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namedaftercommunists · 2 years

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Conversations and Confrontations [Sanzu Haruchiyo]

Masterlist

It was partially cloudy outside, though it's always cloudy during this time of the year. Not that I’m complaining. The sun can be annoying especially when you usually work in darker conditions. Cloudy weather like this makes me assume I’d have a somewhat decent day ahead of me, maybe release a lot of stress by working the day away.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“Uh Huh-” I agree, despite paying no mind to the ranting man as I continued to play around with the running yolk of my sunny side egg.

“You gotta understand that we’ve NEVER just out of nowhere stopped Sunday meetups.” Despite my silent hopes that he doesn’t -Rin continues. The sound of his Eiji Murata tailored shoes clacking against the tiled kitchen floor already irritating me early in the morning.

A Tuesday morning at that. Who bothers someone on a Tuesday morning?

“Sure, we sometimes change the venue at the last minute, but we usually tell each other, and we don't just flake out and leave the other one hanging- are you even listening?” He asks, stopping in his tracks to better see if I was actually paying attention.

“Nope, not really,” I answered honestly before slightly leaning forward to swipe a few sausages out the other plate and into mine. A brief silence fills the room, with only the sound of distant cars and the occasional shout from the city below being heard. Somewhat worried, I look to check on the then yammering individual.

‘Yeah, no, he’s pissed now.’ I thought, noticing the subtle wrinkle of his nose bridge.

“Look, what do you want me to say?” I defend myself. “It’s 8:30 in the morning -I’m eating breakfast,” I say, motioning to my half-eaten second bowl of rice, four sausages, a runny egg, a mug full of coffee, and a near-empty orange pill bottle on my right-hand side.

“And then you show up out of nowhere talking about how you need my advice to save your crumbling relationship with your brother. I doubt you really expected me to spew out anything helpful while I’m like -this-” I continue, my tone exhausted from even needing to voice out something so obvious.

“Can we continue this ‘conversation’ after I’m done with all this?” I say with a sigh.

He looks at the table of food for a moment before a teasing smirk makes its way to his face. “Yeah, of course you’d shoo me off. Don’t want me to interrupt you gobbling those sausages down your throat now do you?” His joke earns a satirical laugh from me before I pick one of the said sausages and eat it in front of him.

“Says the occasional d*ck sucker.” I counter, never breaking eye contact as I raise the ‘Kanazawa train station’ printed tourist mug and take a big gulp of cappuccino.

The comment shuts him up, and he breaks eye contact.

A moment of silence washes over the kitchen before he brushes over the comment with a sigh. A moment later, he settles down and takes a stool out -sitting opposite the kitchen island from me. “My relationship with my brother is not ‘crumbling.’ It’s just seen better days, that’s all.” He starts again and momentarily stuns me from downing more caffeine.

I set the mug down with faux seriousness before looking back at him dead in the eye. “First off, don’t word it that way again. You sounded like you had a thing for your brother-” “YOU WORDED IT THAT WAY FIRST, I JUST SAID IT BA-” “Second of all–” I continue, not bothering to acknowledge his cut-off.

“I’m still eating-” “F*ck off. You and I know you don’t care about table etiquette, you--” He cuts off again, severely annoyed, but I combat this by raising my voice. “THIRD OF ALL.” I start. “It’ll be fine, man,” I say, my voice noticeably more level than before. Noticing my more calm tone, he settles down rather than cut me off again.

With this, I continue.

“You and Ran are literally brothers. You’re dumb as f*ck for thinking some chick can just snatch him away from right under your nose. It doesn’t matter if he misses your family playdate. Is your bond with him really that flimsy that once he misses your little tea party -you guys aren’t close anymore?” I voice out, eyeing the numerous mixed feelings that had shown themselves in the deep recesses of Rin's eyes.

“He still should’ve given a head’s up.” He rightfully argues, his gaze moving to meet the island instead of mine. I let out another sigh. “Yeah, that was real sh*tty of him, but instead of arguing and b*tching about it with me, you should be saying all this to him instead. More productive, less drama, more efficient.” I advise, although not in the typical consoling manner. Really, on a surface level, it would seem that I was just shrugging him off -but he and I know better.

We both know I’m trying, me more than him. . . . . . A sinking feeling settles on my stomach, effectively making me lose appetite.

‘I sound like such a hypocrite. Who am I? -running around giving people family advice. I changed my surname to get away from family, f*cks sake.’ I look down at my bowl at this, feeling very much bare from all the sh*t I spewed out.

A short airy laugh fills the space.

I look back up to see Rin looking relatively better than before. His mood, though hard to read had it been anyone other than me and a select few others, had brightened from his last expression.

‘Gross.’ I jokingly thought. ‘Well, at least it kinda helped.’ a smirk makes its way on my face before I wipe it off and pick up my waiting chopsticks.

“Now shut the f*ck up. You sound like my ex from way back in high school. Talking about feelings and sh*t.” I say with a sigh, earning me another lighthearted laugh from him.

A few minutes of silence passed by us again. This time it was more notably on the comforting side rather than the tension-driven and awkward ones from before. With nothing to do but watch me eat -which for him, gets boring pretty fast - Rin starts again.

“I wanted to ask you-” I groan as I remind him that I’m still eating, but he brushes it off with an annoyed click of his tongue. “-why are you here in this shabby apartment of yours? The casino penthouse is basically your home at this point. So why drive all the way here with only–” he pauses and scans the area. “A beanbag couch, a microwave, and a barely running fridge storing a half-eaten cake that reads -happy birthday- to greet you?” He asks as he takes in the near-empty room we currently are in, slightly cringing from the less than appealing -or even functioning- state of the place.

“Did you eat the cake?” I ask, tipping the rice bowl up and scraping the remaining rice grains into my mouth. “No, I didn’t. Poor thing looks like it had been there a few weeks at best.” He voices out before I hum in confirmation. “Been there past a month or so,” I answer, earning a disgusted look from him.

“I was craving black forest while I was high this one time. The bakery I called up only had that cake left.” He nods at this slowly, but the disgusted look stays before he brushes it off with a shake of his head.

“So why are you here again?” He says as he watches me gulp down the last few mouthfuls of coffee I had left. “Oh yeah, no, I’m running away from something,” I answer, my voice uncaring. “Running? From what exactly?” He asks, curious to know as I pick up the dishes and set them down in a filled kitchen sink.

“The consequences of my actions….”

—----------

“Get off of me!” I yell out, my voice reverbing throughout the room, after which I hear her crash on the bar side. The sound of shattering glass and the far-away thunder outside had been enough to -partially- sober me from the liquor. With a clearer head, I look back to see Yukioto getting up and regaining her balance with the help of a cushioned stool.

“I..” I start not knowing what to do, taking in the bruise on her left chin, the light bruise on her right cheekbone, and finally, the confused and crestfallen look on her face.

She refuses to make eye contact with me.

The soft pitter-patter of the rain landing on windows -before was comforting with white noise- had now felt overbearing and overwhelming as I make sense of the situation.

‘I hit her. I think she was trying to help me just as she always had, but I hit her. Why did I hit her?’ I thought, my line of sight moving from her and landing on the bottle of Christian Drouin Calvados.

“Ei, I–” I try a second time, the driver’s first name feeling foreign on my tongue, as I search for words to remedy the situation. But neither of us says anything, and with the rain outside only growing louder and louder, my breath fastens. The drugs, once comforting, were now doing nothing but spiking my anxiety and paranoia.

‘She’s going to leave me. She’ll ask for a schedule change from Kokonoi, and I won’t have her as my driver anymore. She’s going to complain, and the other executives and I–’ my thoughts jumbled and rushed, are cut off as my mouth begins to move on its own.

“Look Ei, I’m– I–” The words die on me.

‘I’m sorry.’ Why can’t I say that? Why can’t I-.

“It’s okay.” Ei starts. Picking herself up slowly and lean on the side of the bar, brushing off any stray glass shards that could cut her. The hit did a number on her, the drugs in my system making sure I didn’t hold back. The bruise on her cheekbone must’ve been from when she fell from my hit. The corner of the bar had also left a light scratch atop the forming bruise.

“I’m okay.” she finishes, her gaze landing on me for just a second before back down to the heel of my shoe. Neither of us says anything for a few moments. Both of us stay in our places, but neither makes eye contact. Before long, she takes a deep breath and looks up to meet my gaze.

“Do you want to go back to the Casino, boss?” She asks, a smile on her face. It's smaller than before, the smile never making its way to her eyes like it used to. Regardless, it doesn’t look like she has any grudges regarding the hit. The look on her face was more than willing to sweep the situation under the rug and continue as we used to.

I give a halfhearted nod in reply. I brush myself off, and I leave the room.

I’d rather not help her up. Not when I was the reason she fell in the first place. It’s better to leave it alone for now. In great timing too, she has to cater to Kokonoi starting tomorrow.

The next time we saw each other, she acted as if nothing had happened.

Everything was fine despite the healing bruise on her chin.

—--------------

The heavy rain from outside the meeting room resurfaces a memory of mine before a heavy punch hits me square in the face. It happened so fast and out of nowhere that I flew a few steps back from where I stood and laid flat on the floor from the force.

“MOCHI. WHAT THE FUCK?” I hear Rindou yell from behind me, agitated, as he tries to make his way over to us, only to be stopped by his brother.

“Rin back off,” I hear the older Haitani warn, his voice serious. “Wha-” before Rin could finish and before I could even pick myself up, Mochi makes his way over to me and raises me by the collar of my shirt, slamming me back first on the meeting room wall.

“You think you’re real f*cking funny, huh? Doing what you pulled and then hiding away before I got the chance to murder you.” From how he said it, he doesn’t want an actual answer. Much less a joking one.

“I think I’m hilarious!” I bite back.

Another punch to the face. The strength put into it leaves me with a bleeding nose. “DUDE, WHAT IS WRONG WITH BOTH OF YOU?!” Rin yells again, and I look over to see him in a tight headlock by Ran. Loose enough to let his brother breathe -but tight enough to restrain him. Instead of answering his brother, Ran continues to watch the scene unfold.

My back hits the wall again -leaving me out of breath. “WHAT TYPE OF DRUGS DID YOU SWALLOW THAT MADE YOU THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO PUT YOUR HANDS ON MY WIFE!” Mochi yells, seething, before changing his hand’s placement from my collar to directly on my neck -cutting me off from breathing correctly, or at all.

‘How does this big oaf expect me to answer when he’s choking me.’ I thought, trying to pry his hands off and reach for the switch knife in my pocket. Though easier said than done when you can feel the veins in your neck and forehead pulse trying to keep the blood flowing.

Mochi is strong, very much so.

You see, Mikey needed capable men for running a gang -much more when running an organized crime group- and so he did just that. He recruited people who were either the best in their field or had the potential to do so. Everyone at the table had something to offer that the others didn’t, be it financial skills, meticulous strategic planning, connections, or anything under the sun seen as vital or needed.

And in terms of raw strength, Mochi dwarfed all of us.

‘But he lacks attentiveness and focus. That had always been his weak point. If I could just get a good distraction, then I cou-’ my thought cuts off.

“You r*ped Carlota?!” Silence fills the room. Rin’s question was so absurd, so out there, that it had taken everyone, even Mochi, aback. He loosens his grip for half a second or two -more than enough time for me to reach over the knife and swipe a deep cut on Mochi’s hand. With a yell, he instinctually lets go of his grip, and I land on the floor feet first.

Without wasting any more time, I grip both his shoulders and knee him on the stomach.

Despite giving it my all -granted, I didn’t have much room to work with- this had only set him a few steps back. I still wasn’t in the clear, there wasn’t enough space for me to tackle him down or run away, and I was still close enough that he could easily body slam me to the wall again.

‘So this is what I get for caring, huh? This is what I get for looking out for someone other than me. What a joke.’

“I didn’t touch her like that, Rin. I beat the shit out of her!” I start, answering the equally frazzled executive before taking a deeper breath and letting it out with a humorless laugh. “And believe me, Mochi. I would’ve done soo much worse,” I say with a smirk. The blood from my nose made its way into my mouth, the smile stretching the skin of my lips. It wasn’t long before the taste of iron settled on my tongue.

“Should have put a bullet on her head for that stunt she pulled!”

The blood rushes to his head. But despite my more than antagonizing words, he lets me continue. “I did what I had to do, Mochi! You know she’s spreading herself thin with all that worrying of hers, so I suggested we let the driver go!” The crestfallen and resentful look on all three faces did not go unseen as I said those words. It didn’t take a genius to know they had grown attached to the bubbling driver, more so than they would like to admit during her near one-year employment.

“I did what I thought was best for her, for all of us. And that’s cutting Yukioto off. You would understand if you j-”

“Don’t pretend that you care about her! As if you care about Carlota, the driver, or any of us here! You’ve never cared about anyone except yourself-!” He seethes out. His booming voice was enough to shake the pits of our stomachs, but what weighed more were his words.

It weighed a ton more knowing it was true. | | | |

I lose control over my breathing.

“Watch it, Mochi!” Rin warns, but his efforts are proven futile “-When everything goes to shit, you wouldn’t even think twice about leaving us behind!” Mochi continues. | | | |

A ringing fills my head.

“That’s enough, all of you" The room stills as King’s voice enters the room, and like clockwork, all four of us in the room bowed in respect as this was our first time seeing King today.

Now standing straight, the air was stiff. Just as it should be, just as it always had been -his presence alone had silenced the once chaotic and hostile room. The only remaining sound is that of air conditioners and the storm outside.

With him were the first-floor attendant and Takeomi. Both of which shared a stoic and attentive look.

“Not only do we have to be on the lookout for possible gang attacks, but now you want to add to that burden by fighting amongst yourselves. What would the Shimada Mihara do once they find out that half the Bonten executives are biting each other, like idiotic dogs.” He criticizes, eyeing the less than ideal state of myself and the others.

Though the urge to defend myself from the situation is immense, I would only prove Mochi right and anger King more than he already is.

“I’m disappointed.” Even with gazes glued to the floor, the glare Mikey had sent was enough to straighten ourselves and send a chill down our necks.

It was clear that although the scowl was to all four of us, he was more irritated with me.

“We’ll have to reschedule the meeting for tomorrow. Because not only had my closest confidants thought it would be a good idea to maul each other. But because we have to discuss Carlota Mochizuki’s fate with her betrayal to Bonten,” Mikey states, and from the corner of my eye, I could see the pain in Mochi’s eyes as he heard these words.

This was news to all four of us, so this information had likely only come up today.

But how come the attendant doesn’t look at all phased? I doubt King had told her first rather than his executives.

Unless, of course, she was the one to deliver the information first.

“Though this affects all of Bonten, I will admit that this is a more personal matter.” King continues, and there is a silent appreciation that Mochi shows to him for keeping this as private as possible.

“Sanzu, Haitanis, you are dismissed.” He ends.

As ordered, the three of us make our way out, Ran being the first to go through the door and me following behind. But before I could leave, I felt a hand set itself on my shoulder and with it the grating tone of the owner.

“Don’t think I don’t know about how this fight happened. You just had to be childish didn’t you?” Takeomi says with disdain and a lowered voice, clearly not wanting to make a bigger deal of this to the others. Though, that didn’t apply to me.

Not wanting to deal with him, I swat his hand away and glare at him from the side. “I don’t want to hear that from you, especially when it concerns Carlota.” I bite back. It was clear to us what exact ‘incident’ I was referring to.

He is livid.

“You-!” He starts but cuts off when Rin inserts himself between us, putting him an arm's length of space away from us. “How about you fuck off, yeah, old man?” He warns.

From behind, I couldn’t tell what expression Rin wore, but it was apparent from Takeomi’s tightening fist that another fight was about to break out. I would’ve been more than happy to beat the living shit out of this man, but I can’t exactly just brush off the fact that King had been watching all this time.

Glaring.

“Let it go, man,” I say, easing the purplenette’s hand off and tilting my head for us to go.

We both leave, and I head off on my own with Rin’s voice fading into the background as I ignore his calls.

—----------

“-And I was thinking, I could have that installed as my home system!” She continued. Her voice had filled the car, just as it always had, as she drove me to my destination.

The lights from nearby buildings and moving cars bled and blurred through the raindrops as they ran down the windows, making yet another familiar picture that played out every time I went out with her. Just like before, the rain served as background noise. Coincidence or not, it rained during most of my meetings with Ei.

I don’t think Japan has rained as much as it did this year.

“-there’s been a lot of break-ins reported on the news recently, and you can never be too safe! After all, there’s really no point in -” I’m not sure what spurred me to say it. Maybe it had been the prior conversation about home security systems that had brought it on, or maybe, I had been genuinely curious about what she might say.

To what extent is this woman willing to forgive?

“I don’t think I’d care if you got hurt.”

The car went silent after that.

I turn from my side to look over to where she was seated.

The car was dark, and she preferred to drive that way. The overhead light, I noticed, was harsh on her eyes. It didn’t matter what model car we used, or what color light it was -she always had to squint whenever it was on.

Because of this, we didn’t turn it on unless it was necessary. But this had its downsides as well.

This situation was a prime example of it. With only minimal lighting, I couldn’t discern what emotion she wore, what reaction she had, and what she felt by my comment.

She takes a few more seconds before she finally speaks up.

“I agree,” she says, but I can’t quite pinpoint ‘how’ she said it.

“Are you agreeing because you wouldn’t care if I got hurt either?” I ask as I watch her overtake a driver on the road.

“No, not really,” she replies.

“Explain then.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want you worrying about me, boss. I hate it when people do that because I’d feel like a burden.” She starts as she continues down the road, turning a smooth right not too long after.

“-but,” An ambulance passes by us.

It was here, for a few seconds, bathed in red and blue- did I see the few stray hairs that clung to the back of her neck, the slight tilt of her head, and the skin of both her cheeks pinched up to narrow the corner of her eyes.

She looked soft.

“I think I’d visit you as much as I can, boss. After all, you’re my boss.”

She says, wearing a smile.

…..I don’t think that was the answer I was looking for.

| | | | |

My hold on her wrists tightens, even as she thrashes and attempts to struggle from it.

Knowing that no matter what -I wasn’t going to let up, she screams out instead. “I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!! YOU’RE THE MOST SELFISH PERSON I HAVE EVER MET”

I don't exactly know why that affected me.

Why did those words sting as much as they did that day?

Carlota and I were no strangers to insulting each other. If anything, most of our interactions were about insults to each other. If I look back on it now, I’m sure a jab she made about me was our first interaction. It was just something that stuck to both of us over the years. Granted, it became more of a joke as time went by. Nonetheless, Carota had said more vile things before, and vice versa.

So why did my chest tighten at that?

Why did it hurt as much as it did?

“YOU’RE A HEARTLESS DEMON, SANZU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!” she continues. The tears on her face landing on my cheeks as she heaves for a breath.

I’m not sure if it showed, but if it did, I was quick to wipe it off my face.

Not wanting to deal with it any longer, I push her off of me again -only this time- I don’t give her the chance to get back up and fight me again.

“OKAY!” A deep breath leaves me before I start again. “FINE! IF THAT’S HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT ME, F*CK IT!” I yell out, fighting the dull burning of my back and eyes by brushing off and straightening the noticeable wrinkles on my clothes.

I need to get high off of something.

“F*CK ME FOR CARING, F*CK ME FOR TRYING TO COMFORT YOU. YOU WANNA FREEZE HERE IN THE HOSPITAL IN THE MIDDLE OF A SUNDAY? THEN BE MY GUEST! ME? I'M GONNA GO BACK TO MY WARM PENTHOUSE AND SNORT A LINE!”

It was here that I realized that I had never seen Carlota look so broken before.

I turn on my heel and walk away.

The hospital chills pricking goosebumps on my skin.

—----------------------

“Don’t send anyone up to Room 32.”

The station nurse, confused at first, looks up to meet my gaze. However, after recognizing me as one of Bonten’s Executives -the hospital sponsors- she understood fast and did as told.

After typing a few things on her keyboard, she looks back at me to give her report. “I’ve notified everyone to keep away from room 32 regardless of whatever situation, sir.” I nod at this. “Would you like a clean-up crew on standby, sir?” She asks, fingers ready to give the command.

I shake my head at this before looking around the hall. “No, but I suggest you loop back a normal clip on your CCTV. We wouldn’t want anyone to know I’m here. You understand, right, sweetheart?”I say with faux charm. She nods her head at this. “Yes, sir.”

I give her a practiced smile and make my way to the elevator.

‘Selfish.’ A humorless laugh leaves me.

‘How about I prove to all of you how selfless I can be.’ the thought echoes before I pop a few pills in my mouth.

#!employeeoftheyearseries #manjirou sano #sanzu haruchiyo #sanzu x oc #mikey x oc #bonten #ao3 fanfic

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namedaftercommunists · 2 years

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Snow and Cigarettes [Kamado Junko]

Masterlist

Snow.

I’ve always hated the cold. Never did I have any particularly good memories made in the snow.

The night was young, 8 pm sharp, just as the caller said. In typical December fashion, the snow not only continued to clump down the cold pavement of the cramped alleyway but also on Carlota-san and I’s shoulders. I couldn’t see much here with only a few -flickering- overhead street lights lighting up a small circle of the space.

