[Log] Gin Ichimaru, Izuru Kira
Title: Your First and Final Warning
Characters: Gin Ichimaru (lcpdragonslayer), Izuru Kira (soleil_de_lune)
Timeline: July 20th, 1950
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Gin wants a tape in the custody of the DA. Izuru's his only way in there, and he will stop at nothing to clear a guilty name.
"It seems as if the DA has gotten hold of the tape."
"I know. I'll take care of it."
"Are you sure? I can always get-"
"I'll take care of it."
"Very well."
His boss had entrusted him to do it. Gin had already taken care of the bumbling, traitorous idiot who decided it was a good idea to tape the conversation between Aizen and Riley Cooper, a young, power-hungry politician rising through the ranks who would stoop down to any level to get what he wanted.
His type had been very easy to manipulate - offer the man more money than he would ever need for three lifetimes and he was willing to do anything on the political front for the Concavos. Unfortunately, they had been caught out by a tape recorder.
One which incidentally fell into the hands of one Izuru Kira, the young blond in charge of the case.
That tape was the only thing the Capo Bastone needed. Once the tape disappeared, there would be no case. No one had witnessed the conversation, and even if they did, they would not live long enough to take the witness stand. Everything could be dismissed as hearsay. Riley might no longer be of use by then, and they could easily get rid of him, but at least Aizen's name would be cleared.
All he had to do was convince little Izuru to hand the tape over. It wasn't going to be easy, and Gin had to be careful with what he said and where he treaded on, but after a few days of work beforehand, he had all the necessary tools to do what he had come here to do.
He would stop at nothing to get that tape - or get rid of it - even if it meant burning down the DA's office.
Though hopefully there would be no need for that.
With a cigarette burning away between his lips, Gin knocked on the door to the ADA's house, slipped his hand back into his pocket and waited.
Working, again. Not that it was much of a surprise to anyone, least of all Izuru. At the moment, though, he was taking a break from the new case he had been assigned to. The clock on the wall chimed a much later hour than he had expected (really, four hours since he'd come home? Since he'd last looked at the time and bothered to think about himself?), and Izuru rubbed his forehead before pouring a bit of brandy for himself. This case was worse than he thought, and he'd purposefully avoided mentioning it to Momo, as it concerned the man who had seen her through school... He was her hero.
Izuru stared at the transcript of the tape sitting on his desk and picked it up, leafing through for a moment. Unbelievable. That the scandal hadn't hit the papers was saying something for the NYPD's ability to keep a tight lid on something so important. No arrests had been made, and the tape had been presented to Izuru as a preliminary to determine whether it was possible for a case could be built off the incriminating evidence. It was. It most definitely was.
He stood, cradling the wide-bottomed, crystal glass and took another drink of brandy, holding the transcript in his hand before throwing it on his desk, where the pages scattered over the books he had been using as references. This was very unpleasant, no doubt about it. Solid proof that Sousuke Aizen and Riley Cooper were up to no good? Solid evidence that could, and most certainly would, stand in a fair court. If they could get in with an uncorrupted judge, there was no chance of anything slipping through the cracks.
And, when the time came, Izuru was the one they had asked to prosecute the case.
Well, it was certainly an opportunity he had wanted. Not necessarily the form he would have preferred, but he was hardly one to be bothered by such things. His train of thought was shattered by knocking at the front door. Who wouldn't use the doorbell?, Izuru wondered, setting down his brandy and checking the time. A quarter until eleven. Who in their right mind...
Scuffling in the hallway told him that Mrs. Hollings was awake still and answering the door. He could wait, but if anyone were calling on him--and not using his bell--it could be an emergency. No, much better to go ahead and go downstairs to check himself. He was halfway down the stairs when Mrs. Hollings opened the door--the poor woman had already taken down her hair and was wearing her robe--to reveal a tall, thin figure Izuru didn't immediately recognize. It was when he finally reached the bottom of the stairs that his expression froze in horror, and he took an involuntary half-step backward. Gin Ichimaru.
Well, wasn't this just peachy.
