[LWD] After Dark - part 3: overtime with no pay, 2/2

[lunacrescent]

"Not much to look at, is it?"

"Eh?"

Aomine looked the storefront up and down, decidedly unimpressed, while standing at ease with his hands in his pockets. "Are you sure you have the right place?"

"Of course I'm sure!" One phone call was all it had taken to get the address, and Kaori had been pleased by his inquiry. No doubt she thought he was finally taking an interest in how the other half lived, but Kise was still a long way from considering raw liver an acceptable part of his diet. "It's just…" His skin prickled; the air around the building felt strange and rather unwelcoming. Maybe not outright malicious, but he had to fight the urge to just walk away and forget the whole thing. There was nothing to see here, the bar was closed, and Kaori had mentioned it wouldn't open for business until sundown. The longer they stood here, the more Kise felt that this was a waste of time.

Aomine had no such reservations. "Fine, I guess we'd better have a look." He went to the door.

"W-wait!" Kise grabbed his arm, though that didn't deter Aomine from trying the door and finding it naturally locked. "What are you doing? You can't just break in! And in broad daylight!"

"Nobody's paying attention."

When Kise glanced back at the steady flow of pedestrian traffic along the sidewalk he found it was true; no one paid any notice to the pair of them, suspicious as they were. Kise especially with his large sunglasses and sleeveless hoodie borrowed from Aomine, head covered to try and disguise his distinctive looks (not to mention his puffy, discolored eye). Better to be suspiciously anonymous than Kise Ryouta, celebrity, out for a stroll on a sunny afternoon that may or may not end in the surreptitious disposal of dead bodies.

"There's a spell or something," Aomine said as if it was no big deal they were standing in the middle of it. "You don't feel it?"

Oh. "Is that what that is?" The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

Aomine gave him a look that said: you're pretty, but sometimes you're pretty stupid.

Since no one was looking, Kise retaliated by biting him on the shoulder, hard enough to leave teeth marks. He dodged the elbow aimed at his side without letting go.

"Get off, I don't want your rabies or cooties or whatever."

Kise released him just so he could arch a brow and repeat, "Cooties? Are you five?"

"Who knows where you've been?" Aomine attempted to play innocent. It was not a look he pulled off well, the corners of his mouth curling up in telltale mockery.

Kise rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Are you seriously going to break in? 'After Dark' kind of implies it'll open when the sun goes down."

There was that look again, this time joined with a snort. "As if they'd let me in."

…Okay, he had a point. "I could get in…"

"Are you really so eager to become somebody's snack?"

"Maybe if they asked nicely and had better manners than you," Kise said with a touch of pique.

Aomine laughed, low and brief, while peering through the darkened windows. There wasn't much to be seen from this side.

"Is there a reason you want to break in instead of wait? Kurokocchi will probably show up later."

"He might not. You were the one who was all worried."

"And you," Kise leaned heavily on Aomine's frame with an up-close, accusing stare, "never told me you'd met him before."

"Drop it already, it wasn't a big deal."

"A vampire hunter saved a vampire. Not a big deal. Right."

"Don't be racist, I hunt a lot more than vampires. Now get off." He gave Kise a shove. "I want to have a look around, I don't need more of a reason than that." Aomine withdrew a knife from his pocket, reversing his grip on it so the blunt handle aimed at the glass.

Kise's alarm fought a losing battle against inevitability as Aomine struck the window pane. It cracked on impact, loud enough to make Kise wince and cast a nervous glance at the unsuspecting public. "You better hope this place doesn't have a security system."

"No cameras," Aomine said with certainty as he cleared away broken glass with the knife's tip. "Too many creepy-crawlies things have a way of slipping by them, so it's pointless. If there's something magical and nasty waiting, it hasn't killed me yet." Like that was supposed to be reassuring. He fit his hand through the hole in the window and fumbled with the door's lock. It opened with a click.

Kise didn't know whether to be impressed or disappointed with the bar's lack of security. It didn't seem like a very safe place to work. There had to be a better way for Kuroko to make a living.