‘I know nothing about this place, we’re at a disadvantage if a shootout ever broke out.’ I thought to myself, already preparing for the worst.

But even with minimal lighting, it wasn’t hard to miss the shadow of a 6’7 figure. Not when it had a lit cigarette in its left hand and a leash with a rabid rottweiler in the other.

‘The dog doesn’t look as friendly as it did in the drawing.’

“You come with anyone else, ladies?” Male, late 20’s, or early thirties. His voice is hoarse, either from the cold, or the plethora of cigarettes he had probably burned throughout his life.

From his question alone, he’s on edge, or at the very least -alert, though not as much as I would have wanted him to be. He seemed to be confident enough to handle both of us -armed or not- whether it’s because of the growling dog at his side, or if he too came with a firearm or two before this meet-up, that I’m not too sure of.

“No, we didn’t come with anyone else. It’s just us two” Carlota-san answers. Her demeanor was cool, a complete 180 from her previous -more emotionally driven- mood from earlier today. Though the answer would have most definitely be seen as stupid from a negotiation standpoint, it was clear that Carlota-san was not here for a business deal. She was here for answers- and to do that, she has to have the complete trust of this person, the only way to that of course is by being honest.

‘Still, a bluff would’ve been good. That way he would think twice before doing anything -putting us at an advantage.’

With this, the person takes a deep inhale from the cancer stick before letting it fall to the many other cigarette butts he had on the snow near him. With as much poise as that of a bum, he leaves his position from the wall and takes a few steps forward, the light finally illuminating his face just as it did ours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ah, so that’s why he sounded so familiar.

Hanma Shuji.

From way back when Bonten was called Kanto Manji Gang

I should have known from the cigarette addiction alone.

Though I was never close with the former KMG member -our interactions having barely pushed through the two digit mark- I had been hired during his stay and service in the gang.

He didn’t sport the same haircut as before, but that is to be expected, seeing as our last meeting was nearly a decade ago from today. It was apparent that time was kind to him, features wise, but it wasn’t in regards to his eyes, obvious from the prescription glasses he now has to wear.

I was assigned to a different division to the man in question, but nonetheless I recognize him. Keeping up and updating myself on the history of the gang is part of my job, just as it is my job to know of the potential future of the organization -it was only right that I remember a former integral member. . . . . . . . . . . I’ve always wondered where weaklings went after leaving. I was fully sold on the idea of them simply getting killed a few days later in an alleyway -just like this one. Seems as though they just get to run free.

We should fix that. They’re a liability.

Though I remember him, it doesn't seem as though he remembers me. Not a shred of recognition in those dead eyes of his.

“You look cold” He speaks up, eyeing the less than weather-appropriate attire Carlota-san has been wearing. I could tell that his gaze had unnerved her, but nonetheless, she stayed silent. “Want me to offer you a jacket?” He continues, motioning to his warmer choice of clothing, though judging from his air, he wasn’t going to give up one.

“No, but thank you” Carlota answers -faux friendly. This earns a shrug from him before he stuffs his free hand in the pocket of his jacket whilst -subtly looking around the place again, his eyes never really settling in one place.

“So. Where is she?” He asks, a nonchalant tone in his words. “Who?” I ask, knowing exactly who he is referring to. He catches on to this, a click of his tongue echoes through the small space, the sound triggering his mutt to turn more aggressive and attempt to lunge at us.

Its action startled both Carlota and I for just a second. The mutt is loud, its bark irritating as it continues to reverb and bounce to and fro the small space.

‘It looks like it would have rabies.’ The thought voices itself in my head as I continue to look at the dog’s slobbering barks and attack stance, the only thing stopping it from biting either of us was the red leash wrapped around the neck of the damn thing.

I hope it chokes the dumb mongrel.

“You know exactly who I’m talking about.” He continues. His eyes were deadpan and yet serious, he was obviously not in the mood to dance around and play guess.

Having already known that I wasn’t here to give answers, he instead looks over to Carlota.

“You’re the one who agreed to this little get-together of mine. You wanna tell me where she is, pretty lady?” He asks in a sing-song manner before continuing to eye her just as he did before. “What’s your connection to her?” She throws a question back, her arms crossed whilst leaning her weight on one leg. They’re both trying to take control of the conversation, and with it, the entire situation.

Both of them wanted answers, but neither wanted to give information to the other.

He leans back at this -most likely irked with the thought of having to muscle the answer he wants out of us.

“I don’t think you should be the one asking questions here, babe” He says with a scoff, his eyes sweeping the area again. “And why is that?” I ask, hand on holster if ever pulls out a gun to use as a threat. Though it’ll be a problem to track the gun to both his head and the seething animal beside him.

His eyes look over to my person again and it lingers for a few moments before he tilts his head to the side again, a look of confusion and a vague spark of recognition on his features. “Who are you?” He asks, but before I could answer, Carlota-san had already beaten me to it.

“You don’t need to know that now do you?. All you need to know is that we’re her employers." A half-lie, but it was necessary.

A small hiss leaves his person. “She’s under your care?”. Carlota-san nods at this. He nods a few times in understanding, but it was obvious that it was only for show. His gaze goes over to the side and again, back to us.

“Judging from a lack of her presence during this little meeting of ours, I’m assuming she hasn’t been cared enough, or even at all. Your incompetence as her employer is most likely the reason why she hasn’t been able to answer any of my calls.” He voices out, a look of hidden anger in his eyes and features. “What makes you think she’s not just ignoring your calls?” Carlota rebuts but is only met with a sarcastic laugh from the man.

The conversation continues on like this for a few more moments, but something about the smoker’s behavior is really setting off alarms in my head.

‘What is he looking for?’ The thought enters me before I too look around the area, though in a more low-key way to avoid suspicion. His gaze lingered in a few areas, but he seems to avoid one place in particular. The trash bin near the exit of his side. One where the snow looked ever so slightly disturbed.

“So, where is she?” He asks again, my focus completely being thrown off and fishing me back to the conversation at hand. “Who are you to be asking this? For all we know, you have no actual connection with the woman in question.” I insert, my hand not leaving the hidden holster on my side, especially now when there could be a possible companion of his ready to attack out of nowhere.

Another light chuckle fills the air -seemed as though he didn’t notice my snooping. “Might as well show off” He says, smug both in looks and voice.

He lightens the grip on the leash for a small amount. Surprisingly the stupid dog didn’t take this as a signal to attack, rather it stayed in place, letting its owner do whatever he wanted to do.

'It's trained -with a loose leash he can just command the thing to bite us even when he's preoccupied.' I thought, not taking the opportunity to shoot. I'd rather the mutt doesn't harm Carlota.

With the added security, he raises his left hand from the pocket, he brings it to the side of his face, the kanji 'sin' tattoo fully on display.

But with it, wrapped around his ring finger, was a thin -gold wedding band.

“I’m her husband”

| | | | | | | | | | |

A thick silence fills the car, the only sound ever reaching our ears being the constant sound of the air conditioner running, or the sound of different engines from the cars outside as I continue to drive us back to the casino.

Still, this was a topic we can't just simply brush over. No topic ever is worth brushing over, not when it comes to Bonten.

"Yukioto Ei was recorded to be a single woman with little to no connection with existing family -within or out- of the country." I start -the air clammy, but nonetheless I press on. "This information had been looked over by not only me and the screening department, but also by Bonten Executive; Sir Kokonoi Hajime. Not only is her background different to what was stated but to b-" “We don’t speak of this to anyone” Carlota cuts off, her tone effectively taking control of the situation.

‘This is bad.’

“Carlota-san with all due respect, this isn’t something we can just sweep under the rug, what else could the driver be hiding from Bonten?” I reason out as I continue to drive the car back to the Casino.

“She’s a risk to the safety and the security of the organization. I know that you and the others have taken a liking to the driver Carlota, but what we should be doing is relaying this information back to the executives along with giving back the broken phone in hopes of extracting more information from the device. If anything we should also take the ‘husband’ in for ques-”

The sound of broken glass and plastic fill the car.

Over and Over.

Again and Again.

Carlota after hearing what I had to say about the situation -had pulled out the driver’s original phone and proceeded to continuously step on it.

I take a left turn.

‘This is fine’ I assure myself. ‘We can make do with the broken parts and give it to the intelligence lab, surely they know of some way or technique to take out data fro-’ My train of thought is cut off as Carlota starts again.

“Open the window” She orders, her eyes still set on the broken pieces, as if to make sure I don’t suddenly reach over and take a handful of it whilst I continue to drive. The thought did come to mind, but it would only put both of us at the unnecessary risk of crashing into something.

‘It’s better to continue to reason with her, surely knows how much this could affect the very livelihood of not only her husband and the executives, but to every other employees as well.’

“Carlota-sa–” But before I could continue, I’m cut off once again.

“You’re forgetting my name attendant. I don’t quite recall as to when we established a close relationship, especially with that biased system of yours. From what I remember you are not only my junior in regards to the time spent serving the organization, but I also outrank you in terms of position, authority, and social status. What give you the right to not only undermine and undermine my authority, but to also refer to me in a casual and informal manner?”

I am overtaken by another driver on the road.

‘It seems I’ve overstepped with her’

“Forgive me Mrs. Mochizuki” I apologize, my tone and posture falling back to a more refined and professional demeanor.

“Attendant, open the window.” She commands again, every second spent together seemingly getting colder and colder.

I do as told and down goes Mrs. Mochizuk’s window.

Sparing no time, she leans down to the car floor and brings up the rubber vehicle mat and spills out the broken phone components to the rubber asphalt of the road. She lets out a deep breath after, before setting the mat back down and dusting herself off from the small glass pieces that happen too cloning to her.

“We are to not speak of this again. Yukioto Ei, her husband, and her family are under mine and Mr. Mochizuki's care. You are to never interfere nor take action in any way shape or form regarding the matter, and most definitely not with the intention of ill or harm. Unless of course you’re willing enough to not only lose your job, but your life as well?” She taunts, eyeing me from the corner of her eye.

‘-and her family. She noticed something from the meeting that I hadn’t been able to pick up. She’s hiding something from me’ I thought before filing it away for another day.

“No Ma’am.” I curtly respond.

After that the vehicle is consumed once again with silence. . . . . . . . . . . . .

We took a left from Ejima Sugiyama Shrine and over Sumida river. Traffic is moderate. Time check 9:02pm.

#!employeeoftheyearseries #manjirou sano #sanzu haruchiyo #sanzu x oc #mikey x oc #hanma shuji #ao3 fanfic

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namedaftercommunists · 2 years

Text

Hair and Coat [Mrs. Carlota Mochizuki]

Masterlist

“Ei-chan, come here I want to see how this looks on you!” I call out, holding up a simple rose gold necklace with a star charm hanging off of it. From the corner of my eye, I could see Yukioto’s head perk up in response before she made her way over to me. “Mrs. Mochizu–” “Come closer, hurry” A smile shows on my face as I hold up the necklace to her neck, the rose gold complementing her darker skin tone.

“AWE! You look so good in them! We HAVE to buy it now.“ A small chuckle leaves her before she takes both the necklace and my hands to hers. “As nice as it is to see you happy Mrs. Mochizuki, I don’t think I have 30,240 Yen on hand right now,” She says as she eyes up the price written on the small card propped up on the display I took the necklace from. “Nonsense! You know I would never let you pay for anything when you’re with me!” I rebut waving my hand in an attempt to wave off the thought.

“And I rather you call me Carlota-san, you’ve been working under me for MONTHS now, we’ve long passed the stage of calling each other by our surnames'' I add, a pout on my face before I put the necklace back in it’s stand knowing for sure she would never let me pay it for her. A short silence graces both of us before it is cut off.

“Hmmm,” A hum leaves her before she goes down the aisle and comes back with a pair of earrings. She holds the pair on either side of my face checking to see if it had fit me. It wasn’t long after before she lightly smiled and lowered the item into my hands. “I think these look great on you Mrs- Carlota-san.” She cuts herself off, and a small smile graces me again at her correction before she leads me to a small built-in mirror nearby.

Now facing my reflection, I hold and wear both earrings to the sides of my face once again. The earrings consisted of several connected circles and hoops, some of which were its natural gold color, and the others a more serene white gold. Just as Yukioto had said, the earrings had suited me well, the asymmetrical shapes and hoops fitting my face and face shape nicely -giving it definition- and putting the focus on my face.

“It’s a bit heavy,” I voice, a light laugh leaving me before I take them off. “Oh, well we can always look for another one like i-” I shake my head at this, both my hands holding the earrings delicately. “No, I’ll check this out. I won’t be able to wear it every day due to its weight, but for sure I’ll be wearing them whenever an important event comes up”

A soothing warmth rests on my cheeks at the sight of my reflection before turning around to face Yukioto. She wears a content look on her features before she tilts her head to look at me rather than the mirror. A light chuckle leaves me again before I head to the counter, Yukioto following behind. “I like you Ei-chan, you’re a breath of fresh air from all the testosterone those executives never fail to exude. It becomes suffocating after a while.” We both laugh at my comment before handing the earrings to the waiting lady.

____________________________

The cold pricks at my exposed skin as I continue to stare blankly at the glass separating me from the OR, though it served as a barrier it had never hidden the sight of multiple professionals in scrubs operating and stabilizing my friend for the third time within two months.

‘For the third time in two months.’ The thought stews in my head before I direct my line of sight to my thinning hands and fingers. I don't think I’ve been able to eat the same since then, nor did I sleep as much as I used to. Still, I can only imagine what Yukioto would go through once she wakes up.

if she wakes up

The hospital was quiet this afternoon, not a lot of people were waiting nor were there any nurses and doctors going from one room to the other. It was especially silent near where I am, only the sounds of shoes squeaking against tile could be heard, even then it was much too far away to be an annoyance.

I direct my focus back to the OR, eyeing whatever I could of Yukioto’s as multiple nurses and surgeons walked to and fro from her still figure. The sight brings me to leave a few crescent marks on the back of my hand as my nails dig into the skin.

‘I caused this.’

A bitter taste settles on my tongue as I look over the few scrubbed figures eyeing the sorry state of my friend.

‘I caused this.’

My line of sight turns glassy; a familiar weight waits atop my waterline as I see one of them bring out a bone saw.

‘I caused this.’

Tears silently fall and line my face, my shaky breath rattling the core of my being.

Amputation, right below her left knee

‘I caused this’

My thoughts are cut off when a comforting weight falls on my shoulders and covers my body from the cold AC. Knowing full well who it is, I continue to stay silent, my left hand leaving my right as it reaches out to the corner of the heavy suit jacket -pulling it closer to my figure, basking in the residue heat.

A sigh leaves the other in response to my silence as they take a rest on the steel seat a space away from me in respect. This lasts for a few more moments before it is broken by a cough from the pink-ette himself. “You know, you can’t just keep giving your husband a heart attack. I mean it was funny the first time, but it isn’t as funny when done a third time.” A chuckle follows after, the sound seemed to echo through the hallway.

“Your bed must be hard as a rock considering those dark bags under your eyes. I should hook you up with this mattress brand I found a few years ago, soft memory foam, I don’t recommend the pillows though, they smell awful for the first few months” Another laugh leaves him and this goes on a few more times before he notices my lack of response despite his best efforts to lighten the mood. After the fifth joke, he stretches both his legs and arms out to get the blood flowing and breathes out a tired and defeated sigh.

“She’s had multiple organ failures during her stay here, all showing up on different days. Life-threatening and minor injuries showing up out of nowhere they said.” A much more serious tone goes over his voice, fully abandoning the happy-go-lucky shtick he had run with before.

“I would have chalked them up to be incompetent seeing as her condition only worsens with every second, and I would have killed them all for that, but that isn’t the case is it? Considering they’re one of the best out there that money could buy -courtesy of you and your husband-” He continues, putting both hands on the steel arms provided on the chair.

From the corner of my eye, I could tell he was looking -waiting for a response from me, wanting to know exactly what my reaction would be. This type of information was not new to me, I was the first to know about Yukioto’s condition, the first to know of their findings on her, and the first to know about her worsening health. I know that he knows it too.

“She’s a case they’ve never encountered before. Her injuries are dire, at this point, she won’t be able to live a normal life even if she were to survive.” My grip on the jacket tightens at this. The action doesn’t go unnoticed as he looks over at my bleaching knuckles.

Another sigh leaves him, “Look Carlota, you’re my friend and whatever is happening here clearly isn’t good for you health-wise. This isn’t your fault, nothing here is your fault, maybe you should let her go and we ca-” My body moves before either of us can process.

The sound of metal sings and bounces from each wall of the hallway, as does the sound of shuffling shoes and crumpling clothes. I jump from my seat and without hesitation grab him by his hair, strands of pink being ripped out of his scalp from the abrupt action.

Sanzu, taken aback as this type of violence was unheard of from me, wasn't able to move nor lean away in time and could only yell out in shock and pain the sound echoing and plaguing my already tired mind. “WHaT THE FU?!--” Before he could even finish I had already pulled a relatively good amount of hair from him before we both fell from our seats.

“MOTHER F*CK GET OFF OF ME!” Now on the floor, Sanzu sobers up from the shock and tries to push me away from him, unknowingly helping me pull out more of his then healthy hair. “HOW DARE YOU!” I start -my voice hoarse and cracking from my abrupt and loud use.

“HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST THAT! I THOUGHT THAT OUT OF EVERYONE HERE YOU WOULD BE ON MY SIDE!” A sob leaves me as I now try and scratch the skin off of his face whilst rivers leave my eyes. At this point, I had felt my vocal cords tearing, I had felt it ripping like paper, even so, I didn't hold back as I continued to scream and shout at the scarred man below me.

“HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST I LET HER DIE AFTER ALL SHE'S DONE FOR ME! AFTER ALL THAT SHE’S DONE FOR YOU!” I yell out, my eyes closing for a moment to blink away the tears leaving. The strength of my scratches and hair-pulling had faded out for just a second as I wallowed in the emotional pain I hadn’t been able to express as loudly as freely as I have now.

Sanzu, taking note of the opening, punches the lower portion of my gut, causing me to double down from the pain, the muscles contracting and the bile threatening to leave my insides. The action had effectively rendered me weak enough to fully push me off of him.

My head harshly came into contact with the tiled floor, the impact disoriented me to the point that I had to put both palms flat on the floor and reassure myself that the world was not spinning as widely and as fast as it is doing right now.

“CARLOTA, ARE YOU HEARING YOURSELF?” He yells in retaliation, pushing himself off the floor and bending down to look at my face clearly while I continue to nurse the back of my head. “NO ONE FORCED HER TO TAKE THE JOB, SHE TOOK IT WILLINGLY, SHE KNEW WHAT SHE WAS GETTING INTO AND SHE DID HER JOB!” He continued, his voice had gone hoarse from all the yelling, and frankly, he was tired of my shit.

He takes a deep breath before he runs both hands on his hair and stands straight once again, an exasperated huff leaving him. Even when he had done every exercise he could think of at the top of his head to cool down, it still wasn’t enough to well down the apparent anger, annoyance, and irritation that had consumed him.

So he starts again. “LIKE ANY OTHER F*CKING BUSINESS THERE IS, ONCE AN EMPLOYEE IS USELESS, YOU LET THEM GO!”

The statement sobers my brain from the impact and with no time to waste, I tackle both Sanzu and me back on the floor. The sound of his back hitting the tiles was apparent and oh so loud.

Though he was not able to stop me from bringing both of us down, he knew better now and was able to catch both my wrists before I could do any more damage than I already have.

His hold was akin to that of unmoving steel and iron, even with my thrashing and pulling to free my hands from him, his grip had not budged in the slightest.

Unable to do more harm, I opted to scream out my thoughts instead. “I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!! YOU’RE THE MOST SELFISH PERSON I HAVE EVER MET” I yell out trying to break both my wrists from his solid grip. “YOU’RE A HEARTLESS DEMON SANZU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!”

A flash of hurt shows on his face before it is overpowered with anger. Having had enough, he pushes me off of him once more -only this time he doesn’t give me the chance nor time of day to get back up fast enough to fight him again.

“OKAY!” A defeated breath leaves him before he picks it back up “FINE! IF THAT’S HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT ME, F*CK IT!” He starts, brushing off and straightening the noticeable wrinkles on his dress shirt and slacks. The sound of the heel of his shoe clicks against the white tiles and with the sound was the deep and hurried breathing of both me and the tall man.

“F*CK ME FOR CARING, F*CK ME FOR TRYING TO COMFORT YOU. YOU WANNA FREEZE HERE IN THE HOSPITAL IN THE MIDDLE OF A SUNDAY THEN BE MY GUEST! ME? I'M GONNA GO BACK TO MY WARM PENTHOUSE AND SNORT A LINE!” With nothing left to say, he turns around and walks away from view.

It was here that I realized that I was never familiar with the sight of Sanzu’s retreating figure.

____________

A few minutes had gone by as I continued to sit on the cold floor. A few sniffles leave me before bringing a hand up to wipe the tears off of my face and tame my now frazzled hair. I sat for a few more moments, steadying my breathing before I brought myself to stand up and walk back to my seat.

Sanzu had left behind the coat he had lent to me.

Either intentionally or if he has simply forgotten, I’m not quite sure.

Having gotten over the whole fight I bring the coat back over my shoulder only to feel a slight bulge in the pocket of it. Curious, I rummage and pull the object out to be met with an unrepairable phone inside a plastic ziplock bag.