The blond brushed his fingers over Mrs. Holling's arm and smiled despite himself. "Mrs. Hollings, go ahead and get along with what you were doing. I appreciate it." The squeeze he gave her, however slight, indicated the urgency of her departure. They didn't have a set code of silent communication, but the woman picked up immediately and nodded to both of them.
"Good night, then." She hurried away, and Izuru almost hoped she was shaken enough to leave the house entirely. She wouldn't, though, and that she was out of the room now would have to be enough for him.
Turning his attention back to Gin, Izuru forced a polite expression of indifferent welcoming on his face, and stepped from the doorway to allow him admittance, gripping the doorknob in his hand tightly. "Mr. Ichimaru, what a... surprise." Was there really any other way of handling this other than by being polite? Izuru couldn't be sure, but it wasn't every day that the Capo Bastone of one of the most notorious crime families in New York showed up on one's doorstep. Least of all the doorstep of one young Assistant District Attorney. This could only bode ill. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Of course there was, so long as it was this man standing on his doorstep in the night. Izuru didn't want to think what it was.
Gin wasn't aware that there was going to be company - the sooner the old hag disappeared, the better, or else he would make her disappear to make their conversation a little easier-going.
"Waah~ ya look so surprised ta see me, Izuru," Gin said, tilting his head and torso so he could see the blond from behind the old woman.
It was... a cute petrified expression. He liked it.
Making himself at home, Gin flopped down on one of the couches and sighed, slumping down in his seat. He wasn't invited but he wasn't going to stay long anyway, so he might as well enjoy himself.
"Y'know what I'm here for. I want the tape."
It probably wasn't here - circumstantial evidence probably remained in the court or in the DA's office or something. But Izuru could get it out if he tried hard enough.
"I think ya know me well enough ta know that I always get what I want." They had had encounters in unpleasant places and Gin had done some unpleasant things. Whether the ADA witnessed it or not was irrelevant.
"Don't make me make good on my threats. Y'won't like it."
Grinding his teeth when he was angry or otherwise displeased about something was a habit Izuru had tried to break himself of on... well, numerous occasions. He hadn't though, and he caught himself doing it then. Closing the door with a swift snap, Izuru turned around and watched as Gin settled onto one of his couches. No, this was most certainly not a good thing.
It was infinitely worse when Gin told him what he wanted. And, really, Izuru didn't know why it hadn't been immediately obvious. How he knew was... baffling, but he didn't let himself dwell on the ins and outs of the criminal underground. All that mattered was that Gin did know, and therefore the Concavos knew about it, and that put him in a very... very unpleasant situation. Put together with his past experiences with the Capo Bastone, Izuru knew that he was in a tight spot. One Gin wasn't going to let him get out of.
"I don't have the tape," He told him simply. Though Gin had made himself comfortable, Izuru was certainly not going to make the mistake of allowing himself to do so. There was nothing about him that was not tensed--not limbs, nor voice, nor even breath. He thought fleetingly of the transcripts up in his study. Well, certainly he had those, but if he tried to use that in a court of law, the evidence--the cold, hard evidence--would be thrown out in the face of the combined forces of Sousuke Aizen and Riley Cooper's legal team. "And I highly doubt the investigators on the case are going to let me have it, either."
Checking out evidence in an active case, especially evidence this important, was a difficult process. Never returning it was one worse still. And still, what would stop him from making copies of it?
Well, Gin Ichimaru, for one.
Gin was right. Izuru did know that Gin usually got what he wanted... or else. Said threats were never good, even if the man hadn't actually made any just yet. He didn't have to. His presence alone was a threat to Izuru and his welfare.
"Well, I know you don't have the tape. I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed ta bring evidence home in case ya tamper with or lose it, or sommin'."
Gin might not have been educated, but he wasn't dumb.
"N' I'm pretty sure ya can't just walk in n' ask fer it. But I know yer a real wise head, Izuru, n' I'm sure y'can figure out a way ta get it fer me."
His smile widened as he tilted his head a little. His façade was almost unbelievably innocent compared to what he had just asked the blond to do.
"I'll make it reaaaal simple fer ya. I want - the tape and all its copies, n' I want this ta be just b'tween you n' me. I'll call ya in two days."
Lying back down onto the couch, Gin slipped his hands behind his head and propped his head up a little on the armrest.