Aomine strolled in like he owned the place, and just by looking Kise could tell he was itching for some excitement. He had to be disappointed, then, that the inside was quiet and empty. Tables and chairs were neatly arranged, the bar itself clean and in order, and aside from the questionable contents of the unlabeled bottles on the shelves, everything looked ordinary and harmless. A calm, peaceful atmosphere pervaded the establishment.

Undaunted, Aomine climbed over the bar (ignoring the perfectly usable counter flap) and peered closely at the shelves. Most of the bottles were filled with red-he passed over those. Apparently after a while blood didn't warrant a second glance from a hunter. The bottle he chose to swipe was a noxious yellow-green, shimmering iridescent when it caught the light.

Kise pulled out a chair to sit in while calling out, "If you're dumb enough to open that, I hope it poisons you."

"Eh. Been there, done that, lived to tell about it. The hallucinations were kind of fun." He gave the bottle a shake, mercenary grin spreading across his features. "And it's worth a lot of money."

Kise watched as Aomine perused the rest of the stock, as eager as a kid in a very, very messed up candy store, and not for the first time was amazed at the turn his life had taken.

While Aomine had his fun, Kise let his attention drift around the room. Whatever magic had been laid outside the building didn't permeate within, so he was quite comfortable. After Dark didn't really seem like his scene (in more ways than one), but he would admit it was cozy, probably a nice reprieve for its intended clientele. Too bad he'd never be welcome here after this, what with the breaking and entering and probable stealing going on behind the counter. That was what he got for bringing Aomine into this.

He caught the sound of the barest mutter that might have been his name. His head swiveled in Aomine's direction. "What was that?"

"Huh?" Aomine was testing another door, also locked, with no breakable windows to take advantage of. "What was what?"

"I thought I heard…" Kise broke off as the sound reached him again, a sibilant whisper, coming from the side. He slowly turned in his seat.

There was nobody there, just another empty table and chair by the window, crowded by a plant that could initially be chalked up as a poor choice of layout. Sure, it was the only spot that got natural light, but anyone sitting at the table would have to share it with a tree…

Kise's stare followed the odd L-shaped bend of the tree trunk that grew under the table and into the floor. Actually, the closer he looked, the more it resembled a figure sitting. Or maybe, he thought with rising dread, it's a carnivorous tree that grew around the person it just ate oh my God let's get out of here. "Aominecchi-"

"…se …ta."

Wait. What?

Wood creaked with groaning effort, and in a dry, halting timbre a voice rasped, "Ki… se. Ryou… ta."

Kise watched and listened, transfixed.

"Kao… ri."

Movement blurred in front of him. "Wait, wait, wait!" Kise snatched Aomine by the elbow, holding back the hand with the lighter, orange flame wavering dangerously. "It's okay, let's listen to him. It. Or whatever."

The leaves clinging stubbornly to withered branches rustled in a semblance of gratitude. "Ki… se."

Aomine shook off his hold, but obligingly snuffed the flame. He kept the lighter in view, though, twirling it casually in one hand. "At this rate it'll take forever to hear him out."

A sigh and a whisper answered the remark, carrying a clear note of disgruntlement. His interest fully engaged now, Kise went to slide into the seat across from the Tree where he could see how the creases and notches in the bark formed a gnarled old face. After that, it was somehow easy to interpret every tiny leaf rustle, every shiver and scrape of bark. The use of words fell away, too crude and simple and dumb to bother with, but Kise came to a full understanding that this was an acquaintance of Kaori's even more ancient than she was.

The Tree had been a resident of this bar for quite some time, salvaged after being cruelly uprooted for the sake of land development, and it was thankful enough to keep quiet even though it greatly missed being outside with proper sun and rain to nourish its life. Few people bothered to keep the Tree company, but it wasn't overly fond of conversation anyway. Kaori visiting once every few years was enough, and the telling of its tale now was a necessary chore, nothing more and nothing less. Very recently, though, the Tree had come to appreciate the subtle, polite presence of a young vampire. They had never really conversed, but it was enough that the vampire treated the Tree with appropriate respect, as was its due (Kise detected a note of old man bitterness and bit the inside of his lip to maintain his attentive face).