It was Yukioto’s phone.

‘He might have wanted to give this to me as a keepsake if I ever agreed to ‘let go’ of Yukioto.’ A scoff leaves me at the thought before I turn both the device and the bag around, inspecting it. It was badly damaged, so much so that it would never run again even if I was to hire the best man there is for the job.

‘The least I could do is replace it before she wakes up.’ A cough catches my thoughts and I tilt my head to see Kamado-san, her right eye finally having healed from the black eye Sanzu had given her a few weeks back.

From what I heard from Kanji, he was angry that her nonchalant and uncaring report from before turned out to be far from the actual situation and state of the driver.

“Mrs. Mochizuki, I do think it’s best for a change of scenery for tonight.” She voices out, a sliver of guilt showing on her features as she drinks in my frizzed condition. ‘She knew Sanzu and I had fought.’ With this, I wordlessly pull out my phone to check the time.

6:22 pm, I've been here in the hospital for roughly 4 hours now.

A sigh leaves me before I nod in agreement with her suggestion. “Are there any stores nearby that sell phones?” I ask, pocketing both mine and Yukioto’s phone in the coat as Kamado pulls out hers.

“There’s one a few blocks away from here, Mrs. Mochizuki. But judging from how outdated the phone is, I’m not sure you’ll be able to find an exact model of it there.” A sigh leaves me again.

“That’s fine, I’ll just look for something similar”

_______________________

”-And then Kyoujuro, bless his soul, had to carry Ran out of the building. The sight was awful, don’t get me wrong but it was also hilarious when I look back at it. Ran is a GIANT compared to that 5’4 of a man!” Both Yukioto and I share a laugh at this, I lightly clear my throat of the cupcake and continue laughing whilst I reach out for a glass of iced tea.

“As overbearing as they are, I could never replace the executives. Sanzu and Ran more specifically, they’re assholes let me tell you that, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t close with them. Kanji always gets a migraine whenever Sanzu and I get up with our reckless shenanigans.” Yukioto laughs at this, the cookie in her mouth threatening to choke her just as the cupcake did to me due to laughing so much.

“I didn’t know you and Boss were close at first, but now I know better.” A chuckle leaves her before she reaches out for her glass of orange juice. “Now that I think about it, you and Haru-chan have gotten quite close, don't you think so?” This catches her off guard and makes her pause from her much-needed drink. She shakes her head at this before continuing to drink from her glass.

“Oh don’t fight it! Sanzu is a hard man, heart as strong as a rock, unfeeling too. There is no known universe out there that would make him give you a raise if he never fancied or at the very least enjoyed you and your company” I teased, studying Yukioto’s expressions as she continues to deny it. “I don’t think Boss and I are at all acquainted or close at all Carlota-san” “Oh really? That’s not what I saw when I saw him practically draped over your shoulder that one Thurs-” “Carlota-san-------

Carlota-san

_______________

“Carlota-san!” The voice shakes me from my thoughts and I come face to face with Kamado, a worried look on her face. “I’m sorry for raising my voice and informally calling you Mrs. Mochizuki -we’re here now.”

Rakuten Mobile. We’re here.

I nod my head absentmindedly before leaving the car and making my way over to the store. Kamado, having already known my now fear of cars -takes no offense to me leaving her behind and proceeds to turn off the vehicle. Though I’m sure that even if I were to leave her behind for no good reason, she still wouldn’t take offense to it. . . . . . .

“This is the closest I could find to this model. But if I can take a look at the old phone for just a minute, the sim and memory card should still be there. We can just transfer those to the new phone.” The store clerk voices out, putting the replacement phone on top of the counter for us to see.

It was of the same brand and the same color, but it differed in size and model. Still, it was the closest one according to him. I nod in approval before motioning for Kamado to pass the broken phone over.

With the phone now in his hands, the worker cracks open the back cover of the device, and from it spills little paper strips.

“Oh, I didn’t know that was there, let me pick up the rest” As nonchalant as the voice of the worker was, my brain on the other hand was racing with thoughts.

Small crude and childlike drawings were on the paper, one was of a spotted brown and black dog, and another of a small park bench. But the one that catches my attention the most is of two -no- three figures drawn on a separate note.

Two tall figures -one colored in maroon and the other a deep purple- stood on either side of a smaller one -one colored in bright red, all three of which were connected by holding each other’s hands. With a small sun drawn on the corner of the paper and a line of green beneath their feet to show grass.

They look happy, like a family of some sort.

‘Did I just ruin something precious? Would Yukioto be angry if she knew I had meddled with her things? Who are the people drawn?’

The worker comes back up from his crouched position and lays out the other two drawings atop the glass counter, Kamado having noticed my stiffness took it upon herself to bring the drawings to herself.

Without giving it too much mind, the worker continues with his job and inserts both the sim and memory card into the new phone.

It was silent for a few seconds, only the sound of soft jazz music playing on the speakers of the store could be heard, but it wasn't long before the phone rang and lit up with a number shown on the screen.

The worker, not knowing what to do, passes the phone to me, having assumed that I was the owner of the previous phone.

My thumb hesitates on the receive button. It was beyond me why my hands shook in nervousness and fear, maybe it was leftover adrenaline from the fight not too long ago.

The beating of my heart continued to speed up for a few more seconds before I had finally tapped on the screen.

“EI! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?”

The sad voice reaches my ears.

________________

“KANJI! OH MY GOD, YOU LOOK AWFUL!” Tears stream down my face as Yukioto passes half of my husband's weight to me, both ushering him to the couch to lay down.

A groan leaves him as he lays on his back and reaches to cup the apple of my cheek to comfort my sobbing person. “Mahal, what happened?! Look at yourself, you’re all bruised, and-and bloody, and I-” “Shhhh, I’m okay dear, I’m okay” “NO YOU’RE NOT! I JUST TOLD YOU THAT YOU LOOKED AWFUL!”

Despite my apparent worry, Kanji brushes it off with a strained chuckle and continues to run his thumb on the surface of my cheek. “It’s fine dear, I just-” before he could finish though -Yukioto interrupts him and turns to me.

“I’m sorry Mrs. Mochizuki, but do you have a first aid kit? We need to stop the bleeding before he loses any more in him” I nod my head frantically at this before standing up from the floor and hurriedly rushing to the bathroom to take the emergency medical kit.

I had rummaged and nearly flipped the whole sink cabinet over in my desperation, but by the grace of God, it was exactly where I had last remembered it to be.

On my way back I hear Yukioto calling what seemed to be Rindou on the phone -informing him of the situation.

“Thank you Yukioto-san, Carlota can take it from here. I'll replace the bloody seats as soon as I can.” Kanji mumbled out before a painful groan left his throat. “It’s no problem Mr. Mochizuki, the seats can wait another time.”

Having seen me from the corner of her eye, she takes a step to the side to give me space, but before I do I turn to her and give the tall woman a teary hug. “Thank you so much for bringing him back Yukioto-san.” A sob escapes me during the middle half of my thanks and she runs a hand on top of my head in comfort, as nice as it was I pull away from her hold and knelt to tend to my bleeding husband.

Looking back on all of it now. Had Yukioto always worn such a faraway and painful light in her eyes?

#!employeeoftheyearseries #sanzu x oc #manjirou sano #sanzu haruchiyo #mikey x oc #bonten #ao3 fanfic

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namedaftercommunists · 2 years

Text

_____ & ______ [----- --------]

Masterlist

Eism cx

Everything had hit you all at once

Blood continued to drip from your leg, from your arm, from your head. It was a feeling you were not new to, after all, this was not your first time in a car crash, much less your first time being mortally wounded. It is however the first time not knowing whether or not you’ll make it out of this alive.

Your breathing was shallow, but at the very least it was still there. You felt numb, tired, drained. It won’t hurt if you take just a small nap right?

Fjtn dy

After all, you did so much over these past few years. It’s been a little over a decade since you’ve been able to truly relax. You deserve some shut-eye. Just a short power nap. A small rest from everything.

Your eyes are heavy and you feel yourself start to drift off.

GKUO EZ OS

But then again, you still have a job to do.

Your eyes flutter open, and to make sure it doesn’t close again you bring your good hand, albeit slowly, to the side of your neck and lightly, deeply, scratch at its surface.

Your bones felt weary, painful, and gritty. Still, you power through it. A grunt leaves your person from how much you were moving, the pain felt unbearable. Though the feeling was never foreign, you were used to someone protecting you from the worst of it, you were so used to being protected, cared for, sheltered.

It’s sad really, how you’re still so used to it even when it had been so long ago.

You scan your surroundings, the dashboard, the floor, the seats, all of which had shards of glass sprawled on top of them, seemingly having covered everything. Due to the impact, the door from your side had been folded into the interior of the car, and trying to open it would only be a waste of time seeing as the other car was still very much embedded in yours.

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You move from your seat with a broken hand resting on the equally broken driver’s seat window. Glass shards pierce through and deeper on your palm due to this, but instead of giving attention to it, you try and muster the strength to pull your body through the window. The metal of both cars sang in distress from the added weight, and the broken car door rattled with them in unison.

Kag'dq pauzs sdqmf

The blood from your hands causes your grip to slip from the metal causing you to lose balance and be seated back from your previous position. Your breathing had become more and more labored as seconds ticked by, your pulse engulfed your hearing, and the smell of leaking gasoline did no favors in clearing your mind as the smell continued to consume and invade your tired lungs.

You were doing so well, is this how you die?

But you haven’t found them yet.

You’ll be leaving them behind.

You don’t wanna die.

Not like this.

You hear the humming of a vehicle not too far from you.

Pybfr lbhe rlrf, cynl qrnq, qba'g yrg gurz xabj lbh'er fgvyy nyvir.

You painfully reach out to the back of your pocket. The faint sound of crinkling plastic and aluminum hits your ears as you begin to take the packet of pills and shakily bring it to the other hand, popping one off from the rest. You never liked dry swallowing these things, but it’s not like you have any choice considering the situation.

With this you tuck the rest back in your pocket and turn your head to face the steering wheel, closing your eyes and slowing your breath to sell the idea of being dead.

It was hard closing your eyes whilst trying to fight off the need to sleep.

Ghom zwys hvoh, W'zz hszz mci kvsb mci bssr hc acjs

Time seemed to pass slowly whenever you were waiting for something to happen. It was either that or the person outside had taken their time before going near the wreck you sat within. Though as painful as it was to wait for something to happen, the few minutes of anticipation served as a benefit, the pills you had taken had now affected your body.

You are now numb.

It wasn’t long before you heard the familiar sound of a car door opening, the same song of shifting metal humming their tune for you to bask in again. You hear the person sob for just a moment before their weight moves closer to your body. Their hands grip the upper half of your torso and your right arm, dragging you towards them, you felt akin to that of a puppet being tossed about, being moved from the driver's seat and away from the wreck.

Continuing to play dead, you hear the person mutter several panicked apologies under their breath, a few sobs and whimpers leave the individual, their hands shaky and clammy on your skin.

You hear the same humming of a vehicle drawing closer and louder. The rough texture of asphalt graces your skin for a moment before you hear a metal door open and feel yourself getting lightly tossed inside. Your head hits the metal of what you assume to be the back of the car’s door, prompting your expression to wince for just the tiniest bit before forcing your muscles to relax once more.

The door is shut once more before you hear the shuffling of feet from outside, walking towards the front of the car and starting its engine, driving off to who knows where.

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You open your eyes only to be met with the roof of a white van. The machine looked to be fairly new, with no signs of rust nor a thick layer of dust. It must have been cared for then. Whether it was cared for by the owner or a car rental’s employee is debatable, and frankly, unimportant.

Your breathing is heavy and your chest tight with every inhale you take. The feeling of the cold metal floor on your back served only little assurance in holding your consciousness in this plane of existence, still, you can’t help but feel appreciative of the cold prickling on the surface of your skin. After all, it was a feeling you more than prefer over the sensation of your blood continuing to seep out of your person.

You look around the enclosed space and discern the following items: plastic bags, plastic trash bags, a newly bought XL wheel of straw rope, a few wheels of scotch and duct tape, scissors, and a newly bought long crowbar.

Time continued to tick by and it wasn’t long before you arrived somewhere, the car parked and its engine turned off. You had little to no idea as to where you might be, but even with the smell of iron permeating the small space, the unmistakable scent of the salty ocean made its way to your lungs.

The driver’s door opens and closes shut. The anxious muttering of the man before could be heard even through the walls of the van, accompanied by the fast pacing of his legs.

“Female, full Filipino, has long dark hair, in her early thirties.” Over and over again before his voice fades out from the distance.

The description fits both you and Carlota.

This person is a last-minute hire. It’s obvious at this point, an unsure demeanor, panicked muttering, the constant stream of apologies, inexperienced handling, not checking on the state of your body even, that and the fact that he doesn’t even know that you were, in fact, not Carlota.

Atpkt cd dqkxdjh igprth, pcs ipzt iwt rgdlqpg lxiw ndj.

You muster up enough strength to sit up from the floor, your muscles contracting in disagreement from the action. Still, you push the feeling aside and continue to do the motions necessary for the task at hand.

Your arm reaches out to grasp the familiar feeling of plastic, retracting the items near your person and tying the bags over your shoes, fully encasing them. Your arm reaches to your side once more, grasping the cool metal of the crowbar before making your way out of the van.

Backdoor warehouses, a pier, the smell of rusting metal, and the smell of old and peeling paint, all of these things you can identify and discern, but the tiredness of your eyes and the overpowering smell of blood stooped you from knowing more as to where you might be.

You walk to the warehouse in front of you, the steel rolling overhead door peaking open and recently disturbed, there was no doubt that the man who had essentially kidnapped you went inside.

The familiar smell of Southern yellow pine enters your lungs and you are momentarily hit with a deep sense of nostalgia, but rather than taking the time to reminisce distant memories, you opted to stay focused on the situation at hand. After all, you might die. Though dying does have its benefits.

“Why is there no signal?!” You hear the same man from before yell out in frustration. Pin-pointing his whereabouts to the best of your ability, you come to see the man’s back turned to you in one of the many isles of the storage building His hands were as shaky as before, this time holding his uncooperative phone.

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You walk back to the corner of the crate, hoping it would do you some cover if ever the person in front of you had a firearm. You reach your hand out to feel in the pocket of your sweatpants and come into contact with the grip of the gun Carlota gave you.

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Though you try and aim for a clean shot to the head, your left arm stiffened in protest, having lost enough blood to restrict it from being moved to its fullest extent. It’ll have to do, as you shoot the man in the back.

He falls to the ground from the sheer force of the bullet and his phone skids out of his grasp. The person turns around to face you. Having finally been able to take a good look at his face, you’ve remembered him to be one of the more problematic politicians that have had his scandals shown and reported on the morning news and radio one too many times. Even when covered with tears, snots, and sweat, you knew it was the same person. Not that it mattered, you were no better than him. What mattered, on the other hand, was that he had just set your progress back for who knows how much.

“HOW!? HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!” He looked terrified of you, his pupils dilated in extreme fear. The reaction was warranted, but you pay it no mind. All you know is that if he ever did have a gun, he would have already pulled it out in retaliation long ago.

You step out of the cover of the crate and shoot him in the chest once more. He lets out another painful cry holding his chest in hopes to stop more blood from seeping out, slowly crawling away from you, and skidding more blood on the polished concrete floors of the building. The man pleads for mercy, apologizing hastily once more. As he does this, tears continue to stream down his face, he mentions having a child and a wife waiting for him at home in hopes you let him go out of pity or guilt. His babbling is cut short when you once again shoot him on the chest, this time he changes his tune.

“YOU’RE GOING TO HELL FOR THIS YOU MONSTER, HOW F*CKING DARE YOU! YOU’RE KILLING A PERSON! GOD WOULD NEV–” You shoot him in the head.

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You walk over to the lifeless body and strip him of his shirt. Momentarily you catch sight of a burned sigil or mark on the right side of his back, as interesting as it was you pay it no mind, wrapping the newly acquired fabric to your arm. The action takes a toll on you, giving you what felt to be the most painful headache you had experienced, along with it was the wave of nausea hitting the deeper recesses of your gut.

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You walk over to the man’s discarded phone on the ground and promptly shoot through it if ever there was a tracker embedded, after which you kick its broken parts underneath one of the steel isles. You should’ve saved your bullets and made do with your crowbar in case something ever goes wrong, but you’d rather you spend lead than continue to stretch your strength further than it already has.

You wander through the aisles once more, one lined left and right with towering crates and catch the silhouette of a folded step ladder. Thinking you’d have a higher chance of hiding in a higher location, you drag the heavy thing to the side of one of the crates.

The ladder was steady, but the same could not be said about your legs, as you slip on the third step up and land on your torso. The drug you took not too long ago had begun to wear off and the impact of your body against the reinforced metal steps dealt enough damage and pain to force you into taking a short breather. Now that you think about it, you should have threatened the man from before to give you answers, at the very least, a lead of some sort, but it was too late to do that knowing all that’s left is an unmoving corpse.

You look down to your feet. You had slipped off the ladder because one of the plastic bags you had wrapped around your foot now had a small puddle of blood inside it.

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You carefully take both bags off and tuck them in an unseen corner, making sure the blood inside them stayed there as to not give any more obvious signs and markings that you were still in the building.

You try to stand up again, but your whole body didn’t take too kindly to that, already tired from everything, and especially more tired as you continue to lug around the heavy crowbar. Unable to do anything more, you continue the rest of the way by crawling, leaving skid marks of blood much as the other did. You hoped no one would notice them as they were pretty high up and you had trek a considerable amount of distance away from the van and away from the body.

The smell of stained wood pushes you to continue crawling. Suddenly, a loud creak sings. The wooden lid you had stumbled across was weak and had not been properly put on top of the rest of the crate.

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The crowbar felt heavy on your hands, still, you bring it over to the edge of the crate. You had put your weight on the other end of the tool successfully opening the lid all the way and taking out the few nails that had been hammered to it.

Your muddle mind could not care any longer as you make your way inside the crate. The drop was deeper than you had expected, the polystyrene peanuts giving a false sense of depth. You groan in pain, and it was here where you couldn’t stand it any longer. . . . . You cry. Fully cry.

It hurt so bad

Everything had hurt so, so bad.

Your tears sting your eyes as they made their way out, making their way down the sides of your face and irritating and small cuts it made its way over. Your breathing became shallow again, gasping greedily for air. Your body waited for something, anything to take away the excruciating pain you felt. Your bones felt brittle, they shook without, rhyme, or reason.

You cry, wail, and sob in pain.

Pwga ukqn ldkja kqp wjz ywhh pdai.

Taking your phone out, now littered with cracks, you try to call someone, anyone from Bonten. Acquaintances, receptionists, attendants, secretaries,bosses, but much like what the man from before experienced, your calls don’t connect due to the lack of signal.

With every failed call your hope diminished until it was no more.

Your phone notifies you of its low battery.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You no longer think of surviving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . You call them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The call doesn’t connect . . . . . . . . Everything is out of your control now, there is nothing else you can do. . . . . . . . . . You continue to tap at your phone. . . . . . . . . . . . You need to call them.

#!employeeoftheyearseries #oc #sanzu x oc #sanzu haruchiyo #manjirou sano #mikey x oc #bonten #ao3 fanfic

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namedaftercommunists · 2 years

Text

Nightclubs and Meetings [Kamado Junko]

Masterlist

(venue) https://www.google.com/search?q=parq+san+diego+venue&tbm=isch&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiPvb271_T1AhXK6WEKHb_oDeEQgowBegQIARAc&biw=1799&bih=800#imgrc=sDedfFdETQU2CM

-------------------

The night was young, men and women filled the streets as they went in and out of bars, nightclubs, gambling circles, and many more, much like any other Friday evening. Bonten was no different, especially when the organization’s heads consisted of young, thrill-seeking, and without a doubt, good-looking men. Roppongi had never looked better.

‘Technically, I’m surrounded by several irresistible men and women. Needless to say, I am living the dream. A lot of people would kill to be in my place.’ A small smug look shows on my face briefly before I mask my expression to show that of professionalism. Regardless of the setting, tonight being a nightclub, I mustn't forget that I am still on duty.

“Kamado-san,” Upon hearing my name, I tilt my upper body lower to come face to face with one of my seated bosses -Haitani Rindou- bringing a glass of Hennesy to his lips and resting his left hand on top of the thigh of a hired dancer in the club. “How can I help you, Haitani-san?” I voice out.

“About the driver, how is she doing?” He asks, before setting down his glass to the hands of the woman beside him. His voice though monotone as ever held a sliver of interest and concern regarding the brought-up matter. 'I'm so good at the job that I can even read Rindou-san now.' The thought enters my brain, happy with the little accomplishment I had just gained from being able to notice such a small detail.

“Yukioto-san?” I ask, wanting full confirmation as to who he could be referring to. He gives me a nod in return, leaning down to grab a half-empty bottle of liquor atop the low table in front of him. “Well, according to her assigned doctor, most of her injuries consisted mostly of deep lacerations and cuts -save for her left leg and arm- which had been twisted. Dr. Terado-san said that the vehicle Yukioto-san was driving saved her from dying on impact -it was armored and strengthened to a tee- was one of the best in our possession. He said that it was the amount of blood that she lost that was concerning, that along with the fact that–”.

