, Umi-chan!" He smiled at her.
Smiling to herself (being complimented had always been her weak point), she shook her head and said "Hana did most of the work."
Hana bounced to her side and cuddled her fondly, giggling. "Can I call you Umi'nee-chan? You're the cutest and the smartest nee-chaaan~"
She still felt a bit awkward about cuddling and being all touchy like this, but Hana was a sweet girl and it felt nice to be called 'Onee-chan'. It made being in a family more real. She patted Hana's head tentatively, while saying "Of course. You will be my imouto."
Daiki smiled to himself, eyes changing into a more tender expression. "Now, let's eat!"
...
After lunch, it was time to meet the rest of Daiki's team. He said there were basically four people in the team, now five because of her addition. There was someone who gathered information, there was Riida who made fake things and sometimes help with making the strategies, there was another guy who handled equipments (Umika suspects it's all illegal machineries and those things) and there's Daiki, the leader of the group who does the "errands" of their work. Daiki was glad to have her in the team, since they had to use Hana and Riida's wife for work that needed girls before.
"Hana had to? I cannot imagine her doing dirty work." Umika narrowed her eyes.
A chuckle escaped his lips. "Dirty work...? We don't really do much. You could even call us heroes. Well, you're from the other side so you won't understand. Rather than profits, we value helping the poor people your kind so despises." A dark look passed through his eyes, but was immediately gone as he looked at the side of their apartment building where the stairs was. "Riida is on the third floor."
They walked in silence as Umika wondered what kind of work Daiki really did. How could they protect people with their illegal ways? Who does her kind hate, anyway? She knows the rules of the trade, and she knows weak people will suffer for the stronger to have more success. It was the law of nature, wasn't it? It wasn't really the business people's fault.
"We're here." Daiki pointed to the last door on the third floor of the apartment building. "We all live close so that it would not be hard to plan." He knocked three consecutive times on the door. "It's a code. If we're visiting, we knock three times."
Umika simply nodded before looking at the plain white door.
Soon enough, a beautiful smiling woman opened the door. She looked really welcoming as she opened the door further to let them in. "Dai-chan, who's this girl?"
"She just moved in with me. My partner." Daiki simply said.
Eyes shining with the same intensity as Hana's, the woman clasped both of her hands and smiled more brightly. "You must be Umi! You look so beautiful~ Please take care of our baby, okay? Dai-chan is still young and he's really childish despite all that." She giggled.
A blush appeared on Daiki's cheeks. "Yu-chan! Don't say that!"
"Oh come on~" Yu teased. "I've heard from Hana-chan. Your back story is really cute~ You must be really proud~ My son is so amazing~"
Pouting a bit (was Daiki really this childish?) he exclaimed, "I won't call you 'Okaa-san' if you keep doing this!"
"Oi, oi," A man came out from a room, looking so sleepy that he appeared like he was just sleepwalking. "Yu-chan, don't tease him too much. He's on his rebellious period."
"I'm not!" Daiki huffed as he sat down on the couch. Catching the stare Umika was giving him, his eyes widened. He cleared his throat and breathed deeply to calm himself. "This is Yu-chan and Riida. They've been married for who knows how long and they semi-adopted me into the group. They're both on crack most of the time."
"Watch your mouth, son!" Yu-chan was half-teasing, half-scolding. She then looked at Umika. "Sit here." She gestured to the closest sofa. "Kidding aside, we're really glad you're here. Such a capable girl in our team, it will be a pleasure to work with an heiress."
"Ex Heiress. I left that family behind." Umika's voice sounded almost cold.
"Fierce. I like her." Riida muttered before taking out some pieces of paper from under the table. "How could I help you today?"
Daiki nodded and went from that blushing, embarrassed boy to an all-business man. He looked so serious as he took out a list from his pocket. "For now, any kind of ID would do. A passport and our marriage certificate too." His voice lowered as he added, "And Boss said you have the materials finished. We need it for tomorrow so just give it to Hana later."
