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firstlight*deep breath* And we're almost there.
Still have reservations about quality. But see what you think.
The final part gets all the action. Here, we have yet more talking. I'm sorry. ;)
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
giving_ground
Title: Gentleman and Trickster (7 of 8)
Theme and Number: 1 - Way of the Samurai or Hakama
Genres: Cyberpunk
Warnings/Disclaimers: AU, not mine.
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Pairing: NiouxYagyuu
Rating: PG-13 for language.
Summary: Welcome to the streets of Tokyo, in the not-so-distant future. Meet Niou and Yagyuu, a slightly unlikely pair, running errands for whoever will pay. Cyberpunk AU.
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6
No amount of coffee was going to make this conversation any less hard to follow, Niou decided. Yagyuu and Yanagi had descended into deeply technical speculation about what exactly this thing was, and he could only hope he’d be informed of their final conclusions. Meanwhile, he was left to contemplate the implications of throwing an AI into this already slightly incomprehensible situation. The main problem with that, of course, was that they were only rumours. There was no way of predicting how one would actually work, or what sort of things it might be capable of. They were almost legends of some of the stranger areas of Cyberspace, machine gods at the centre of a web of manipulation or playful entities with no discernible motives.
Damn, he just wanted to get out onto the streets and do something. But they couldn’t, he knew, not until they at least had an idea of what they were doing. Did this change things, or could they still assume that they were going to be followed and that people were going to try to kill them over this? The period of grace they’d experienced since the explosion might be simply because they’d managed to avoid being followed, and hadn’t yet been tracked down. After all, Hyoutei was...
Wait. What had Hyoutei been doing at the facility? They hadn’t been working for the corp who ran it, despite appearances. And he should have spotted that earlier. If they had been, why would there have been no corporate security outside for backup? They’d probably already cut through a fair quantity of the corp’s own guards if they were there on someone else’s business. Whatever they’d been doing, it had merited the attention of people who, as far as he knew, were core members of the group.
“Yanagi,” he broke in, cutting across what was probably just a repetition of something which had already been said twice over, “did Ohtori say what Hyoutei was doing at the facility? At all?”
“Breaking and entering, just like us. But he didn’t say what they were looking for. Or if they found it. It might have been the same thing we were after, but there’s a possibility it was something else entirely. There was a lot locked away in that room.”
Niou nodded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
“We need Marui. He could always get information out of Hyoutei, one way or another.”
Yagyuu looked at him with a very slight frown.
“Niou, no-one has even heard of Marui’s whereabouts in eight months.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I know. I was just saying...” he trailed off, helplessly.
“We’re all there is. Unless you want to bring Sanada into this?” Yagyuu managed to make it sound like a threat. It probably was. Sanada remained one of the most highly skilled Street-Samurai in Japan, but even Yanagi at his most charitable would not claim that he was as sane as he used to be.
“I just think maybe we should try to talk to Hyoutei. That’s all.”
Yanagi shook his head slightly.
“The problem is Atobe,” he stated. “He’s proud, and is probably busy being outraged right now. He’ll often only talk to people he respects, and that used to be Sanada for his strength and Yukimura because... you know.” They knew. Everyone respected Yukimura, whether they wanted to or not. “I was not one of his favourites, even when things between our groups were good. He appreciates... skill, but also a certain kind of style.”
Niou had a sudden disconcerting sense that everyone in the room was looking at him. There was a pause.
“Looks like you’ve just been volunteered, Niou,” Kirihara called from the doorway. “Have fun in the war-zone. I almost envy you.”
The fact that Kirihara probably actually meant it wasn’t much consolation, really. Still, he’d wanted to get out there and do something.
“Niou doesn’t have to do this,” Yanagi told Kirihara firmly, “if he feels it is too dangerous.”
It was said in an absolutely factual manner, with no hint of provocation. Niou’s resolve strengthened.
“I have most of your disguise kit,” Yagyuu told him quietly. “You might require it. I doubt you want to walk around the streets looking like yourself, when people are almost certainly looking for us.”
“You say it like you’re not coming with me.”
“I’m not, Niou. I have work to do here.”
“Really? Because it sounded to me like you two were going ‘round in circles earlier. I need some backup, and I don’t want that,” he waved a hand in the direction of Kirihara, who looked briefly as though he was considering biting.
Yanagi gave Kirihara an unreadable look which Kirihara seemed to take as warning, and turned back to Yagyuu.