“Attendant, he only asked how she was doing, not a whole doctor’s report” My words - caught in my throat- as I got cut off by one of my more intimidating bosses, Sanzu Haruchiyo. I mutter an apology at this, before lowering my eyes down to the tips of my heels to hide from Boss Sanzu’s glaring. “Don’t mind him Kamado-san, he’s just being pissy tonight” a more forgiving voice chimes in, belonging to that of one of my other bosses, Haitani Ran, a teasing smirk adorning his face whilst he makes eye contact with Sanzu-san.

“You’d think snorting a line of cocaine off a hot woman’s chest would improve his mood a bit” A light voice joins the conversation, belonging from that of Kokonoi Hajime as he sets down a dancer to sit on his lap whilst lowering a boulevardier cocktail on top of his table. His quip earned himself an irritated, and borderline murderous, growl from the pink-ette and I swear that the action made a few of my arm hairs stand with alert. 'Even when he has a coked-out woman sprawled on his person, Boss Sanzu never fails to intimidate me' I internally sigh.

Kokonoi-san doesn't seem to be too bothered though, as he shrugs off the action and shares a light-hearted laugh with the woman entertaining him before adjusting his seating and signaling for me to continue where I left off. Though it is a bit hard to make out features considering the room is only lit with moody purple, pink and blue lighting. It's quite the feat that Sanzu-san can fully convey his annoyance with this minimal light source. 'As expected of Boss. Bonten's number 2 truly is above his game.'

“The doctor said they were able to stabilize her condition and were able to transfer blood in her system. He said that she would be unconscious for at least two more months before she would wake up due to her head trauma and that she would need to attend physical therapy for her leg and arm -both of which had been put in a cast to have her bones heal correctly-. When she wakes up, she will most likely have PTSD from this experience.” I finish, making sure to cut my words down to avoid irritating Boss Sanzu further.

"Carlota hasn't been able to sleep as of late because of that. She's been worried sick for both me and Yukioto’s safety since that day, but it’s good that both she and the driver are in good hands now." Mochizuki Kanji, loyal and level-headed as ever, sets down his nonalcoholic drink whilst avoiding eye contact with any of the dancers. 'It's hard to believe that he was ever a loose cannon back then. Granted I was never there to witness the before to compare to the after, but I trust whatever Mrs. Mochizuki says.' I stew at the thought a bit more.

A series of laughter reel me from my thoughts as the Haitani Brothers, and surprisingly Akashi Takeomi teases Mr. Mochizuki for his 'softness' and how he's 'missing out on the women'. Although their words were deplorable if ever heard from another party, it was not in any seriousness for those who know of the wedded Mochizuki's and the group. Mrs. Mochizuki was a respected individual in the circle, and if ever Mr. Mochizuki was to do something that alluded to infidelity, he would surely be beaten and ridiculed for it.

'Not that he ever would, he and Carlota-san are relationship goals at this point.' The thought brings a small smile to my face, happy knowing that my friend -technically boss- is happy with her marriage.

“金色的天空 (Jīnsè de tiānkōng) has made an alliance with Shimada Mihara.” . . . . . .

The change in atmosphere was apparent once Kakucho-san revealed this piece of information. The room felt suffocating, everything had turned gritty and both the mood lighting and club music had turned nauseating. ‘I feel like throwing up.’ Though I’m sure my panic was apparent and visible to the others inside the room, the others, more specifically the Bonten Executives, had mastered the art of having a poker face. ‘Though the fact that they stopped talking and laughing altogether is enough to tell that this is dire news’ I thought before looking down to the tips of my heels once again to keep the leftover pasta I had for dinner.

This is no joke. Jīnsè, they’re a Chinese organized crime group, much like Bonten. ‘But that doesn’t make sense, I thought they disbanded? Pan Guang died of old age, and he didn’t have anyone of his blood to pass the title of leader to. Unless they gave the title to someone else? But loyalty doesn’t come that easy. Even if that were the case, how come we’ve only heard of them now after 4 years of silence?! And an alliance with Shimada Mihara?!” My thoughts are cut off once again, this time, by the younger Haitani Executive

“That explains why all the corpses I found were Chinese.” He brings the bottle of Hennessy to his lips before setting it down with an exhale. Otani Nao, his secretary, and my subordinate, upon realizing the heaviness of the topic of conversation, ushers the dancers and women out of the room to give the higher-ups their much-needed privacy. Though the club and the rest of Roppongi were under the territory of Bonten, it didn’t hurt to be precautious and to always assume the worst, especially with this line of work.

‘This conversation may be why the other secretaries and I were brought here with our respective Heads.’ With this, I bring out my clipboard and pen to document the meeting, a few others go over to their bags, purses, and suitcases to bring out files and clipboards of their own, no doubt they were tasked to carry them before coming here.

"Which ones?" Akashi-san asks the younger executive. "The ones that crashed into Carlota and the driver, they were both Chinese. I didn't think much of it at first because the man Yukioto-san shot back in the warehouse wasn't, but it turns out he was Congressman Sankyu Hinato, and the little piggy here has-had debt with Jīnsè." Rindou-san continues, before taking hold of a file off Otani-san and passing it off to his brother and the others.

A whistle of faux amazement leaves Kokoni-san, his eyes looking over at the amount of debt the man accumulated before his passing. "Illegal gambling, betting on illegal street racers, betting on illegal underground fighters, illegal horse betting, investing in shitty crypto, the list goes on and on. You'd think after all this shit luck he'd start to doubt himself with all these crazy 'business' endeavors." He continues to scan the paper given before passing it off to the other executive.

"We didn't know it was Jīnsè at first. Two Chinese men weren't anything special, especially when Yokohama Chinatown was just roughly a few blocks away from where Carlota and Yukioto got shit on. Both Rin and I just assumed that those f*cks had debt of their own and were just used as feeders. We were right of course but one of our private detectives found out that all three of them owe money to the same gang. Jīnsè ain't dead apparently." Sanzu-san starts, taking a few files off from his assistant and passing them off to everyone else much like what Rindou-san did.

Having now known as to who exactly tried to murder his wife, Mr. Mochizuki's grip on the paper tightens, leaving giant creases and folds of the file. His expression was unreadable from where I stood, opting to tilt his head down to face the floor, but from what I know of the Executive, it wasn't much of a stretch to say that he was pissed beyond belief. From what I remember he was only ever like that during fights, or whenever it was a cause for concern regarding Mrs. Mochizuki. This situation falls into the latter category.

"They're also why Noda Tadao, Ginza Ichibun's owner, complained about the prices of quality fish.'' Sanzu-san continues, eyeing Haitani Ran and he goes over the printed text on the paper.

"They hold power over the fisheries, fishermen, and even the fish market. They're selling the product for higher than it actually is to keep more of the profit." The older Haitani continues reading before sighing, laying the file on top of his lap, and angles his face up to face the ceiling out of frustration.

"They're also embarking on international drug trading. For lower prices than ours too, it won't be long before our services and products get overshadowed by theirs." Kakucho-san adds, earning a *tsk* from both Akashi-san and Sanzu-san.

"They seem weaker" . . . . . . . . .

The room is engulfed in silence, everyone, including the secretaries and I, pause from our work to give our fullest attention to the current speaker.

Mikey-san.

Bonten's Head and King.

"They have fewer numbers than before, they don't have half of what they used to have back then under Pan Guang" He continues, looking over the few files passed around the executives and slowly flipping over every one of them, fully taking his time and going through the information gathered.

"When did they ally with Shimada?" He asks.

"Our sources say they allied only a few weeks ago, back on 16th of October," Kakucho-san answers, giving his full attention to Mikey much like the rest of us.

"So it's shaky at best…… Takeomi, have you reached out to the other gangs yet?" Mikey asks, looking over to the raven-ette. The senior Haitani raises his hand at this, catching the attention of the head. "If I may, I went ahead and did that for us only a few days ago. I wasn't able to give attention to it nor give a report about it though due to the recent events that had just transpired." Ran then motions over to his secretary before taking a file from her and passing it over to the seated platinum blonde.

"Kemuri Kawasaki, Midori Yamato, Hofu Sagamihara and Odayaka Machida. All mentioned gangs from before, I talked to them a few days prior - some personally, others over the phone- and was able to set up a meet-up with all 4, both the head and their most trusted subordinates will be attending. We've discussed a time and place, the meeting had been set to take place in -Kashiwa Dining Bar LOTUS- in Kashiwa-Chiba, on December 12, 9:22 pm." He continues.

'Chiba, it's neither our territory nor theirs. If anything, we're the ones who are closest to the place in question. Everything might turn out well.' I thought before standing in attention once my name had been called.

"What's my schedule for that day?" Mikey-san asks, looking over to me for answers. With this, I quickly take out my work smartphone along with my portable calendar to check. "You're free during the whole day of December 12, Boss." I start -scrolling through both my physical and digital calendars.

"But you do have a meeting with Dr. Matsunaga Kiku for the mass production of crystal meth on December 10 -accompanying you will be Akashi-san. That and another one on December 17, where you have a meeting with Mrs. Suzuki Latanya for a business deal regarding the Adult clubs near the heart of Tokyo -accompanying you will be Kokonoi-san." I list out, checking over just in time to see the Boss nod his head in response.

"Haitani Ran, expect a call from me tomorrow afternoon, we'll talk more about the cross-gang meeting. Haitani Rindou and Kakucho, stay for more instructions. That will be all for tonight, meeting dismissed.."

#!employeeoftheyearseries #bonten #mikey x oc #oc #sanzu x oc #manjirou sano #sanzu haruchiyo #ao3 fanfic

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namedaftercommunists · 2 years

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Sight and Smell [Rindou Haitani]

Masterlist

“It’s been two days since the car wreck. With how Carlota-san described her injuries, I’m sure by now that she’s lying in a ditch -dead- somewhere.” I mumbled out, my hand clutching the steering wheel despite it being in park, and staring off at nowhere in particular. Sanzu slams his palms on the hood of the car in frustration before letting out an exasperated groan.

“Where the fuck is she!” He yelled out before relocating his hand to grip the sides of his hips and focusing his gaze on the pavement as a means to regain composure. “I am losing my goddamn mind over this! We’ve been searching everywhere!” Seems as though it didn’t serve much help. “I’m getting pissed off!” Way to go, pointing out the obvious. “Why the f*ck do you even care this much? You never batted an eye to your other drivers before her” I voice out, ticked off by his attitude.

“Like you’re one to f*cking talk. How’s bi-weekly bar drinking with your little buddies?” He bit back, a condescending tone lathering his words. “Oh wait! Both your partners are busy, aren’t they? One is pussy whipped by the most basic b*itch there is, and the other is most probably having maggots feast on their f*cking intestines!” He hollered out.

Having had enough of his behavior I pressed on the horn, earning a bitter yell from the strawberry mullet. “Get the f*ck back in dipsh*t, I’ve had enough of your whining” A series of swears leave Sanzu before he makes his way back to the car and slams the door shut once inside. This coaxed an irked noise from me before backing off the parking space and driving off to our next search destination.

“Where at?” I ask, paying extra attention to the side mirrors once the road merges with the other. Sanzu takes out a small square of crumpled yellow from his suit pocket before reading out the next line of texts. “Says here that there’s a series of warehouses near a Gundam Factory” He mumbled out, his eyes squinting the tiniest amount more as he tried to properly make out the words with Takeomi’s god-awful handwriting. “Yokohama Shinko Warehouse, Shibuya Warehouse, Kawanishi Warehouse, Tsurumi Warehou– you get the f*cking point” I let out a hum with this before turning the car to a road that led down to them.

A brief silence filled the air before it was broken by a defeated exhale from the strawberry blonde. “At this point, we’d be bringing a rotting corpse back to the casino” he muttered out, his focus turning to the window of his car door, making it impossible to read whatever expression he wore. ‘Though I have a good guess as to what it might be’ I thought before overtaking a particularly slow car ahead of us.

“You seem quite fond of her” I voice out, briefly looking from the corner of my eye to gauge his reaction. “As if you guys aren't” A peeved breath leaves his person as he leaned his weight on the cushioned frame of his seat. “I admit that Ran and I enjoy her company, but that really isn’t much of a surprise is it, considering my brother’s personality? You, on the other hand, you’re a different case” I counter, taking note of how his pointer finger had begun lightly tapping on the arms rest of his chair. ‘That’s new’ I mused, wondering where he had gotten the habit from.

It took him a few moments to reply, but when he did his expression had been transparent, seemingly having nothing to hide from this. “She puts up with me, it’d be a pain to get a new one to drive me around. Besides, even Kokonoi pointed out that she was the best at her job, I don’t wanna have to settle for a B-tier driver.” his voice only a little over a murmur.

I hum in agreement before jokingly choking the car to a short pause. The action caused Sanzu, who had opted to not wear a seatbelt, to lightly hit the glove box from the momentum. It wasn’t long before I was given an earful of swears and threats from the scarred person, but his efforts were proven ineffective as I had simply laughed it off and continued driving like usual.

His murderous spiel had died down when I had pulled over in front of one of the warehouses, a tone of seriousness washes over the both of us as we eyed the building’s metal walls. A sigh leaves his lungs before he goes over to step out of the car, continuing to eye down the chipping paint of the sad structure. “First of many,” he says before shutting his door and waiting for me outside. “Let’s hope it’s the last '' I murmured before stepping out as well.

—---------------------

It was in fact not the last. Sanzu and I had gone around the whole pier, warehouse after warehouse, corner to corner trying to find at least the smallest sign of an oddity to no avail. Both he and I had grown more and more irritated with every search, and with it was a growing dread and hopelessness with every failure.

“Sankyu Warehouses, last ones” I voice out with a tired sigh, pulling over in front of the series of storerooms near the waters. Sanzu -wanting to get over it already- had wasted no time in exiting the vehicle, making his way over to the metal doors, I do the same, though with more poise than he had.

It didn’t take much before I caught up with him, but instead of walking around and checking the perimeter as we had before, he stood still with his back facing me. “Sanzu, what’s wr—” “Shh!” he cut me off, his head turned down and tilted to the side as if trying to focus on something.

I turn my head to look around the interior expecting the worst. ‘There aren’t enemies aro-’ It was only then did I catch a whiff of something that smelled absolutely awful, in response I tilt my head down and bring the scruff of my button-up shirt over my nose in a pathetic attempt to filter the revolting odor.

“What the hell is that sm-” “Shut the f*ck up” he scolded, raising a hand in my direction trying to fully convey how crucial it is that I keep quiet. A moment of silence fills the building, the only white noise being the distant crashing of waves coming into contact with the concrete pier. ‘What exactly are you listening f-’ My thoughts get cut off once again when I finally hear it.

It was a constant faint tapping, echoing throughout the stockroom. At first, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, warehouses tend to wither down with its constant abuse from the weather, it could very much just be a hole in the roof -letting rain drip inside the building.

But it had been sunny all week— and the tapping held a certain rhythm to it.

The same rhythm Sanzu held when he tapped on the arm of his seat.

The man in question -without prior notice- runs further in, having pinpointed as to where exactly the noise had come from. He was fast, faster than me almost. Not only that, my only way of navigation was to follow behind him, seeing as I had no idea where exactly the rapping originated. Sanzu weaved in and out of isles, even jumping over one when he deemed it too much of a waste to run around it, and with no other choice, I followed after him.

“F*cking hell” He mutters under his breath, his pace faltering for a few seconds before he continues to run, turning heavily to another corner. I slowed down and stopped, turning to look at what exactly had caught him off guard as he continued to run off.

In front of me, lying on the ground was a shirtless body, over a day or two old considering its smell and its condition. Dead middle in its forehead was a bullet hole, though it seemed as though that the shot was only as a precaution seeing as its chest had a few more bullets embedded in it. Dried blood surrounded its perimeter whilst blowflies littered the surface of the body “I guess this explains the smell” I voiced out loud before bringing the collar of my shirt back up and swatting the few more daring flies away from my person. “Rindou!” I hear Sanzu yell out.

((K–fv- —w qg– –o t–k a- zw–))

It didn’t take me long to get to where he was at, having pinpointed his location due to his yelling. In front of him was a sizable wooden crate, proportional in dimensions much like its surrounding counterparts. Unlike the others though, this one, in particular, had its top lid partially open, and inside it was the source of the tapping. “Sanzu what are we ev–” “No time, just help me up!” I got cut off again, but at this point, I didn’t have enough energy to be annoyed by it.

I let out a sigh, going over to the neighboring crate before bending my knees and bringing my hands together to form a step. With a small run-up, he takes foot on the makeshift step and grips both hands on the surface of the wood before pulling himself up. Once fully situated up the top, he lies down and brings down a hand for me to reach up.

Following his lead -and curious as to what exactly he is adamant about- I take his offer, doing a small run-up just as he had, before stepping up the surface of the wood and latching onto his hand, bringing me up with him.

((S– l—w'k sfglzwj))

‘There’s dried blood up here.’ I thought, looking over to a skidded trail of blood leading to the crate of interest ‘and it smells awful’. I feel a pat on the back of my shoulder from Sanzu as he walks over to one side of the -barely open- wooden lid and motions me to do the same. With no room to complain, I do as I was told and we both move the heavy plate and throw it to the aisle.

. . . . . . . . .

“Holy shit”

Inside was Yukioto, lying on top a sea of packing peanuts bathed in dried and -a very concerning shade of- dark blood. Her left leg twisted, bloodied, and serrated, was only seemingly held together by her equally torn dress shirt. Her left arm was in no better condition, but much like her leg, a second shirt -most likely belonging to the corpse before- had been wrapped around it in order to hold it together and stop blood flow.

Her whole body, most prominently her top half, had every surface bruised with hues of purples and blacks, so much so that you could barely make out the centipede tattoo she has inked on her skin. The left side of her torso, along with her head, had been bleeding heavily, the right side of her neck having scratches on them. Her face was pale, her lips chapped, dark bags tinted the lower half of her eyes, her hair was matted and her eyes were closed.

The sight horrified both Sanzu and I.

With the body that greeted us, it wasn’t so much as a stretch to say that she was dead, that we were too late in finding her despite her best efforts to stay alive. Even when I had looked away, the image was burned into the back of my skull, prominent with no sign of going anytime soon.

That was until the tapping went off again.

I look back over inside the crate and bared witness as her right arm -her pointer finger, shaky as it was- continued to tap at the screen of her dead smartphone. Against all odds, Yukioto Ei lives another day.

A laugh escapes Sanzu. He smiled at the absurdity of the situation, his eyes showing relief deep in the pools of skepticism. It seemed as though I wasn't the only one who thought of this to be impossible. I laugh along with him. With no time to waste, Sanzu jumps down to the pile of packing peanuts, making sure to not step on anything connected to the seemingly immortal being.

Still not over the inconceivable situation, he laughs once more before looking down on the woman lying motionlessly save for the tapping. "Can you believe this Rin? Chick was already half dead when the accident happened, two days pass by, and even with death himself dragging her in, she's still clinging and clawing on the sides of death's death door." He says, snickering as he eyes the moving finger. "Stubborn b*tch" he continues before looping his arms on her person and carrying her bridal style.

"Wouldn't be the driver she is if she wasn't" A chuckle of my own leaves me before I straighten myself up and look around the area. "Get us something to climb out, Rin" "No sh*t. That's what I'm doing, dickhead." I reply, looking down on the dried blood and following after it. 'Surely she used something to climb up with. As immortal as she may be, she couldn't have just climbed up a random tall *ss crate with all her injuries'

Sure enough, at the end row of dried-bloodied crates was a step ladder, equally stained with blood. 'Convenient, but not unlikely for a warehouse' I thought, before raising the step ladder up all the way and bringing it back to the two waiting persons.

((Zw jweafvk ew gx qgm))

Moving the heavy thing was difficult, not to mention annoying as its feet scraped on the hardwood constantly. Though this was the case, I put up with it seeing as it was of great importance, especially when the life of an incredible Bonten asset is on the line.

I reach the wooden box they were inside in and I couldn't be happier, even despite the still foul smell lingering around the area. "Dickhead, heads up I--" my voice gets caught on my throat as I drink in and process the situation I had gotten myself into.

Inside the crate were Sanzu and Yukioto, only Yukioto was awake now, and in her hand was a gun, the gun -pointed straight at Sanzu's head.

Against my better judgment, I call out to her. "Yukioto-san" No response by either of them, seemingly frozen in time save for their breaths. "Yukioto-san!" I call once more, louder than the last- my right hand now grabbing hold of the body of my handgun.

"YUKIOTO!" The gun on her hand falls to the floor of packing peanuts and she loses consciousness once more.

A silence fell between the both of us, shaken by what just transpired.

. . . .

"What the f*ck was that?"

#!employeeoftheyearseries #mikey x oc #sanzu x oc #oc #bonten #manjirou sano #sanzu haruchiyo

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namedaftercommunists · 2 years

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Blood and Bruises [Mrs. Carlota Mochizuki]

Masterlist

“-and Nao-san, told me that Sir Rindou was getting jealous of Sir Ran’s new girl. She said that maybe it’s because Sir Ran is serious about this girl, and because of that she told me that he hasn’t been spending time with his brother like he used to!” Yukioto shares whilst still focusing on the road ahead. A gasp escapes me as she continues to tell me about the situation that she heard from Haitani Rindou’s secretary.