"How long are you going to commune with your new friend?" Aomine had put his feet up with his chair tipped back on two legs, arms folded behind his head. He gave no sign that he understood or even cared about what was being discussed.

Kise shushed him. "Tree-san is telling me about Kurokocchi!"

"You totally are a stalker."

Leaves rattled in a clear, ahem.

It was no business of the Tree's, really, what happened by and to others inside the bar. It had been silent witness to numerous altercations within these walls. But still (and Kise privately thought it was protesting too much), there was some concern over what had happened early this morning. It would be a shame of anything happened to that vampire.

Eyes wide with the wealth of information, Kise passed everything along to Aomine, ending in a panicked rush, "That's terrible, we have to do something!"

"Hmm." Aomine rocked on the back of his chair, staring up at the ceiling. "Yeah, something about this reeks. It's all a little too coincidental."

"But we're going to help Kurokocchi, right?"

"Of course." All four legs of the chair slammed back down to the floor. Aomine waved his lighter at the Tree. "Although I don't buy your altruism. This is big, and you just don't want to get caught up in it. Who's to say this Seto won't make you into woodchips when he comes back?"

The floorboards under the Tree groaned threateningly.

"Just try it, you overgrown bonsai. I'll kill you with fire."

"Aominecchi, quit picking a fight, we have to find Kurokocchi!"

"Waste of energy. Let's just wait for this Seto bastard to come back."

"Oh, sure." Kise crossed his arms over his chest, put out. "Now you want to wait. Kurokocchi could be dead or dying-"

"Doubt it. They went through a lot of trouble to keep him alive. Unless Tinder here can tell us where to find him?"

Kise's stomach flopped at the rumbling sensation of the floor under his feet and he quickly moved away from the table. Grabbing Aomine by both shoulders, he steered him towards the door. "Don't be rude, Aominecchi, Tree-san obviously doesn't get out much and has already helped a lot. Ah-thank you very much, Tree-san! I'll let Kaori-san know you're doing well!"

"Yeah, thanks, see you later if you don't become kindling-damnit, quit pushing, Kise!"

"Shut up, this is why I can't take you anywhere!"

#

Not long after they'd taken Kuroko away, someone brought her a small bowl of plain rice and another bowl filled with water. Momoi scooted as far away from the stairs as possible when the footsteps descended, the words of her meager little defensive spell springing to mind, but once the bowls were set down the flat-eyed man left without giving her a second look. Alone once more, Momoi swallowed her nerves and regulated her breathing.

There was no dampening or restraint on her magic, although it was hardly useful without any ingredients or tools at her disposal. Still, she took some small comfort in the fact that she could sense energy within her reach.

It was hard to say how long they planned to keep her here like this. She wasn't powerful enough to be of much use for… whatever they were using those other sorcerers for. Momoi grimaced and shifted, though the movement did little to alleviate the ache in her arms and legs.

But they were feeding her at least. And since they hadn't killed her immediately she presumed they wanted to alive for some reason, or maybe they were waiting to see if they could use her somehow. Her first thought was that it had something to do with her connection to Aomine, seeing how that homunculus had been sent after him.

Though, as a rule, hunters mostly stayed out of sorcerer affairs. Whether they belonged to the guild or worked solo, they all hunted monsters of the non-human variety. Magistrates took care of the human business. This operation wouldn't have interested Aomine that much.

Well, Momoi amended, maybe it would have. He's been bored. It still seemed like a stretch.

There was Midorima to consider, but that was even less likely. They weren't what anyone would call close, despite Momoi's efforts. She could just imagine his apathetic face if they tried to use her as a hostage against him. Didn't do much for a girl's ego, but she was used to Midorima's prickly, unsociable ways.

A third possibility remained: if Kuroko was as disinclined to feed on her as he seemed, she could just be leverage against him. It was a simple and immediate scenario. Momoi didn't like that it all hinged on a vampire going against his own nature, and they were essentially strangers, but it fit in with her other clue that Kuroko had something these people wanted. Most likely something about the secret to creating perfect life. Homunculi were crude attempts even at their most refined, and that was the extent of what was allowed within the law. Any experimentation that went further than that brought the magistrate down hard.

