Realistic or Modern Fixers: Japan Edition

[KAYDEN]

Daisuke Tanaka

“Yeah yeah, I guess I’ll just have to be on my best behavior for both of us as per usual.” Daisuke chuckled and leaned against the door frame as Zuki worked to unlock the door. Once they were inside Daisuke took a quick look around as best he could, it was a large suite and fairly nice considering it was a small local hotel. “Yeah I’m not surprised, it’s wicked out there. I saw a few different power lines down too so I’m sure this blackout will be going for a while. I’ll have to run down later and talk to the employee again and see what the food situation is too.”

Zuki went to the bathroom and returned with a towel that Daisuke took from her with a quick thank you before using it to dry off his face and hair a bit. The two stood in silence drying off for a minute, he was finally calming down from the worry that had been bubbling up inside him ever since the storm rolled in. Daisuke knew more than anyone that Zuki could take care of herself but that didn’t keep him from worrying. It didn’t keep him from getting scared every time she was in any form of danger. And now, as he watched her dry her hair now that they were away from all the bullshit outside… he realized that he was being an idiot about a lot of things.

“Zuki.” Daisuke said simply before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the ring that he had been carrying around all vacation. They were going to get married, they loved each other, why was he scared to pull the trigger on anything? Was it because he knew the situation back home was going to be against them? Maybe. But after facing this most recent danger with her, he realized that time was precious and he didn’t want to waste it anymore. “The other day when all the guys went shopping it’s because they went with me to the jeweler. I know I keep saying that after all this goes away I want to give you a real wedding and I know we’re going to get married on paper before but…. I wanted to find you a ring that reminded me of you, I wanted you to have something as a promise for more, for us. I know things are fucking stupid right now but I love you, and I’m going to get out of this bullshit and take you with me.”

Daisuke got down on one knee and opened the ring box, “I know we’re already engaged but you deserve a real proposal.” He beamed up at her as lightning struck outside, lighting up her face for a brief moment as he stared up at her. “I love you, I have for a long time but I was scared what it meant for us. I didn’t know how we could ever make things work or if you would even be interested in a guy like me. But I’m done being scared and focusing on what ifs, I’ve always been stupidly confident in other areas of life so I’m finally going to apply it to us. I love you Kazuki and that’s all that matters. I want to marry you, I want you to be my wife and I want it now. I want to marry you in this stupid hotel room during this insane storm and worry about legalities later. I just want you.”

 

[EclipseRosee]

Shadow; Kage



As the two of them stayed close Kage felt himself stealing glances at all the different parts of Emi’s face, her eyes, her nose, her lips… at one point he felt himself draw closer for a moment as if some invisible force was pulling him near her but he shook his head and quickly backed away when her voice returned him to reality. “Don’t be sorry, I was really mad back then about it but it wasn’t because of you.” It was because I was afraid you would get hurt. He continued in his head but couldn’t let the words escape from his mouth. Kage was scared to let anyone know about the people he cared for, even the people he cared for. It felt like if he mentioned it out loud it would become real, those people would know he cared and it would mean he was vulnerable. That scared him…



“It’s not that I’m putting it on the back burner I guess. It’s that I just don’t know how to be happy anymore. Content sure.” Kage sighed as he listened to her, watching her animated face as the two spoke in the dark. When she mentioned that he was her favorite person he felt his chest clench a bit. “Akari won’t be happy to know I’ve beat her.” His face spread into a small smirk and he reached out to smooth over her hair, “You’re my favorite person too kid. And for what it’s worth, I think I’ve been happy here. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way, and I have you to thank for it.”



The window smashed due to a tree branch busting through it and Kage moved to block some of the wind and rain that was now coming in through the opening. He cursed the storm for ruining the moment but when he looked back over at Emi he realized that maybe it hadn’t… she was smiling at him and still asking about his life. Emi wanted to know about him and something about that fact made his heart warm. “Of course.” He returned her smile before scooping her up once again like he had to bring her up the stairs. “Can’t have you walking on that sprain of course.”



Kage had never acted like this, it was strange to him but he didn’t hate it. He took her downstairs and sat her gently on the plush rug in front of the fire place. “Get this started and I’ll grab you all your supplies okay? You just stay there.” Kage went off and quickly gathered what they needed from the kitchen before grabbing some blankets from the couch and returning to where she was. Before he sat he caught a glimpse of light coming from the pool house out back. Some of the others must have been down there, that was good to know.



“So, what do you want to know Em? I’ll tell you anything you want to hear.” Kage leaned over and wrapped one of the blankets around her shoulders, once again causing them to be face to face. When he finished draping the blanket his hand moved from her shoulders and instead gently took her chin once more only this time it wasn’t so he could tend to her wounded cheek. “I want you to know me, the real me. And I hate it. I hate so much that you have so quickly broken through every line of defense I have without even trying. And I hate it because it’s scary because I’ve never felt that way before about someone, I don’t want you to get hurt because of me anymore but I’m starting to learn you’re too damn headstrong for me to help it. So I want you to know me, and I want to know you.” Kage couldn’t help it, he leaned forward and closed the small distance between the two of them and gently touched his lips to hers. Every rational thought was gone and for once he chose to just let his heart win.

 

[Sir Damien]

"Don't be telling anyone I'm nice, we may have issues." Asa gave a small chuckle as he sat down next to Akari. "I apologize on rating you...I'm really trying to work on myself. Kind of one day at a time at this point, but it's something. Now I just judge people on the inside." His arm wrapped around her and he pulled her closer as he listened to her. "Well, I don't plan on letting you go anytime you soon. I don't fight anymore but I know I'd fight for you... It's good to hear you want to be with me." The thunder clapped outside somewhere close but it didn't seem to phase him. He was far too focused on the moment they were sharing.


Asa turned to face her and gently turned her chin to look up at him. Slowly he leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips. From her chin his hand moved to hold her cheek gently for a long while. Even after pulling away from the kiss he held her face in his hand, giving her a warm smile. "I'm not a romantic, I'm not outgoing. I'm rough around the edges, but I love you. I will do anything I can for you. I will be here no matter what, I'll stand by you no matter what."
--

After two days the typhoon finally settled and everyone, including the pair on the boat, made it back to the house. Asa used his boss for the day card to ensure that Crow would sit in his seat in complete silence the whole ride. So, the ride back actually went peacefully. Plus, it seemed like everyone was content? There was no more awkward tension like there had been on the trip down. Once they were back home the peace was over; Doc resumed working like nothing had ever happened. The scar on his nose was still a sore issue for him so he wore a thin skin prosthetic tape to cover it at work and out in public. At home when it was just him, Akari, and the others then he was more comfortable. It was just going to take some time to get used to...if he got used to it. Cosmetic surgery was always an option when he was fully healed.

Time went on. The warm weather ended and transitioned, leaves started to fall from the trees and he could smell that the snow was coming. On top of his busy schedule of work, going along with Crow's and Daiuske's odd requests from time to time, and helping Akari read the diaries he barely had time to sleep. Typically a busy schedule tired him out, but being able to drive to work with Akari, going through all the information with her, it made him happy. In the fall after their trip he had given her the necklace he had gotten for her, things felt far more serious now though. Most nights they spent in her room, he hardly even went to his room anymore. The Fixers were still together but he had brought her to his penthouse, even getting her a key. Said to make it her own, use it as storage or something he didn't care. Whatever she wanted.

It was nearly Christmas, and although the last few years with the guys weren't anything special it felt completely different this year. Was it the hype the girls were putting into it? Or was it the fact that he had someone special for the first time ever? He could see how happy Daisuke was about being married and it sounded right. After the Fixers were done he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Akari... So, he bought her a ring. Tonight was the night he was going to propose to her.

