lotus_beauty (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lotus_beauty) wrote2011-06-01 10:29 pm
lotus_beauty) wrote2011-06-01 10:29 pm
[Fic] Same Kind of Different 27/30
Title: Same Kind of Different
Author: LotusBeauty
Type: multi-chapter
Rating: R
Pairings: Yoochun/Jaejoong
Genre: AU, drama, fantasy, steampunk-ish, humor, angst, action, kitchen sink
Summary: In a world where a power called an attribute gives a person certain abilities, those with attributes are equally loved, hated and, well, normal. And just because people have attributes, doesn’t mean there isn’t crime, so Micky joins a bounty hunting team and finds while this is exactly what he was looking for, he might have found something else he didn’t know he needed. (previous chapters can be found HERE.)
Notes: contains world creation, fantasy elements, and just might have a bit of fun~ Profiles of characters can be found HERE :)
Disclaimer: Not mine, never were, but a girl can dream through fiction.
27: if it’s easy, then it’s not worth trying
Meow.
Tiffany stopped and looked down. “Well, hello there.” She crouched down and pet the gray cat at her feet. “What are you doing here, Jiji?” she asked quietly and glanced around. He rubbed up against her and then danced away, flipping his tail back and forth as if to beckon her to follow. “I can’t,” she hissed. “I have a assembly. Meet me here in an hour?”
Jiji moved to the wall and sat his rump down, making Tiffany laugh. Well that was easy. She left the cat with a nod and hurried on to her scheduled meeting, all the time wondering just why Jiji had been sent to fetch her. It was probably safer that way. She’d gotten in trouble for disappearing for nearly a week, but had managed to talk her way out of it. Her mother had even helped her by claiming that she’d sent a message that she was sick and needed help. Yoowhan, being the upstanding worker he’d always been, vouched for her, and her punishment was a write up in her file. Big whoop. They hit a snag after that, though. Someone ranking high in the AO called Yoowhan for a meeting, and the two shared a look—they knew. Tiffany hadn’t seen him since, but that had only been yesterday. She often went days without speaking to him, but she had a feeling he wouldn’t do something like that considering their situation. She had a feeling he was on detention and under suspicion. And that meant she might be soon enough as well. She had to be very careful how she conducted herself.
Tiffany tried to put it out of her mind, but suspicions kept popping into her thoughts and she worried if someone might find Jiji. With her wandering thoughts, the meeting passed quicker than expected. She chewed on her lip as she left as her mind kept ticking. Would the cat still be there? Sure enough, Jiji was right where she’d left him, but surrounded by admirers. Tiffany shook her head and approached to give him another pet, blending in with the crowd. As the other girls dispersed, Tiffany lingered behind.
“Alright, take me wherever it is you want me to go,” she directed, and Jiji swished his tail as he took off down the hallway. He paused at one point and looked down a hallway to his left. He turned in that direction and Tiffany scooped him up in a panic.
“No, no. You can’t go that way, that’s where holding and prison cells are,” she told him quietly as she scratched his neck, but he just pushed away from her, looking down the hallway with a meow. “They keep an eye on who is assigned to the holding cells and there are restricted areas. Please, just take me to who I’m supposed to meet. I don’t want us to get into trouble.”
Jiji looked up at her and gave her a long, slow blink before he seemed to understand and she let him down again. He looked at the hallway again before moving on and she followed. She sighed in relief once the entrance to the holding areas were behind them. What an odd response. It made her wonder…
They headed out of the building, across the courtyard and out into the city. Jiji seemed to know his way around well enough, and Tiffany just made sure she could keep up. Hopefully no one would notice that she was following a cat. Jiji led her this way and that, down crowded streets and then through back alleys and Tiffany had to wonder if he was doing it on purpose. She could have sworn they’d backtracked at some point. This cat was much too smart for his own good.
When they finally arrived at a doorway, the evening had given way to twilight and the darkness of the alley made it just that much more creepy. But somehow, Tiffany wasn’t surprised when the door opened without her even knocking, and Boa peeked out.