“You know, you’ve accessed all the data for us, I don’t think there’s much more you’re actually required for. If I need you, I can send you a message over the link.”
* * * * *
Disguising themselves as something which wasn’t each other felt kind of strange, Yagyuu thought. Niou was wearing one of Yagyuu’s suits, all of which were smart but unremarkable, but his hair was temporarily black and not even a little spiked; his little rattail was tucked away under the collar of the suit, barely noticeable. On the whole, he looked as much like an office worker as was possible -- so long as you didn’t pay too much attention to his right eye, which was a cyberware replacement, with the logo of the company which had produced it printed across the iris. Niou had never actually mentioned it (or why he had it), but Yagyuu had noticed it a couple of times. You had to be standing very close to see.
Niou slipped on a pair of glasses -- a different design to Yagyuu’s own, this time -- and Yagyuu nodded approval. The slight reflections off the glass covering his eyes made the logo invisible. Yagyuu was less drastically altered; his hair shade and style changed, coloured contacts making his eyes bright blue instead of hazel. Not prescription -- it wasn’t like he actually needed glasses any more. His eyes might be real, but they weren’t his originals.
“How do I look?” Niou asked, posing.
“The disguise is fine.” But you look better normally.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” He grinned, a cheshire cat. Yagyuu gave him a steady look, knowing Niou would pick up on the disapproval in it.
“Let’s go.”
“So cold, Yagyuu,” and there was an arm draped across his shoulder, the only familiar contact Niou normally demanded. He closed his eyes for a moment, considering pushing the other man away, but... no. It would only offend Niou. The only problem with it, as such, was that right now he really wanted more.
The streets were crowded, and almost shockingly normal. They’d spent too long shut up in that flat together, really; their current trouble had seemed to expand until it felt like it filled up the world. Seeing people going about their daily business was a little jarring, somehow, after their self-enforced confinement. Still, to the rest of the world they were (hopefully) just two more people going about their business.
Hyoutei was probably the only group of agents in Tokyo to have anything so formal as a base of operations; this, Yagyuu thought as Niou led him towards the building in question, said something about the wealth the group possessed -- and Atobe's confidence in his ability to bribe officials. It seemed to have been working well for them, until very recently.
The doors into the building were shut, and guarded. Nothing else seemed out of place; but of course, war for their kind meant skirmishes in alleys, not open assaults. Mostly Hyoutei had to worry about was its ability to carry on completing jobs when its members came under fire as soon as they were in public.
Niou, to Yagyuu's fascination and slight horror, walked straight up to one of the guards and began chatting with him. Standing further back, Yagyuu wasn't entirely sure of the exchange, but Niou's body language was clear enough; friendly, but somehow imposing, a little forceful. The guard seemed in awe of him, and was definitely buying whatever tale had been spun for him. It wasn't long at all before Niou gestured for Yagyuu to step forward, and the two of them were ushered inside.
The man who greeted them barely looked like an agent, even one of Hyoutei's Street Samurai, who were hardly the most typical examples of their kind. He was a slight man, with hair perfectly framing his face, probably manicured hands... he seemed a bit too soft, as thought he was a little too delicate in his disposition for this sort of thing. But, of course, looks were deceptive. Yagyuu had reason to know this. This man definitely carried himself well, with a kind of strength to his movements. Not as soft as he looked.
"I am Taki," he said smoothly, giving them a small bow, "And you will be Niou and Yagyuu, I suppose; we've been expecting to see some of Yanagi's people since Ohtori reported back to us this morning. Atobe will see you shortly, although he is of course a busy man."
Taki... Niou looked as though he recognised the name, though Yagyuu couldn't place it. He didn't know Hyoutei well, though, beyond the near-legendary name of Atobe Keigo. Yagyuu would have to ask later. It probably wasn't very important, anyway, but he liked to know as much as possible about his contemporaries. And what had Taki just said? Some of Yanagi's people. That was new. When had they become Yanagi's in the eyes of the world, instead of Yukimura's?
Taki led them to a room with simple but expensive-looking decoration, gestured for them to wait inside, bowed again and left. Niou looked around, obviously taking in the statements of wealth which were everywhere. Atobe's doing. If Yukimura had shaped Rikkai, Atobe had shaped Hyoutei just as much. Yagyuu supposed that the difference was that Atobe wanted to be looked up to and admired, adored; Yukimura got all of that effortlessly, simply by existing. It had been a strength of theirs, but it had become their weakness. They had genuinely loved their leader, each in their own way. He wasn't so sure about where Atobe stood with his group.