Akari was supposed to meet him in his- their apartment. He wasn't good at cooking and he didn't even want to bother, but he did order the whole menu from Akari's favorite restaurant. The pristine dining room was lit with candles, set with nice tableware, and had a view of the brightly lit city. Asa was dressed in his nicest suit, his hair was slicked back, and he was fucking nervous as shit. There were even two bottles of vintage wine...hopefully for celebration but perfectly suitable for a night of binge drinking if she said no. She'd say yes, right?

"Too late to go back now." With a heavy sigh he ran a hand through his hair as he paced the apartment. His steel colored eyes looked up at the clock on the wall. She should be here soon, but every minute felt like an hour at this point. His free hand played with the ring box in his pocket.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Luna

Back when Zuki came to this country she was just some slave girl in a box. No name, no family. If she had died that day instead of killing the slave owner no one would have missed her. That was...just how she lived her life. Up until she met Daisuke. He didn't make her feel like shit about what she did, he accepted her no matter what she was accused of. It didn't take long for her to fall for him and for him to become her special person, but she never thought that she'd be in this situation with him. The man was smart, funny (though she'll die before she admitted it to him), witty, charming, and handsome as hell. Zuki never thought she'd be worthy of him. Was that why she was tearing up? Thank god it was dark, hopefully he didn't see her crying. "Daisuke, you're just. Are you sure you're real? You're almost too damn perfect." Zuki quickly wiped away the tears streaming down her pale cheeks. He was on one knee holding out a beautiful fucking ring confessing his love for her? "I'd marry you anywhere Daisuke, this hotel room is perfect. You're perfect." Her hand was shaking as he put the ring on, it looked great on her hand and it was a beautiful ring.

"Esme said I needed to bring rings, too. So I brought wedding bands." As the tears dried up she pulled out the box from her purse, handing it over to him so he could see the black meteorite bands. "I've never been to a wedding, are there special vows or words we have to say? Or can I just say that I loved you then, I love you now, and I'll love you forever. And that I love you more every day? We'll get out of this bullshit together, and we can run away from the city. I'll follow you anywhere and I'll protect us." Zuki pressed her forehead to his with a sweet smile, her now ringed hand held his hand tightly.

--

What was the saying? Once they got back to the city the group hit the ground running. It was back to Esme and Daisuke's wedding, it was back to Zuki keeping her distance from the others, and back to Zuki working for the Suits to pretend nothing was out of the ordinary. It seemed the more she followed her orders the less the police seemed to come around. It confirmed that she had been set up, and that if she didn't play her part they'd get rid of her. Nerve-wracking but, she did what she had to do. Daisuke said he'd figure it out, and if Zuki got herself killed before he figured it out she was sure that he would kick her ass. So Zuki was being as good as she could.

That maybe lasted a few months. Zuki was ordered to kill someone but, now she questioned everything they ordered her to do. She researched the guy for the next few weeks and determined the man wasn't a bad guy; all of his staff worked their willingly from her research and had nothing to say badly about him. The only thing about him? He was from a group that went against the Suits believes. So Zuki just didn't kill the man. Instead she sent Esme's father a reply that the man wasn't a problem and if he wanted something done, he could do it himself. After that they didn't communicate much.

Meanwhile at home, everyone was getting hyped for Christmas. Zuki had never really celebrated it, she knew it was some gift giving holiday but that was about it. Couples were weird about it. Hot cocoa, snowy walks, snowmen. Skating? All new to her. Daisuke and her were barely allowed to act like husband and wife but she told him that she wanted to do all of the winter couple things.

Her first day off in a while was spent going around with Esme and Pepe shopping for a gift for Daisuke. She had settled on a really nice looking black watch, it kind of matched their rings they weren't allowed to wear. On her way home however, Esme was met with a familiar face. Another hitman for the Suits, one that was more secretive than her and Lee. He was erratic, psychotic, and had a quick trigger finger. The two got into a shootout match in the alleyway, it went on for a while as she tried to shake him. The two were out of bullets, got into a fist fight. Zuki ended up getting her head smashed into the concrete and blacking out.

When she woke up she was in the hospital. She knew her name was Hazuki, she knew she worked for the Suits. She knew Lee, and Candy. What she didn't remember? anything from the last few years. More specifically, she didn't remember Daisuke. Daisuke had been her emergency contact so he was contacted about the incident, about the tumor they found on the scan and insisted he got up there. Only, Zuki hadn't woke up yet. The hospital didn't know how mean and angry she could be when she was confused. She was going to want to run, and fast.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sunny

"You're the best." As Kage sat her in front of the fireplace Emi tried to calm down her loudly beating heart. Kage was saying she was his favorite person, scooping her in his arms, he was being so open and sweet. Maybe it was just her imagination running wild that there was more there, but she hoped it wasn't. While he went to the kitchen she shook off her goosebumps and moved to start the fire, thankful that all the supplies were right on the fireplace. By the time he came back she was settling back down on the rug with the fire now going. It wasn't long until she realized that she wasn't imagining that something was there. His words made her heart ache and her cheeks light up a bright red, and for the first time the bubbly woman found herself speechless.

Then Kage kissed her and she felt as if she'd melt into a puddle. She leaned into him to return the kiss, her hand gently reaching up to hold his face so they could have a long moment. By the time she remembered she had to breath Emi quickly pulled away and swore she was red from her toes to her ears. "We'll have to get to know each other better then. We can tackle anything together, so don't be scared. Okay?"

--

Emi didn't want to leave the vacation house. They had fallen asleep in front of the fire talking during the storm, and by the end of the two day storm it felt like they had gotten so much closer. They shared stories of good memories, sad memories, and stories that made them who they are today. Emi told him why she was always trying to make sure everyone was happy, growing up she was all alone most of the time and she didn’t want anyone to feel like that. The typhoon ended, everyone was safe, and they were headed home. Would things go right back to normal when they got back to the city? She was terrified he'd go back to being super secretive once they got back. Thankfully, he didn't. They spent time together like usual around the house, and he even went with her when he asked her to go out if he was free. They didn't really label what they were, but they were something. Right? She had never had a boyfriend before but, from what the girls would talk about it seemed like they were a couple. Did she want a label? Maybe, but she didn't really focus too much on it. Their plates were far too full.

Over the next few months she tried to ignore her fathers texts. But he had set a date for her to be home by and she didn't see an out to it. He even specified not to get her white haired friend involved, that he'd send someone to take care of him as well as getting Akari framed. Daisuke was always busy so she couldn't talk to him about it, plus she didn't want to drag him into any other drama. Emi was already set that she had to go back home and get married, it was unavoidable. The thought of leaving made her sick, but she just wanted to enjoy the time she had with the others while she could. If she refused Kage would get hurt and Akari would get fired...it wasn't worth fighting. Those were her people and she had to protect them.

So, what did she do? Distracted everyone with over the top holiday cheer. She'd leave after Christmas but would make sure everyone had the best time! The whole house was decorated from top to bottom, they had a massive tree in the living room that they all went to go pick out and cut. And she made sure to get everyone cute presents! Plus, Gus Gus had on a new bowtie on every day for the 25 days of Christmas theme. "Gus, you look SO cute with your santa hat on. Seriously, you could be insta famous." Emi yawned quietly as she finished placing the final present under the tree, reaching down and patting the cat on the head. Everyone sounded busy tonight so Emi spent time wrapping presents instead of cooking dinner. Wrapping helped her avoid Kage, he was always able to figure out whatever she was keeping a secret and she couldn't let him figure out that she was leaving in a few days. It broke her heart but this kept him and Akari safe.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Crow

Everything was perfect besides the storm. It hit like a ton of bricks, and nowhere in the weather report did it call for a typhoon! Despite him trying to traverse through the waves and head home it didn't seem like he was making any progress. Candy wouldn't leave the drivers nest with him even though he kept telling her to go down below to ensure her safety, but like every other day she was stubborn. He didn't know why he expected her to listen; he knew she was just as worried about the storm and their safety. "Yeah, okay, you're right." Crow gave a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair, nodding slowly as he flipped the switch for the anchor. "Shit." An error popped up on the screen saying that the anchor was stuck. "Go downstairs and get dry, okay? I'll be down in a second, I just have to get the anchor unstuck." Crow took his captains jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders before he walked across the wet deck to the anchor.