“He says you weren’t followed, so hurry,” she told Tiffany and stepped back to let her in.
“What’s going on?” she asked, wondering, why all the secrecy?
“We’re the only four left,” Boa told hr quietly as they entered a better lit room. There around a table sat Keita, Sunny, Changmin—and no more.
“What do you mean?” Tiffany felt her heart beat a bit faster with fear. “The others…”
“They’ve been captured,” Sunny answered as she looked down again and Tiffany realized they were looking at a schematic of the AO building.
“Where did you get that?” she hissed in amazement. Winne’s base had been a breeze to sneak in and take the maps, but the headquarters had much better guards.
“I know some of the thieves Yunho pays for information,” Sunny replied quietly. “When I told them what happened, they got me this map in half the time it normally would have taken.”
“Impressive,” Tiffany admitted. “No wonder Jiji wanted to go into the restricted area.”
Everyone perked up. “They’re here!” Changmin blurted. “I mean, Jiji was adamant, but we weren’t positive.”
“They must be, but I don’t know how Hyde will justify using one of the drain devices without someone finding out about it. Does this mean Jessica was taken?” she asked, trying to keep her emotions in check.
“Yunho, Jessica, Jaejoong, Micky and the brothers, all taken when they attacked the cabin,” Changmin answered with a nod. “It was the day after you left.”
“Good thing we got Jiyong out when we did.”
“We need to talk to him,” Boa added.
“Why?” Tiffany frowned.
“Because we think he might know the lay of areas you’ve never been in, the kind of places everyone might be held,” Boa answered.
“You make a good point.” Tiffany nodded and glanced at the door. “Couldn’t Jiji just go in and tell you though?”
Boa smiled. “He doesn’t really talk so much as give me images and feelings, to be honest. I’m used to translating such things, but it doesn’t give the details we’d need like specific directions and such.”
“Ah.” Tiffany nodded in understanding. “Well, its dark now, so I could show you where Jiyong is.”
“Good,” Boa nodded. As they got ready, Jiji hopped up on her shoulder.
“So you don’t get words from him?” Tiffany asked as she pet the cat.
Boa shook her head. “Most things are easy to interpret, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out complex ideas. Like if he wanted to tell me an exact area Jaejoong is in, he would have to show me the image of the cell number.”
“Maybe he can do that and we won’t need to risk Jiyong,” Tiffany suggested as Boa shrugged.
“Wouldn’t a cat wandering in a high security detention block be odd?”
“No more odd than a man four times his size.”
The conversation ended as they slipped outside and Tiffany led them away. She used the same techniques Jiji had used earlier, only she knew where she was going this time. It took longer than she meant it to, but when they arrived, she delivered a particular knock to the door. To her shock, the door quickly opened, and she pulled out a dagger. She let out a sigh when she recognized Yoohwan in the doorway, who also looked worried.
Without a word, she motioned everyone inside and shut the door behind them. “What are you doing?” she hissed at him finally.
“Hyde is onto me,” he replied quickly. “The man himself questioned me.”
She cursed as everyone surrounded them to hear. “And?”
“He asked when I saw my brother last. I told him last week when I went to visit—when I found out about Jaejoong, though I didn’t tell him that. I considered it to not be a lie because I had intended to only see my brother that time, whereas later I knew I’d be seeing all of them. He didn’t seem too put out, but god his questions were rapid, one after another. Then he would wait and ask more. I wasn’t sure if I could hold out against him.”
“And he let you go?”
He nodded. “But they had someone tailing me. So I got out as fast as I could and dropped the tail before coming here.”
“So now he’s even more suspicious,” Jiyong told them from a chair on the side of the room.
“You’re absolutely sure you weren’t followed?” Boa cut in.