Riida listed down the requests before looking at the door where he came from. "Iroh! We have a job here. Stop studying!"
Moments later, a beautiful (boy? girl?) person with short curly hair came out from the room. He was wearing a light blue polo, a red necktie and black pants. He looked smart and really responsible, as opposed to the slack Riida. "Oh." The person looked pleased as he immediately went towards Daiki. "Dai-chaaaaaaaaan~ I missed you!!!"
Uh. So it's a she? The voice sounded a little girly as well.
"And what do we have here~?" An amused smile appeared on her lips as she looked at Umika. Taking Umika's hand, she kissed it lightly.
....wait what?!
So it's a... what?!
"I'm Iroh. Or at least that's what Riida calls me here. I'm his part-time assistant and I'm a handsome university student too. Yoroshiku~ If you want to know me more, I can give you my number~!" He, if he really is male, winked at her flirtatiously. "Want to hang out sometimes?"
Eyes narrowing dangerously, Daiki punched Iroh (with an obvious strength).
"Ouch!" He exclaimed, eyes widening. "You're so violent, Dai-chan! I was just being friendly with your fake wife!"
Still looking really annoyed, Daiki pulled Iroh away and sat on the nearest sofa to her. "Don't. Touch. Her." His glare looked really deadly just then. With a scary whisper, he added, "Or I'll kill you."
Shuddering visibly, Iroh raised both hands innocently. "She's all yours. All yours!" He looked helplessly at Yu-chan before muttering, "So it's true..."
"Daiki, what is with the attitude change?" Umika asked curiously. "You lose your calm too easily for a swindler." She frowned, disturbed by the confusion she was feeling.
"It's nothing." Daiki smiled at her before pointing at Iroh. "This guy was my high school classmate. He flirts too much with girls even though he looks too gay. Don't EVER go near him. He's dangerous."
Umika mentally noted it, smiling a bit. These people looked really interesting. And despite the fact that she knew they handled illegal things and hated her kind, she felt really comfortable with them. It was nice seeing them interact. It was like an extension of the family she just knew yesterday. Will everyday be as nice as this? She hopes so.
"I'm NOT dangerous. Nor am I gay. I'm bi, but that's besides the point." Iroh pouted. "Anyway." Having calmed down, he looked at Riida. "So, what job?"
Riida took the list and threw it to him. "I'm going fishing. You can do the draft and I'll just ink it later. I've made the papers needed. They're at my room." He yawned before standing up and going back to the room.
"Ugh, I had so many assignments too..." Iroh grumbled as he read through the list.
Yu-chan sat beside him and brightly suggested, "How about I help you?"
Iroh inched away, looking back at the room. "Yu-chan, Riida is cold blooded and all but when it's about you, he gets really annoyed. So NO THANKS." He tried to sound as polite as possible but he looked really terrified at the idea of Riida getting angry. The team sure looks like a war-freak batch of men. "Just go with him fishing. He'll like that." Sighing, he took out his pen and started making notes of things he should start doing. "These gang members and their possessive streak... Ugh." he muttered.
....
Their next stop was a house just around the corner. It was where the programmer-slash-information seller was at. They arrived there about 15 minutes later. It was a small one-floor house with a low gate.
Daiki went ahead and rang the doorbell three times. "It's the same everywhere, we have to do it three times for them to know it's us." He explained. "Ah. Let's go." The door opened slightly. Daiki opened the gate from the outside and let her in. "He doesn't go out. I guess you could call it a sickness of the heart."
Umika's eyes widened. "Sickness of the heart...?"
"I'll explain later." He simply replied as he went on inside.
Following suit, she saw that the lights were all turned off and it looked pretty dark. At the end of the hall was a light coming from the open door of a room. They walked towards the light in silence.