He didn't expect that while he was pulling the anchor out of the slot that a wave would rock the boat hard enough to throw him off into the water. In a pool Crow was a half decent swimmer, but with the storm and the undertow in the water he wasn't able to figure out which way was up. Thankfully, Candy was able to throw him the bright orange life preserver that helped him figure out which way to go. Once he was out they took shelter underneath the deck for the remainder of the storm.

--

Luckily the boat had enough supplies on it to last the length of the storm. There had been a few times Crow was scared that the boat would capsize from the sheer force of the waves, but after a few days the waves died down and the storm passed. It allowed him to bring the boat in, and also swear off of boats for the next lifetime. Their next vacation would be somewhere far from the water, maybe the mountains. Crow wasn’t happy with the boss for the day no talking rule but he got to sit back and enjoy his time on the bus with Candy, his now girlfriend.

That’s pretty much the philosophy he used for the next few months. Hang out, make memories, experience things with Candy that he normally never would do. Whatever she wanted he was game for. They had weekend nights they spent at her apartment above the bar. Something never quite sat right with their nights at the apartment though, sometimes he’d feel like they were being watched. Crow believed in ghosts but he didn’t think it was a ghost…at least, he hoped it wasn’t a ghost. But with Candy always being there he never found the time to investigate beyond the curtain. All he knew was it was an uncomfortable feeling and he didn’t want Candy alone in the apartment, though she never mentioned feeling anything spooky like he did. Maybe it was just his imagination?

Winter was fast approaching and the group seemed to be in the Christmas spirit. They had gotten a large tree, decorated every inch of the house, even the damn cat was dressing up. It was his first year with Candy in person for the holidays so it felt different, it felt really special. He was all about spending time with her and watching Christmas movies, he was drinking cocoa with whipped cream and cinnamon and peppermint almost every chance he got. Proposing wasn’t in their future like Asa was planning though, Crow just wanted to make memories with Candy. It was a simple wish but that’s all he wanted. That didn’t stop him from buying her cool gifts. Hell he even bought her her own garage to work on cars, he got her a couple classic cars that needed some work done to them and he was SO excited to give her the gift.

Tonight they were at bar, it was due to be a busy night and Crow was helping set up as much as he could. At some point Candy asked him to run upstairs to grab something and of course he was eager to help, so the tall man ran up the side of the building to the apartment. However, once he was inside he felt that eery feeling again. It gave him goosebumps, so badly that he wasn’t able to rub them off of his arms as he went to Candy’s desk to grab the requested item. Candy was downstairs, and it wasn’t often Crow was alone in the apartment…he’d apologize for the violation of her privacy later, he couldn’t shake this bad feeling he had.

With a deep encouraging breath Crow worked up the nerve to step behind the curtain in the hallway. Hopefully he was just being paranoid and he’d find nothing unusual…

 

[ZombieBaee]

Sherlock

Just like Akari had thought, the storm during the end of their trip was just an omen of what was yet to come. Well at least for her, she supposed she couldn’t speak for the others. When they all returned home she was able to remain happy for a while, she was in love with an amazing man, they took the next step and she was given a key to his home, things were going well at work and it was the holidays! But under all the amazing things happening on the surface, Akari was starting to crack. Slowly she had been making her way through her mothers journals, occasionally filling in Asa when she did but over time she stopped completely. There was so much darkness there, so much confusion that was stirring in Akari.

The way her mother talked about things… it was the same way Akari viewed the world. The only difference was that the two were on completely opposite sides of justice. Akaris mother had been part of a founding family from the suits, all women had been members. Her brothers? All attempts for her mom to have a girl to pass her legacy onto. Everything her mother did she said was for the safety of their family, to ensure they had a good life, to rid the world of evil. It sounded like at one point the suits was meant to be a radical group of anti government criminals, ones that hated the control and hoped for a free self governed world. That wasn’t how things worked in Akaris opinion but… maybe at one point they weren’t so bad. However the more she read the could see how things changed, they were losing control of their members and things got more and more violent and secretive. That was why Asas parents were killed, they tried to stop following the rules.

Then, as if the identity crisis she was having wasn’t enough… Akari found out the worst news of all today. She finally finished the diary on break at work and she was ready to snap. After her lunch she went and asked her boss for a leave of absence, personal reasons, urgent. Not that Akari thought she could ever come back from what she planned to do next but… maybe. After that she headed home to get her things together, she only hoped that she would beat Asa home so that she could simply leave him the letter she wrote and be on with it. See, Akari was about to throw away her life and as much as that hurt, right now it felt like the only thing she could do.

At home she made her way up to their door and unlocked it with the key Asa had given her, stoping for a minute and staring at it in the lock for a moment as tears filled her eyes. “Dammit.” Akari opened the door and quickly blinked away the tears before shutting the door behind her and walking further into the room. Mistake. Instantly she noticed the lack of light, the cozy candles lit all around their dining room and the smell of amazing food all around her. Asa was standing there, handsome as ever and pacing the room. He looked nervous, Asa never looked nervous.

Again, Akari felt herself nearly splitting in half. The part of her filled with this new found rage was telling her to just walk off and grab her things while the other part, the one that loved this man more than words could explain wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around him and ask him to help her out of all this… “Asa what’s going on?” Akari looked around the room, pulling her purse tighter to her body as if reminding herself she couldn’t stay long. The longer she stayed the harder it would be to leave.

“No-sorry I can’t. I’m sorry I asked, I actually really have to get going.” Akari knew she probably looked and sounded insane, honestly she felt it too. “I- fuck.” She tan a hand through her hair and turned, she couldn’t look at him. “I’m leaving. I finished the diary today and… I don’t know who I am anymore. I don’t know how to be me, the me I thought I was. Everything was a lie, it was all always a lie! He took me into that house and he KNEW! He knew what he did to my mom and to me! He knew what he was responsible for and yet he made me feel like a fucking LEECH, he made Emi jump through hoops to take me in when he was behind it fucking ALL.” Akari was crying, screaming, breaking. “I’m going to kill him Asa and after that I don’t know what’s going to happen. I can’t take any of you with me, I’m not trained or good at any sneaky shit and I don’t want to be. I want him dead.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Candy

It was a miracle that they survived the storm, it was wild, the boat nearly capsized a hundred different times. Eventually everything calmed down and they were able to make it back to the others to find everyone was safe. Candy herself had never been so happy to be on solid ground. Everyone seemed in good spirits considering everything else that had happened in the last two days. Daisuke and Zuki even got married! It was all so amazing in spite of the bad weather at the end of their trip.

Back in the city all the couples starting spending a lot of time kind of on their own, obviously they all still “lived” together but there was a clear separation happening. Asa and Akari were at his home more often than not and Crow stayed with Candy wherever she went, not that she was complaining! She got a boyfriend and a free employee out of the deal! “Crow will you go run and grab my glasses from upstairs? My contacts are killing myself and I don’t have time to switch them.” She smiled over at her boyfriend and watched as he quickly made his way up to her apartment.

Candy was behind the bar today and during the holidays they got a lot more traffic than usual, they were close to a lot of shops and people got stressed during the season. She continued taking orders and filling drinks, occasionally stopping to give Esme a few pointers. The girl was always at the bar with Pepe, avoiding her father and finding the fun in being a normal person and not a rich socialite. Honestly it was starting to be fun to have her around. “Hey can you guys watch the bar? Crow is taking a while upstairs… I think he might be having trouble finding my glasses.”