“Yoochun and I used to practice. Trust me.” He wore that face often when he did something he was pleased with. Tiffany had to wonder if it was similar to something Micky did by the way everyone rolled their eyes in amusement.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here. That ups our number by one, and we need as many as we can get.” She then took a moment to bring him up to speed as they others explained the situation. It was interesting watching someone who was usually so bright and cheerful turn dark and serious. She could feel his emotions calm, oddly, as he smoothed his rage, keeping it in check. He would use it later, she assumed.
“So, what we need to know is if you’ve been in the headquarters,” Tiffany said as she turned to Jiyong who was sitting on the far side of the room, observing silently.
He nodded quietly. “I was usually there to report, but once in a while I was present for a small experiment. But no one has ever seen me there because I was usually in the restricted areas.”
“Good, because that’s where we’ll be going.”
“But what do you need me for? You’ve got a damn team here already,” he said as he gestured at them.
“I’ve never been in the restricted areas. And if you’ve attended experiments, there must be records.”
“There are.”
“I knew it,” she muttered to herself.
“If they haven’t been moved or destroyed. But this won’t be like your attack at Winne. This place is crawling with people who know what they’re doing and what they’re guarding,” Jiyong warned.
“Regardless, can you take me to them?”she asked as he smirked. “What?”
“How odd at the turn around,” he teased her willingness to work with him.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t make me remind you everything you felt after you lost your attribute,” she hissed and he looked away uncomfortably.
“Can we trust him?” Changmin asked with a suspicious glance.
“Yes,” Tiffany admitted. “He was genuinely sorry about what he did.”
“Hey! Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!”
“But it seems his ego recovered mostly,” she gave him a bland look.
“How lovely,” Changmin commented with a smirk to get a glare from the blond.
Boa knocked on the table that held the map to get their attention. “So how are we going to do this?” Sheepishly, everyone moved closer to sit around the table.
The discussion started out slowly, but that was because they weren’t sure what to do with the people they had. Finally, after laying all their cards on the table, they had a tentative plan. Tiffany and Jiyong would go in together to the records department and off limits areas to see if they could find any documented evidence of unofficial tests being carried out. Boa and Keita would follow Jiyong’s directions to the restricted areas to find out where their team was being held, with Jiji leading them (hopefully) to Jaejoong. Yoohwan and Sunny would stay outside with Changmin, who would link to them if necessary to provide them power as they would create ‘distractions’ for the personnel. Yoohwan would also be able to tag everyone so they could communicate despite his brother being their usual source.
After agreeing to their roles, they split up, Sunny and Changmin moving away to sit together on the floor to practice linking. Sunny hadn’t tried much, and the two had never linked, so they decided to use the rest of the evening to strengthen any sort of link they could get. Yoohwan provided instruction as Jiyong sat close enough to provide distraction by rattling off pointed comments.
Keita sat watching the group and he had this odd feeling that Changmin and Jiyong knew each other by the way they interacted. But his attention wasn’t exactly on those two. He was watching Sunny, and was starting to realize he’d made a mistake. Or had he?
If Gackt hadn’t taken over his body and controlled him, he never would have traveled to this country. And even if he had, it was doubtful he would have met the entire team. He might have met Boa, but that wasn’t important. The thing that stuck in his mind was that this was supposed to be temporary. Once he and Boa had gotten their revenge, he was supposed to return to his country as a contact for the team should they need it. Now, after all the things he’d been through and seen, he wasn’t quite sure what he should do.
He loved performance and the theater. He enjoyed watching his work come to life onstage, but he also enjoyed these people and the thrill of working on the jobs they did. He loved his home country, but this one was also vibrant and alive. It was hard to try to make a choice—especially with someone he had feelings for being one of the reasons to stay.
“You should tell her.”
Keita glanced to his left at the soft voice to see Tiffany seating herself beside him. “I didn’t think I should. Not with what’s left to do.”
“You’re sending her mixed signals and she’s not sure if you care for her or Boa.”
Keita stared at her. “Did she tell you that?”