Atobe would definitely let them wait for a while. He wanted the information they might be able to give him, Yagyuu was sure, but he wouldn’t want to seem desperate and he wouldn’t want to let them negotiate on their own terms. Everything would be done his way, or not at all, if he was the kind of man Yagyuu believed him to be.
In the end, Atobe allowed them to wait for precisely an hour. Niou had spent much of that stretched out along a sofa, looking utterly relaxed, although Yagyuu was reasonably sure that it was something of an act for the benefit of anyone who might be watching them. Yagyuu himself had spent it sitting very upright, flicking absently through a book. They were still disguised; it didn’t particularly matter either way. No-one at Hyoutei knew what Yagyuu really looked like except the three they'd fought, although a few had worked with Niou in the past.
At the end of the hour, Taki returned and gestured for them to follow him. They were taken through the building to a large office, where a man who could really only be Atobe was sitting, either working or making a good pretence. He looked up as they entered, sharp eyes focusing on the pair of them, and dismissed Taki, urging them to sit.
* * * * *
There were a lot of words which could be used to describe Atobe Keigo, but none of them seemed quite right to Niou. Flamboyant? Well, yes, he was, but... not quite. Imperious? But Sanada was (had once been) imperious, and Atobe was nothing like Sanada. Atobe was simply Atobe, really. One of a kind, at least in their world. He had money, and influence, and yet he lived his life outside the law anyway. It was hard to understand -- most people were forced into it. But then, he knew nothing of the real person behind Atobe’s public face. There would definitely be reasons, somewhere in there.
“I do hope you’re troubling me for a good reason,” Atobe stated as they sat, pushing his keyboard away to one side so he could lean on the desk, facing towards them. “I’m really exceptionally short on time today.”
“I should imagine so,” Niou replied, smiling broadly, “what with all the attacks. Must complicate your paperwork horribly.”
Atobe raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Niou allowed his smile to widen a little more.
“I figure we both have some info the other could maybe use. Seems there’s a lot of trouble going around at the moment, yeah? Seems like it’s maybe all linked in, too.”
Atobe gave a brief nod, indicating that he should keep talking. So far, so good.
“We both did a job at the same facility, at the same time. You’ll know the one I mean, I’m sure,” we gave you reason to remember it, he added to himself. “Everything started there. We want to know what, exactly you were doing there.”
Atobe nodded again.
“And in return?”
“You tell us yours, we’ll tell you ours, yeah? There’s something going on here. It involves all of us.”
Niou wondered briefly if they might not have made a mistake. It could be coincidence, Hyoutei could have angered someone through another action, but the investigation Ohtori was carrying out... Yanagi seemed to believe there was more going on, and Niou had definitely been under the impression that there was a link himself.
Atobe’s face, carefully interested, dismissed any concerns he might have had.
“I believe we could come to an arrangement along those lines,” Atobe said airily, reaching for a switch on his desk. There was a pause, a sound of static, and then a voice came through, a little distorted.
“Atobe?”
“Hiyoshi. Get someone who has a free moment to bring in drinks for four. And get Oshitari up here.”
The rest of the meeting was all very careful, all very professional. Oshitari and Yagyuu did most of the talking, while Atobe listened to make sure everything was to his liking. Niou was happy to let Yagyuu take over for this; he’d been there for initial impressions, making sure they got seen.
“The job was to retrieve some hardware,” Oshitari told them, and described it, drew diagrams. Yagyuu was looking at it with interest; there were two items, one of which was the storage device they'd retrieved. The other one did look sort of similar, definitely another storage unit of some kind.
"Although of course, we only found the first one," Oshitari finished, just about keeping the bitterness out of his voice.
“Did you manage to hand it over?” Yagyuu asked. Oshitari gave him a curious look.
“No. The attacks began immediately after we retrieved it and we’ve been locked down here ever since. We were the first targets, actually... we assumed you were somehow responsible, at the time. It seems we were in error.”
“Have you looked at it, then? What it contains?”
Oshitari glanced to Atobe then, seeking approval. He found it.
“Ohtori and Taki have been trying. Nothing, so far.”
Niou felt an odd sort of pride at that. Yagyuu had been better, done it quicker.
Apparently satisfied for the moment, Yagyuu began to outline their side of things. It wasn’t until the final part, when the AI was mentioned, that Niou could really see Atobe and Oshitari sitting up and paying attention. Yeah, that would get them to take notice. It sounded so dramatic, almost sensationalist, except that Yagyuu was being unbelievably matter-of-fact about it all.