"Yo, Falcon." Daiki plopped down the bed, casually waving his hand at the direction of the handsome guy sitting at the corner, typing furiously on a laptop. He looked like he hasn't been asleep for days, obvious from the dark lines under his eyes. "Seems busy huh?"
Falcon looked up for a second before going back to typing. "Can't. Too much. Hassle. Difficult. Boss."
"Boss made you do something crazy again?" Daiki chuckled a bit before sitting up and patting the space beside him. "Sit here, Umi. I'm sure Hornet will be back soon. We can't really talk with this guy when he's like this."
"No make-outs on my bed." Falcon said, glancing another quick look at them. He smirked. "Fished a beauty. Lucky."
Visibly ignoring any of Falcon's comments, Daiki looked at Umika and started explaining. "This is Falcon. He's a hacker, a programmer, and also the informations officer of the group. He's a genius but he always gets too preoccupied with hard jobs our Boss challenges him with." He glanced at Falcon for a bit before continuing. "So he's basically a weirdo genius who is competitive and workaholic."
"Nice way to sum it up." A younger guy, probably the same age as Umika, walked in. He looked like a more refreshed version of Falcon. He was even wearing the same black jacket. "Good afternoon, Daiki-san." He bowed a bit. "And you must be Umi? I'm Hornet, Falcon-san's apprentice. Nice to meet you."
"Not apprentice. Just a brat." Falcon commented, not even looking up.
"He's Falcon's apprentice." Daiki nodded and grinned impishly at Falcon's direction. "He's the one we can talk to a lot of times, especially when Falcon is too busy. He lives here too. He gathers information outside since Falcon can't."
Hornet looked back and shouted, "Mi-chan, hurry up! We have guests!"
"Stop bringing you girlfriend." Falcon took the time to glare at his apprentice.
"She helps out here and you know you like having her around~" Hornet laughed as Falcon continued glaring at the keyboard.
A few seconds later, a serious looking girl with short hair went running to the room. "Our visitors are-"
"Mirai!" Umika stood up in surprise, staring at the new girl in shock. "Why are you-"
Mirai's eyes were as wide as hers as she walked towards the lady slowly. "I could ask you the same question! Everyone's worried about you! Your father sent so many detectives to search for you!"
"This is... Anou... Please do not tell anyone about this. I am..." Umika did not like panicking. But she really had no idea how to get through this problem.
Daiki stood up and went in front of Mirai. "You're Hornet's girlfriend, Ishiguro Mirai? If you're really as supportive as I've heard, you know what to do right now. It's Hornet's name on the line here."
"What?" Hornet looked really confused.
"I understand." Mirai simply nodded before facing Umika. "What's your new name? I'm... well, you could call me a spy. I'm a secretary at your company... Supposedly yours, if you remember..." There was hurt in her voice but she continued without a change in expression. "I work for the Kawashima Corporations but my loyalty lies with Boss. Of course Hornet refuses to accept it, but I'm a part of another group under Boss."
"Boss is crazy for making you a spy." Hornet frowned but did not make any other comment.
Umika stared wide eyed at her friend, her classmate since High School who was chosen as her secretary before she ran away. "I didn't expect you to be a..." As if remembering something, her expression changed from shock to curiousness. "How about your brother? Hideo-kun... Does he know?"
Daiki's expression hardened upon hearing the name. "The police officer?"
"Of course he doesn't. Onii-chan is a detective. Besides, Falcon is a spy too who pretends to help Onii-chan while feeding him false information. As I said, my loyalty is with Boss." Mirai explained, almost too calmly. It was as if she was talking about such boring topic as the weather. "Oh just forget that for now, Umi! I bought a cake. Let's eat it at the living room. You have plenty of things to tell me!" Her smile was still the same joyful and carefree smile Umika remembered. It made her a little bit more at ease.
Umika nodded, wanting to talk to her as well. Despite it only being two days, she has been submerged into a culture she did not know before. Having the chance to talk to someone familiar would be nice. Especially since she could also ask about various things like how her father reacted, or if the company encountered problems because of what she did.