“No, but I’ve gotten used to figuring out people’s emotions by their reactions just as much as feeling them.”
Keita sighed. He’d promised himself, but he didn’t want to end up hurting her, or losing her to someone else. Then again, what right did he have to say anything if he ended up going back to his home country?
“I’ll talk to her when they’re finished,” he answered finally, and Tiffany seemed satisfied by the answer. Maybe she could tell he was being truthful. It might be silly confessing right before their infiltration of a major organization, but Keita had a feeling they were going to worry about one another whether he did it or not.
As Sunny and Changmin practiced, Keita’s evening was spent with Boa and Jiyong, going over the AO’s schematics as he tried to memorize where hallways were. Of course, the restricted areas weren’t marked on the official schematics, but Jiyong remembered enough to be able to sketch out the corridors and rooms on another piece of paper to line up with the supposedly empty storage areas. At some point during their planning, Tiffany left to see if she could find them some food.
When the linking practice ended, Keita waited patiently as the two stood and discussed what they would do the next day. It occurred to Keita that there was nowhere to really talk to Sunny and have it be private, but that wasn’t really important. He needed to get this over with, so he approached her as Changmin turned away.
“Can we talk?” Keita asked and grimaced. He hated how ominous that phrase sounded.
“Sure.” She sounded resigned to bad news. “Look, I know—”
“Ilikeyou,” Keita blurted out as she blinked at him in confusion. Maybe he should enunciate. “I like you. A lot more than I should.”
“But I thought—you and Boa?”
Keita shook his head. “We agreed to share revenge, that was it.”
Sunny stared at him for a moment then shoved him angrily. “YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME SOONER YOU BIG OAF!”
Keita stumbled back into a wardrobe and gaped at her in shock. “I don’t understand…”
“Stupid, stupid boys,” Sunny muttered under her breath as she stalked toward him and Keita shrank against the wardrobe, waiting for a hit. But instead, Sunny grabbed the neck of his shirt in two hands and yanked him down into a kiss. He was so surprised, he forgot to even kiss back before it was over.
She turned, but he caught her shoulder before she could get away. There was no way he was going to let her leave him like that, so he leaned down and kissed her the way he’d been wanting to ever since his crush developed. He heard someone mutter ‘Finally’ and some quiet laughter, but ignored it. He liked kissing Sunny much more than he thought he would.
Sunny socked him in the stomach when the kiss ended. “You should have told me sooner.”
Keita rubbed his stomach and laughed. “Is this usually the way you show your affection?”
She blushed and glanced away. “It won’t be my fault if you get in the way when I throw a wrench.”
Keita grinned and was about to kiss her again when Tiffany arrived with food and everyone sat down to devour it. Once they’d finished, Sunny tugged Keita away and sat him down in the corner to talk, with more words than they’d managed earlier.
“What are you going to do when this is all over?” She was quick.
“I’m not sure. I do really like it here.” That was the truth. He did really like it in their country.
“But you can’t stay forever,” she murmured and he nodded. “I’ve never been to another country.”
Keita blinked. Did she just imply what he thought? “Traveling is a lot of fun,” he replied carefully.
“Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of our own country while chasing bounties, but I’ve never seen what it’s like somewhere else.”
“The team would miss you.”
“I work a lot with the law enforcement. I bet someone I know could give me a special passport,” she said as she looked up and Keita’s chest felt light.
“Even after breaking into and attacking what basically amounts to a government building?”
“They’re not government, they just work with them!” Sunny scoffed.
“Still…”
“It’ll all work out. I mean, it’s not fun if it’s not a challenge!”
Keita grinned and reached out to take her hand and squeeze it. “Are you going to be a challenge?”
Sunny gave him a devious smile.
He should have seen that coming.
~***~
Oddly enough, this was probably the hardest part to write, lol. I didn't want Keita to confess before the big attack, but well, sometimes things change. Even the original outline doesn't have them falling for one another.
ps the JYJ concert was all kinds of awesome and win. if you ever get the chance to see them, even from cheap seats, do it because they're amazing entertainers!