It was such a weird sight, really. It had been pretty recently that they’d fought: Oshitari had a dark bruise along one side of his jaw where Niou’s boot had connected. Yagyuu’s arm was still encased in a support, and it could well have been Oshitari who’d shot him, for all they knew. Well, that was the way their world worked. Alliances outside of the groups they belonged to were loose and could be called off at any time, but rivalries were no more lasting, on the whole. It was all just work, until shit like this happened and forced people together. Whatever “this” was.
* * * * *
They’d set up a link so they could talk privately on their way back to Yanagi’s home. They were making their way back along the same roads, but walking apart, and travelling by a convoluted route.
What did you make of that? Niou asked him. Yagyuu could see him about ten metres ahead, walking in a stiff, hunched sort of way, as though he was trying to block out the world. So very unlike Niou; but they were both good at masking their natures, after all.
Interesting. Atobe was surprisingly co-operative.
Yeah, Niou sent, must be desperate.
I’m inclined to agree. It cannot be a comfortable situation for Hyoutei. They have a reputation to uphold. Not like...
Not like us sad bastards, Niou commented, cutting across and completing his thought in one move.
Quite. Oshitari sent me a message to say it was not their first job like this. This should have been the final one of a series. I do not know what would have happened had we not been there.
I guess we should just be glad they didn’t beat the shit out of us and try to get us to hand the other unit over as soon as we showed up, Niou commented, helpfully.
Yagyuu considered this.
They have too much of a sense of honour. There was some sort of agreement between Ohtori and Yanagi. Hyoutei are the self-titled modern Samurai: nothing to do with the historical figures, but it’s true that they have created a position for themselves where they adhere to a strong code. Rare, really.
He was sure Niou was rolling his eyes.
Oh. A lecture on honour. Is this a hint?
And that would be playful but a little sharp. With Niou, he didn’t need to be able to hear him to pick out the subtleties of meaning which so often got lost in link exchanges.
Not particularly. I’m quite fond of you as you are, he told the trickster, although you can be perfectly infuriating if you try. And you have been trying lately, he added privately. Make up your mind, Niou. Tell me what you want.
Anyway, I figure that if the other unit turns out to have stuff on the AI as well then Hyoutei must have been working for another corp who wanted in on the whole AI thing, came Niou’s next message. A sudden jump back to work; not unexpected, with Niou, and definitely not without reason, but frustrating.
And then who have we been working for? Yagyuu enquired. Yanagi had given him such theories as he’d been able to come up with on the subject earlier based on the previous night’s research, but he was interested to see what Niou made of it.
Niou seemed to spend a moment thinking. Rival who wants to screw up the plans? Concerned party who doesn’t want another AI on the scene? Hey, that’s a point, what about the AI itself?
You’re suggesting we were working for an AI?
Why not? Weirder shit has happened. Well, Niou had a point there, although...
Not that much weirder, I think you may find. But it was true that it was just about possible. To what end, though?
To stop itself being manipulated or copied. We have a bit of the data about it, yes, so they’re missing some stuff. Might be important. Or else...
Niou, Yagyuu cut in, what about the fact that people have been trying to kill us? And trying to kill members of Hyoutei? How does that fit in with such a theory?
Well, trying to destroy data about itself works fine. It may not have a concept of human life as being important, right? So we’d just be tools. Even more disposable than usual. Would’ve thought it’d be a bit more fucking careful. I hate being underestimated.
Niou was serious about this. It might have occurred to some people to wonder if it was an elaborate joke, but Yagyuu knew where the boundaries between play and work lay in Niou’s mind, and this wasn’t something he would joke about, except perhaps to throw a few off-colour jokes in with his explanation if he was feeling perverse.
And Hyoutei? he asked, just to see if Niou had any more disturbing insights to share.
Could be coincidence. Bad timing. Weirder things have happened, right? Could be-- shit. Niou cut off abruptly, and Yagyuu could see him moving hurriedly towards a metro station. He followed, as subtly as possible.
Think we’ve got company, was the next message, and then they were caught in the press of people trying to force their way onto an already crowded train. Yagyuu hurriedly sent Yanagi a message over the link to update him on the situation, followed by a message detailing what they knew and what Niou thought, just in case.
Part Eight
-
And for people who find some of the terms confusing in any of this fic (not had any comments on LJ but elsewhere there has been some confusion): VR, AI (but really, where have you been?), Cyberpunk (just so you can see how much I'mabusing using genre conventions), Cyberware. Wikipedia is addictive.