“Ei-chan, this is big news! You probably didn’t know because you’re still fairly new but Haitani Ran had always been known as a big womanizer!” It was her turn to gasp now. “Really?! I always thought that it was just his personality” I shake my head at this. “NOPE! I should know, I met him when he was still back in Roppongi. Women flocked to him left and right and he broke their hearts front, back, and center.” I voice out, a disapproving pout on my face. “I didn’t really think of it that way. I thought that—------”

-------

A crash.

It all happened so fast, at the time I didn’t even know what hit us, the situation only coming to clarity once I heard the most guttural and agonizing cry I had ever heard in my lifetime.

The lighthearted atmosphere was no more, instead, it had turned dire and grave. The smell of lime-scented car freshener was replaced with the metallic and iron stench of blood, suffocating and gut-turning. Gone was the initial happiness that had been brewed between two friends.

Shards of glass had been thrown about, every flat surface inside the car had pieces and fragments of glass on top of them, multiple of them had pierced the left side of my body and face. Blood had streamed down the right side of my head, it had most likely come into contact with the passenger door when the other vehicle crashed into the driver’s seat.

The driver's seat.

I turned my head to the left, albeit slowly due to the pain and it was only then did my brain begin to fully register noise. A series of cries, filled with excruciating pain, had left Yukioto’s being and it wasn’t for dramatics. Her left leg had been mangled, it had been partially crushed from the impact and it had been deeply cut from the car door when it had bent inside. Her leg and the left side of her head were bleeding profusely. Her left arm bruised purple and black from the impact, tiny cuts littering it, it was safe to say that her reaction was warranted.

Yukioto held the steering wheel with white knuckles as she continued to scream and cry in pain. Both car alarms had been blaring in full volume, horns from surrounding cars roared to life, and muttering from the civilians outside could be faintly heard. Despite all this, it did not dull nor drown the familiar click of a gun.

A shot fired, the bullet hitting the metal of my car seat. With this instinct taking control over me, I ducked in order to hide from fire, both my hands hurriedly opening the glove box and feeling the familiar grip of a Glock 23. Another shot fired, hitting the passenger door where my head had just been resting on. The bullet had come from the left side of the auto, the shooter was most likely the driver of the other car, or was another individual who was seated on the passenger seat.

‘Come on, shoot one more time. Tell me where you are.’ My hand trembled, as did my shoulders. It didn’t take a genius to know that fear had consumed me, though that was the case, that very same fear had been overpowered with the need to survive. Another shot fired, the bullet had hit the glass of my door, had they been in the driver's seat they would’ve aimed for my shoulder. The shooter was a passenger.

Time always seemed to slow down when your life was on the line. Adrenaline overtook the aching pain as I took off the safety of my gun, slid the barrel up, pointed the gun to the passenger side of the other car, and shot. Once. Twice. Thrice. Four Times.

My eyes gain focus. Seated on the passenger seat of the other car was a corpse, two bullets lodged in the chest and one on the side of its head. Next to it, seated on the driver’s seat was another one, its head bashed and lodged in the glass of the car, dead on impact. During this, Yukioto’s shrieking had mellowed down to tears and sobbing, focusing on regaining her senses and trying to assess the situation.

“Did any of the bullets land on you, Carlota-san?” She asks, slightly tilting to the side, her head had been leaned on the bottom grip of the wheel while she gauged the severity of my injuries. “No” I reply, trying to stabilize my breathing as I had noticed I had been hyperventilating. “That’s good” A small smile shows on her pale and trembling lips, the simple action enough to have tears continue streaming down her face.

“Carlota-san, can you unbuckle my seat belt for me please?” She asks, unable to reach it without needing to twist her body and possibly putting herself in more pain than she already is in. I nod in compliance before slowly reaching out to her seat in order to click the seat buckle. My arm strained and bled more from the action, a yelp of pain leaving me before I moved it closer in order to remedy the ache.

The reaction did not escape Yukioto’s watchful gaze as she raked her eyes to my arm and my bleeding head. “Carlota-san, you have to get out of here” I shook my head in disagreement “And leave you here? In this condition? No.” She takes issue in this, her brows scrunching in disapproval.

“Mrs. Mochizuki, please do whatever it takes to get back to the casino. Your husband is waiting for your return” Her voice had turned deeper, more demanding, her tone not leaving any room for protests. This stuns me into silence, taken aback by the change.

Mrs. Mochizuki, that’s right, if anything the people who crashed into us were most likely here to get rid of me, Kanji’s wife. Kanji lived a dangerous way of life, and I had known of that way before I had accepted to marry him, I had accepted that there would be risks and dangers when I had chosen this life with him.

But Yukioto hadn’t. She was just a driver and she had been dragged into this situation all because I was married to the love of my life. Her leg had been mutilated, her skin bathed in red as it was littered with shallow and deep cuts alike, her body bruised and tinted purple, all because she drove around Kanji’s wife. Me.

Tears fell down my face at this realization. Is this really all I can do? There’s no possible way to help Yukioto. She was too tall, too heavy for me to carry out successfully. The only exit was the passenger seat, moving her would cause her too much pain. I can’t call the ambulance either, this situation was gang-related, they’d take her away, lock her up for questioning and sentence her to jail. Is this really it? Is my only option really just running away? Alone? Leaving Yukioto to die?

A cold hand held mine and this took me out of my thoughts. A bittersweet smile showed on Yukioto’s face as she held on tighter to my hand as if assuring me that it was okay, it was okay to let her die. This prompted more tears to fall down from my face. “You can’t do this to me Yukioto-san! I don’t want you to die!” I replaced the hand she held with a gun on my other. “You can’t die! You have to come back, okay?! Promise me you’ll come back!”

A somber mood envelops her features as she holds eye contact. “I’ll try Carlota-san” I wipe my tears with a bruised arm before leaving a kiss on her forehead. “Do your best Ei-chan”

—------------------------------

I ran. I don’t know for how long, but I had ran far. Far away from the car wreck, far away from the bloodied passenger seat, far away from Yukioto, and far away from the situation, I had caused. My name is Mrs. Carlota Diwa Mochizuki, and it was my name that would take my friend’s life away. But Yukioto said she’d try, she said that she’d try her very best to stay alive. I trust her, she'll live for sure!

But she didn’t promise.

My feet were bruised from the heel down as I ran farther and farther. The strap of my heels burned the skin of my ankle, and my legs ached with its use. Stop complaining Carlota! Imagine how Yukioto feels! This is nothing compared to her injuries! Keep running, you can’t let Yukioto’s sacrifice be in vain!

My legs trembled and it wasn’t long before my knees met pavement. I couldn’t run any longer, the injuries were becoming too much to bear. The adrenaline had slowly dulled out, my body had lost too much blood, my muscles ache in pain and overuse. I couldn't run anymore. I failed Yukioto.

“Mrs. Mochizuki?” A familiar voice calls out. I look up to see Otani Nao, Haitani Rindou’s secretary. “MRS. MOCHIZUKI!” The pastries she held in her arms dropped in surprise before she hastily made her way over to me. Her hands held my shoulders before her eyes inspected my body and the graveness of my injuries. “We have to get you back to the Casino! Hurry along, my car’s not too far from here” she held onto my person before leaning my weight to hers, relieving me of its burden.

I couldn’t help but cry at the turn of events. God was watching over me, and he made sure I went back into the arms of my lover by guiding not only me but Nao as well. Nao had led me to a parking space and pointed to her vehicle, reassuring me that I would be able to get back to the casino safely. I nod indebted to her kindness before she opens the car and seats me in the back, lying me down to rest my bruised body. She runs and makes her way to the driver's seat before turning on the ignition and driving me over to the Casino, where I would be treated for my injuries and where my husband currently is.

Please God above, do me this service, please watch over Yukioto Ei.

#!employeeoftheyearseries #mikey x oc #sanzu x oc #oc #bonten #mochizuki kanji #manjirou sano #sanzu haruchiyo #ao3 fanfic

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namedaftercommunists · 2 years

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Red Faces and Red Hands [Mochizuki Kanji]

Masterlist

Mahal = My love (Filipino)

“Kanji, mahal, you’re carrying way too many bags. Let me carry a few, I can handle it.” Carlota says, reaching out to sneak a few of the shopping bags I carried to hold for herself. Without missing a beat I extend my arms far from her hold and smile at the stubbornness of my wife as she tries to reach for them again.

“I know you can honey, but I like carrying them for you” A small pout forms on her face before it disappears as I kiss her forehead, reassuring her that I don’t mind holding onto the bags. In defeat, she reaches her arm to loop around mine, a soft sigh leaving her whilst we continue to walk to the parking space.

The late afternoon sun bathed all of Tokyo, and its citizens, in soft golden light. It was typically at this time where Carlota glows in all her beauty, granted she was beautiful every second of the day, but it was in this shade of orange and yellows where her beauty would be comparable to that of the most ethereal of Gods and Goddesses.

“You’re too sweet Mochi dear, you live up to your name all too well. Too bad you have to share it with me now” She says before jokingly imitating chewing noises. My face heats up at this as I was being compared to a rice cake once again. Upon seeing my reaction, a melodic laugh escapes her only to be silenced when I leaned my head down to kiss the crown of her head.

“What do you mean dear? I’m the luckiest man in the world to finally share the same last name as you” I say, a small smile decorating my face as it was now my wife’s turn to have her face heated up. I let out a small laugh at this, earning a light slap to the arm she held in retaliation.

“Mr. Mochizuki! Mrs. Mochizuki!” I hear a familiar voice call out and a squeal of excitement leaves my wife as she hears it too. It isn’t long before she leaves my side to run up and hug the owner of the voice, the both of them bursting in joy upon seeing each other again.

I joined them not too long after, giving a nod and a small smile in greeting to the other. Never forgetting formalities, Yukioto offers a bow in greeting to both me and Carlota. “I’m fortunate to serve under you once again Mr. Mochizuki, Mrs. Mochizuki,” she says before straightening herself back up. “You make it sound like you hadn’t driven us around only a week ago Yukioto-san,” I say, a playful smile showing. “Don’t listen to him Ei-chan, we’ve missed you so much! It’s never the same without you” Carlota says, a pout once again showing on her face.

“Sorry about that Carlota-san,” she says, a nervous laugh leaving her before she continues. “Boss Sanzu is quite the busy man, I had to attend to him for a bit” This earned a small -tsk- from my wife. “That man loves to keep you by his side, I’m quite jealous,” She says jokingly before letting out a sigh whilst holding the back of her hand to her head in a show of overdramatic woe. “Oh, young love. I only hope you remember to invite me and Kanji dearest to the wedding” Both Yukioto and I laugh at this and Carlota smiles at the achievement.

Yukioto takes notice of the bags I held before offering to pack them in the car. I nod in thanks before handing them to her, making sure to warn her of a bag that held perfume and to be careful with that one in particular.

“Kanji, are you sure you can’t come to see Mom and Dad. They’d love to see their son-in-law outside of birthdays y'know.” Carlota says, both her hands cupping the sides of my face and tilted downwards to look at hers directly. A small sigh leaves me. “You know I’d love to see them more dear, but things have been getting messy these past few months” It was her turn to sigh now, briefly turning her face away before making eye contact with me again. “Okay mahal. Just try not to get hurt like last time okay? I worry for you, you and your handsome face” A small smile decorates both our features before she leaves me with a brief kiss, and goes to sit on the passenger seat, with Yukioto ready to turn the ignition on.

“I love you Kanji” “I love you too Carlota, come back safe okay?” I say, holding onto her hand from the door window. “I will dear, I’ll say hi to mom and dad for you, okay?” I nod before kissing the crown of her head once again. “Yukioto-san, I trust you’ll take care of her” She gives a determined nod to this, an assuring smile on her face. “She’s my priority Mr. Mochizuki” A small giggle leaves Carlota. “See you tomorrow Kanji dear” “I’ll be waiting Carlota dearest”

—----------------------------------------------

“Shimada Mihara is growing stronger,” Kakucho says, a weighty silence filling the meeting room before picking up the projector remote. “Konishita Kei’s right-hand man, Uyeda Tsutomu, had been seen going around town after town. This wouldn’t have been an issue if it weren’t for the fact that he’s also been around Atsugi, Fujisawa, and allegedly, Odawara as well.” He continued, going through photos showing the dirty blonde in sunglasses surrounded by multiple men -bodyguards- walking through the city streets and getting out of his car.

“We managed to get one of Konishita’s men to speak up, told us that he’s been going around establishing alliances with other gangs” Takeomi adds, puffing out a cloud of smoke from his cigarette before listing out the possible gangs Shimada could be trying to negotiate a partnership with.

“Iwao Atsugi, led by Shiroma Juro, they’ve always been against Bonten from the start. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they’re in on it” Sanzu says, his eyes shut closed, deep in thought. I give a hum to this, before adding my two cents “Hino Fujisawa, under Suko Michi, wouldn’t be too much of a stretch either. Especially with our last encounter with them” Kokonoi’s face scrunches up in annoyance at this, remembering how during a drug negotiation with the gang, an argument ensued leaving him with a broken nose.

“We could just attack Shimada Mihara now, and y’know, not have to worry about them attacking first” Sanzu speaks up again, irritated with the thought of having to go on the defensive with how the situation is panning out. Voices of disagreements and some in consensus erupted from the meeting room, it wasn’t long before the discussion turned into arguments, arguments turning into yelling, the voices incomprehensible from one another inside the meeting room.

Despite the chaos, silence abruptly took over, everyone was attentive to the words of the voice that, only just now, spoke up. “Attacking Shimada Mihara right now would be too reckless, we’ll go on the defensive”. Mikey -Bonten’s Leader and Head- interjected, facing the ceiling in deep thought whilst lightly spinning a Montegrappa fountain pen. He looks even thinner than the last time we held a meeting.

“What should we do Boss?” I spoke up on behalf of the others in the room. “Takeomi-san” He called out, the person in question perking up and awaiting orders. “Kemuri Kawasaki, Midori Yamato, Hofu Sagamihara and Odayaka Machida. How are our alliances with them?” Mikey asks, his focus still on the seemingly interesting ceiling. “Nakamo Yaso, Enomoto Chisa, Kuno Takeshi, we’ve only had good experiences with these people but neither of us had reached out for an alliance. Odayaki Machida is under a new leader from what I heard.” Takeomi answers, listing out the respective leaders of each gang.

“Nishiyama Noriko, she’s the daughter of the late Odayaki Machida Leader, Nishiyama Sora” Ran spoke up, a hand on his chin acting seemingly bored, and out of character. It seemed as though I wasn’t the only one who caught onto this strange behavior as his brother immediately cut in. “She’s the person Ran had been seeing for a few months now” He hollered, after which he got slapped at the back of the head by his brother.

“They met in a Cafe” Kakucho claimed, a teasing smile on his face. Sanzu marveled at this before bursting out in unadulterated laughter “Like a f*cking, B rated 2 hr Romance Movie!”. Now that I think about it, this does answer why he’s been asking weird questions as of late- “Oh, is that why you asked me for relationship advice?” I added, only adding to the fire -that is heating Ran’s face.

“Okay, we can stop now,” He says whilst holding a hand on his face, trying to save what little pride he has left from this whole ordeal. “OOOOOHhhhH, he’s embarrassed, he must be serious about this one guys” Kokonoi mocked, leaning to the side to fully catch the reddening face of the Bonten Executive. “Ran, does this one know how much of a manwhore you are?” With Takeomi’s jab, the room erupts in full-on hyena laughter -save for Mikey, who only smiled-, Sanzu and Rindou being the loudest and most prominent.

With the laughter, and the overheating of Ran’s face, died down, Mikey spoke once more. “It’s good to know we have someone who has a personal connection with Odayaki Machida. A change of leaders can be detrimental to a peace negotiation between two gangs. I have no qualms with you pursuing a relationship with Odayaki Machida’s leader, Ran, but I do warn you to be careful. Although I’m sure you already know that” Ran nodded at this before thanking him.

“We’ll have to pick this u-” A hurried knock echoes in the room before the door opens in haste, revealing the first-floor attendant. “Kamado-san?” “Mr. Mochizuki, I—” she started only to be cut off by Sanzu. “Attendant. I don’t know if you notice or if you need an updated prescription on those glasses, but we’re in the middle of a meeting right now” He says, an irritated and near murderous expression on his face. Kamado stiffens up at this before she bows apologetically and hastily moves to my side, holding up a hand to cover her mouth from the side. “I’m sorry Mr. Mochizuki but your presence is needed in the main living room, asap” she whispers, a worried and anxious tone filling her words.

“What’s wrong?” I whispered back, not wanting to disturb the others despite them focusing only on me and the conversation I was having. “It’s Mrs. Mochizuki, she’s—-” The door burst open again only to be met with Carlota.

Injured, covered in blood, bruises, and tears.

“KANJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!”

#!employeeoftheyearseries #oc #sanzu x oc #mikey x oc #mochizuki kanji #ran haitani #rindo haitani #kakucho #bonten takeomi #bonten #manjirou sano #sanzu haruchiyo #ao3 fanfic

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namedaftercommunists · 2 years

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Versace and Strip Clubs [Kokonoi Hajime]

Masterlist

*(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4VTq0sa9yg) **(https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/570057265336598332/?d=t&mt=login)

-----------

“Kokonoi-san, how about this one?” She says spinning, her focus solely on the heels she’s trying out rather than making eye contact with me.

It was the weekend and Yukioto had been given a day-off from her chauffeur duties. From what she told me, she had been going around store-after-store picking out clothing and accessories she had taken a liking to. This was the first time she had properly gone out to the district, often only purchasing necessities and extra clothes through online means due to her busy schedule.

We had bumped into each other a few hours ago inside a jewelry shop that caught her eye. Upon recognizing me, she invited me to come along with her on her shopping spree. ‘I say invited when really, she dragged me with her, insisting she needed my help in picking out her clothes’ I thought a silent sigh leaving me before answering her question.

“I liked the first one more,” I say, sticking my tongue out in distaste with the one she wore right now. “You think so too?” she says before looking down at the pair of 7inch black stilettos I had favored. She switched out the heels she wore for the one I pointed out before twirling and doing a simple catwalk from one aisle to the other, checking her balance.

Her usual slouched posture had straightened while wearing them to better distribute her weight. She looked graceful as she walked to-and-fro, it was nowhere the same grace a model would have, but it would be a lie to say that she wasn’t turning heads to her from the other patrons at the store. “It’s comfy! I’ll have to ring this up on the counter too” She says after getting a proper feel of them turning to me with excitement and glee happy with the choice I made.

Sitting down next to me so that she could switch the pair of stilettos for her usual Nike, she eyes me curiously. “Kokonoi-san, how come you’re not buying anything for yourself?” She asks looking at my empty sides in comparison to hers with the plethora of shopping bags that she had lugged around with her.

“Oh, I already got what I needed and left them in my car” Technically I wasn’t lying. I hadn’t gone to the shopping district to -obviously- shop around and spend money, rather I was here to collect it. The district and shopping strip had been and still is under Bonten’s protection, in exchange for that protection, shop owners would give a cut of their profits to Bonten.

It isn’t for nothing though, before Bonten the district was in near ruins from the constant gang raids, thievery, and swindling. Once word got around that the shops were now under our care, the crime rate dropped drastically in fear of repercussions, and fear for their life.

It had turned 7:30 in the evening and the sky had gone darker with every half hour. The shop consisted of two floors, both of which had glass walls that showed both the inside of the shop -to any promising customers- and the outside -which showed the busy streets of Chuo City-. The store consisted of several iterations of the color beige and was bathed with a soft yellow tint that emitted from the lights. Mannequins, built-in shelves, and glass showcase tables were spaced from one another giving both a full and yet organized feel to the whole store. Versace bags and belts were—

VERSACE?!

It was only then, did I notice what store we had landed ourselves in. Though the luxury brand would have never made a dent let alone a scratch on my wallet, it was a different case when Yukioto Ei, a driver, was buying and picking out heels and bags from the establishment. Even if she had saved up months' worth of her allowance before this trip, it didn't change the already huge pile of Prada, Uniqlo, and Lois Vuitton shopping bags filled to the brim with god-knows-what she already had with her.

“We pay our drivers this much?” I mutter under my breath, astonished at this revelation. ‘That can’t be right, I manage everything in finance, even employee salary. Did she steal?’ I pause at the last thought. ‘She couldn’t have. If I hadn’t noticed the people under my sect would’.

Be it my stunned expression as I looked at her purchased items or having heard my voice she answers my thoughts. “The Holy Trinity gave me a f*ck ton more money when I told them I’d be going out!” A bright smile showed on her face whilst she held a black Versace wallet.

“Holy Trinity?” I asked, not knowing who exactly she was referring to. “Boss Sanzu and Haitani sirs!” She clarified. The way she named them was a bit awkward as she refused to cite them without their preferred title. “Though I only ever hear the secretaries and receptionists call them that, is that nickname only limited to them?” Her hand rubbed her chin, squinting after noticing the pattern.