Pepe and Esme nodded, taking control of the bar and Candy slipped into the back to take a moment to wash her hands and take out the overly dry contacts. Her vision was a little blurry now but she could at least make it up the stairs and find Crow like this she hoped, anything was better than how annoying the contacts had been. Candy turned and found the stairwell up with little difficulty and began to slowly make her way up to her loft.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Shadow;Kage

Being with someone was new to Kage, the idea of romance was strange and affection was foreign. But part of him was slowly realizing that for Emi it was worth it. The way Daisuke talked about Zuki, he was starting to understand that feeling. He knew he wasn’t worthy of her but if she didn’t care, if she was willing to wait for him to grow, the least he could do was stop running away from his emotions until he reached that point. That night of the storm they became something, they were together? There was no label but he could feel it was different now. Emi told him to not be scared, so he would do his best to not be.

-

They all returned to the city and for a while it was business as usual but with some added pieces. Emi was with him all the times they could be together, when he wasn’t on a job and she wasn’t working, they were together doing something. However now that she was so focused on making Christmas special for everyone she seemed to be completely engrossed with that. It made Kage sadder than he thought it would, suddenly when she wasn’t around as much it felt like a piece of him was missing. He did his best to not complain, a he wasn’t sure he was ready to be that vulnerable and b Emi loved doing all this type of shit for everyone, it wasn’t his place to whine about it.

“Gus isn’t the only cute thing around here.” Kage entered the living room to find Emi sitting near the tree and petting Gus, it seemed to be one of her new most frequent spots now. He had been out in a job all day and finally actually finished it, he was even able to come home a little earlier than he had planned. “Is that the last of them finally then?” He smiled down at her and reached down to smooth over some of her hair as he stared at the giant pile of presents. Kage had never seen anything like it and once again he was faced with another reason he loved this woman. Her heart was so big. She did so much shit for everyone around her. “Want to get dinner or something tonight sense I’m home a bit earlier than planned? I feel like we haven’t been able to do anything in a week or two now.”

Kage tan a hand over his own hair and crossed his arms across his chest as he looked down at her with a slightly red face. “I mean it is Christmas time, I could take my girlfriend out to see the lights in the city or something?”

 

[KAYDEN]

Daisuke Tanaka

They were married. Hah. Well, sort of. Daisuke still couldn’t believe it? It felt so strange and euphoric. It wasn’t legal yet but it still felt so real, there was so much that Daisuke gave up for the ability to live his life the way he wanted. To marry the woman he loved. He had given up his family, his legacy, his security. Back then he had been unsure he made the right decision but now that he met Zuki? He could go back in time and kiss the old him for making the right move. Daisuke knew they still had a lot of speed bumps in front of them but this was a huge step, a step that made him so happy he nearly thought he might explode.

Back in the city the first thing he did was take the marriage license to the courthouse and get everything handled. Thankfully his reputation and charisma got him a lot of friends in the legal world so he was able to get everything squared away with a lot of money and little talking. As much as he wanted to scream to the world about his new wife, he knew that for now he needed to keep it under wraps as best they could. That unfortunately meant that a lot of their time together had to happen inside their home, out of public eye. It didn’t help that Zuki was also having to work for the Suits a lot more to keep them off her back after her stupid ass arrest.

A few weeks ago she had expressed that despite their situation she wanted to do all the Christmas couple activities, ever since then Daisuke had been trying his best to figure out a way to make that happen but kept coming up short. But with some help with Emi and a whole lot of credit card debt, Daisuke finally had a plan. He rented out an ice rink and had it decorated like the lights downtown, he had hot chocolate brought in and food trucks ready to go outside. It was insane but… it was something he wanted to do for her. Right now they couldn’t be open, he hated that too, but he still wanted to find ways to treat her like a queen.

Daisuke had been heading to the rink when he got the call from the hospital. He nearly caused 8 accidents on the way there as well. It was like his brain stopped working, he just went into autopilot, dangerous autopilot. At the hospital he ran inside, some nurses directed him where he needed to go after he questioned them but once he arrived outside the room he was held back by some of the male employees that saw him coming. They explained what was going on, that she didn’t look good and that she was still asleep but Daisuke didn’t care. He wanted to be in there with her. He wanted to be there for her when she woke up. They explained that if he calmed down and prepared for the worst they would let him in… so he did. Daisuke took a beat to take a few breaths and was released by the men before being shown inside.

They weren’t wrong, Zuki looked bad. It broke him inside, he didn’t know how to react or what to do and that scared him. He was always the man with a plan but there was nothing he could do about this. Daisuke made his way over to her bed and pulled up a chair close so he could hold her hand as he watched her sleep, the beeps in the room the only thing comforting him because it meant she was still alive. “Zuki…” He whispered, tears forming in his eyes. “We can run away if you wake up okay? I know I said before that we couldn’t but… I’ll run away from them forever if it means you’re safe okay? I’ll run away wherever for you, over and over again. Just please be okay.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Luna

Did the hitman leave her alive because he knew her or did he think that she was already dead? Did it matter at this point? The doctors weren’t sure if she’d wake up with the amount of swelling she had on her brain, they were just going to medicate her and wait it out. If she woke up great, they could treat the tumor and she’d be back to normal. No one mentioned the possible memory loss to Daisuke…someone probably should have prepared him for that situation.

A voice near her caused her to stir. She couldn’t tell you who the voice belonged to, but it sounded so sad. Who would have been sad for Zuki? Not anyone sane. “A girl can’t get any rest around here. My heads fucking killing me.” Slowly her eyes blinked open as they adjusted to the harsh, bright hospital lights. There was beeping, something cold running in her veins…and someone she didn’t know at her bedside. What happened next was an instantaneous reaction; Zuki sat up from the bed, grabbed a bandaid and cotton ball from the bedside and she ripped out her IV. “I’ve got to go.” Cotton ball first followed by the bandaid over her bleeding IV site. Next she dumped out the contents her purse onto the bed in her lap, clearly on a mission.

First thing she picked up was her empty gun, and the large hunting knife that was next to a shiny wrapped present with a tag that read Daisuke. “It was someone I know, but I can’t remember who. If they got the best of me then it’s only a handful of people… can’t take the phone, they could be tracking me. Right.” Zuki ripped off all of the equipment on her tracking her vitals and she stood from the bed, a bit woozy but she stood. “Aish, I look rough.”She looked in the mirror and touched her bruised up face. Her bangs were matted in dried blood and she looked like a murder victim. “I assume they won’t let me just walk out, will they?” Zuki walked to the door and locked it so they couldn’t get inside to stop her from what she was about to do.

Quickly Zuki changed from her hospital gown to her bloodied black sweater and jeans. “So who are you? The guy that found me, or did they assign someone to babysit me?” She slipped on her combat boots and tossed her hair up into a ponytail. “Anyways, thanks for whatever you did. Don’t look so sad, I’m alive aren't I? Believe it or not I’ve been in worse situations.” As she moved to the window to assess her situation she let out a small sigh. “Second floor…I’ve had worse falls.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sunny

“Oh, Kage! Welcome home.” Emi beamed a bright smile up at him as he made his way over to her, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red when she realized he complimented her. “Yup, all the presents are wrapped and ready for Christmas! It’s usually not this busy when it was just Akari and I, but shopping for you guys was just way too much fun.” For a moment she couldn’t help but smile sweetly as he smoothed over her hair, though her heart began aching when she realized that this would all come to a stop soon enough. Never did she think she’d find someone who made her so happy

As he spoke she stood to her feet and smoothed out her obnoxiously bright Christmas sweater, nearly falling back down to the ground when he used the word girlfriend. Tears stung in her eyes and she did her best to wipe them away. Was it possible to cry tears of joy and sadness at the same time? A part of her wished that he had never said that, as if leaving wasn’t hard enough already. There was no way she could leave without saying anything now. “Girlfriend huh? I would love that. I’ve really missed you.” Stop being emotional, Emi. Get your shit together or he’ll know somethings wrong. “So, we’re like an official couple now? That means you’re responsible for Gus if anything happens to me.” Yeah, cool. That was smooth. “Alright! Dinner, pretty Christmas lights, cutest couple in Japan, let’s go!” With a bright smile she took his hand and walked down to the car.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Crow

Behind the curtain it appeared to just be a normal hallway at first. Dark, a few rooms leading off of it with no light appearing on. Only, he noticed for a millisecond something flickered in one of the rooms. Had a light been on? No, Crow was just being overly skittish as usual. Still, he had to check. For peace of mind? Yeah, there wasn’t a ghost there or anything. This was just for peace of mind. Without making a peep he quietly moved to the door and grabbed hold of the handle. Beads of sweat appeared on his overly nervous forehead as he took a deep encouraging breath. There was nothing, this would finally prove it. He just had to open the fucking door.