Part 28
Author: LotusBeauty
Type: multi-chapter
Rating: R
Pairings: Yoochun/Jaejoong
Genre: AU, drama, fantasy, steampunk-ish, humor, angst, action, kitchen sink
Summary: In a world where a power called an attribute gives a person certain abilities, those with attributes are equally loved, hated and, well, normal. And just because people have attributes, doesn’t mean there isn’t crime, so Micky joins a bounty hunting team and finds while this is exactly what he was looking for, he might have found something else he didn’t know he needed. (previous chapters can be found HERE.)
Notes: contains world creation, fantasy elements, and just might have a bit of fun~ Profiles of characters can be found HERE :)
Disclaimer: Not mine, never were, but a girl can dream through fiction.
27: if it’s easy, then it’s not worth trying
Meow.
Tiffany stopped and looked down. “Well, hello there.” She crouched down and pet the gray cat at her feet. “What are you doing here, Jiji?” she asked quietly and glanced around. He rubbed up against her and then danced away, flipping his tail back and forth as if to beckon her to follow. “I can’t,” she hissed. “I have a assembly. Meet me here in an hour?”
Jiji moved to the wall and sat his rump down, making Tiffany laugh. Well that was easy. She left the cat with a nod and hurried on to her scheduled meeting, all the time wondering just why Jiji had been sent to fetch her. It was probably safer that way. She’d gotten in trouble for disappearing for nearly a week, but had managed to talk her way out of it. Her mother had even helped her by claiming that she’d sent a message that she was sick and needed help. Yoowhan, being the upstanding worker he’d always been, vouched for her, and her punishment was a write up in her file. Big whoop. They hit a snag after that, though. Someone ranking high in the AO called Yoowhan for a meeting, and the two shared a look—they knew. Tiffany hadn’t seen him since, but that had only been yesterday. She often went days without speaking to him, but she had a feeling he wouldn’t do something like that considering their situation. She had a feeling he was on detention and under suspicion. And that meant she might be soon enough as well. She had to be very careful how she conducted herself.
Tiffany tried to put it out of her mind, but suspicions kept popping into her thoughts and she worried if someone might find Jiji. With her wandering thoughts, the meeting passed quicker than expected. She chewed on her lip as she left as her mind kept ticking. Would the cat still be there? Sure enough, Jiji was right where she’d left him, but surrounded by admirers. Tiffany shook her head and approached to give him another pet, blending in with the crowd. As the other girls dispersed, Tiffany lingered behind.
“Alright, take me wherever it is you want me to go,” she directed, and Jiji swished his tail as he took off down the hallway. He paused at one point and looked down a hallway to his left. He turned in that direction and Tiffany scooped him up in a panic.
“No, no. You can’t go that way, that’s where holding and prison cells are,” she told him quietly as she scratched his neck, but he just pushed away from her, looking down the hallway with a meow. “They keep an eye on who is assigned to the holding cells and there are restricted areas. Please, just take me to who I’m supposed to meet. I don’t want us to get into trouble.”
Jiji looked up at her and gave her a long, slow blink before he seemed to understand and she let him down again. He looked at the hallway again before moving on and she followed. She sighed in relief once the entrance to the holding areas were behind them. What an odd response. It made her wonder…
They headed out of the building, across the courtyard and out into the city. Jiji seemed to know his way around well enough, and Tiffany just made sure she could keep up. Hopefully no one would notice that she was following a cat. Jiji led her this way and that, down crowded streets and then through back alleys and Tiffany had to wonder if he was doing it on purpose. She could have sworn they’d backtracked at some point. This cat was much too smart for his own good.
When they finally arrived at a doorway, the evening had given way to twilight and the darkness of the alley made it just that much more creepy. But somehow, Tiffany wasn’t surprised when the door opened without her even knocking, and Boa peeked out.