Still have reservations about quality. But see what you think.
The final part gets all the action. Here, we have yet more talking. I'm sorry. ;)
Author:
giving_groundTitle: Gentleman and Trickster (7 of 8)
Theme and Number: 1 - Way of the Samurai or Hakama
Genres: Cyberpunk
Warnings/Disclaimers: AU, not mine.
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Pairing: NiouxYagyuu
Rating: PG-13 for language.
Summary: Welcome to the streets of Tokyo, in the not-so-distant future. Meet Niou and Yagyuu, a slightly unlikely pair, running errands for whoever will pay. Cyberpunk AU.
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6
No amount of coffee was going to make this conversation any less hard to follow, Niou decided. Yagyuu and Yanagi had descended into deeply technical speculation about what exactly this thing was, and he could only hope he’d be informed of their final conclusions. Meanwhile, he was left to contemplate the implications of throwing an AI into this already slightly incomprehensible situation. The main problem with that, of course, was that they were only rumours. There was no way of predicting how one would actually work, or what sort of things it might be capable of. They were almost legends of some of the stranger areas of Cyberspace, machine gods at the centre of a web of manipulation or playful entities with no discernible motives.
Damn, he just wanted to get out onto the streets and do something. But they couldn’t, he knew, not until they at least had an idea of what they were doing. Did this change things, or could they still assume that they were going to be followed and that people were going to try to kill them over this? The period of grace they’d experienced since the explosion might be simply because they’d managed to avoid being followed, and hadn’t yet been tracked down. After all, Hyoutei was...
Wait. What had Hyoutei been doing at the facility? They hadn’t been working for the corp who ran it, despite appearances. And he should have spotted that earlier. If they had been, why would there have been no corporate security outside for backup? They’d probably already cut through a fair quantity of the corp’s own guards if they were there on someone else’s business. Whatever they’d been doing, it had merited the attention of people who, as far as he knew, were core members of the group.
“Yanagi,” he broke in, cutting across what was probably just a repetition of something which had already been said twice over, “did Ohtori say what Hyoutei was doing at the facility? At all?”
“Breaking and entering, just like us. But he didn’t say what they were looking for. Or if they found it. It might have been the same thing we were after, but there’s a possibility it was something else entirely. There was a lot locked away in that room.”
Niou nodded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
“We need Marui. He could always get information out of Hyoutei, one way or another.”
Yagyuu looked at him with a very slight frown.
“Niou, no-one has even heard of Marui’s whereabouts in eight months.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I know. I was just saying...” he trailed off, helplessly.
“We’re all there is. Unless you want to bring Sanada into this?” Yagyuu managed to make it sound like a threat. It probably was. Sanada remained one of the most highly skilled Street-Samurai in Japan, but even Yanagi at his most charitable would not claim that he was as sane as he used to be.
“I just think maybe we should try to talk to Hyoutei. That’s all.”
Yanagi shook his head slightly.
“The problem is Atobe,” he stated. “He’s proud, and is probably busy being outraged right now. He’ll often only talk to people he respects, and that used to be Sanada for his strength and Yukimura because... you know.” They knew. Everyone respected Yukimura, whether they wanted to or not. “I was not one of his favourites, even when things between our groups were good. He appreciates... skill, but also a certain kind of style.”
Niou had a sudden disconcerting sense that everyone in the room was looking at him. There was a pause.
“Looks like you’ve just been volunteered, Niou,” Kirihara called from the doorway. “Have fun in the war-zone. I almost envy you.”
The fact that Kirihara probably actually meant it wasn’t much consolation, really. Still, he’d wanted to get out there and do something.
“Niou doesn’t have to do this,” Yanagi told Kirihara firmly, “if he feels it is too dangerous.”
It was said in an absolutely factual manner, with no hint of provocation. Niou’s resolve strengthened.
“I have most of your disguise kit,” Yagyuu told him quietly. “You might require it. I doubt you want to walk around the streets looking like yourself, when people are almost certainly looking for us.”
“You say it like you’re not coming with me.”
“I’m not, Niou. I have work to do here.”
“Really? Because it sounded to me like you two were going ‘round in circles earlier. I need some backup, and I don’t want that,” he waved a hand in the direction of Kirihara, who looked briefly as though he was considering biting.
Yanagi gave Kirihara an unreadable look which Kirihara seemed to take as warning, and turned back to Yagyuu.
