shifted_logs | Trigger-Happy Binturong

Entry tags:

Trigger-Happy Binturong

Characters: Hei

chasingstars201
Location: Sapporo
Time: A day after this.
Summary: Misaki wants to talk to Hei's little "army" and find out if they know anything about the Tokyo bombings. Tension and Hijinks ensue.
Warnings: Contractors, possible violence, Hijinks, fuzzy animals.

Hei was at the bar, but wasn't drinking. He needed to stay sober for this, absolutely sober. There were a million ways in which this meeting could go wrong; he needed to be alert, on the lookout for the slightest hint of danger.

He was perched on a stool, his back to the bar, watching the door and bouncing his leg. It wasn't in his nature to fidget--not even when Misaki was involved, usually--but this was a different situation altogether. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. The team or organization that had attacked Tokyo--could they really be Hei's own team, one year in the future? And if that was the case, what would Hei have to do to prevent that from ever happening?

Assuming he could prevent it at all.

He sighed and forced himself to calm down. He knew nothing yet. There was no point in jumping to conclusions until there was more evidence. For now, all he had to do was wait for Misaki.

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She didn't like going in unarmed. She never liked going anywhere unarmed these days, but heading into a situation like this--well. It wasn't as though she'd never done it before.

A cautious step into the bar, an automatic check to see who else, if anyone, was there. She'd tried to straighten herself up as much as possible. Kanami--Misaki promised prayers at every shrine she knew for having a friend like Kanami--had given up her untorn clothes without even asking why. They were more form-fitting than Misaki was strictly comfortable with, but at least they didn't bear scorch marks, a dozen tears, and a long days sweat and bloodstains.

"Hei." A deep breath. "Thank you for doing this."

Hei looked up the moment the door opened, noting Misaki's new style of dress in an offhand sort of way. Now wasn't the time to think of such things, despite how good Misaki looked in those clothes...

Hei shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he said, getting to his feet. "I know it's not a good situation. I tried to talk them into letting you bring your gun, but they're really wary of this entire thing. Fox thinks this is a trap. This was the only way I could convince them to meet you."

He paused. "I told them you were an ally. But don't worry. I made it clear you're not going to be part of the Constellation or any of the rest of it."

He crossed the room to her, looking her over while trying to ignore her state of dress. She looked tired.

"How are you doing?"

"As well as can be expected." A pause. "Better, actually. Kanami and the Dolls managed to get a section of the communications network back up. Sections are being called in now--this is the first I've been able to get away. I'm one of the most senior officers they have at the moment."

She didn't elaborate. They still hadn't been able to reach her father. "I understand why they would feel that way. This is about keeping them comfortable. And--wait. Constellation?"

That earned a genuine smile. "I like it."

Hei relaxed a little on hearing that, some of the tension running out of him. "Good. I'm glad. Have they discovered what was blocking the signal yet?"

He couldn't help a bit of a smirk. "Yeah...Yin said it was like a constellation--the network. The name just sort of stuck. I suppose it fits. Now Azure wants to name all of the points after stars." Hei decided not to mention that he liked the idea, corny though it was.

He held out his hand. "We're meeting them in a small park near my apartment. Neutral ground, and it'll be empty this time of night. Shall we?"

She nodded once, steeling herself. "Sounds perfect. Do you know who's coming?"

Misaki took his hand.

He took her hand. "There's four of them in Sapporo for now. Azure and Verde you know about. The newcomers are Fox and...Bindy." Hei paused. "Be careful around Bindy. She's...odd."

He stepped off the Plane, pulling Misaki along with him into Sapporo. They arrived just outside a small ramen shop, a block from the park where they would meet the others.

"It's a good thing Yin vouched for you. I'm not sure I could have convinced them otherwise."

It didn't look much like Sapporo to her--just an old neighborhood of Tokyo, even here not completely untouched by the explosions near the center of town. It was quiet, though, and parts of Hei's neighborhood bled through.

"Yin? Really?" There's a pang at that, sweet and lonely both at once.