“He says you weren’t followed, so hurry,” she told Tiffany and stepped back to let her in.
“What’s going on?” she asked, wondering, why all the secrecy?
“We’re the only four left,” Boa told hr quietly as they entered a better lit room. There around a table sat Keita, Sunny, Changmin—and no more.
“What do you mean?” Tiffany felt her heart beat a bit faster with fear. “The others…”
“They’ve been captured,” Sunny answered as she looked down again and Tiffany realized they were looking at a schematic of the AO building.
“Where did you get that?” she hissed in amazement. Winne’s base had been a breeze to sneak in and take the maps, but the headquarters had much better guards.
“I know some of the thieves Yunho pays for information,” Sunny replied quietly. “When I told them what happened, they got me this map in half the time it normally would have taken.”
“Impressive,” Tiffany admitted. “No wonder Jiji wanted to go into the restricted area.”
Everyone perked up. “They’re here!” Changmin blurted. “I mean, Jiji was adamant, but we weren’t positive.”
“They must be, but I don’t know how Hyde will justify using one of the drain devices without someone finding out about it. Does this mean Jessica was taken?” she asked, trying to keep her emotions in check.
“Yunho, Jessica, Jaejoong, Micky and the brothers, all taken when they attacked the cabin,” Changmin answered with a nod. “It was the day after you left.”
“Good thing we got Jiyong out when we did.”
“We need to talk to him,” Boa added.
“Why?” Tiffany frowned.
“Because we think he might know the lay of areas you’ve never been in, the kind of places everyone might be held,” Boa answered.
“You make a good point.” Tiffany nodded and glanced at the door. “Couldn’t Jiji just go in and tell you though?”
Boa smiled. “He doesn’t really talk so much as give me images and feelings, to be honest. I’m used to translating such things, but it doesn’t give the details we’d need like specific directions and such.”
“Ah.” Tiffany nodded in understanding. “Well, its dark now, so I could show you where Jiyong is.”
“Good,” Boa nodded. As they got ready, Jiji hopped up on her shoulder.
“So you don’t get words from him?” Tiffany asked as she pet the cat.
Boa shook her head. “Most things are easy to interpret, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out complex ideas. Like if he wanted to tell me an exact area Jaejoong is in, he would have to show me the image of the cell number.”
“Maybe he can do that and we won’t need to risk Jiyong,” Tiffany suggested as Boa shrugged.
“Wouldn’t a cat wandering in a high security detention block be odd?”
“No more odd than a man four times his size.”
The conversation ended as they slipped outside and Tiffany led them away. She used the same techniques Jiji had used earlier, only she knew where she was going this time. It took longer than she meant it to, but when they arrived, she delivered a particular knock to the door. To her shock, the door quickly opened, and she pulled out a dagger. She let out a sigh when she recognized Yoohwan in the doorway, who also looked worried.
Without a word, she motioned everyone inside and shut the door behind them. “What are you doing?” she hissed at him finally.
“Hyde is onto me,” he replied quickly. “The man himself questioned me.”
She cursed as everyone surrounded them to hear. “And?”
“He asked when I saw my brother last. I told him last week when I went to visit—when I found out about Jaejoong, though I didn’t tell him that. I considered it to not be a lie because I had intended to only see my brother that time, whereas later I knew I’d be seeing all of them. He didn’t seem too put out, but god his questions were rapid, one after another. Then he would wait and ask more. I wasn’t sure if I could hold out against him.”
“And he let you go?”
He nodded. “But they had someone tailing me. So I got out as fast as I could and dropped the tail before coming here.”
“So now he’s even more suspicious,” Jiyong told them from a chair on the side of the room.
“You’re absolutely sure you weren’t followed?” Boa cut in.