It didn't seem like it would be worth the trouble or the risk, but maybe sorcerers that powerful had nothing better to do than indulge their vanity. Historically, those who'd been found guilty were said to have been absolute nutjobs, although Momoi had her suspicions about the official records. Her research into the topic had been impeded by too many walls of "confidential" and "classified" and "vague hand-waving that raised more questions and it answered."

It was almost enough to make a girl concoct a doozy of a compulsion spell and use it on a certain magistrate with high-level clearance… although that was the second most illegal thing anyone could do. Funny how the two prohibitions went together like that.

Momoi sighed. There was nothing she could do right now about her lack of information. Regarding her current situation, she'd been more or less left alone so far, so it would be best to remain quiet and cooperative until Aomine figured out she wasn't around to do him any favors. Hopefully he'd realize before he got himself into a messy scrape of some sort, but it was far too easy to picture him making a daring rescue, guns blazing, while already half dead like in the movies.

Her gaze fell on the humble meal by the stairs, eying it distastefully. With her arms behind her back like this, there was no way to eat or drink and be dignified about it. She wasn't even hungry. But what if it was taken away? Better to eat what she could get and keep her strength and wits about her.

She inched along the floor until she could lean down over the rice, steaming gently, and examine the grains for anything unusual. Her captor seemed like the sort who'd enjoy magicking her food even though petty tricks like that were far beneath his level. Both food and water appeared clean, though. No discoloration, no abnormal smell, no visible foreign substances.

Before she could bring herself to lower her head (as well as her pride), the heavy sound of the door being unlocked and opened had her backing away once more. Two pairs of feet came into view, one of them chained and stumbling, and Kuroko was dropped to sprawl unceremoniously upon the floor.

There was blood on his shirt. Not a lot, but it was a bright red stain wetting the fabric. The tip of a fang was visible poking out from his slightly parted mouth as he drew in labored breaths.

Momoi kept her distance, but she called out, "Are you okay?"

"…Yes," Kuroko answered after a pause. He tensed, then pushed himself up so he was kneeling, which gave Momoi a view of the thin line slashed down his cheek. The edges were smeared with blood all the way down to his chin, but the cut itself had already healed closed. "What about you, Momoi-san?"

She blinked, not expecting the concern. "I… I'm fine." Better off than you.

"I see. That's good." He glanced around the room, gaze coming to rest on the still untouched meal.

"Ah, that. I've had better room service." And she wasn't about to eat with an audience. "But if you'd like to wash your… or, well, I guess that would be kind of hard without your hands."

Kuroko's stare became more intent on the bowls. "Momoi-san, would you be willing to try something?"

"That… depends."

"Is there someone you could contact outside?"

A simple bowl of water was an excellent tool for scrying. Communicating through it was a little more advanced than that, but still comfortably within Momoi's ability. Only… "Yes, but I don't have the necessary components." Not everyone could zap spells into existence with just a touch. Her eyes narrowed. "But seeing how this is a sorcerer's house, we might be able to obtain them somehow…"

"There's no need for that. I'll be the component."

"You… what?"

Flabbergasted, all Momoi could do was watch as Kuroko wriggled his legs through the loop of his arms, bringing his bound hands in front. She had little time to be impressed with his flexibility because soon he was setting the bowl of water close to her and saying, "Momoi-san, describe your crest for me."

"What the heck are you doing?"

He nicked the pad of his finger on a sharp tooth, blood welling up. "Creating a link. Don't worry, it's harmless and temporary. Please trust me. Momoi-san, your crest?"

Not knowing what else to do, she began to describe it, going into thorough detail when Kuroko asked until he could paint it with unerring accuracy upon his clean cheek. Halfway through he had to reopen the cut on his finger. Momoi had the impression that even for a vampire he healed uncommonly fast.