As soon as the door silently opened he tried to adjust his eyes to the darkness. As they did he noticed it was someone’s bedroom and it looked like someone had been living there. Before he could go further in his investigation something moved in front of him, a dark shadow that sent a cold shiver down his spine. Instantly his fist flew forward to hit whatever was in his way and he could hear someone coughing as his fist connected with something. Was this a person instead of a ghost? “You fucking piece of shit!” the voice coughed out and Crow could feel his brows furrowing. “Lee? What the fuck-” Crow, however, was not able to finish his sentence. Something cold and metal slammed onto his head with a heavy hand and he felt his knees collapse and drop him to the floor. Why the hell was Lee in Candy’s apartment? He needed to stay awake, to warn Candy! As Crow fought the heaviness of his lids take over he could hear the door to the loft open. “Candy run…!” That was all the teal haired man was able to force out though, soon the heavy lids won and he was out.

—-

The hit to the head had been so hard Crow didn’t flinch as he was loaded into the back of a van. He didn’t move as he was unloaded, though he could remember fading in and out of consciousness during the transport. where were they going? Did Candy make it out? He prayed Lee didn’t get his grubby hands on her. If crow lived through this he swore that he’d make Lee pay for everything. That was his last thought before he blacked out again.

Finally Crow was able to force his eyes open, though he wasn’t in any place familiar when he did. Adrenaline forced him to jump up despite his raging headache, his blue eyes darting around the room as he tried to look for Lee or Candy, but all he found was a strange brunette woman sitting across from the couch he was laying on. “My son, welcome home. I knew we’d get you back one way or the other.” The woman had a small smirk on her face but all Crow could do was stand up and grab a nearby ceramic lamp for self defense. “I came here with a girl—what I mean was, fucking KIDNAPPED with my girlfriend. I would like her back and I want to leave.”

“Now now Crow, we have to talk. Your friend is safe and we’ll bring her out when we’re done. I promise, no harm will come to a single strand of oddly colored hair on her. Quit being silly and put down the lamp. I just want to talk and offer you a proposition.” As much as Crow didn’t like the idea of not seeing Candy he wasn’t in the position to call any shots. He’d let the weird broad talk and then she’d let them go. “Fine, let’s talk.” Crow kept the lamp near him as he listened to the woman.

 

[Sir Damien]

Doc

Click. The sound of the door unlocking was enough to make Asa start sweating. It was go time. Unfortunately, as his nervous steely colored eyes landed on Akari he knew something was wrong. They weren’t just going to have a candle lit dinner, things weren’t going to end well. He prayed to whoever the fuck would listen that it was just the pessimism talking, but…his gut feelings had never failed him thus far. And it was right to feel that way. Akari, she…she was breaking down and it was killing him to watch. Fuck, it was killing him to hear her words. She was leaving? His heart felt like it was being torn out of his chest and getting kicked in the stomach all at once. “Akari I just need you to breath, okay? You’ve been reading the diary and not keeping me updated? I told you that you shouldn’t do this alone.”

Asa ran his hand through his frustration and shook his head. He blew out the candles and turned on the brighter lights so she wouldn’t hopefully look at him and come to her senses. “I understand you’re mad, and you’re confused. But you are the same Akari that I know and love. Strong, driven, beautiful, fucking amazing, and sensible. Don’t go, Akari. Please? I-I need you.” He wanted her to be his family, he wanted to marry her. But all she wanted to do was run. “You don’t have to do it alone. I-we can get Zuki. Shadow. Someone. Please, don’t do this.” Asa didn’t show weakness, he didn’t beg. There was no way he could help himself on this adventure, he wasn’t that type of person anymore. Neither was Akari though. “You’re not this person. We have guys that will do it for you, there’s no need to go about it this way. Let’s have some dinner, we’ll talk to the others tomorrow about this. Don’t want dinner? We can uh, go get cocoa? I can order anything you want, I’ll go get anything you want. Whatever you want and it’s yours.”

Suddenly Asa was afraid what he had said wouldn’t have been enough for her. If he didn’t try now he could be losing his chance for good, he didn’t want her to disappear without giving it his all. Asa walked to her and cleared his throat quickly before moving to kneel on one knee. “I was hoping to do this after dinner, but Akari you mean everything to me. I’ll do anything I can to help you, I’ll spare no expense and go to the ends of the earth to try to help you. Please be my wife?” And, with that put out into the universe, he pulled out the black box and popped it open to show her the engagement ring.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Sherlock

“I can’t breathe!” Akari yelled, her purse dropping off her shoulder and onto the ground as she threw her hands in the air for a moment, “You don’t get it, I just kept going deeper and deeper and finding more and more I didn’t want you to know about me. The fact that I came from these people makes my skin fucking crawl Asa. Then finding out that my dad wasn’t my dad? That Hitoshi was my father, Emi is my half sister and I never knew it.” Akari finally looked over at him, her face was red from all the emotion, tears had kind of stopped at this point as if she was all out. Honestly at this point she was verging on numb. Well, that is until Asa started talking again.

This was why she hoped he wasn’t home, seeing him made this all so much harder. “No Asa, I can’t ask anyone for help with this. This isn’t a Suits thing, this is personal. This is revenge.” Saying it out loud made her want to vomit, when did she change so much? Akari had a strong sense of justice, she cared about her friends and dammit she loved this man in front of her more than she ever thought she could love another person. When did she become so jaded? So scared? Her eyes widened in a horrible mix of surprise and horror when Asa got down on one knee. “Asa get up. Don’t do this. Please. Please don’t say what I think you’re going to say because I can’t… if you say it I-“ He did exactly what she thought he would, opening the box and allowing her a glimpse at the ring but all she could do was stare at him as tears erupted from her eyes and her body slumped down to the floor as well.

There she sat, a mess. Her legs had given out and now she just sat there silently on the ground, staring at her hands as they held her up slightly. “I-there is nothing more I want than to just stay here with you Asa. To be strong like you were, to move past your past and do better. I just- I don’t know how to move on from a past I didn’t know I had without doing this. All I can think about is all the terrible things he’s done, all the people he’s hurt. He closed the door in her face! He promised her a life together and once I was born and not a boy, he dropped her like that. She killed herself because of that, she was in love with him and thought he was too and all he wanted was a fucking son.” She scoffed and continued, “Anyone who loves someone in my family is fucking cursed and I won’t let you get tangled up in my shit Asa. I love you so fucking much it scares me sometimes, but you shouldn’t love me. I-Im doing the thing I yelled at you for, I’m running away. I know that, I know that I’m a hypocrite. But I can’t help it. All I see is fucking red.”

Akari finally pulled herself up off the ground and picked up her purse. She pulled out the letter that she had hoped to leave him without having to be face to face. It explained everything in the diaries, told her everything she loved about him and all she hoped he would be, how he should move on and that he deserved better. How sorry she was. All of it. Without a word she placed it on the table with her key and turned to walk out the door, she would simply just have to buy new clothes and such… she couldn’t be here anymore.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Candy

“Crow? What’s going on up there?” Candy neared the top of the stairs and could hear a bit of commotion, was he really having that hard of a time finding her glasses? She could have sworn they were just on her bed stand. “Crow?” Candy called out again as she opened the door to the apartment, as soon as she did she was met with his voice telling her to run. However… she didn’t move because she was so shocked about the direction the voice came from that she didn’t even process the words that he said. Down the hall she could see that the curtain leading to the rest of the apartment had been disturbed, drawn back slightly. Even without her contacts she could make out the rough outline of their old living room and suddenly Candy felt like she couldn’t breathe.