“Yoochun and I used to practice. Trust me.” He wore that face often when he did something he was pleased with. Tiffany had to wonder if it was similar to something Micky did by the way everyone rolled their eyes in amusement.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here. That ups our number by one, and we need as many as we can get.” She then took a moment to bring him up to speed as they others explained the situation. It was interesting watching someone who was usually so bright and cheerful turn dark and serious. She could feel his emotions calm, oddly, as he smoothed his rage, keeping it in check. He would use it later, she assumed.
“So, what we need to know is if you’ve been in the headquarters,” Tiffany said as she turned to Jiyong who was sitting on the far side of the room, observing silently.
He nodded quietly. “I was usually there to report, but once in a while I was present for a small experiment. But no one has ever seen me there because I was usually in the restricted areas.”
“Good, because that’s where we’ll be going.”
“But what do you need me for? You’ve got a damn team here already,” he said as he gestured at them.
“I’ve never been in the restricted areas. And if you’ve attended experiments, there must be records.”
“There are.”
“I knew it,” she muttered to herself.
“If they haven’t been moved or destroyed. But this won’t be like your attack at Winne. This place is crawling with people who know what they’re doing and what they’re guarding,” Jiyong warned.
“Regardless, can you take me to them?”she asked as he smirked. “What?”
“How odd at the turn around,” he teased her willingness to work with him.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t make me remind you everything you felt after you lost your attribute,” she hissed and he looked away uncomfortably.
“Can we trust him?” Changmin asked with a suspicious glance.
“Yes,” Tiffany admitted. “He was genuinely sorry about what he did.”
“Hey! Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!”
“But it seems his ego recovered mostly,” she gave him a bland look.
“How lovely,” Changmin commented with a smirk to get a glare from the blond.
Boa knocked on the table that held the map to get their attention. “So how are we going to do this?” Sheepishly, everyone moved closer to sit around the table.
The discussion started out slowly, but that was because they weren’t sure what to do with the people they had. Finally, after laying all their cards on the table, they had a tentative plan. Tiffany and Jiyong would go in together to the records department and off limits areas to see if they could find any documented evidence of unofficial tests being carried out. Boa and Keita would follow Jiyong’s directions to the restricted areas to find out where their team was being held, with Jiji leading them (hopefully) to Jaejoong. Yoohwan and Sunny would stay outside with Changmin, who would link to them if necessary to provide them power as they would create ‘distractions’ for the personnel. Yoohwan would also be able to tag everyone so they could communicate despite his brother being their usual source.
After agreeing to their roles, they split up, Sunny and Changmin moving away to sit together on the floor to practice linking. Sunny hadn’t tried much, and the two had never linked, so they decided to use the rest of the evening to strengthen any sort of link they could get. Yoohwan provided instruction as Jiyong sat close enough to provide distraction by rattling off pointed comments.
Keita sat watching the group and he had this odd feeling that Changmin and Jiyong knew each other by the way they interacted. But his attention wasn’t exactly on those two. He was watching Sunny, and was starting to realize he’d made a mistake. Or had he?
If Gackt hadn’t taken over his body and controlled him, he never would have traveled to this country. And even if he had, it was doubtful he would have met the entire team. He might have met Boa, but that wasn’t important. The thing that stuck in his mind was that this was supposed to be temporary. Once he and Boa had gotten their revenge, he was supposed to return to his country as a contact for the team should they need it. Now, after all the things he’d been through and seen, he wasn’t quite sure what he should do.
He loved performance and the theater. He enjoyed watching his work come to life onstage, but he also enjoyed these people and the thrill of working on the jobs they did. He loved his home country, but this one was also vibrant and alive. It was hard to try to make a choice—especially with someone he had feelings for being one of the reasons to stay.
“You should tell her.”
Keita glanced to his left at the soft voice to see Tiffany seating herself beside him. “I didn’t think I should. Not with what’s left to do.”
“You’re sending her mixed signals and she’s not sure if you care for her or Boa.”
Keita stared at her. “Did she tell you that?”
“No, but I’ve gotten used to figuring out people’s emotions by their reactions just as much as feeling them.”