I hold a hand to my mouth trying to suppress the laughter that threatened to leave me after hearing her say that. It was the employees that had a crush on them! ‘I bet she heard that from Kamado-san! She always had a crush on Ran’ I thought, a tear on the verge of escaping from how much I was holding back.

I wave a hand in dismissal, dissipating her worries when she saw how I reacted. “You didn’t do anything wrong Yukioto-san. If you want you can refer to them as that” I say trying to swallow the remaining laughter in me. ‘Holy Trinity. Sanzu is gonna have a field day with that knowing the Brothers have bad blood with the church’

“They paid you more?” I question, wanting to go back to the original topic. A hum of confirmation leaves her as she checked the material inside of the wallet. “They like you quite a bit don’t they?” I state. The brothers were understandable considering that she got them out of a life and death situation back in Shimada, Rindou especially, but Sanzu? Sanzu had always been irritated with every driver that was assigned to him, be it if they were forced or if they volunteered, so him giving what is essentially a raise to Yukioto is surprising. ‘I scouted a good one then’ of course, I always knew that I did, but Yukioto had exceeded mine and -apparently- the other’s expectations.

“They do?” A confused expression shows on Yukioto, not fully believing what I had said. “Kind of obvious don’t you think?” A smirk on my face as I lean on the cushioned seat more. “That’s exactly what Boss Sanzu said” she muttered as she looked over to the other side of the store hiding the expression she wore on her face. “They don’t like it when I hold them though” Her voice had been small and soft, seemingly not there if you hadn’t been perceptive enough. A confused expression appears on my face at this. Hold?

“What do you mean-” A startling noise leaves her before she adjusts her newly bought rose gold Rolex, doing a double-take on what the time read as. “I nearly forgot! I have to go somewhere!” She voiced before calling over a store employee so that they’d carry her selected items to the counter. She makes her way over to me before picking up her already-bought goods and making her way to the counter as well. Her pace was hurried as she descended the stairs, ever-so-slightly leaving me behind as I struggled to keep up with her even when she held around 12-15 bags.

“What’s gotten you in a hurry?” I asked eager to know as to what would work her up this much. “An old friend of mine invited me to g—” A gasp leaves her before she momentarily lets go of her bags and held my hands in hers, my shoulders stiffening at her abrupt movements. “You should come with me Kokonoi-san!” She proposed, stars in her eyes as she waited for my answer. “And where would that be Yukioto-san?” I ask apprehensive, not knowing what and where this place could be.

“We’re going to a nightclub!”

—----------------------------------------------

(*) (**)

Glass Needle

Seated patrons were having conversations with one another, others who had just entered went to their already established seats, and a few more were lounging and sitting at the bar. Yukioto and I had chosen to laze on the latter, both of us disinterested with the dancers as skilled as they may be.

Neon lights, chandeliers, walls, curtains, counters, the floor, seemingly everything had been bathed a deep lamb burgundy red. Several tub leather chairs -grouped in a circle of fours- surround a small petite bar table with an artificial candle on top, both the chairs and the table were black and all of which had been occupied by other well-known individuals. Is that Japanese actor, Toshiro Mifuyu?

Glass Needle, was a relatively small but opulent strip joint. Many powerful and prominent figures frequented the place just as they do now, despite the establishment having a month's worth of waiting time before you ever get to go inside. I guess it wasn’t too much of a shock to see celebrities coming to visit now and again to have a good time. Unlike other establishments with the same selling point, it was known for their near-impossible to achieve standards as to who gets to work on the premises, even if they were waitresses and janitors.

Even with this standard several sex workers dream of working here, not only because of the high pay raise but because it had been painfully obvious as to how the owners treated their staff and workers, all of them having secure pay, humane work hours, and paid in-living to employees who either had their previous living spaces located cities away or for those who had nowhere else to go entirely.

A sazerac on her hand and a boulevardier cocktail on mine, Yukioto looked around the place before spotting who I assume is the friend that invited her here. A joyful expression shows on her face before she takes a few steps forward, leans down, and kisses the cheek of the woman that approached us, the woman doing the same back to her.

Overjoyed and hushed giggles leave both of them before Yukioto unconsciously steps to the side, giving me the chance to properly view the person. She was a woman of African American descent, around her mid-fifties, sporting a two-strand twist hairstyle. She spoke hushed whispers to Yukioto in English with an apparent American accent whilst the other giggled at her comment. ‘Yukioto can speak English?’. Yukioto having remembered she brought me with her, changed the focus of the topic with the woman to be about me.

“Well aren’t you cute, If I weren’t married I would have loved to share a drink with you,” she said a teasing smile left her as she said this before turning back to Yukioto as she nodded in agreement. “Though if I were a bachelorette I would have gone after Ei.” Yukioto dramatically lifted a hand to her face, gasping at her friend’s(?) bold statement “As much as I would’ve loved to court you, Mrs. Suzuki, I could never betray Mr. Suzuki like that!” they giggled once again.

“Kokonoi-san! This is Mrs. Suzuki Latanya, but she goes by ‘Ms. Akane’ quite a lot too because a lot of people have a hard saying L’s. She was my sponsor for a bit back when I started out on street racing!” Yukioto voiced a happy smile decorating her face as she relived the memories. ‘Akane’ A low-spirited expression briefly settled on my face before I quickly wiped it off. I nod at the woman before introducing myself, withholding the fact that I was an associate to Bonten.

“Ms. Akane is the most beautiful woman there is in this building, the whole of Tokyo even” Yukioto stated before her face had been delicately pushed away by Mrs. Suzuki. “Flattering the owner of every bar and establishment you visit isn’t going get you free drinks Ei,” Mrs. Suzuki said, a faux irritation apparent on her face. “But it works on you doesn’t it, Ms. Akane?” Yukioto replies after displaying a puppy dog expression to her.

She scoffs at this before letting out another hushed laugh. “Only for you Ei. Now, I’d have loved to spend more time with you but I have a few other guests to talk to, ones who don’t leech off of me” she says referring to Yukioto than towards me. She bids farewell but not before playfully shaking Yukioto’s head by her cheeks and walking off to a few other customers a few tables away from us.

‘Yukioto Ei, you never fail to surprise me’ I thought as my gaze trails over to the woman we had just spoken to. Suzuki Latanya, wife of Suzuki Daiki. She was a prominent businesswoman and the owner of Glass Needle, that along with many other sex-work-related establishments. Often her husband would be in her shadows as she outshone him despite him being a prominent business figure in the housing market. Though that may have been the power dynamic, many had claimed that their marriage was as happy as can be, going a full two decades strong.

‘Yukioto, with her friendly and cheerful personality, was sure to stand out in her line of work. That might be the reason why she sponsored her before’ The underbelly of Japan often only lured the most hopeless, desperate, and bloodthirsty of people. Yukioto’s character was hard to come by, more so if they had the same nature whilst having a skill they were competent -even the best- at. ‘She could be of more use than I had initially thought’ A happy disposition, a wide array of connections, a mastery in the English Language, and a strong aptitude in driving. She was a bright and brilliant gem that Bonten now had possession of.

“What do you think of Ms. Akane, Kokonoi-san?” Yukioto asks after sloshing around her newly ‘bought’ sazerac after finishing her first one. I ponder a little bit more, trying to make it seem as if I didn’t know of her reputation. “She’s kind” I voice after taking a sip of my cocktail. “Were you a past lover Mrs. Suzuki?” I choke a bit at her question, she wore a serious and expectant expression on my face as she waited for me to catch my breath.

“What made you think that?” I ask completely baffled and confused as to how she came up with that scenario. “You looked really sad when I told you her name and I thought that maybe you were lovers before but had to depart because your parents didn’t agree with the relationship you two shared,” she said, a somber look in her eyes. “So were you?” she asked once more.

‘You should become a writer Yukioto-san’ I thought before letting out a sigh. “Was it that obvious?” “SO YOU WERE??!” she raised her voice in surprise before leaning down to have eye-to-eye contact with me. “No! I meant, was it that obvious that I looked miserable” I clarified not wanting rumors to fly off that I was, -a heartbroken past lover of Mrs. Suzuki that hadn’t moved on yet-

“It wasn’t really obvious. I only noticed because Sir Ran and I talked about you this one time, and he said that you were bad at communicating your feelings. He told me that your eyebrows would slightly scrunch together when you were sad.” ‘He talked shit about me?’ I thought dreading to know as to what else Ran could be telling to other people. “He also told me, that he imagined that it would also be your expression whenever you would be constipated and trying to hide it.” I let out a noise of frustration before taking another sip of my boulevardier, hoping that I would be able to get through this predicament if I were drunk.

“It wasn’t Mrs. Suzuki specifically that got me down, it was her name,” I said, sloshing my drink around just as Yukioto had to hers. “Latanya?” “Akane” an exasperated sigh leaves me as I turn to face her only to see her wear an expectant expression. “She was a girl I had a crush on since way-back-when,” I say opting to look at my drink than to continue eye contact. “Where is she now?” “Gone” I answer, the pitiful tone of my voice not having gone unnoticed by either me or Yukioto.

She straightens up on her seat at that before looking down at her drink. “You know, I had a crush too back in the day. He was so nice, so smart and so beautiful, I loved him quite a lot” she shares a faraway smile on her face as thumbed the rim of her glass. This catches my attention, not expecting her to share her experience so that she could comfort me on mine. “Where is he now?” I throw the same question back. “Gone” she responds the same answer as I had, her smile crestfallen having been reminded of the one she lost.

Gone. There were a few different ways you could interpret that answer. Maybe they had broken up, maybe they just up and left, maybe the person they loved faded out and thus they were gone in a sense. Though there were a million and one interpretations of the same answer, it felt as though we understood exactly what the other meant when they answered with ‘gone’.

They died.

Neither of us knew how the other lost their loved one, and we would most likely never will. The subject, too sore to touch on or speak of. Regardless it was enough. It was enough to know that the other was not alone in this experience, and that alone was enough to bring comfort to one another.

A comforting silence fills the gaps between the both of us.

#!employeeoftheyearseries #oc #kokonoi hajime #sanzu x oc #sanzu haruchiyo #mikey x oc #bonten #ao3 fanfic

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namedaftercommunists · 2 years

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Sushi and Gold [Sanzu Haruchiyo]

Masterlist If you want, here are a few playlists to listen to as you read this chapter: (*) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzNVF2aoifs&t=1239s (**) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjpc8nqmdrs&t=1925s I am fully aware that Noda Tadao, a made-up person, is not the owner of Ginza Ichibun, an actual restaurant. Though that is the case, I don't like using real ppl names. Makes me feel weird lol. Also, everyone say thank you to my irl friend, sweets, who proofread this massive chapter despite it being New Year's Eve :D

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(*) ‘My eyes feel heavy’

I open my eyes only to see the passenger window, the tinted window made the city look darker than it is, saving me the headache of having to look through several glaring lights. My eyes shift attention to look at my reflection, irritated as I notice the heavy bags underneath my eyes. Though even more annoying was the identity of the silhouette driving me, so much so that I couldn’t help but let out a tiring groan.

I wipe a hand under my chin only to see small traces of vomit on the palm of my hand once I had retracted it. The vehicle had a faint smell of vomit, drugs, and alcohol to it, no doubt permeating from me.

‘This is the second time this month.’

The sound of the night city had been faintly drowned out, a soft and sad sounding, an English song playing from the car’s radio filling the silence between me and my driver; Yukioto.

From the reflection, I could faintly see her tapping her pointer finger to the rhythm of the song before slowing down the car and stopping as she and a few other cars wait for the green light. “Good evening boss.” It seemed she noticed me staring at her, even if it was through the reflection of the window.

“The other executives couldn’t find you, and you weren’t answering your phone, so a few of us were sent out to find and bring you back.” she voiced out, before shifting her eyes back to the road and the stoplight. Her form was relaxed, seemingly not bothered about the whole situation. ‘She wanted nothing to do with me four months ago.’ I thought before shifting my body to sit in a more comfortable situation, this time facing the road.

“Ueno is pretty far from the Casino. You found me just like that, or did you install a tracker on me after the 7th pick-up?” She chuckled a bit at this before moving the car forward again after the green light showed. “Taito City was my 4th stop. I checked Shinjuku, Kabukicho, and Roppongi. I didn’t know you frequented a bar in Ueno, it was Sir Rindou who told me.” A tsk leaves me after hearing it was Rindou who snitched on me. ‘I changed locations to get away from you’.

I don’t know what her deal is, but she keeps on finding me whenever I go off and do my own thing. Not only that but she had never complained during these drives, which had been going on for nearly 4 months now. ‘I’d be pretty pissed off if I had to drive around the entirety of Tokyo looking for a druggy, only for him to vomit on me for the second time that month’ A sigh leaves me.

“So this time you searched for me, for like what, 3 hours? The others must be paying you a lot for you to babysit me” she chuckled again at this, shifting her eyes to look at me. “I volunteered,” she says before adjusting the volume of the radio when we get to a busier part of the road. “Awe, do you like me?” I ask playfully, not expecting any answers from a very obvious joke.

“Honestly? No, not really” She answers. My brows lifted in shock at this as she continues to do her job, not seeing anything wrong with what she just said. “Damn, I knew you hated me and all that but you didn’t have to say it outright,” I said irritated turning my head to the passenger window again after blatantly being disrespected.

She laughs at my reaction before starting again “It’s not that I hate you, boss. I kinda find it relaxing just driving around Tokyo with you”. “Then why the rude confession?” I ask, turning my head slightly back to her.

“I can’t like something I know nothing about, boss. That would just be me lying don’t you think?’ she says before throwing me a look that just screamed. “I telorate your-” “Tolerate” I corrected her as she laughs the mistake off before continuing. “I tolerate your presence, and I’m enjoying your company, but I can’t say that I like you because I don’t know anything about you. Nothing, outside your name and your apparent substance abuse” I scoff at the last part, rolling my eyes at her small jab.

“Don’t you get tired of it?” I ask, gauging her reaction. A confused look shows on her face, not quite knowing as to what I’m referring to. I move my hand to gesture to my sleep-deprived face, my slightly crumpled Eikokuya suit, the slight smell of liquor and vomit that permeated from me, and my Yohei Fukuda dress shoes, which I’m pretty sure had bits of puke still left on the foot of my shoe.

“Like I said I don’t know anything about you. It’s also my job to make sure you’re okay, so I put up with it” I raise a brow at this, not seeing the correlation between the two. She notices this and clarifies her answer “It’s my job as your driver, and maybe future valet, to make sure you’re okay, and that you get transported to where you need to be. I can’t drive someone to their destination if they’re dead can I?” she laughs before she continues.

“ I don’t know you, therefore I can’t judge as to why you do take drugs. Happy people don’t usually take drugs, and that’s because they don’t need it. I won’t blame another person if that’s how they like to cope. I only ever judge if taking drugs makes them violent and end up hurting innocent people” A bitter laugh leaves me after the last sentence. “Then I guess you do hate me” I mutter.

“How come?’ she asks, slowing the car down when going over the crosswalks. “Drugs does a lot when it comes to heightening your bloodlust” I voice, coming into eye contact with her briefly when she turned her head slightly to face me. “Isn’t that your job though?” “The killing?” I ask, not knowing where this could be going. She nods and I hum in confirmation. “Then it’s not the drug’s fault is it?’ she says before turning to look at me as if that were obvious.

“So you don’t care that I kill to make a living?” I ask amused by this. “We gotta do what we gotta do,” she says before shrugging her shoulders. “Besides I’ve been your driver for four months now, not to mention sir ran and sir rin’s for two more. I’m not exactly a saint so I can’t judge too much” She snickers at this before reaching down to her pocket and giving me a small pack of wet tissues.

I eye the packet in her hand before looking back at her. She took note of my confusion before gesturing to her face. "You wiped your chin before," she says, referring to when I woke up and found small traces of vomit near the bottom of my jawline.

I take the pack of wet wipes from her and proceeded to clean my face, my hands, and the foot of my right shoe of puke, before stuffing it in the empty wrapper of a chocolate wafer snack shoved in the door pocket.

ChocoMucho° Milk chocolate; Caramel; Wafer Roll; Cereal Crispies

ChocoMucho

Mucho

' Happy people don’t usually take drugs, and that’s because they don’t need it.'

A scoff unintentionally left me, but thankfully Yukioto didn't seem to care that much about it. I look to the window again seeing the different shops and signs passing by as we drove, lights bled and blurred before you could make sense of the words written. This had continued for a moment or two before my eyes catch the cart of a street vendor selling takoyaki.

"I'm hungry" I complain, my head still turned to the window. A hum of acknowledgment leaves Yukioto "Do you have anything in mind?" I think about my options for a bit before settling on something "I'm craving sushi" I answer, repositioning myself and putting a particularly good restaurant in the car GPS. "I'll pay for you so don't worry about it" I continue before leaning back to my seat.

"Nice, it's been a while since I've had sushi," she says, lightly tapping her stomach with her left hand to exaggerate. It was only then that I paid closer attention to her clothing, more so her shirt in particular.

"Nice shirt" "Really? I think so too. Sir bought it for me," she says her eyes momentarily shifting from the road and to the shirt, her left hand going down to pinch and feel the soft black fabric of it. "Sir?" I ask not knowing who in particular that could be. "Sir Ran" she clarifies, a smile appearing on her lips.

"Oh yeah! You drove him around a few times, haven't you? I remember both he and his brother gushing out about how you drove them out of a shitty situation" This made her eyes brighten a little bit more, seemingly happy that the Executives think of her driving as great enough to talk about to others. "I'm glad they liked my driving, I was worried they hated me bc I drove too roughly back in Shimada," she says, a nervous chuckle leaving her as her left-hand scratches the back of her head.

"It's pretty obvious they think highly of you given the fact that what you're wearing right now is a MIYAGIHIDETAKA bandana shirt" I pointed out, propping up my chin with the palm of my hand.

"Is that a big brand? I don't know too much about clothing brands, to be honest. I usually just spend money on accessories and jewelry back in the day" she awkwardly chuckles at this before jokingly continuing "I like shiny things".

"You do?" I ask, a bit shocked considering she's not wearing any accessories right now. 'But now that she mentions it' I thought before studying her features even more. With her hair tied up, you can see now how many holes she's had pierced on her ears, around 7-8 of them if you count both ears. 'And yet she hasn't got a single earring worn, must be broke because of prison'

It's not before we pull up to the restaurant. Ginza Ichibun. With our growing appetite, we wasted no time going out of the car, but Yukioto seemed to falter for a moment. "What's wrong?" I ask, expecting the worst. "Doesn't this restaurant require you to make a reservation first?" She voiced her concern.

' Damn, and here I am thinking you just saw someone point a gun at me.' "I have my ways," I say, a grin showing on my face before waving my hand forward gesturing her to continue walking in the direction of the restaurant.

"You've been here before?" I ask, she opened the front door for me to go through. "I have, a few others and I ate dinner here this one time" she replies a fond smile appearing on her face.

"So you're getting along with the other drivers here in Bonten?"She looks at me confused for a moment before finally letting out a small laugh once she understood. "I meant before Bonten, boss. My team and I got dinner here when we got spoiled by our sponsor." She says smiling again. 'So you lived a high profile life,' that's interesting to think about.

"You--" "Sanzu-san!" I get cut off with a happy greeting from the restaurant's owner, Noda Tadao. He was a chubby man in his early sixties but doesn't look a day older than 40. He had a great sense of style when it came to both cooking and fashion, and I was pretty sure that was his secret in how he maintained looking young. Noda has also been a devoted Bonten follower, having been one of the first few businesses that had been, and still is, under Bonten's protection when the gang first started.

"Noda-san!" I greet back as we make small talk to one another, how the restaurant has been, how the weather had been faring, how bidding for quality tuna had been getting more expensive recently 'I'll have to look into that.' I thought.

"Oh, where are my manners, you must be starving! Come come, and have your guest come with you. You'll be thrilled to know that we recently bought the meatiest salmon there was on the market" He says before motioning the both of us to sit at the table.

We hadn't been the only ones in the establishment, but thankfully they minded their business. The room was lit in a beautiful yellow light and the L-shaped table was still smooth to the touch despite them having owned the table for what felt like years now. It was then when we were both seated did the sushi chef pass us the menu for today.

"I shouldn't bother you too much while you're eating, I do hope you have a lovely time Sanzu-san" I nod at Noda, an appreciative smile on my face before he takes his leave. It was a few moments after skimming the menu did I feel a light tap on my shoulder. I turn my head to face Yukioto, who had a look of awe on her features when she looked at me.

"You're really cool, Boss" she whispers making sure not to bother the other clients. The fact that I could just walk up to any fine dining establishment and eat without a reservation was astonishing to Yukioto, and she made sure to express that sentiment to me by looking awestruck. I let out a small laugh at this before motioning the sushi chef to me and placing my order. "Well if you continue to hang out with me more, you'll know that I'm super awesome," I say half-jokingly before letting her give her order to the chef.

The food had been amazing as always, and the temperature had been turned up a bit to battle the cold august air outside. The yellow lighting was nice, having bathed everything including the walls, the table, the food, Yukioto, in a warm sunny glow.