See, Candy never accepted her parents death or mourned them properly. Since they died she had never been into that room, never visited their grave and never looked at a single family photo. It was too much, between their secret life and loosing them both she had never come to terms with it all.

“Crow is that you?” A figure moved slowly towards her, it seemed far too large to be Crow. But soon she realized it was actually two people, one walking with another man slumped over his shoulder. A man slumped over his shoulder with teal hair. “Oh my god Crow! What did you do to him! Who are you!” She moved to run towards them but was met with the familiar sound of a gun clicking and she froze where she stood, then before she knew it she was being pushed to the ground and a cloth went over her mouth that made her world go dark.

-

When Candy woke up she found herself in a fairly nice bedroom, clearly the home of someone well off. She herself was tied to a chair with her arms and legs each attached to the chair with some insanely scratchy rope. It took her mind a few moments to catch up with everything that had happened, she could remember the stairway up to the apartment… Crow yelling and then it just all got fuzzy from there.

That is until she looked around the room and found a familiar face sitting in a chair directly across from her at the table. “Lee what is this.” Candy knew she should probably be a lot more scared of him than she was but this wasn’t her first rodeo with this nut job. He simply laughed and stood from the seat he had been in, kicking it aside and making his way over to her, leaning down and grabbing her chin as she tried to move back. “Where is Crow? I swear to god if you hurt him I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Woah Woah Woah Miss Candy.” Lee spoke with a sneer, using the idiot IT gurus stupid pet name for the woman in front of him. “I wouldn’t get so cocky when you’re about to be into a world of hurt beautiful.” He laughed once more before pulling out a cigarette and a lighter, lighting up and taking a few deep breaths before taking the red hot end and pressing it firmly into Candys pale skin on her arm. “I’m really going to like this.”

A scream erupted from her that she didn’t know she could produce. The first cigarette got a small reaction, it hurt like a bitch but she was a mechanic, she had been burned before. For s minute she was refusing to react, she knew it was what he wanted from her. But now… after realizing the cigarette wouldn’t do the trick alone, Lee pulled a pocket knife from his pants and jammed it into the burn without a second thought. “Stop it! Why are you doing this shit! I’m not going to tell you what you want so just get it over with already if you’re going to kill me!”

 

[KAYDEN]

Daisuke Tanaka

Everything went so fast and before he could respond to anything Daisuke was having to jump forward and pull Zuki away from the window. “Are you insane?!” He pleaded with her to calm down as nurses and staff began to bang on the door. Daisuke yelled to them that they were fine and to give them a moment and thankfully that seemed to keep them at bay for a moment or two. “Zuki what is going on?” He hoped that it was just from the trauma of her injury but… something seemed seriously off. “Wait do you not remember who I am?”

That hurt. That hurt a lot. Daisukes grip loosened on her hospital gown and he looked around the room frantically, heading over to where they kept her belongings and searching through it all. First he held up the gift with his name on it, “See this? I’m Daisuke. This was for me I presume.” He kept looking, searching for her ring and finally found it attached to a chain he had given her to keep it hidden under her clothes. After finding it he reached under the neckline of his shirt to pull out his own ring that was hidden on a chain around his neck. Her turned and held both up to her, searching her face for any sign of recognition while he spoke. “I’m your husband. Do you really not remember? What about Candy or Crow, do you even remember Emi or Akari from the bar at all?”

It looked like he wasn’t getting anywhere with this, Daisuke didn’t know what to do and as much as he wanted to open the door to get the nurses to help. He knew what Zuki used to be like and he didn’t want to scare her even more.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Luna

What was with this guy? Something about his face and voice seemed extremely familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She didn’t deal with nice people often and this guy seemed way too nice for her. “Husband huh?” Zuki smoothed over her clothes now that she had changed out of the hospital gown, quickly shaking her head. “I don’t think you get it, I’m a fucked up person and I do fucked up shit. You seem like a good guy, delusional but still a good guy. You can do a lot better than me.” Those weren’t the words he wanted to hear, that she was sure of, but Zuki was being honest. Why would she get this guy sucked up into her bullshit?

By the time he had came back with the ring on the chain Zuki had made a lasso out of the sheet on the bed, she had just finished tightening the knot when he pulled out his ring as well. For some reason the rings made her heart ache, and for a second she felt like she was remembering something. “Daisuke?” Slowly she took her ring on the chain and looked down at it, her thumb gently running over the black gem. That is, until a loud knock came from the door and caused her to flinch away from his hands. She took the ring with her and shoved it in the pocket of her jeans, shaking her head profusely at the names he spoke. “You’ve got the wrong person.”

That was it. Zuki grabbed hold of the IV pole and with a harsh slam she sent it flying out of the window. “It was nice to meet you though Daisuke, I like that name.” Quickly she grabbed the lasso, stepped onto the glass covered window sill with her combat boots, and jumped. The lasso caught a nearby tree branch and allowed her to swing to the ground safely. Once her boots met the ground she was gone, booking it into the shadows.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Crow

The lady that called herself his mother spoke to Crow at length about who she was and what she did. She founded the Suits when Crow was just a baby, they were to take down all the corruption in the world. His father was killed by some of her rivals and she swore that Crow had died with him up until a few months ago, Some of her people had gotten lost in their venture and found themselves corrupted along the way, and she needed his help to figure out who. Crow was brilliant just like his father and he was the only one capable of it. She offered him to ensure his friends safety if he helped her on her computer system. If they were successful the suits would be able to resume their purpose and achieve order in the world.

She had him intrigued; he had always wanted to know more about his mother, his father had said that she died when he was born. His father told him to hide after his death but he never specified who…maybe Crow had been hiding from the wrong people this whole time? Maybe the Suits were just good people and she needed help cleaning it up, like she said. That’s all Crow wanted was peace and order in the world. The woman looked exactly like a female older Crow too; long brown hair, a sweet smile, and they even had similar eyes. He was sold on helping her, especially if she could guarantee their safety.

Then he heard Candy’s scream and he was pulled from the conversation so fast he swore he had whiplash. “You said she’d be fine!” Crow ran towards the scream and found that the door was locked, nothing a harsh kick couldn’t fix. “You fucking fuck, how many times do I have to tell you to stay away from her?!” Thankfully, Crow had brought the lamp. He immediately smashed it over Lee’s head and watched him fall to the floor. “Want to start wiping out your betraying fucks? I want him gone. You promised she wouldn’t be hurt and he didn’t fucking listen. He’s stalked her, he’s tried to kill me, he’s tried to kill all my friends. End his career.” Crow sighed heavily and knelt down in front of Candy. “I-I’m sorry, I really am.” He saw the burn and he knew that this was the corruption in the world he wanted gone. People like Lee were a waste of breath. Who could hurt someone like Candy? “Have Asa fix that up, I need to stay here to handle some things. Take care of the house and everyone for me, okay?” Crow felt tears well up in his eyes. “And this is your Christmas present. I won’t be there to see you open it but…” Crow took out the small box with the key and address on it. “This isn’t goodbye Candy, okay? It’s just see you later. I love you, and I’m sorry. I have to do this though.” His lips landed on her cheek, avoiding eye contact like his life depended on it.

“Have someone take her home safely please, I’ll start working.” With that said, Crow stood and wiped the tears in his eyes. He turned and walked past his mother and the two large guards that stood in the doorway. The corruption in the world killed his father, killed Candy’s family. It had to end and Crow wanted to help it end. That was the whole reason he made the fixers…

 

[ZombieBaee]

Sherlock

“Did you get this too?” Akari held up her phone screen from where she sat on the couch to Zuki on the chair besides her. A weird text had come through earlier that morning and only now was she getting the chance to ask her roommate about it. Her a Zuki were an unlikely pair but since everything that went down right before Christmas, it made sense for them to lean on one another.