Keita sighed. He’d promised himself, but he didn’t want to end up hurting her, or losing her to someone else. Then again, what right did he have to say anything if he ended up going back to his home country?
“I’ll talk to her when they’re finished,” he answered finally, and Tiffany seemed satisfied by the answer. Maybe she could tell he was being truthful. It might be silly confessing right before their infiltration of a major organization, but Keita had a feeling they were going to worry about one another whether he did it or not.
As Sunny and Changmin practiced, Keita’s evening was spent with Boa and Jiyong, going over the AO’s schematics as he tried to memorize where hallways were. Of course, the restricted areas weren’t marked on the official schematics, but Jiyong remembered enough to be able to sketch out the corridors and rooms on another piece of paper to line up with the supposedly empty storage areas. At some point during their planning, Tiffany left to see if she could find them some food.
When the linking practice ended, Keita waited patiently as the two stood and discussed what they would do the next day. It occurred to Keita that there was nowhere to really talk to Sunny and have it be private, but that wasn’t really important. He needed to get this over with, so he approached her as Changmin turned away.
“Can we talk?” Keita asked and grimaced. He hated how ominous that phrase sounded.
“Sure.” She sounded resigned to bad news. “Look, I know—”
“Ilikeyou,” Keita blurted out as she blinked at him in confusion. Maybe he should enunciate. “I like you. A lot more than I should.”
“But I thought—you and Boa?”
Keita shook his head. “We agreed to share revenge, that was it.”
Sunny stared at him for a moment then shoved him angrily. “YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME SOONER YOU BIG OAF!”
Keita stumbled back into a wardrobe and gaped at her in shock. “I don’t understand…”
“Stupid, stupid boys,” Sunny muttered under her breath as she stalked toward him and Keita shrank against the wardrobe, waiting for a hit. But instead, Sunny grabbed the neck of his shirt in two hands and yanked him down into a kiss. He was so surprised, he forgot to even kiss back before it was over.
She turned, but he caught her shoulder before she could get away. There was no way he was going to let her leave him like that, so he leaned down and kissed her the way he’d been wanting to ever since his crush developed. He heard someone mutter ‘Finally’ and some quiet laughter, but ignored it. He liked kissing Sunny much more than he thought he would.
Sunny socked him in the stomach when the kiss ended. “You should have told me sooner.”
Keita rubbed his stomach and laughed. “Is this usually the way you show your affection?”
She blushed and glanced away. “It won’t be my fault if you get in the way when I throw a wrench.”
Keita grinned and was about to kiss her again when Tiffany arrived with food and everyone sat down to devour it. Once they’d finished, Sunny tugged Keita away and sat him down in the corner to talk, with more words than they’d managed earlier.
“What are you going to do when this is all over?” She was quick.
“I’m not sure. I do really like it here.” That was the truth. He did really like it in their country.
“But you can’t stay forever,” she murmured and he nodded. “I’ve never been to another country.”
Keita blinked. Did she just imply what he thought? “Traveling is a lot of fun,” he replied carefully.
“Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of our own country while chasing bounties, but I’ve never seen what it’s like somewhere else.”
“The team would miss you.”
“I work a lot with the law enforcement. I bet someone I know could give me a special passport,” she said as she looked up and Keita’s chest felt light.
“Even after breaking into and attacking what basically amounts to a government building?”
“They’re not government, they just work with them!” Sunny scoffed.
“Still…”
“It’ll all work out. I mean, it’s not fun if it’s not a challenge!”
Keita grinned and reached out to take her hand and squeeze it. “Are you going to be a challenge?”
Sunny gave him a devious smile.
He should have seen that coming.
~***~
Oddly enough, this was probably the hardest part to write, lol. I didn't want Keita to confess before the big attack, but well, sometimes things change. Even the original outline doesn't have them falling for one another.
ps the JYJ concert was all kinds of awesome and win. if you ever get the chance to see them, even from cheap seats, do it because they're amazing entertainers!
Part 28