"If the line's tapped, or if I get any weird phone calls or people knockin' on mah door... you'll be losin' sommin' more important than yer job. Think 'bout it for a moment, huh?"
Gin yawned and sniffled a little. Boy was it getting late or what?
"I'd advise you not to test what I say, either. Y'know I'm not the most patient of people."
Oh, Izuru most certainly knew that Gin wasn't one the most patient of people. He knew it all to well, even without the strange man stretched out on his furniture, threatening his livelihood over a pivotal piece of evidence that could make an enormous difference in the crime world... But what did Gin think he could threaten, if not his job? His life? He stiffened at the thought. He'd received death threats in the past--no surprise there--but never to his face, and never with the nonchalance Gin was giving them with. It was unnerving at best, and downright terrifying at worst. That Izuru hadn't begun to tremble was enough of a miracle; his heart was hammering against his chest as if it was attempting to escape.
But even the death threat wasn't the greatest of his concerns. The worst was how he was going to even manage to get the tape from the police. There wasn't much he could do, even if he told them that the tape was useless as evidence. But to lose something like this... Well, no wonder the city was in a stranglehold by the underground. If they all did something like this whenever something so much as remotely threatened them... What else could he do but give? If he died, the tape could fall into the hands of anyone corrupt, and they'd still lose it. If that didn't happen, he was sure they would find a way, if they had found out about it and tracked it to him. But if Gin had planned on killing him, wouldn't he have done something like that already? Izuru didn't dare voice this thought.
"I can't promise anything definitively," He said quietly, and it was true. He could try any number of things, and there were still no guarantees. "I can do what I can, but there is still no certainty that you'll get what you want." He wasn't sure reasoning with the man was going to help, knew better than to think as much, but he was trying anyway. What would happen if he couldn't pull it off? Would he die?
Would someone else?
Izuru lowered his head and stared a hole into the floor, quietly seething at having been effectively backed into a corner. "I'll do what I can," He gritted out finally. "But this is between you and I. If I don't get anyone involved, then you don't either."
"Y'know, I always say to my people - ya can't try. Y'know what happens when ya try? Ya don't bust yer ass hard enough to actually do it n' then it fucks ev'rythin' else over. Tryin' isn't good enough fer me, Izuru."
He slid off the couch, yawning again before dusting himself off. Tired... it was beyond 'polite visiting hours' and time to go home and sleep off the weariness.
"The tape. Two days. Don't try - do it."
Gin made his way over to the door, tilting his head left and right until the bones clicked.
"I don't make promises I can't keep. I can n' I will do anythin' for the tape - even if it means the entire city has ta get involved."
He opened the door and stepped out into the cool night again, breathing in the fresh air, his smile widening.
"Bai bai, Izuru."
Stepping out onto the streets, he turned towards the direction towards home.
"Oh and uh," he added, turning to cast a final look at the blond at the door.
"Yer two days started yesterday."
Izuru stared at the other man, followed numbly to the door, and watched him start down the street. It took more strength than the blond had known he had to keep himself standing straight until Gin was far enough down the street that he could close the door.
Clinging to the doorknob, he sunk to his knees and laid his forehead to the smooth wood of the door. One day. One day was all he had to pull this together. Or... or else what? Would Gin come back to kill him? The unknown factor--not knowing what he was going to lose--scared him more than the idea of dying. It wasn't as though Izuru hadn't known coming into this job that there were risks... There were things he had been willing to take those same risks for, even at the cost of his own life... though that had seemed like a melodramatic thing to speculate about up until he had actually joined the DA's office.
It was a long time (a few minutes or a few hours) before Izuru's legs strengthened enough for him to dare standing. Just before he fumbled his way into the sitting room for the telephone--to call the investigator in charge of the case to tell him that Izuru could do nothing for him--he paused and stared at the door for a long moment. Sometime over the last few years, he had become secure enough in his home to leave the door unlocked. It was almost a symbolic thing, especially with Yumichika, to show that he was always open to other people; always trusting of those around him. It wasn't that he was naive, just that it was the principle of the matter. Locking the door couldn't do much for him. If anyone really wanted to hurt him, a locked door wasn't likely to stop them.