After leaving Asa in their apartment, Akari went straight to Hitoshi. All the pain she had just endured left her reckless, at that point she hadn’t cared if she lived or died. All that she cared about was making sure he got what he deserved. And Akari had been so close, she had caught him off guard in his own home and had him staring down the muzzle of her gun when it all went wrong. Never in a million years would she have thought he would laugh, that he would express PRIDE in her holding the gun at him. He admitted EVERYTHING and Akari didn’t know how to handle it. Then it all ended with him taking her to meet some friends and getting her aquatinted with the Suits…and when Zuki came back to them not knowing anything or remembering anything about the Fixers, Akari jumped at the opportunity to latch onto her in their new life. It had all happened so fast but before she knew it Akari and Zuki were living together in one of the hideouts for members of the gang, sharing a small apartment while Zuki basically trained her how to be a functioning member. In exchange Akari tried to help Zuki remember bits of her life but… just like Akari it seemed like she didn’t want to remember. The memories were painful and sometimes Akari was jealous of Zukis amnesia… Akari was finding a piece of herself here with the Suits… but this new her mourned her old life something fierce.

“Is it a job or something you think?” The strange text was just signed C. It wasn’t anything particularly fishy but normally jobs were passed down to the two of them from Hitoshi himself. Akari jumped up from the couch and made her way over to the small closet the girls kept their clothes in, “It said to meet at that address at 8, it’s about 7 now right?” She flipped through the hanging clothes and eventually found her jacket, pulling it on over her black turtleneck that hid the necklace from Asa perfectly under the thin sweater. She couldn’t make herself remove it, not matter how much it hurt to look at. Something about having that small piece of him always with her made her feel safe, even though she was sure he must hate her now. “We might as well head out and check it out.”

It had been 8 months since their small crew fell to shit. Akari vanished, changed phone numbers, left her job… she never even said bye to Emi but it was too hard. Plus from what she heard through Hitoshi Emi was safe and that was all Akari could as for. Akari changed physically as well as mentally over that time as well. Her hair was much longer, nearly passing her shoulders now and platinum blonde rather than the sandy blonde it was prior. She wore a lot more black but still stuck to more professional clothes and her tongue was now pierced on a dare from one of the other assassins.

The two women pulled up to the address, it was already dark outside due to the time of year but as they neared the building Akari was shocked to find it was a fucking Dave and Busters? “What the fuck is this? Some type of joke?” She checked the GPS on her phone again to confirm she typed it in correctly and she indeed had. There was no other cars in the lot and the place appeared closed so.. maybe their client wanted to meet here for some reason? “I guess let’s check it out.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Candy

The night that Lee kidnapped her and Crow was awful. Lee wasn’t even the scary part! Nor was his torture he put her through! No the scary part was Crow staying behind with those people, sending her home despite her screaming and pleading with him to not stay. She didn’t understand what was happening or why and all she knew was that she had one hell of a bad feeling about it. Candy had to be removed by force, no one hurt her as per Crows request but she was hauled out of there like a sack of potatoes while kicking and screaming.

After that Candy spent days, weeks even, trying to get him to text her back or answer a phone call but he never did. She tried tracking him and retracing her steps to that house but when they took her home they blindfolded her the entire way. It didn’t help that she had no help… she had tried to return to Crows house to find the other Fixers and get help but there was no one. When Daisuke and Asa finally returned they both filled her in on what happened with Akari and Zuki and Candy was shocked. Kage and Emi came home after a while but the next morning Emi was gone as well… it was like the life had been sucked out of everyone after they all left. After everything fell apart.

For 8 months Candy did what she could to hold it together. She worked on the cars that Crow had given her as a Christmas present whenever she was feeling well enough but besides that she just… functioned. Barely.

Candy kept to the bar and Asa was with her anytime he wasn’t out with another random woman. She knew he was hurting but he also wouldn’t listen to her about the fact that he needed to take time to heal, plus no random hookup was going to replace Akari. Candy on the other hand took a different approach, she just tried to remember that she would see Crow again… hopefully. Until then all she could do was go through the motions. Everything she tried came up dead ends, no one but Asa and Shadow would talk to her. Even Daisuke was being a shut in!

“Asa? Want to go on a field trip?” Candy blinked down at her phone. A text message had come through asking her to meet at an address… smart Candy knew you shouldn’t run to some random address in a text message but… it was signed C. It was stupid to hope, she knew that, but at this point she had to do anything she could right? “Unless you have some date with another random whore.” She looked up from her phone to stare at Asa where he sat across the bar, staring down into his whiskey. “You know what no, come on and get your shit. We’re going.”

Candy disappeared to the back to grab her jean jacket and keys, pulling the thick denim over her tight neon orange dress before yanking her hair up into a messy bun and grabbing her driving gloves. Then she returned to grab Asa by the arm and yank him out to the parking lot after telling her employees she was leaving.

The two of them drove dangerously fast to the location, it was her newest hobby. She would fix up these cars and street race… the danger and adrenaline made her forget how sad she was for at least a few seconds. When they arrived Candy instantly noticed another car idling in the parking lot and she reached forward to flick off the headlights, hoping they didn’t see her. She stayed back for a moment, peering through her windshield as a blonde woman stepped out of the cars passenger side and Candy let out an audible gasp before slamming the gear shift into park. Was that Akari?

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Luna

“Yeah, let’s just follow the direction of random text messages. You know, for when you’re out on your own, I don’t suggest doing it. But I’m here so we’ll be fine.” Zuki had the seat leaned back as she yawned in the passenger seat. Things had been different the last 8 months. Everything in her head was fuzzy, and confusing. Akari had been just some cop trying to make her way into the suits and Zuki was assigned to train her, so it was a nice distraction to the fog in her head. Lately Zuki wasn’t good for much lately; she forgot to turn off lights, close doors, forgot to eat most days unless Akari mentioned something. Murder, stealth, hiding in the shadows, deception…that was the only thing she was good at now. So she was eager to help the new recruit.

They had grown into an odd duo? Her counterpart was typically Lee, but due to some unfortunate events he got kicked out of the Suits. Now Akari was the new Lee, the new Suit and her new friend…if she ever had a friend. She was dressed professionally in black while Zuki wore her usual tight black attire. She had her tight black jeans on with her favorite long sleeved black crop top, her long black hair tied up into a high tight ponytail. Her lip had a piercing now, she had lost the little weight she seemed to have put on while she was living with the others. Now she was just a skinny, athletic and toned fighter. There was no enjoyment to her life like there had been when she was with Daisuke. “Dave and Busters? Is that like a cops and robbers thing? I-uh, sure. I’m prepped for a fight if need be.”

Zuki took hold of her purse which had the gun in it and slung it over her shoulder. Her thin fingers touched the chain around her neck with the ring that Daisuke guy gave her. Whenever she touched it her heart hurt, but it was a good hurt? Like she hoped she’d remember whatever it was one day. Her black combat boots carried the thin woman inside the brightly lit arcade. Wasn’t this like a kids place to play? A large banner read ‘Fixers Reunion’, there was cake and food and all sorts of goodies. It looked like a party? And there stood an odd man with teal hair. “Uh…the fuck is all of this? How’d you get my number?”

 

[KAYDEN]

Daisuke Tanaka

Daisuke died on that day, at least he felt like he had. Zuki took off, there was nothing he could do about it. He tried to chase her, find her at any of her usual spots, hell he even had some cop friends go look for her but no one found anything. She had left her phone behind so there was no tracking that either. After hours of searching Daisuke had eventually returned to the hospital to gather her things she had left, the staff explained everything that had happened and took Daisukes information in case she returned. They already had him as an emergency contact but he left everything, work phone, cell phone, address, work address. Everything. It was a long shot but he would do whatever it took.