...
They sat on the couch in the living room, now with open light. The door to Falcon's room was closed, probably to give them privacy for whatever they had to talk about.
"There's a new job for Daiki's team. It's about illegal drugs, it seems..." Mirai worriedly stared at the closed door. "It's always dangerous, those kind of jobs."
"Does this Boss make people sell drugs?" Umika's eyes were wide.
Mirai looked genuinely surprised at her question. "Of course not!" She exclaimed, voice showing that she was a little offended by the suggestion. "If you're gonna be part of the group, you should trust Boss first and foremost. The Boss saves people, not make them do things. We're all working under the group because of our debts of gratitude."
"The Boss is someone that amazing...?" Umika knew everyone looked up to that person, but she thought it was mainly because of fear. Don't underground groups work that way most of the time?
"Un!" Mirai's smile was confident and sure. She clearly had 100% trust in that person. "Let's change the topic~" Her smile changed to a teasing grin. "How did you find Daiki?"
"It was a coincidence. He knew me so he said he will help me win against father." Umika simply explained.
"Win against your father? What happened, really?" Mirai was obviously curious.
Umika then explained everything, from the moment she went home and heard about the enggagement plans to the time she talked to Daiki.
"So that enggagement rumor was true... Nishikido-san went to the office a lot of times last month. It must be for that." Eyes widening, Mirai took out a notepad from her bag. "But... Nishikido-san still went to the office yesterday. He looked pretty confident. Doesn't that mean that the enggagement plan is not yet halted?"
"I guessed as much." Umika sighed tiredly. She dreaded it, but she knew her father was not someone who would quit so easily.
Reading through the notepad, probably her spy log or something to that extent, she frowned some more. "According to onii-chan, Kawashima-san sent five detectives to search for you. Onii-chan was not part of the team but he is doing an independent search, since he's really worried for you."
A blush appeared on Umika's face. Mirai smiled a bit at that before continuing with a serious expression.
"Now that I think about it, it was odd that they didn't find you... But it makes sense if you're protected. This part of the town is free from the Kawashima Corporation's grasp, so you can walk around without fear." Mirai nodded in understanding. "Your father also seems pretty calm about it. He seemed sure you'll be back soon."
"He does not trust my abilities." Umika felt the grudge come back with full force. If there was anyone who knows how Kawashima Tsutomu's mind worked, it was his daughter. She was sure her father thinks that she'll flake out soon enough. That she can't and won't survive in this type of surroundings. Well, he's underestemating his daughter's skills.
"Umika-chan..." Mirai looked sympathetically at her, holding her right hand and squeezing it comfortingly. "You're in good hands now. If there's anyone who could trust your skills more than anyone, it's Daiki. That's why he's the leader, because he believes in each of their strengths."
The lady nodded. "This place is unusual and new... but it feels nice." She smiled a bit. "Hana is a good child as well..."
"Right? It's just so fun here! That's why I love it here!" Her smile was bright and understanding. "Ah, then, what's your new name? Daiki gave you one?"
"Miyamoto Umi."
"...Miyamoto?" Mirai's eyes widened, then narrowed suspiciously as she asked, "Wife?"
Blinking in surprise, (it was unexpected for someone to guess it that easily) Umika nodded slowly. "How did you know?"
"That chibi..." Mirai suddenly glared at the door. "Just because he's leader! Mouuu! Listen to me, Umi-chan... Daiki is a good person, yes. But you're still new and you shouldn't, and I really mean this okay, you should NEVER fall in love with him!"
"I do not think that is a problem..." Umika muttered, tilting her head to the right.
"I'm saying this because I'm a friend, okay?" Mirai looked staright at her eyes. "Daiki's past is too-"
"Too what, Mirai-chan?" Daiki was walking towards them, eyes showing curiosity. "The meeting is over. Hornet is calling for you."