“You know, you’ve accessed all the data for us, I don’t think there’s much more you’re actually required for. If I need you, I can send you a message over the link.”
* * * * *
Disguising themselves as something which wasn’t each other felt kind of strange, Yagyuu thought. Niou was wearing one of Yagyuu’s suits, all of which were smart but unremarkable, but his hair was temporarily black and not even a little spiked; his little rattail was tucked away under the collar of the suit, barely noticeable. On the whole, he looked as much like an office worker as was possible -- so long as you didn’t pay too much attention to his right eye, which was a cyberware replacement, with the logo of the company which had produced it printed across the iris. Niou had never actually mentioned it (or why he had it), but Yagyuu had noticed it a couple of times. You had to be standing very close to see.
Niou slipped on a pair of glasses -- a different design to Yagyuu’s own, this time -- and Yagyuu nodded approval. The slight reflections off the glass covering his eyes made the logo invisible. Yagyuu was less drastically altered; his hair shade and style changed, coloured contacts making his eyes bright blue instead of hazel. Not prescription -- it wasn’t like he actually needed glasses any more. His eyes might be real, but they weren’t his originals.
“How do I look?” Niou asked, posing.
“The disguise is fine.” But you look better normally.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” He grinned, a cheshire cat. Yagyuu gave him a steady look, knowing Niou would pick up on the disapproval in it.
“Let’s go.”
“So cold, Yagyuu,” and there was an arm draped across his shoulder, the only familiar contact Niou normally demanded. He closed his eyes for a moment, considering pushing the other man away, but... no. It would only offend Niou. The only problem with it, as such, was that right now he really wanted more.
The streets were crowded, and almost shockingly normal. They’d spent too long shut up in that flat together, really; their current trouble had seemed to expand until it felt like it filled up the world. Seeing people going about their daily business was a little jarring, somehow, after their self-enforced confinement. Still, to the rest of the world they were (hopefully) just two more people going about their business.
Hyoutei was probably the only group of agents in Tokyo to have anything so formal as a base of operations; this, Yagyuu thought as Niou led him towards the building in question, said something about the wealth the group possessed -- and Atobe's confidence in his ability to bribe officials. It seemed to have been working well for them, until very recently.
The doors into the building were shut, and guarded. Nothing else seemed out of place; but of course, war for their kind meant skirmishes in alleys, not open assaults. Mostly Hyoutei had to worry about was its ability to carry on completing jobs when its members came under fire as soon as they were in public.
Niou, to Yagyuu's fascination and slight horror, walked straight up to one of the guards and began chatting with him. Standing further back, Yagyuu wasn't entirely sure of the exchange, but Niou's body language was clear enough; friendly, but somehow imposing, a little forceful. The guard seemed in awe of him, and was definitely buying whatever tale had been spun for him. It wasn't long at all before Niou gestured for Yagyuu to step forward, and the two of them were ushered inside.
The man who greeted them barely looked like an agent, even one of Hyoutei's Street Samurai, who were hardly the most typical examples of their kind. He was a slight man, with hair perfectly framing his face, probably manicured hands... he seemed a bit too soft, as thought he was a little too delicate in his disposition for this sort of thing. But, of course, looks were deceptive. Yagyuu had reason to know this. This man definitely carried himself well, with a kind of strength to his movements. Not as soft as he looked.
"I am Taki," he said smoothly, giving them a small bow, "And you will be Niou and Yagyuu, I suppose; we've been expecting to see some of Yanagi's people since Ohtori reported back to us this morning. Atobe will see you shortly, although he is of course a busy man."
Taki... Niou looked as though he recognised the name, though Yagyuu couldn't place it. He didn't know Hyoutei well, though, beyond the near-legendary name of Atobe Keigo. Yagyuu would have to ask later. It probably wasn't very important, anyway, but he liked to know as much as possible about his contemporaries. And what had Taki just said? Some of Yanagi's people. That was new. When had they become Yanagi's in the eyes of the world, instead of Yukimura's?
Taki led them to a room with simple but expensive-looking decoration, gestured for them to wait inside, bowed again and left. Niou looked around, obviously taking in the statements of wealth which were everywhere. Atobe's doing. If Yukimura had shaped Rikkai, Atobe had shaped Hyoutei just as much. Yagyuu supposed that the difference was that Atobe wanted to be looked up to and admired, adored; Yukimura got all of that effortlessly, simply by existing. It had been a strength of theirs, but it had become their weakness. They had genuinely loved their leader, each in their own way. He wasn't so sure about where Atobe stood with his group.