He locked it anyway.
It was the principle of the matter.
Characters: Gin Ichimaru (lcpdragonslayer), Izuru Kira (soleil_de_lune)
Timeline: July 20th, 1950
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Gin wants a tape in the custody of the DA. Izuru's his only way in there, and he will stop at nothing to clear a guilty name.
"It seems as if the DA has gotten hold of the tape."
"I know. I'll take care of it."
"Are you sure? I can always get-"
"I'll take care of it."
"Very well."
His boss had entrusted him to do it. Gin had already taken care of the bumbling, traitorous idiot who decided it was a good idea to tape the conversation between Aizen and Riley Cooper, a young, power-hungry politician rising through the ranks who would stoop down to any level to get what he wanted.
His type had been very easy to manipulate - offer the man more money than he would ever need for three lifetimes and he was willing to do anything on the political front for the Concavos. Unfortunately, they had been caught out by a tape recorder.
One which incidentally fell into the hands of one Izuru Kira, the young blond in charge of the case.
That tape was the only thing the Capo Bastone needed. Once the tape disappeared, there would be no case. No one had witnessed the conversation, and even if they did, they would not live long enough to take the witness stand. Everything could be dismissed as hearsay. Riley might no longer be of use by then, and they could easily get rid of him, but at least Aizen's name would be cleared.
All he had to do was convince little Izuru to hand the tape over. It wasn't going to be easy, and Gin had to be careful with what he said and where he treaded on, but after a few days of work beforehand, he had all the necessary tools to do what he had come here to do.
He would stop at nothing to get that tape - or get rid of it - even if it meant burning down the DA's office.
Though hopefully there would be no need for that.
With a cigarette burning away between his lips, Gin knocked on the door to the ADA's house, slipped his hand back into his pocket and waited.
Working, again. Not that it was much of a surprise to anyone, least of all Izuru. At the moment, though, he was taking a break from the new case he had been assigned to. The clock on the wall chimed a much later hour than he had expected (really, four hours since he'd come home? Since he'd last looked at the time and bothered to think about himself?), and Izuru rubbed his forehead before pouring a bit of brandy for himself. This case was worse than he thought, and he'd purposefully avoided mentioning it to Momo, as it concerned the man who had seen her through school... He was her hero.
Izuru stared at the transcript of the tape sitting on his desk and picked it up, leafing through for a moment. Unbelievable. That the scandal hadn't hit the papers was saying something for the NYPD's ability to keep a tight lid on something so important. No arrests had been made, and the tape had been presented to Izuru as a preliminary to determine whether it was possible for a case could be built off the incriminating evidence. It was. It most definitely was.
He stood, cradling the wide-bottomed, crystal glass and took another drink of brandy, holding the transcript in his hand before throwing it on his desk, where the pages scattered over the books he had been using as references. This was very unpleasant, no doubt about it. Solid proof that Sousuke Aizen and Riley Cooper were up to no good? Solid evidence that could, and most certainly would, stand in a fair court. If they could get in with an uncorrupted judge, there was no chance of anything slipping through the cracks.
And, when the time came, Izuru was the one they had asked to prosecute the case.
Well, it was certainly an opportunity he had wanted. Not necessarily the form he would have preferred, but he was hardly one to be bothered by such things. His train of thought was shattered by knocking at the front door. Who wouldn't use the doorbell?, Izuru wondered, setting down his brandy and checking the time. A quarter until eleven. Who in their right mind...
Scuffling in the hallway told him that Mrs. Hollings was awake still and answering the door. He could wait, but if anyone were calling on him--and not using his bell--it could be an emergency. No, much better to go ahead and go downstairs to check himself. He was halfway down the stairs when Mrs. Hollings opened the door--the poor woman had already taken down her hair and was wearing her robe--to reveal a tall, thin figure Izuru didn't immediately recognize. It was when he finally reached the bottom of the stairs that his expression froze in horror, and he took an involuntary half-step backward. Gin Ichimaru.
Well, wasn't this just peachy.
The blond brushed his fingers over Mrs. Holling's arm and smiled despite himself. "Mrs. Hollings, go ahead and get along with what you were doing. I appreciate it." The squeeze he gave her, however slight, indicated the urgency of her departure. They didn't have a set code of silent communication, but the woman picked up immediately and nodded to both of them.