Nodding quickly, Mirai made her escape, not bothering to finish that sentence.
Daiki stared at Umika for a few seconds, eyes full of emotions she could not decipher. He then gently took her hand and pulled her up before walking towards the front door. "We're going to Boss now. Boss is probably out of the country though, so we'll talk with the secretary."
Umika stared at their hands, wondering if she was just imagining the tiny shaking she was feeling. It felt like he was nervous about something. With all that confidence, did he really know how to be nervous. "Will you tell me about your past too? When I trust you enough and you tell me your name...?"
He looked ahead, refusing to look at her. "You wouldn't want to know, I'm sure."
She stared at his back. It felt cold and lonely.
...
"I wonder where she is..." Ishiguro Hideo was drinking tea at the porch, waiting for his only sister. "That Mirai..." He grumbled, a little annoyed. "She really ran off with her boyfriend just because it's her day off!"
A chuckle escaped from the lips of the man beside him. He was wearing a formal suit and sunglasses. "Your sister is grown up now. Let her be." He sipped his tea calmly. "It's because of her absence that we can talk, after all."
"You have a point there. But Ryo-kun," He looked at the other guy curiously. This was a famous and rich man, someone completely different from his own status. Hideo was a simple detective, but this guy is the richest man in Japan. "Why did you want to visit?"
Smiling mysteriously, he took off his sunglasses and placed it on the table. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to ask about that case you're researching on your own."
A defensive look appeared on Hideo's face. "There's a bunch of detectives looking for her. Why ask me?"
"They're useless." Ryo sighed. "I need to find that Kawashima girl soon."
Narrowing his eyes, Hideo stood up in anger. "You don't even remember her name? Come on, Ryo, just cancel the wedding! You don't even know her!" Recomposing himself, he sat down and sighed. "Snatching her away like that is unfair..."
"Still hopelessly in love with the heiress?" Ryo smirked. "It's for business, Hideo-kun. You know how I am. She's too much of an important person to give away."
"I understand that as much as I can't..." Hideo groaned. "Why does she have to marry an asshole like you?"
Smiling to himself, Ryo shrugged.
...
"We're here." Daiki pointed towards a big Japanese-style house, just a little smaller than the main building of the Kawashima estate. "This is where the Boss stays." He rang the doorbell three times. "It's the same code here as well."
Moments later, a scary looking bald man went out to greet them. He was just a little bit taller than the two but he had this amazingly powerful aura. "Oh Daiki." He nodded his head in greeting. "Here to talk about the job?" Noticing Umika for the first time, he looked at her from head to toe. "Nice wife you've got there."
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't look at my wife like that, Kii." Daiki glared, clearly annoyed. "Here and there, all of you guys are like perverted old men..."
"You're too easily annoyed!" Kii chuckled goodnaturedly. "Come in, you two. I'll brief you about your first job as partners."
Umika quietly followed, mind full of questions about Daiki's confusing reactions and the weird personalities she met today.
Daiki glanced at her. "This is Kii. He's the weapons master of the group. He's basically the body guard when things get tough. He also gives the expensive materials or the money needed for each job. He's Boss' right-hand man."
"And this job is...?" Umika asked curiously. "A difficult, drug-related case?"
"You know that much already? Brilliant..." Daiki looked pretty proud of her. "That's right, it's a difficult one..."
Kii opened the door to one room and asked them to come in.
Stepping in that room, she didn't realize it then but it was that step that brought her to the other side. She was now officially a member of the underground group she didn't even know existed. She was now the Boss' soldier.
Character Chart!
So yeah, now we have all the characters laid out and we've met the allies(?) and the enemies(?). The real fun starts on their job, of course ^^ It will be so fun~♥ /excited
Please give constructive criticisms! Daiki's role is still weird shady so I just want to say he has his reasons! Also random but Iroh is my favorite character forever ♥-♥