She and I talked a bit more, getting to know one another in the most mundane of things. "Why the centipede tattoo?" "I just thought they were cool, they're like snakes but with a lot of legs". "Why the pink suit?" " I went to the tailor with Ran and Rin. They picked out the style for me". We talked about how great this dish was, how that one was a bit too spicy for me, how she was allergic to shrimp and had to give her dish to me, so on and so forth. It had been a lovely time, just laughing with one another and knowing what the other thought of at the time.

The rain had started sometime during dinner and without an umbrella to share, we ran to the car. I had covered my head with the jacket of my suit while she had pulled up the back of her shirt to cover hers. The sound of our shoes running against wet pavement, and the sound of our carefree laughter filled the sidewalk before we took refuge in the car.

Once we sat down on our seats another set of laughter was coaxed out of us, laughing at the absurdity of it all. Yukioto half-heartedly complained about her now dirty white puma shoes and I do the same in regards to my dress shirt, now soaked on the upper half portion of the fabric.

(**) The mood was light-hearted, everything seemed to be where it needed to be. The soft pitter-patter of the rain hitting the roof of the car, the muffled sound of wet pavement, and the plashing of water as the car tires go through it, and a muffled lone strike of thunder could be heard as the rain continued to pour. Several vendors and shops had started closing down for the night, bulbs being turned off as the light of the streetlamps grow brighter. People could be seen going in and out of shops in haste, needing shelter or in a rush to get to their vehicles. The car slowed down for a bit as we followed behind another, car lights shining and giving life to the otherwise lonely road.

At the corner of my eye, I see a jewelry shop, still bright and open for business. “Yukioto-san, stop here.” A hum of acknowledgment leaves her before she turns the car around to park in front of it. I take off my seatbelt and put my hand on the car handle before noticing Yukioto not doing the same, her hands were both on the steering wheel with only her head tilted in my direction.

I motion my head out, signaling for her to come along. “C’mon I need your help with something” She nods her head at this before turning off the car and taking off her seatbelt. We both ran to the store, both our clothes and shoes become more soaked.

A small bell rings along with our laughter once we get inside. A greeting was given by the attendant work and Yukioto nods in her direction. She proceeds to wipe her shoes on the doormat and I do the same unconsciously, before looking around the place. Her eyes seemed to have the brightest stars trapped in them and I chuckle at this before going deeper into the store.

We went in different directions, but the establishment was small so I could always see her from the corner of my eye. I went to the display cases that held earrings in them looking for what I thought to be the best fit. They had come in different designs, materials, colors, and gems, though one, in particular, caught my eye.

It was a set of gold drop earrings that dangled a small bit from the ear, and at the end held a small sun charm. Accompanying them were a pair of small stud earrings made of the same material, but instead of a sun charm, they had on them a crescent moon for design.

I call over the attendant before pointing to the product. Having already chosen I make my way over to Yukioto, only to see her eyeing a necklace displayed in the left-hand corner of the shop. It was a thin gold necklace that held a small gold charm, warped to look similar to that of the shape of an olive. In the upper point of the shape laid a small diamond held in place with the same gold of the design.

Her eyes had been fixated on it, not noticing my presence from behind her shoulder. I call the attendant over and that seemed to snap her out of it. I tell the employee to bring this one to the counter as well and this seemed to shock Yukioto.

“Why are you looking at me like that? It was obvious that I’d buy you something from here right at the start” I pointed out before grinning after seeing her look more taken aback by this. “I thought you were buying something for a lover of your’s” I burst out laughing after this statement, her face becoming more confused by the second. “I’m glad you think of me as someone who can hold a relationship, but even you, whose obligation is to look after me, are having a hard time keeping up. I’d pity the woman who would actually be my girlfriend.” I joked before motioning her to come with me to the counter.

Having signed and checked the quality of the products up close, I pull out my black card and paid for the accessories. Yukioto seemed to look at the necklace anxiously, most probably thinking about how she could pay me back. Noticing this I sigh before motioning her closer to me.

She does so, and I take out the necklace from its foam casing and slip it on her. I move her hair away and take out the earrings, attaching them to her as she stood still, after which I took a step back and looked at her from a distance. The patterns on her shirt drowned out the necklace a bit, but both the necklace and the earring looked good on her.

I ask for the attendant to just put the casings in the bag as Yukioto would be wearing them instead of putting them back. She nods at this before doing as she was told before swiping my card and giving it back to me along with the receipt.

The rain had let up just a tiny bit while we were shopping and we ran back to the vehicle after putting the bag under my suit jacket to make sure it stays relatively dry. Once inside I had noticed the change of mood and atmosphere from before. It was no longer the carefree and light ambiance we had before the gift. ‘Did I mess up? Should I not have bought her a gift? Was that too much? But technically she’s been helping me for months now so this was just a small payment in return for her services. Should I take it back?’ I thought, but before I could retract the sentiment I get cut off.

“Thanks, boss. You’re pretty awesome” Her face had been turned away from me, making me unable to properly know what type of expression she had been wearing. Although judging from the light shade of red that showed at the tips of her ears gave enough of a hint as to what she was feeling.

Noticing this I scoff, a light blush going over my cheeks before turning away from her -and to the passenger window- to hide it. “Told you,” I say, and this seemed to pull a small laugh from her before she starts the car and drives away from the store.

#!employeeoftheyearseries #oc #bonten #sanzu x oc #sanzu haruchiyo #mikey x oc #ao3 fanfic

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namedaftercommunists · 2 years

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Gun Wounds and Car Chases [Rindou Haitani]

Masterlist

I lurch in pain as we take a sharp turn, my hands immediately clutching onto my upper left thigh. A concerning amount of blood had continued to gush out from the small bullet hole. “Yukioto-san slow down!” My brother shouted as he took my hands from my thigh and transferred it to his. “This is the slowest I can do sir!” she replies, as an enemy car bumped our rear end. A swear leaves me as I clutched my brother’s hand in pain due to the sudden movement, only to be followed by more as the driver quickly does a 180-degree turn to regain control over the vehicle.

“I swear to god, I’m gonna kill every last member in that fucking gang”. I murmured as I grit my teeth, the pain becoming too much to handle as the driver changed lanes and went over a road bump. Shimada Mihara a well-known gang in the city of Shimada and Yoshida, with an estimated member count of 25k+, had decided to sever their alliances with Bonten in attempting to murder two of their executives. Those executives were the Haitani Brothers, me and my brother more specifically.

Quarter-yearly meetings would be held between the two gangs, both of which would bring a few numbers to protect themselves from the other. Mihara, great and intimidating, was also a well-respected gang and had been devoted to Bonten ever since serving under it. It was because of this that Ran and I had taken fewer members of our sect to come with, believing that nothing bad would happen during the meeting. 'I wonder where our other lackeys went off to?' A good portion of them had died during the attack, all of us being caught off guard, but a few of them had survived us included. Though I doubt they got out completely unscathed.

“Yukioto-san, do you know your way around the city?” my brother asked as he ripped the arm of his dress shirt to make a make-shift bandage for my leg. A few dozen or so civilian cars had honked their horns at us as we went by and the noise of it all only furthered my pain. Still, it didn’t seem to affect the driver at all, solely focused on getting us out of this situation along with transporting us out of the city. “No sir, but I’ll be able to lose them once we enter Fujieda!” she answered back in haste before making a sharp right turn.

“It’ll take us around 3 hours to get back to Tokyo from here” She continues, her focus on both the road ahead and the left view mirror. “ We can't do that! We need to go to the nearest hospital, he’s losing too much blood!” My brother disputed. Now that he mentions it, there was more than the average amount of blood seeping out of me. So much so that a vein might’ve been completely severed.

“With all due respect sir, but that would be the first place they’d look for us!” The driver pointed out, before making a left turn and going over Otsuya River. Several cars were on the road despite the late afternoon, but this seemed to serve as a benefit, the driver weaving through the multitude of civilians while a few of those who chased after us either got trapped or lost sight of us. Car alarms could be heard blaring from behind us, most likely caused by accidental bumps and grazes from our pursuers. The late afternoon road wailed with more life than, and it would only become livelier once the cops started chasing us- if they ever do, Mihara might've paid them to back off.

“What’s the nearest hospital you can take then?” My brother asked as he wrapped the DIY bandage tighter on my thigh to slow the excessive amount of blood escaping my system. A whine left me as more and more pressure was applied to my thigh, muscles contracting and releasing without my control- Yukioto sharply changing from one lane to another, avoiding collision from the surrounding vehicles.

"I might be able to lose them once we enter Shizuoka, we can go to Saiseikai Hospital after that" She mumbled, more so giving herself that alternative rather than telling Ran. "It'll take me an hour at most". "That's good enough, do whatever it takes to get us there" Ran ordered. With that Yukioto sped up even further, weaving through different obstacles and in one instance, driving through sidewalks when met with traffic and full roads. Everything had been unstable, be it the driving, the breathing of my older brother, or the shakiness of my hands as it gripped both my brother's and my thigh. The whole ordeal was nowhere near relaxing, everything had been hectic with sharp turns, high bumps, abrupt stops, the loud screeching of tires and even driving in reverse to save time from getting bumped on the rear.

At times it felt as if our pursuers had given up as their engines could only be heard from a faraway distance, only to be proven wrong when the sound of occasional gunshots could be heard from behind. Thankfully none of them had landed on either three of us, only ever doing damage to the back windows.

We entered Fujieda, the chase had gone on for half an hour more with only little improvement regarding the situation. "They aren't letting up!" My brother shouts. Yukioto's brows scrunched at this, desperate to find a solution to this problem whilst still driving. It looked like her efforts proved to be fruitful as her eyes lit up before calling the attention of Ran. "Sir, can you tell me what the other lackeys were driving?" She asks, the subject seemingly out of nowhere and without connection to the situation. "What?" Ran questions, not understanding how this information could be of help. "The lackeys I was brought with to follow you here, what were they driving?" She clarifies more. "A Nissan Note, Toyota Aqua, Toyota c-HR, a Honda Fit---" I started knowing my brother wouldn't be able to fully remember what model the cars we bought along would be. "What color is the Honda?" She cuts me off. "White" I responded, a groan leaving me as she briefly changed lanes and immediately sped up, the momentum of the car sending us forward just a tiny bit before seating us again.

She nods at this information before turning back to my brother again. "Sir Ran, we're gonna have to switch cars with the Honda driver. We won't be able to get rid of them (the pursuers) and much less so if we continue to use this car. Have them meet us at Fujieda City Seto River, we'll be able to switch with all the cover." She explained, with that my brother nodded and made his phone call.

Fujieda-shi Setogawa no sakura ton'neru, a tourist attraction. On a Saturday afternoon in the middle of April, it’s apparent that the place would be a large crowd of people wanting to see the Cherry Blossoms at their peak. It’ll be relatively easy to blend in and finally have Mihara off our backs, especially with the clustered up neighborhood and the city not too far off from there. “Why the Honda?” I ask, my voice being slightly muffled out by the noise of it all, but I was nonetheless heard by the driver. “They’re a relatively common car model here in Japan, and the fact that white is also the most common car color means we can blend in with civilians when on busy roads” she answers before going over Seto River again to reach our temporary stop.

‘That’s pretty smart of her to think of, to be honest" I don’t think I would’ve come up with something like that, especially with having thought of it to even the smallest detail imaginable. Though that may be because I’m suffering from blood loss and my brain isn't getting enough oxygen. 'I'm losing consciousness, aren't I?' It’s becoming harder to keep my eyes open, much less discerning anything with them. Black spots had started to swarm in the corners of my vision, threatening to take up everything. My breathing had become shallower as time ticked by and my hands felt clammy and cold and pain had started to consume the entire surface of my chest.

It wasn’t long before I had been human crutched- out the car by both my brother and the driver, and being relocated to the Honda. I could faintly see Yukioto’s silhouette having a conversation with who I assume to be the previous Honda driver, a trade of car keys, and a hand on top of the shoulder of the other. These were the last things I saw before I passed out.

—------------------

The smell of antiseptic mixed with an obnoxious amount of laundry softener had stirred me awake. The sound of moving wheels, the constant beeping of a heart monitor, a door being shut and the muffled chatter from outside the room gave me enough context as to where I am as of this moment. After opening my eyes, I had quickly shut them back down, having briefly been blinded by the white light overhead my hospital bed. As I opened them again I could see an IV drip, most likely attached to me, and a fruit basket, primarily filled with oranges and fuji apples.

“Good evening” My eyes darted in the direction of the voice, only to see my brother seated on the left side of my bed, a shit-eating and yet relieved grin showing on his face. He had changed his suit to something more casual, a loose white Uniqlo t-shirt, black oni denim jeans, and white low-top Asics. He offered me a lime-lemon Ramune, only to drink it for himself after I had declined.

“I was out the whole day?” I asked, groaning, slowly turning my head to the side to properly face him. “Nope,” he says before lightly slapping my thigh. A groan left me right after, the pain wasn’t unbearable but it still hurt nonetheless. “You’ve been asleep for nearly three days” He continues, his focus going to the marble inside the codd neck of his drink. A groan of irritation leaves me before I turn my head away from him to pay more attention to the window of my room. “Did you tell Mikey?” I asked, more so referring to the Mihara situation rather than the fact that I’ve been out for three days because of an injury.

“Duh, I told him everything right after the nurses wheeled you to the E.R” he starts, his eyes rolling as he wonders why I bothered to ask him if the answer was already so obvious. “He told us to lay low for a while until you’ve recovered, said that Kaku-san will handle everything from here on out regarding Shimada Mihara” his focus goes back to me, gauging my reaction knowing I’d be pretty pissed off knowing I wouldn’t be able to break Konishita Kei’s -Shimada Mihara’s leader- bones for the shot in the leg. And he’d be right.

A scowl of annoyance shows on my face, only to be forgotten when seeing a white Beam sweatshirt draped over the empty seat next to Ran. “Whose shirt is that?” I ask, his head turning to said apparel. “Oh that’s Yukioto’s, she’s out buying us cup noodles” “The driver? Our driver can afford Beams?” I ask, shocked. Ran chuckled at this before answering “Nah, she’s broke. I bought her a few pairs of clothes as thanks for helping me the other day.” I raised an eyebrow at this, wanting him to clarify even further.

“You didn’t know?” He asked shocked for not knowing about this situation. “What, she took a bullet for you?” I ask, clearly not being serious. “She might as well have” he starts, a sigh escaping him for a moment before he continues. “She and I got tailed around a week ago, she managed to outrun them though so that’s nice. Though I did pull a gun on her in one instance, we worked it out ” A stunned expression washes over me before I burst out in laughter. He seemed embarrassed over this and immediately scolded me for it.

My laughter died down after a few moments before asking Ran if he brought her to Bonten. Surely she must’ve been scouted by an executive, she had the skills and has been willing to put up with the possibility of getting killed. “I didn’t, Hajime-san did” He answers. “Kokonoi-san?” He nods in confirmation of this. “From what I can remember, he bailed her out of prison before bringing her here to be a candidate in being Bonten Executives’ valet” He starts before holding a hand to his chin, trying to jog his memory further. “She also drove Sanzu for more than 4 hours while he was sleep-deprived and without drugs. He came back sleeping in the car, I had to carry him to his room.”

This left me dumbfounded. Sanzu wasn’t trusting to anyone other than a select few, even when in his worst conditions he would have been able to stay awake regardless of that, not to mention everyone other than the executives are scared shitless of him so nobody would’ve been able to get his guard down to the point of sleeping while a stranger drove him.

“Must be a gift” I mutter before turning my head back to the window ahead. A noise of consensus leaves Ran before he pulls out his phone to text somebody, most probably Mikey, to inform him of my condition.

#!employeeoftheyearseries #oc #mikey x oc #sanzu x oc #rindo haitani #ran haitani #bonten #ao3 fanfic

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namedaftercommunists · 2 years

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(Ran)ning Away [Ran Haitani]

Masterlist

"Everything checks out sir, each crate has been taken note of and secured. Double checked it myself" A proud smile shows on Kyoujuro as he looks over his finance clipboard and flicks through the pages. A slight sheen of sweat could be seen on his tan forehead, likely due to the temperature along with the slightly suffocating one-piece seaman uniform and rubber boots. Even so, he seemed more than happy to be able to help in taking attendance and taking notes.

"That's great to hear. I'm sure our Thai friends will love them" A content smirk forms on my face as I looked over the several crates of cocaine and heroin being forklifted to the barge. The sound of several sea birds could be heard from afar, accompanied by the rhythmic and calm waves hitting the concrete port. The salty breeze of the sea was a nice change of pace from the usual airconditioned office I was used to staying in, though the glaring sun was a bit overbearing this afternoon.

"Seems as though you have everything in control, I'll leave everything in your care Kyoujuro-san". He bows in response before running over to the barge and shouting instructions to the others. A satisfied breath leaves me as I take in the salty air one last time before making my way over the Genisis G80 and opening the door.

"Yukioto-san?" I state in confusion as my usual driver seemed to be replaced by the woman in front of me. "Afternoon Ra--- Sir!" She cuts herself before calling me by my first name, an anxious expression goes over her features as she looks away from me. "Kokonoi-san sent me here to pick you up. He said something about you needing a driver so he placed me under your care?" She doesn't seem to be too sure of her last statement, having a faraway look go over her eyes as she tries to remember the exchange she had between her and Hajime-san, presumably earlier today.

I raised an eyebrow in suspicion before taking out my phone and looking through my messages to confirm this. Sure enough, there was one from Hajime-san and surprisingly one from Haruchiyo as well.

Your driver was found dead just earlier today, I'll have Yukioto drive you back. -Koko 7:22 am

Meeting @ 5 tonight with every1 sh*t went down www. Bring coke oyw back -Haru 10:39 am

A sigh leaves me before making my way inside the passenger seat of the car and putting my seatbelt on. "Why are you wearing the same clothes as yesterday?" I asked as I looked Yukioto up and down. She had donned on the same plain white--black-sleeved t-shirt, and lavender sweatpants from before, the only difference being the lack of any traces from the stain that had been on her shirt yesterday. An embarrassed chuckle leaves her as she turns the car on and backs up from the parking lot. "I don't have another pair of clothes with me. It's okay though! I got these washed and dried yesterday night so it's all clean" A smile shows on her face as she slowly drives off the port and onto the main road.

"Are you sure? If anything I take it you didn't see me important enough to make yourself look presentable" I teased as I look to the side windows. A silent yelp leaves her before starts rambling, reassuring me that such wasn't the case at all. Her hands had clutched the wheel in a strong grip and yet it was sweaty from nervousness, her back had hunched down and her eyes refused to look mine most likely not wanting to see what she presumed to be veiled in anger or irritation. Yukioto's voice became more shakey by the second, a noticeable contrast to her more easy-going demeanor and way of speaking.

"----it'sjustthatIjustgotoutofprisonandIdon" A soft laugh escapes me and that seems to make her stop her rambling and take note of my reaction. "It's okay Yukioto-san, I know your situation. Hajime-san told me about it before bailing you out" A shocked expression washes over her before it was replaced with relief. 'Her expressions are quite entertaining to look at.' a thought echoes.

An awkward chuckle leaves her before she focuses back on the road a serious expression on her face, with that, I couldn't help but notice the way her eyes seem to flicker to and from the side and back mirrors ever so often. 'Now that I pay more attention to it, we've been going on several detours despite there not being any traffic on the roads leading to the casino the fastest'. My brow scrunched in suspicion and slight irritation. 'I swear if this woman is trying to kidnap me, I'm going to--'

"Sorry sir, but we won't be able to get to the casino as scheduled". She cuts my train of thought. Her expression was dead serious as she makes another turn to the left. "And why is that Yukioto-san?" I ask trying to play dumb in what I assume to be an attempt in abducting a Bonten executive like me. Though what follows next catches me off guard.

"Someone's been following us" she fluidly makes another left and that seems to confirm her suspicions even more as her left eye twitches in irritation. "A white BMW has been tailing us since we got off the port, I don't think they know where we're going though. I'm not too sure yet but I think they're here to kill you off where not too many people would notice right away." She continues as she leans her foot on the gas a tad bit more before stopping at the red light right ahead of us. The BMW had stopped a few cars behind us, but it was noticeable nonetheless due to its large frame, that and the fact that Yukioto pointed its presence out.

"Why do you think that?" I turn my head to ask her, now on edge and my eyebrows still scrunched in suspicion. Her eyes had been dead set on both the back mirror and the red light, multiple pedestrians walking to and from each sidewalk seemingly also raising her nerves.

"They've been following us non-stop even though I took roads that don't lead to the casino. If they knew where we were going they would've waited on the main roads, or they would've caught on the detours and just shoot us from there." She couldn't have looked more relieved once the light turned green, handling the stick shift before turning another corner and driving faster than usual. My eyes widened for just the tiniest amount, my left hand instinctively going to clutch the upper door arm. This seemed to catch her attention as she laid a hand on my knee only to pat it a few times before retracting it back to the stick shift. 'If I hadn't known the severity of the situation, I would assume you made it all up just to make a move on me' A silent breath leaves me as I continue to hold onto dear life.

"It's okay sir, I know how to lose them" She states, confident in her skill in driving along with her surprising knowledge regarding the Tokyo City streets. "There were a few races that were held here, so I know my way around" A smile shows on her before she takes her hand off the stick and makes a sharp turn before backing up in a tiny alleyway, cramped and unlit, just wide enough to fit the vehicle and nothing more.