"Good night, then." She hurried away, and Izuru almost hoped she was shaken enough to leave the house entirely. She wouldn't, though, and that she was out of the room now would have to be enough for him.
Turning his attention back to Gin, Izuru forced a polite expression of indifferent welcoming on his face, and stepped from the doorway to allow him admittance, gripping the doorknob in his hand tightly. "Mr. Ichimaru, what a... surprise." Was there really any other way of handling this other than by being polite? Izuru couldn't be sure, but it wasn't every day that the Capo Bastone of one of the most notorious crime families in New York showed up on one's doorstep. Least of all the doorstep of one young Assistant District Attorney. This could only bode ill. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Of course there was, so long as it was this man standing on his doorstep in the night. Izuru didn't want to think what it was.
Gin wasn't aware that there was going to be company - the sooner the old hag disappeared, the better, or else he would make her disappear to make their conversation a little easier-going.
"Waah~ ya look so surprised ta see me, Izuru," Gin said, tilting his head and torso so he could see the blond from behind the old woman.
It was... a cute petrified expression. He liked it.
Making himself at home, Gin flopped down on one of the couches and sighed, slumping down in his seat. He wasn't invited but he wasn't going to stay long anyway, so he might as well enjoy himself.
"Y'know what I'm here for. I want the tape."
It probably wasn't here - circumstantial evidence probably remained in the court or in the DA's office or something. But Izuru could get it out if he tried hard enough.
"I think ya know me well enough ta know that I always get what I want." They had had encounters in unpleasant places and Gin had done some unpleasant things. Whether the ADA witnessed it or not was irrelevant.
"Don't make me make good on my threats. Y'won't like it."
Grinding his teeth when he was angry or otherwise displeased about something was a habit Izuru had tried to break himself of on... well, numerous occasions. He hadn't though, and he caught himself doing it then. Closing the door with a swift snap, Izuru turned around and watched as Gin settled onto one of his couches. No, this was most certainly not a good thing.
It was infinitely worse when Gin told him what he wanted. And, really, Izuru didn't know why it hadn't been immediately obvious. How he knew was... baffling, but he didn't let himself dwell on the ins and outs of the criminal underground. All that mattered was that Gin did know, and therefore the Concavos knew about it, and that put him in a very... very unpleasant situation. Put together with his past experiences with the Capo Bastone, Izuru knew that he was in a tight spot. One Gin wasn't going to let him get out of.
"I don't have the tape," He told him simply. Though Gin had made himself comfortable, Izuru was certainly not going to make the mistake of allowing himself to do so. There was nothing about him that was not tensed--not limbs, nor voice, nor even breath. He thought fleetingly of the transcripts up in his study. Well, certainly he had those, but if he tried to use that in a court of law, the evidence--the cold, hard evidence--would be thrown out in the face of the combined forces of Sousuke Aizen and Riley Cooper's legal team. "And I highly doubt the investigators on the case are going to let me have it, either."
Checking out evidence in an active case, especially evidence this important, was a difficult process. Never returning it was one worse still. And still, what would stop him from making copies of it?
Well, Gin Ichimaru, for one.
Gin was right. Izuru did know that Gin usually got what he wanted... or else. Said threats were never good, even if the man hadn't actually made any just yet. He didn't have to. His presence alone was a threat to Izuru and his welfare.
"Well, I know you don't have the tape. I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed ta bring evidence home in case ya tamper with or lose it, or sommin'."
Gin might not have been educated, but he wasn't dumb.
"N' I'm pretty sure ya can't just walk in n' ask fer it. But I know yer a real wise head, Izuru, n' I'm sure y'can figure out a way ta get it fer me."
His smile widened as he tilted his head a little. His façade was almost unbelievably innocent compared to what he had just asked the blond to do.
"I'll make it reaaaal simple fer ya. I want - the tape and all its copies, n' I want this ta be just b'tween you n' me. I'll call ya in two days."
Lying back down onto the couch, Gin slipped his hands behind his head and propped his head up a little on the armrest.