It only got worse when he did finally return home. Apparently Akari left too, Asa didn’t talk about it much but whatever happened was clearly killing the man. Candy let them know Crow was gone too now, off handling some mission on his own. Which was new… and strange. But none of it mattered to him anyways, Daisuke was now a husk of a person. He had always been the confident one, the one who had a plan and the one who was optimistic. It was done. It was only made worse when Kage let everyone know Emi left in the night, only leaving him a note. If Emi was done? There was no hope.

So Daisuke and Esme had their fake marriage, having Esme on his side made it all much easier. They had their sham of a ceremony and moved into their “home” but never shared a bed and most days Pepe was there anyways. They kept him around under the rouse that he was Daisukes personal body guard. It seemed Esmes father didn’t care anyways as long as the wedding had happened, thought Daisuke assumed it was only a matter of time before they found out it wasn’t real.

Eight months passed like that, Daisuke pretending to be in his marriage to Esme while never leaving his home. He had his own room, it was large and had a bathroom attached and the maids brought him food and took his dirty clothes and bedding every so often. Not that he cared. He spent his days in bed, only getting up every so often to make some calls simply to not lose his practice but even if he did? He didn’t care anymore. Kage was keeping an eye out for any tips or sightings of Zuki but what was Daisuke going to do even if they did find her? Clearly it went so well last time.

Over the months Daisuke looked different, he lost some of his tone and some weight. He drank a lot. His hair got longer and a bit shaggy and he never dressed well anymore. It was like a completely different person now…

On his side table his phone chimed and he peered at it to see a strange text but simply rolled his eyes and set it back down. Then another chime came, this time he looked and it was a text from Kage telling him to read the last text and go to the address. That Zuki would be there. That caught his attention, Daisuke rolled out of bed and stared at his phone again for a long moment before rushing to get dressed. He ran a brush through his hair quickly, it now fell around his chin and he pushed it back behind his ears before pulling up the hood on his red hoodie. On bottom he at least made a bit of effort and traded his basketball shorts for a pair of jeans and some tennis shoes but other than that he was off.

Daisuke arrived at the address via his driver, as he wasn’t allowed to drive nowadays due to his drinking. Without caution he let the man drive off and quickly made his way inside the large arcade. What in the hell was this the meeting place for? Instantly inside he found that there was three other people, a blonde haired woman and a woman with black hair stood with his back to him while a familiar teal haired gentleman with a stupid grin on his face stood under a giant banner that made him cringe.

“Crow?” Daisuke spat as he walked closer, “Is this all some scheme you pulled together?”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sunny

Emi didn’t make it until Christmas. Hitoshi wanted her home the day after Kage and Emi went on their date, and she had no choice but to listen. Kage had become so important to her so fast and she couldn’t face saying goodbye…so while he slept she left a note. How she loved him, how she had to leave to protect him and Akari, and how she hopes that he can continue to grow and be happy. She wished only the best for him. She left it on his nightstand and just disappeared. It was hard to leave like that and know that she’d never be happy again, but…if him and her best friend were safe then that was all that mattered. She had to do what she could, she wasn’t worth much otherwise.

At first the life wasn’t so bad? It was just like she was a kid again. Her parents were gone most of the time, Hiro was mainly with her father, so Emi just stayed with the maids and cooks like she used to. Without Akari it was lonely but she was managing. That is, up until she got sick. The sickness wouldn’t let up, it went on for weeks. Weeks turned into months, and finally she caved and went to the doctors. That was when she found out she was pregnant with a little baby boy. Instantly she thought of Kage and how he’d have been scared shitless but also happy at the same time…that made Emi cry. She missed him, she missed everyone and wanted to go home. As soon as she got home she tried to leave, but Hiro stopped her. She was his ticket into the suits, he said how she’d take over his fathers suit and he was getting his own suit. He got angry that she was trying to stop them; he threw her down the stairs, kicked her, beat her up something good.

After she lost the baby she stopped feeling anything. Mostly she just stayed in her room thinking of ways to end everything, some days she thought of escaping. Every time she tried though he got aggressive so that stopped after a while. She cut her maroon hair so it was in a cute bob that touched her shoulders. But the same cheerful Emi everyone knew was gone. She didn’t even get visions anymore.

Today Hiro got aggressive again when Emi got mouthy with him, and for the first time in months she got a vision. It wasn’t a very good one so she texted Esme, who had quickly become the only person she could talk to, to pick her up. Emi stood leaning against the tall fence around her house waiting for Esme, her pale hands smoothing out the cream skirt and blouse she wore. The hand marked bruising around her neck was visible as well as the multiple colored bruising on her wrists. Esme should have been there by now, so she looked at the watch on her wrist with a small sigh.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Kage;Shadow

“Just make sure you stay in tonight okay? I don’t want anyone to see two cars leaving your house and question why you and Daisuke aren’t together. Right. Thanks Esme.” Kage sighed as he hung up the phone and shot off a text message to Daisuke to hopefully light a fire under his deadass. Of all the people in their group, NO ONE could have guessed Kage would be the one holding shit together. Akari was gone, Zuki left, Daisuke was basically a hermit, Asa and Candy we’re broken… and Emi disappeared. Well not really… Kage knew where she was but where she was made her untouchable. If he tried it would put her in danger. It would get her hurt… Kage couldn’t do that to her. Not after everything.

For the first week after Emi left, Kage reacted like Daisuke had. He was feeling sorry for himself, sad, scared, hurt. He had just decided to take a chance on feeling something and then it was gone in a blink of an eye. But then one day he went downstairs to get some food and found a message for him on Crows computer, it was in that assholes typical coded language but once Kage figured it out he was able to be queued in on what was going on with Crow. He had reached out to Kage after seeing in the surveillance cameras that he was really the only one still around. Kage responded and filled Crow in on what happened with the others and soon the two of them were the only Fixers really left speaking. Asa and Candy were still around but spent all of their time at the bar or away from the house in general.

Then came this plan. This reunion that Kage felt was going to go badly but honestly it would at least get them all in one room. And it would mean he could hopefully see Emi… that was why Esme called. Emi had contacted her for a ride and Esme called Kage without a second thought. It was some sort of fate that this whole thing might actually work! So after texting Daisuke and finishing the phone call with Esme, Kage got ready to head out. Unlike the others he didn’t feel like he changed much, physically at least. Mentally he felt a lot more resilient, more spirited and optimistic. Maybe Emi had rubbed off on him too much but… dammit for once he was going to do what it took to make himself happy. Kage loved Emi and he was going to do whatever it took to be with her or fucking die trying.

So off he went, his hair was pulled back because he knew she liked seeing his face. Or at least she used to… he wore black jeans and a simple black hoodie and drove himself over to her house where Esme said she should be waiting. When he was about a block away he had turned off his headlights to avoid anyone catching her escape plan and the moment he turned the corner to her street he could see her in the distance, dimly lit and standing against the tall fence that surrounded her family home. He hadn’t been nervous the entire drive but suddenly he felt like his fucking stomach was going to fall into the floor.

The car slowly crept up before stopping and Kage unlocked the doors before rolling down the window and leaning to peer over at her. “Sorry to surprise yo-“ Now that he was closer he could see the bruises and evidence of harm on her skin. It made him want to storm into the fucking house and kill someone but right now he just needed to get her out of here. “Come on Emi, get in the car and I’ll get you out of here love.” He leaned more to throw the door open from the inside and waited for her to sit before putting the car in drive and quickly moving away from the house.

Kage didn’t say anything for the first few minutes, he was too angry after seeing the bruises but… once they were a few minutes away from the meeting with the others he suddenly pulled over and put the car in park before reaching over awkwardly in the drivers seat and wrapping his arms around her tightly. There was still no words, especially not now. But he had to hold her, it was driving him mad. He finally found words as he pressed his face into her hair and swallowed down his nerves. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to overwhelm you or scare you but my fucking god I missed you.”