She turned off the car in haste, making sure all lights permeating from the vehicle had been turned off either automatically or manually by her. "Sorry sir" she mutters in haste before handling my seat adjuster and having it lay down completely vertical- thus having me lay down completely verticle- before she took off her seat belt and made her way over me. This had taken me by complete surprise so I wasn't able to respond or process the whole situation quick enough. 'GOD NO, this better not be going where I think it's going' Alarm bells rang inside my head before I take a hold of the scruff of her shirt and pushed her a few distances away from me.

"What the f*ck are you doing?" I demanded. My left hand continued to hold her away from me while the one on my right clutched the 9mm from my holster and pointed it dead straight on her forehead. She was unreadable at this point, nothing on her face gave hints or any clue as to what she could be thinking of at this moment. Every action of hers had been calculated and made no unnecessary movements despite being currently manhandled by me. She raised both her hands up in a sign of mock surrender before slowly reaching her left hand toward the back of my seat.

Nothing within the vicinity could be heard other than the soft give of the leather seats and my shallow breath. Not a single sound traveled, not the shoes of a passing civilian from the outside of the vehicle, not a single squawk of a bird, not even a distant horn from the numerous cars on the main road a few ways away from here.

Her movement had been slow, making sure I knew she meant no harm, in the back of my seat she pulled out a Glock. Before I could retaliate she raised her hands more, her hand on the barrel nowhere close to the trigger as she fluidly got off me and out of my personal space, my hold on her shirt falling off as she went out of my reach.

"I'm gonna need you to stay in that position sir. That way if they ever do find where we are and decide to shoot the window, you'd safe." She stated before returning to her original position having both hands on the keys and the steering wheel ready to drive off if ever in the worst-case scenario. 'I may have overreacted just a tiny bit' I thought, as I slowly lowered my 9mm back down to my holster. Her face remained neutral, her body seems to be in high alert and locked in position.

A dry cough leaves me as I adjust my coat and dress shirt, patting off imaginary dust off my slacks. "That was a lot, I misread the situation there" I awkwardly state, still lying in a vertical position as per her advice. "I'm sorry, I should've told you in advance before doing all that. I'm used to driving by myself so I didn't think about how you would've felt through all that. I'll make sure to change that in the future, sir." Her voice was lowered, apologetic in tone, and this sentiment shows on her expression as well.

' I guess she really did mean good' Not wanting to leave things in a sour manner, I break the awkward silence with a sigh and a change of subject. "Tell you what, if we don't get caught today I'll get you a half-dozen-or-soo pairs of clothes. Sound good?" She makes eye contact with me at the end of my statement. Eyes lighting up a bit at the mention of possibly having a wardrobe to choose from, body posture perked up having looked vastly different from her dejected form not too long ago.

"Is that a promise?" She asks, needing confirmation. A large smile grows on her face, nearly swallowing her eyes after she received a nod from me. "No problem sir!"

__________________

"We'll have to make do with what we have for now" Mikey stated, seated at the front of the circular table in the room. 5 pm and a meeting was held informing everyone else of the situation. The murdered members were either from my sector or from Sanzu's, this included his then missing -now found dead- driver. 'They're targetting drivers along with members who were in charge of border control'

"Sanzu, I'm sure I can trust you in handling this situation" he continues. A wide grin shows on Haruchiyo's face, more than happy to take care of the problem. "No problem boss" he replies ecstatically.

"For now we'll have to replenish our numbers, our loss isn't much on paper but they've targeted foundational helpers that could seriously affect and slow down our production and transportation in drugs and territory patrols" Hajime stated.

"It already has affected the transportation of goods, the lack of members affected the time it took for loading the products along with securing it. The barge I was in charge of just earlier today had sailed an hour and 15 minutes later than what was scheduled." I reported.

"We'll have to deploy who we can, for now, especially people in charge of territory patrols. Kawasaki Kyodo Hospital, Nippon Koukan Hospital, and Saiseikai Yokohamashi Tobu Hospital have been getting harassed endlessly with vandalism and arson from an anonymous group at the moment." Takeomi added. His expression is deep in thought, most likely trying to find a solution for the growing problem at hand. The meeting continued as so -executives needing more manpower due to the losses, others helping remedy said issue by promising to relocate some of their members to theirs, so on and so forth.

"That's good, we'll continue where we left off tomorrow, everyone disbands. Kakucho, Takashi stay behind." Mikey concluded.

After every one, other than the aforementioned two and Mikey, I make my way over to Haru as he walks out the door stretching his back, shoulders, and sides. A few joints can be heard faintly popping from the action and a groan of satisfaction escapes him. 'His complexion looks better.'

"Slept well Haruchiyo-san?" I voice out, a grin forming on my face as I give him a once-over. A look of realization washes over his face before being engulfed in irritation. "F*cking d*ck, I rolled over on my side when I was sleeping and the gun left an indent on my hip. Slept like a f*cking granny with arthritis" He complained, glaring at me with a hint of playful spite. "And you didn't bring coke!"

The grin widens more on my face as I heard of this. Just because I care for him doesn't mean I don't take pleasure in annoying and inconveniencing them in the most minor of situations. It's things like these that make my day just a little bit better.

#!employeeoftheyearseries #ran haitani #oc #bonten #sanzu x oc #mikey x oc #ao3 fanfic

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namedaftercommunists · 2 years

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(Ran)ning a Bussiness [Ran Haitani]

Masterlist

"Two hours ago 3 of our members were found dead in their rooms, since then that number has increased by 5" Mikey states, a few report papers on his hand -most probably given by Kamado-san- as he skims its contents.

A heavy silence falls in the room. 3 people are in the room as of now, namely; Me - Haitani Ran-, Haruchiyo-san, and Mikey-san. We were in preparation for a meeting that was to be held 30 minutes from now but it seems as though this incident is concerning enough to have it rescheduled for now.

"It could either be a breach or the work of a few rats" I muttered out. "It's might be the latter" Haruchiyo added, a small grin forming on his face, no doubt more than willing to find out who and where the traitors are.

'He seems tired' A passing thought enters me. Haruchiyo had a faint dark outline on the lower part of his eyes. Eye bags, undoubtedly from the lack of sleep and the lack of drugs in his system.

"I agree." Mikey stated "We'll have to re-schedule the meeting for today. Sanzu I'll have to send you out to Atami Port to get a file for me, I'll notify the attendant so that you'll have a car waiting for you when once you get down" A hum of agreement leaves Haruchiyo in response.

"Haitani, you were the last one to know where Koko went. Do you know where he is now?" "I'm sure he went out to pick someone up from a prison a bit farther away from here. He should be back around this hour or so" I reply in thought.

'Something about the Valet position' I echoed in my head.

"That's good, I'll have to send you down to get him and Takeomi up here. They can help with figuring out who these people might be coming from" "No problem, Boss" I reply, he says a thank you in response before dismissing us.

' It's colder than usual tonight'. The casino -though bright and jovial as usual- was near-silent from the outside. The only sound to be heard was the hum of cars and motorbikes that would pass by the road and the soft tune of the howling wind. The cold bit through my coat and chilled the exposed skin of my face and hands, sending an occasional shiver up my spine.

' I wouldn't have had to do this if Haruchiyo had put even the slightest amount of thought before making that decision.' Though the driver he picked was scouted by Kokonoi -a respected executive of Bonten- it didn't change the fact that the woman was still a stranger and shouldn't be trusted with having to transport a recently-come down and sleep deprived Haruchiyo.

' I personally have to wait out here in the cold for him.' I thought in distaste. 'I couldn't have had just any lackey wait out for him. There would've been too much of a possibility that they could be a rat'. A sigh leaves my person as I continue to lean on the wall of the casino.

' I could just wait for them insi-' My thought gets cut off as a black BMW pulls up in the parking lot. The same BMW that Haruchiyo took to get to the Port. I remove myself from the wall before making my way towards the vehicle. I rest a hand on top of my 9mm in case a gun would ever be pointed at me and a bullet exchange would happen. Just as I was a few steps away from the car, the driver seat window rolled down, revealing the alert expression of the scouted woman.

"Hello" she starts off. "You're the guy boss got out of the elevator with, aren't you?" She asks, hesitant to even be talking to me in the first place. I notice the engine had never been turned off and her hands were still both on the wheel and stick shift, ready to either drive off or run me over if she ever sensed something off.

"Boss?" I asked, knowing there was ever only one person who insisted they be called by a title rather than their name. 'less personal' he says.

"Mullet" she states as I snicker at her answer. Oh to be a wanted criminal summarized only by the name of your fashioned haircut.

"Sanzu Haruchiyo" I expand. She nods in haste after, only then do I hear the click of the now unlocked car doors. 'At least I know she takes her job seriously.' I thought as went around the vehicle to get to the passenger seat. 'Still, she may be a bit too trusting of others, she should change that.' I open the passenger door only to be met with a sleeping Haruchiyo, a hand in his pocket -out of view from the driver's seat- clutching his Glock just as I had not too long ago.

"I'll take care of him from here on out," I say as I turn around and position Haru's legs to hug my waist from the back, and his arms to wrap around my neck. Essentially carrying him piggy-back style.

"How do I know you're not just kidnapping him" she states. Her eyes essentially glared holes in the back of my head. "Haitani Ran, I'm a friend. You just saw me get off of an elevator with him remember?" I turn to face her, Haru still asleep on my back.

"Yukioto Ei, and friends can still kidnap each other even when the other one doesn't want to be" she states. Her resolve and distrust are still apparent, both in her tone and her facial expression. A tilted grin forms on my face in response to her answer. She doesn't seem to want to let Haru go without knowing for sure he's in safe hands. 'Still, though, the persistence is great but I'd rather have this done and over with already' A sigh escapes me.

"I'm bringing him back to his room, you can come with him to make sure he's safe and sound. Sound good?" She nods again after hearing the offer. She turns the car off before shutting both the passenger and driver seat doors close, locking the vehicle and pulling the doors again to make sure it was properly shut. "Let's go" I mutter in my breath before walking back to the casino, the sound of sneakers following not too far from me.

The first few minutes or so was awkward, the sound of TYE Shoemaker and Nike sneakers being the only form of sound to be heard. Neither of us really opted to be the first one to break the silence seeing as there was an apparent distrust between one another.

"So you're a big shot too huh?" A soft question breaks the tension. 'She must have lowered her voice in case Haru wakes up because of it'

"A big shot?" I muttered thoughtfully. "Yeah, just like boss here" she answers in a lighter tone. "Kokonoi-san said he was going to let me meet other big shots like him so that they could approve of me being their valet" she continues "But then you two came out the elevator and the meeting didn't happen, I guess something didn't work out?"

A soft chuckle leaves me as I re-adjust Haru's sitting position. "Something like that" I left it vague on purpose, knowing I can't be too trusting of her when it comes to Bonten’s affairs, especially when she hasn't even gotten the job she got scouted for yet.

A silence falls again during the remaining walk but it wasn't as awkward as it was before which was nice, the walk would only stop every now and again as I would re-adjust Haru to better carry him. She offered to carry him in one instance, essentially guilty for not being any help to the situation, but I had quickly shot her down telling her that I was perfectly fine in doing so. The offer was nice but unneeded.

"This is his floor" I muttered as we stepped out the elevator, after which I went to the front of the door and swiped the card I had on me. The door opened revealing a penthouse whose floor plan was not too different from mine and the others. Lights automatically turning on once it detected motion from us and the air-conditioning following suit.

With help from the woman the bedroom door was opened and I set down Haru on his bed, making sure to take off his coat and shoes at the very least before covering half of him with a blanket.

"Does this happen often?" She asks as she eyes me hanging the other's coat on the recliner. "No, not as much as you think it does" I answer. "If anything it happens very rarely, once in a blue moon even. Nonetheless, I have enough experience to know what to do when the situation ever does happen" I take the remote and adjust the air conditioner to a temperature better suited to combat the weather outside, it seems as though it started raining while we were walking back in the hallways.

She doesn't know it yet, but what she just achieved was a feat not many could do. Haruchiyo was an observant man and paranoid whenever he wasn't under the influence of drugs. Even when sleep-deprived he would have been able to stay awake and alert. Haru was untrusting of others, only ever depending and open to Mikey and a select few of us executives.

' I guess there's a reason why Hajime-san scouted her'

She lets out an understanding hum in response as she continues to keep an eye on Haru laying on the bed, making sure he wasn't uncomfortable in the slightest.

"Has he shown you a room?" I ask her as I fiddle with the cuffs of my dress shirt. "No, not yet". She starts. "He needed a driver to get to Atami Port asap, so I went with him before he could show me one." I nod in response.

"I'll lead you to one, you won't be able to get a key as of tonight though, you'll have to go to the attendant first thing in the morning for that. You can still lock the doors from the inside though so you'll still be given your privacy." She nods in understanding, seemingly able to understand the situation in a timely manner as both of us leave and lock the door on our way out.

I press the elevator a few floors lower than the one we are currently in and lead her to an open hotel room, she seems content enough as it is, more so eyeing the bathroom door and bed.

"Goodnight, Yukioto-san. I'm grateful for the work you've put in tonight". I send my regards to her as she turns to me and bows in appreciation.

"Goodnight, Haitani-san" she stands back up, a faint smile comes to me as I nod back and step out to close the door to the room.

#ran haitani #!employeeoftheyearseries #oc #bonten #sanzu x oc #mikey x oc #ao3 fanfic

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namedaftercommunists · 2 years

Text

[No.(2]nd) Meeting [Sanzu Haruchiyo]

Masterlist

'My brain is on fire right now.'

My head feels like it's getting jackhammered from the inside out, my eyes are throbbing in pain, I can't focus on anything remotely important right now, and apparently, I have to escort whoever this chick is.

'At least her shoes don't clack on the floor, I'd have lost it long ago if they did.' An irritated sigh comes out of me as I massage the space between my eyes, trying to get the smallest amount of relief from it.

"Um, Haruchiyo-sa--" "Who the f*ck do you think you are calling me Haruchiyo?" I stopped in my tracks and whipped my head around to look back at her, but that turned out to only heighten the headache. A flash of fear and apparent alertness shows on her face before she takes a step back and regains her bearings. "Sorry about that, that's just how the other dude called you though, isn't it?" She makes eye contact with me briefly, eyebrows scrunched.

Is this chick for real? Who does she think she is talking to me like that? Forget the f*ckin escort, I'm going to lead this chick inside a damn coffi---

"Boss!" A loud call comes from the other side of the hallway, followed by multiple clacking footsteps nearing the two of us, and the sound does not help the already growing problem in the slightest. "What!!?" I yell with clear frustration and anger. I turn around and face around 4-5 men in formal attire, all in high alert and fear. More so than the lone chick behind me.

"Boss, we have a problem. The driver that was supposed to get you to Atami Port is missing, boss" One of the men reluctantly answers. "What difference does that make? Just get me a new one" I voice out, clearly not wanting to have to deal with anything right now.

"Most of the drivers are out tonight and we can't seem to find the others, boss" Another one of them replies back. I run a hand through my hair, from front to back trying to get my mood in check and fight the urge to just murder everyone in this damn hallway.

If only I could kill whoever I damn wanted, but a headache isn't really enough justification for King to let the murder of six Bonten lackeys go' I feel my eye twitch for just the smallest amount. "I can drive you there" I hear the chick behind me offer. "No, f*ck no, you're too damn annoying to be driving me somewhere for nearly two hours straight" I glared at her from the side "One of you drive me there" I motioned to the men in front of me.

Silence falls on the hallway for once, only the faint sound of breathing could be heard. As sweet as it was, it only got me even angrier when no one uttered a reply. "I don't think any of us know how to drive sir" one of them spoke up, this one, in particular, being younger than the others.

"How old are you?" I demanded as I looked at him up and down. "I'm twenty-two sir" he answers as he looks down at the tips of his shoes. "You're twenty-two and you don't know how to f*cking drive?!" I yell at the man, my upper body leaning near him as he flinches and tries to avoid my gaze.

'I am *this* close to killing someone'

"I can drive you there, boss" She offers again, her tone lower and slightly more professional than last time. 'Probably got it from these useless bastards right here' A loud and irritated sigh leaves me as I check the watch on my wrist. 'I have 18 minutes left if I want to get to the pier on time.' It's not enough time to find a new driver.

I let out a groan of dissatisfaction and turn to face the chick head-on. "Get me on the pier before 10:20 pm or you're f*cking dead" A flash of happiness lights her eyes as she nods in haste. "That won't be a problem, boss" a small smile shows on her as she looks at me eye to eye.

' I'm already regretting this' I shoot her a disgusted look and turn to the men again, flinching as they wait for my new instructions. "Lead us to the parking lot and don't say a word"

----------

It's only 45 minutes in and I'm already bored out of my mind. I could try to sleep the pain away but it's too much to just brush off. I could try using my phone, but it's better to keep my eyes shut for now.

The soft tapping of the finger belonging to the chick served as a good distraction, it wasn't loud enough to raise a headache out of me, and it was much better than the fast bleeding lights of the other cars outside the window. It was a slow rhythm, the sound ever so slightly muffled by the material of the wheel.

She seemed calm driving despite the fact that she was clearly uncomfortable and on edge back in the hallway. Her turns on the car were smooth, she adjusted the air conditioner to better accompany the cold outside and she most probably kept a good distance away from the other cars as I could only ever hear their engines from a far distance.

She seems to take my current condition into great account, her driving wasn't fast enough to keep me on edge, but it wasn't slow enough that we'd be late with the short time frame I've given her in getting to the port. The occasional sound of horns was annoying but it wasn't really anything she could control seeing as they weren't directed to her due to her sensible driving.

The little things were great and all, but it still wasn't enough to distract me from my throbbing head.

' Might as well start a conversation.' "What car are we in right now?" I ask quietly, taking into mind that if I talk a decibel too loud it would trigger a headache. "It's a BMW 740le armored car. 2017, latest model, boss" she replies back in a softer tone, so much so that it took a second to register what she said. Though her words were a bit hard to comprehend, the smile in her voice was apparent.

"How do I know you're not bullsh*tting me?" I questioned my words harsh, but there was no bite in them. It takes too much energy to do that. A slight exhale leaves her nose, opting to do so rather than a voiced chuckle in case that was to anger me.

"When I was still back in prison, a few of the guards were my fans. Sometimes, they'd let me read a few of the newest car magazines they were subscribed to." There was a short silence before she finished it off with how it was nice of them to do so. "Fans? Prison?" There was a slight scrunch of my eyebrows as I asked. Not that she would notice it as I was faced away from her and she had her eyes on the road.

A low hum leaves her as she focuses on turning to another lane and keeping her distance from the surrounding cars. "I was caught for illegal street racing" she expands more on the subject. "It was my third offense and I was legal already, so I went to prison" a bittersweet tone leaves her as she briefly re-lives the memory.

I noticed something in her speech pattern the more I talked to her. She seemed to only talk in simple sentences, very rarely using bigger words. Her type of speech was informal but it wasn't because she was rude, unlike my previous understanding, it seems like that was the only way she knew how to talk. When she spoke it wasn't voiced in a crude tone, and it didn't have a drop of malice or disrespect in them, she just didn't know how to talk in a formal way.

' But she doesn't have an accent though' I thought of it even more. 'She can speak the language, and needing to know where she's driving, she knows how to read too -at least the basic ones.'

"How old are you?" I ask. "I'm going to be 28 in a few months" she replies back. 'Huh, so she isn't just an old-looking 16 year old' I snicker at the thought. 'Well of course not, she's nearly the same height as me despite being a girl, if she was also sixteen and old looking, she'd be in one of those genetic freaks TV shows'

The soft movement of the car lulled me into a state of false peace, every piece of the machine seemingly in her complete control. Inside here felt as if it was a well-managed environment, with no seeming danger. 'A different experience from the other drivers' I notice. Whenever I was coming down from a high and was forced to move from one point to another, the other drivers' movements would be stiff and on edge, making anyone believe they'd crash due to their uncertainty.

"What's your name again?" I ask, having realized I didn’t know what to refer to her as. "Yukioto Ei, boss" she replies, voice still low. “Sanzu Haruchiyo" I replied back. "You have a very nice name Sanzu-sa---" I cut her off at this. "Don't call me by my name, just call me boss" though my voice was still low, there was an apparent irritation and malice to it. "Sorry, it's a habit. I'll have it fixed in no time, boss" though my tone was hostile, the smile on her voice was still apparent. 'I guess the fact I told her my name was enough to keep the chick happy.’

Not too long after, we arrived at the pier 10 minutes earlier than expected. I grabbed the file from the lackey like I was supposed to while Yukioto waited in the car. The exchange was brief, the other probably too shocked and most definitely too scared to press for more questions, seeing as I was an executive rather than another lackey like him.

The ride back wasn't something to take note of. We hadn't talked after the last exchange and it didn't seem as if we needed to, the quiet was comfortable and didn't need intervention. This type of silence was nice, more often than not the silence I received was due to fear, especially when you take into account my livelihood and position.

‘It might be a different story though once she meets me with a pill in my mouth’ A fleeting thought. On the ride back to the casino, I slept to nurse the remaining dull headache.

When morning came, I woke up in the bed of my room.

#!employeeoftheyearseries #bonten #sanzu x oc #mikey x oc #oc #ao3 fanfic

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