Hei kept his hand in Misaki's as he led her up the street, and pulled off his coat to drape it around her shoulders. Sapporo was going through a bit of a thaw, which only meant that it was in the mid-thirties instead of the single digits. Misaki would freeze if she was out for too long in this; Hei mentally kicked himself for not telling her to dress warm. Even people in Tokyo were often shocked by the Sapporo temperatures.

"Really," he said, smiling a little. "I think...a part of her still remembers when we were married."

She gives his hand a little squeeze, about to say something... but there's the clearing, and people she doesn't recognize. Misaki lets go of Hei's hand and straightens, taking another deep breath.

"I think you should probably go first. Or would they rather have you at my back?"

Hei squeezed her hand back before releasing it. "Side-by-side," Hei said, slowing his pace as they approached the group in the park. "I'll tell you quickly. Azure can choose what to touch and what not to touch, like intangibility with a bonus. Verde is the Moratorium, can sense Contractors and Dolls. Fox is matter transference. Bindy is--she turns people into animals."

He let that hang there for Misaki to interpret as she would, and by then they were in earshot. The five of them, Yin included, were standing in a semi-circle, watching their approach. Azure had her arms folded and was clearly sizing Misaki up; Verde had a cautious hand around her waist. Fox looked even warier than normal, and Bindy was attempting the teenager-cop staredown. Yin was as impassive as ever.

"The lady cop?" Bindy said, flipping her black hair over her shoulder.

Hei nodded, his demeanor and expression changing as he shifted into the Contractor mindset.

"This is Section-Chief Misaki Kirihara, of Section Four. Misaki, this is Azure, Verde, Fox, Bindy, and Yin," he said, nodding to each of them in turn.

"The cop with nine lives," Azure said, tilting her head but keeping her expression as hard as usual. "I've heard of you."

"She's unarmed?" Fox asked.

Hei nodded. "As all of us are," he said, layering the words with just enough danger to let them all know they'd be in trouble if he found so much as a box cutter.

"Not so unarmed," Bindy said, smirking. "Brave cop. Maybe stupid. Four of us and one of you."

Hei shot her a glare, but then Verde spoke up.

"Thank you for agreeing to the terms, Kirihara-san," she said, dipping her head in a polite bow. "I know it's not the best, but it means a lot to us. We've grown used to never trusting the police."

She nods to Verde, returning the bow. "You can't be blamed for that--though I hope you'll learn not all of us want to use you."

And at the last, she looks briefly at Bindy.

Azure snorted at Misaki's statement, shifting so that she was closer to Verde. Hei knew she was ready to grab Verde and run if this went badly.

Bindy just smirked.

"Misaki has some questions, unrelated to the Constellation or our cause." He hoped. "One of the departmental Contractors foresaw something in the future--a disaster. One on par with the Hell's Gate events."

That got their attention. Azure's frown deepened, more an expression of confusion than one of hostility. Fox shifted a little.

"Not the EPR again?"

Hei shook his head. "Unlikely." He paused. "She's going to ask us some questions about it. I want you to respect her. She's on our side."

"Our side, yeah," Bindy drawled. "Got proof of that, Fennec-chan?"

Hei winced at the nickname. "It's proof enough that she came to a meeting of five Contractors and a Doll unarmed. You don't have to trust her fully--it's not in our nature--but I want you to help her, if you can. And to respect her. Alright?"

His tone was a careful blend of a request and a command.

Edited 2009-02-11 03:55 (UTC)

She noticed Azure's shift and took a step back, her hands out in a sort of 'I come in peace' gesture. Of course, it took her fractionally closer to Bindy, and after the nickname--well. That most certainly answered that question.

"Do you know of any EPR or Syndicate remnants that might have... designs on Tokyo? People within the embassies who might want payback for what happened at Hell's Gate."

The Contractors all looked at each other, exchanging frowns. Hei realized that his heart was pounding.

"Most I can think of only want out of Tokyo," Azure said slowly.

"Bad memories," Verde agreed with a nod.

"The EPR is scattered. Never heard of any plans; not exactly organized enough for it, these days. How far in the future this 'disaster' take place? Few years, a decade?"

"Next year," Hei answered.

Azure abruptly shook her head. "No way. I mean, disaster, we're talking big right? Took the EPR five or six years to plan for Hell's Gate. They're meticulous; and they ain't in it for revenge."