"If the line's tapped, or if I get any weird phone calls or people knockin' on mah door... you'll be losin' sommin' more important than yer job. Think 'bout it for a moment, huh?"
Gin yawned and sniffled a little. Boy was it getting late or what?
"I'd advise you not to test what I say, either. Y'know I'm not the most patient of people."
Oh, Izuru most certainly knew that Gin wasn't one the most patient of people. He knew it all to well, even without the strange man stretched out on his furniture, threatening his livelihood over a pivotal piece of evidence that could make an enormous difference in the crime world... But what did Gin think he could threaten, if not his job? His life? He stiffened at the thought. He'd received death threats in the past--no surprise there--but never to his face, and never with the nonchalance Gin was giving them with. It was unnerving at best, and downright terrifying at worst. That Izuru hadn't begun to tremble was enough of a miracle; his heart was hammering against his chest as if it was attempting to escape.
But even the death threat wasn't the greatest of his concerns. The worst was how he was going to even manage to get the tape from the police. There wasn't much he could do, even if he told them that the tape was useless as evidence. But to lose something like this... Well, no wonder the city was in a stranglehold by the underground. If they all did something like this whenever something so much as remotely threatened them... What else could he do but give? If he died, the tape could fall into the hands of anyone corrupt, and they'd still lose it. If that didn't happen, he was sure they would find a way, if they had found out about it and tracked it to him. But if Gin had planned on killing him, wouldn't he have done something like that already? Izuru didn't dare voice this thought.
"I can't promise anything definitively," He said quietly, and it was true. He could try any number of things, and there were still no guarantees. "I can do what I can, but there is still no certainty that you'll get what you want." He wasn't sure reasoning with the man was going to help, knew better than to think as much, but he was trying anyway. What would happen if he couldn't pull it off? Would he die?
Would someone else?
Izuru lowered his head and stared a hole into the floor, quietly seething at having been effectively backed into a corner. "I'll do what I can," He gritted out finally. "But this is between you and I. If I don't get anyone involved, then you don't either."
"Y'know, I always say to my people - ya can't try. Y'know what happens when ya try? Ya don't bust yer ass hard enough to actually do it n' then it fucks ev'rythin' else over. Tryin' isn't good enough fer me, Izuru."
He slid off the couch, yawning again before dusting himself off. Tired... it was beyond 'polite visiting hours' and time to go home and sleep off the weariness.
"The tape. Two days. Don't try - do it."
Gin made his way over to the door, tilting his head left and right until the bones clicked.
"I don't make promises I can't keep. I can n' I will do anythin' for the tape - even if it means the entire city has ta get involved."
He opened the door and stepped out into the cool night again, breathing in the fresh air, his smile widening.
"Bai bai, Izuru."
Stepping out onto the streets, he turned towards the direction towards home.
"Oh and uh," he added, turning to cast a final look at the blond at the door.
"Yer two days started yesterday."
Izuru stared at the other man, followed numbly to the door, and watched him start down the street. It took more strength than the blond had known he had to keep himself standing straight until Gin was far enough down the street that he could close the door.
Clinging to the doorknob, he sunk to his knees and laid his forehead to the smooth wood of the door. One day. One day was all he had to pull this together. Or... or else what? Would Gin come back to kill him? The unknown factor--not knowing what he was going to lose--scared him more than the idea of dying. It wasn't as though Izuru hadn't known coming into this job that there were risks... There were things he had been willing to take those same risks for, even at the cost of his own life... though that had seemed like a melodramatic thing to speculate about up until he had actually joined the DA's office.
It was a long time (a few minutes or a few hours) before Izuru's legs strengthened enough for him to dare standing. Just before he fumbled his way into the sitting room for the telephone--to call the investigator in charge of the case to tell him that Izuru could do nothing for him--he paused and stared at the door for a long moment. Sometime over the last few years, he had become secure enough in his home to leave the door unlocked. It was almost a symbolic thing, especially with Yumichika, to show that he was always open to other people; always trusting of those around him. It wasn't that he was naive, just that it was the principle of the matter. Locking the door couldn't do much for him. If anyone really wanted to hurt him, a locked door wasn't likely to stop them.
He locked it anyway.
It was the principle of the matter.