Atobe would definitely let them wait for a while. He wanted the information they might be able to give him, Yagyuu was sure, but he wouldn’t want to seem desperate and he wouldn’t want to let them negotiate on their own terms. Everything would be done his way, or not at all, if he was the kind of man Yagyuu believed him to be.
In the end, Atobe allowed them to wait for precisely an hour. Niou had spent much of that stretched out along a sofa, looking utterly relaxed, although Yagyuu was reasonably sure that it was something of an act for the benefit of anyone who might be watching them. Yagyuu himself had spent it sitting very upright, flicking absently through a book. They were still disguised; it didn’t particularly matter either way. No-one at Hyoutei knew what Yagyuu really looked like except the three they'd fought, although a few had worked with Niou in the past.
At the end of the hour, Taki returned and gestured for them to follow him. They were taken through the building to a large office, where a man who could really only be Atobe was sitting, either working or making a good pretence. He looked up as they entered, sharp eyes focusing on the pair of them, and dismissed Taki, urging them to sit.
* * * * *
There were a lot of words which could be used to describe Atobe Keigo, but none of them seemed quite right to Niou. Flamboyant? Well, yes, he was, but... not quite. Imperious? But Sanada was (had once been) imperious, and Atobe was nothing like Sanada. Atobe was simply Atobe, really. One of a kind, at least in their world. He had money, and influence, and yet he lived his life outside the law anyway. It was hard to understand -- most people were forced into it. But then, he knew nothing of the real person behind Atobe’s public face. There would definitely be reasons, somewhere in there.
“I do hope you’re troubling me for a good reason,” Atobe stated as they sat, pushing his keyboard away to one side so he could lean on the desk, facing towards them. “I’m really exceptionally short on time today.”
“I should imagine so,” Niou replied, smiling broadly, “what with all the attacks. Must complicate your paperwork horribly.”
Atobe raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Niou allowed his smile to widen a little more.
“I figure we both have some info the other could maybe use. Seems there’s a lot of trouble going around at the moment, yeah? Seems like it’s maybe all linked in, too.”
Atobe gave a brief nod, indicating that he should keep talking. So far, so good.
“We both did a job at the same facility, at the same time. You’ll know the one I mean, I’m sure,” we gave you reason to remember it, he added to himself. “Everything started there. We want to know what, exactly you were doing there.”
Atobe nodded again.
“And in return?”
“You tell us yours, we’ll tell you ours, yeah? There’s something going on here. It involves all of us.”
Niou wondered briefly if they might not have made a mistake. It could be coincidence, Hyoutei could have angered someone through another action, but the investigation Ohtori was carrying out... Yanagi seemed to believe there was more going on, and Niou had definitely been under the impression that there was a link himself.
Atobe’s face, carefully interested, dismissed any concerns he might have had.
“I believe we could come to an arrangement along those lines,” Atobe said airily, reaching for a switch on his desk. There was a pause, a sound of static, and then a voice came through, a little distorted.
“Atobe?”
“Hiyoshi. Get someone who has a free moment to bring in drinks for four. And get Oshitari up here.”
The rest of the meeting was all very careful, all very professional. Oshitari and Yagyuu did most of the talking, while Atobe listened to make sure everything was to his liking. Niou was happy to let Yagyuu take over for this; he’d been there for initial impressions, making sure they got seen.
“The job was to retrieve some hardware,” Oshitari told them, and described it, drew diagrams. Yagyuu was looking at it with interest; there were two items, one of which was the storage device they'd retrieved. The other one did look sort of similar, definitely another storage unit of some kind.
"Although of course, we only found the first one," Oshitari finished, just about keeping the bitterness out of his voice.
“Did you manage to hand it over?” Yagyuu asked. Oshitari gave him a curious look.
“No. The attacks began immediately after we retrieved it and we’ve been locked down here ever since. We were the first targets, actually... we assumed you were somehow responsible, at the time. It seems we were in error.”
“Have you looked at it, then? What it contains?”
Oshitari glanced to Atobe then, seeking approval. He found it.
“Ohtori and Taki have been trying. Nothing, so far.”
Niou felt an odd sort of pride at that. Yagyuu had been better, done it quicker.
Apparently satisfied for the moment, Yagyuu began to outline their side of things. It wasn’t until the final part, when the AI was mentioned, that Niou could really see Atobe and Oshitari sitting up and paying attention. Yeah, that would get them to take notice. It sounded so dramatic, almost sensationalist, except that Yagyuu was being unbelievably matter-of-fact about it all.