"The Syndicate, though..." Verde said, hugging her arms.

"But that's not the question," Fox said, looking Misaki in the eye. "Disaster. You mean Contractor-related. Am I right? A year from now, Contractors pull something big in Tokyo."

"Not necessarily. The Syndicate wasn't entirely Contractor-based; they have contacts everywhere." Even now, she almost said, but caught herself.

"If I'm going to... to keep this from happening, I need all the help I can get, Contractors and humans alike."

They all fell silent, exchanging looks and frowns.

"What happens, exactly?" Fox pressed after a moment. "We need details."

"I don't know a lot. It seems as though a number of embassies... will be hit." It was harder to edit herself into 'this-is-not-happening-now' language than she thought it would be. Every time she thought about the explosions, the debris, the people in the streets--

She shook her head, as much to get her attention back on the moment as anything else. "Explosions all over the city, nearly simultaneously."

They exchanged confused looks again, but Bindy suddenly brightened.

"Know a few Contractors who'd get a kick out of that," she said, grinning. "Syndicate men, loyalists. Assholes, but good at what they do--which would be blowing things up. They never were happy about the Hell's Gate events or the EPR, in general. Hm..." Bindy rubbed her chin. "There was one fella who wasn't a loyalist though, was also pretty talented at blowing stuff up. I was even gonna recommend him as one of our allies."

She shrugged carelessly. "Guess that's shot. I've never liked explosions, myself."

Edited 2009-02-11 04:59 (UTC)

"Nor have I." She hesitated, because she was about to enter dangerous territory here. "Who, if I might ask? I can check our records and see..." A pause, then she shook her head. "Or you could try and contact them, if you would prefer."

Edited 2009-02-11 07:27 (UTC)

Bindy tilted her head innocently. "Gonna round them up, then, lady cop? Hunt them down like a whale or a wolf from an airplane? I could contact them, sure, but that's not good enough, is it? I'd lie, if it were the logical thing."

She shrugged again. "Anyway, I couldn't contact them even if I wanted to. Had to leave the old life behind, you know?"

There's the faintest hint of sadness in her tone. Hei had to remind himself that she really was only twelve. He had no idea who or what she had left behind in Tokyo. Or before that, in Vietnam.

Misaki felt a twinge of sympathy. How much older was this girl than Eiji right now? Maybe a year, maybe two. Either way she shouldn't have had to live this way. Either way, she was still a child.

She rested a hand on Bindy's shoulder. "I want to help. That's all. I wouldn't arrest them any more than I would arrest you."

Bindy stared up at Misaki with wide eyes and slipped backward out of the grip. She kept staring for a moment before she smiled, in that sweet and dangerous way she had smiled just before Hei found himself extremely fuzzy.

"Oh, no, wouldn't arrest a kid, of course not. Because children are innocent, not dangerous at all. And here I figured the nine-lived cop would know better."

"Cool it, Bindy," Azure growled.

Hei shifted slightly. "That's not what Misaki meant. I told you, she's on our side."

"She's also a mom-wannabe," Bindy sneered.

The concern slipped away behind her cop-face, the neutral-edging-on-hostile expression she wore when she didn't know how bad a situation she was walking into.

"I know better than to assume that because you're young you can't fight. That said, I still would do everything in my power to keep you out of prison. Children deserve as many second chances as they can get."

Bindy raised her eyebrows at that and Hei suddenly realized that she was genuinely angry. He had only known her a few days, but so far he understood her to be level-headed, at least when it came to temper.

She was close enough to Misaki that there was no stopping her now as she raised her hand.

She beamed. "I always wanted one of these," she said. Hei moved to try and grab her wrist, but her eyes were already sparking red and she was prodding Misaki in the forehead.

There was a rush of air, and a faint pop like an exploding soap bubble.

She felt ill. She felt like she was falling in five directions at once. She thought she managed a tiny, "Hei?" before there was air roaring in her ears and miles of emptiness between her and the ground and then... nothing. It was quiet. Warm. Light. Bright light. She squeaked and tried to squirrel deeper into the pile of soft things she'd woken up in.

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Trigger-Happy Binturong

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