It was such a weird sight, really. It had been pretty recently that they’d fought: Oshitari had a dark bruise along one side of his jaw where Niou’s boot had connected. Yagyuu’s arm was still encased in a support, and it could well have been Oshitari who’d shot him, for all they knew. Well, that was the way their world worked. Alliances outside of the groups they belonged to were loose and could be called off at any time, but rivalries were no more lasting, on the whole. It was all just work, until shit like this happened and forced people together. Whatever “this” was.
* * * * *
They’d set up a link so they could talk privately on their way back to Yanagi’s home. They were making their way back along the same roads, but walking apart, and travelling by a convoluted route.
What did you make of that? Niou asked him. Yagyuu could see him about ten metres ahead, walking in a stiff, hunched sort of way, as though he was trying to block out the world. So very unlike Niou; but they were both good at masking their natures, after all.
Interesting. Atobe was surprisingly co-operative.
Yeah, Niou sent, must be desperate.
I’m inclined to agree. It cannot be a comfortable situation for Hyoutei. They have a reputation to uphold. Not like...
Not like us sad bastards, Niou commented, cutting across and completing his thought in one move.
Quite. Oshitari sent me a message to say it was not their first job like this. This should have been the final one of a series. I do not know what would have happened had we not been there.
I guess we should just be glad they didn’t beat the shit out of us and try to get us to hand the other unit over as soon as we showed up, Niou commented, helpfully.
Yagyuu considered this.
They have too much of a sense of honour. There was some sort of agreement between Ohtori and Yanagi. Hyoutei are the self-titled modern Samurai: nothing to do with the historical figures, but it’s true that they have created a position for themselves where they adhere to a strong code. Rare, really.
He was sure Niou was rolling his eyes.
Oh. A lecture on honour. Is this a hint?
And that would be playful but a little sharp. With Niou, he didn’t need to be able to hear him to pick out the subtleties of meaning which so often got lost in link exchanges.
Not particularly. I’m quite fond of you as you are, he told the trickster, although you can be perfectly infuriating if you try. And you have been trying lately, he added privately. Make up your mind, Niou. Tell me what you want.
Anyway, I figure that if the other unit turns out to have stuff on the AI as well then Hyoutei must have been working for another corp who wanted in on the whole AI thing, came Niou’s next message. A sudden jump back to work; not unexpected, with Niou, and definitely not without reason, but frustrating.
And then who have we been working for? Yagyuu enquired. Yanagi had given him such theories as he’d been able to come up with on the subject earlier based on the previous night’s research, but he was interested to see what Niou made of it.
Niou seemed to spend a moment thinking. Rival who wants to screw up the plans? Concerned party who doesn’t want another AI on the scene? Hey, that’s a point, what about the AI itself?
You’re suggesting we were working for an AI?
Why not? Weirder shit has happened. Well, Niou had a point there, although...
Not that much weirder, I think you may find. But it was true that it was just about possible. To what end, though?
To stop itself being manipulated or copied. We have a bit of the data about it, yes, so they’re missing some stuff. Might be important. Or else...
Niou, Yagyuu cut in, what about the fact that people have been trying to kill us? And trying to kill members of Hyoutei? How does that fit in with such a theory?
Well, trying to destroy data about itself works fine. It may not have a concept of human life as being important, right? So we’d just be tools. Even more disposable than usual. Would’ve thought it’d be a bit more fucking careful. I hate being underestimated.
Niou was serious about this. It might have occurred to some people to wonder if it was an elaborate joke, but Yagyuu knew where the boundaries between play and work lay in Niou’s mind, and this wasn’t something he would joke about, except perhaps to throw a few off-colour jokes in with his explanation if he was feeling perverse.
And Hyoutei? he asked, just to see if Niou had any more disturbing insights to share.
Could be coincidence. Bad timing. Weirder things have happened, right? Could be-- shit. Niou cut off abruptly, and Yagyuu could see him moving hurriedly towards a metro station. He followed, as subtly as possible.
Think we’ve got company, was the next message, and then they were caught in the press of people trying to force their way onto an already crowded train. Yagyuu hurriedly sent Yanagi a message over the link to update him on the situation, followed by a message detailing what they knew and what Niou thought, just in case.
Part Eight
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And for people who find some of the terms confusing in any of this fic (not had any comments on LJ but elsewhere there has been some confusion): VR, AI (but really, where have you been?), Cyberpunk (just so you can see how much I'm