Finished, half his face from brow to chin, and even extending across the bridge of his nose, was branded with a macabre rendition of Momoi's unique sign. The sight was unsettling to look at, and not only due to the blood. It just didn't seem right to go around marking someone like that. Temporary, she reminded herself, controlling her urge to squirm and avert her eyes.

"Momoi-san," Kuroko said very carefully, holding her gaze. He hesitated before explaining, "I also need some of your blood."

"Of course," she said dryly, chuckling without humor because it just figured she wouldn't get out of this without being bitten. Her shoulders hitched up of their own accord to guard her neck. Steeling herself, she turned around and hunched over slightly so he could reach her bare arms. "Just-a little bit, all right?"

A glancing touch swept her hair out of the way, and was replaced by a faint stir of breath that made her flesh prickle. "I'll make it quick."

"Go ahead and-eep!"

Teeth nipped at the inside of her elbow where the skin was thin, though it wasn't the easiest place to reach with her arms angled like this. Momoi squeezed her eyes shut and told herself it was like getting blood drawn at the clinic, but it actually wasn't like that at all, feeling her blood trickle out to be licked up in steady swipes. The idea of it was worse than the actual pain, though, and Kuroko didn't put his mouth on her more than necessary. After the initial bite she never felt his teeth again. The ordeal ended as suddenly as it began.

"That should be enough."

Momoi let out a relieved sigh and hurried to get her bloodied arm out from under the vampire's nose. Though he'd been nothing but considerate to her so far, better safe than sorry. "What next?"

"The incantation. Make your appeal, and then repeat after me."

This all seemed too easy, but as long as whatever he had in mind worked… "I humbly beg your guidance, and present myself to you in service if you would grant my wish.

Under darkest night and coldest moon, I made thee;

With highest power and thickest blood, I bound thee;

By the authority of none other than this sign, I name thee;

Kuroko Tetsuya, I hereby claim thee."

As soon as the final word was cast into the air Momoi sucked in a breath, eyes flying wide at the shift of energy around her. It crackled over and under her skin, sinking a hold into her, locking in place. All of a sudden everything expanded; the ticklish ebb and flow of magic to which she was accustomed had become a vast current that parted obligingly at her touch, let itself be shaped by her hand. She gathered it to herself, marveling that her power must have increased tenfold.

No-not her power itself, but her access to it. The magic was always there, a well waiting to be tapped by those who knew how, and Momoi was no longer limited to scooping from it by the handful. A mere flick of her wrist and it flowed according to her will.

"Forget calling for help, I could bust out of here like this!"

"You would have to fight your way out," Kuroko corrected. His condition appeared no worse for wear, although there was a nervous tightness around his mouth. "And we still don't know where we are."

Logic made a bitterly cold splash as it doused her fervor. She wouldn't even know where to begin if things came down to a magic battle, and she'd much rather escape without attracting her host's malevolent notice. "Of course, you're right. Then let's get started."

She allowed herself a single well-deserved luxury and freed her arms from their shackles, the chain breaking easily under one sharp, cutting word of power. She could put it back together afterward for the sake of appearances if need be. For now, she wrapped her hands around the bowl of water and repeated her appeal-it may not have been necessary, but no good could come out of cutting corners.

The spell took effect with glorious clarity in the small vessel, showing her a familiar family crest and holding that image in place. "Come on, Midorin, don't pick now of all times to suddenly develop a social life!"

"I heard that," said a welcome, if disdainful, voice. The image in the water wavered, giving way to a thunderous scowl. "Where are on earth are you? I just tried calling you with information regarding-what is that?"

"That" being Kuroko, peering blankly over Momoi's shoulder. Taking one look at Midorima's too-sharp gaze, Momoi waved her hands in front of herself frantically. "Never mind him! Ah, Midorin, I kind of… got involved in something."

That brought his attention back on her, although being subject to his undivided anger was far from pleasant. "What. Did. You. Do."

"Well… you see… about your case…" She laughed helplessly and plastered a smile on her face. "I found him! Your target. Pretty good, huh? Why don't you come over to smite him, and pick me up, and we'll call it a day?"

The stretch of silence that followed was more worrisome than the most extravagant of explosions. Midorima's expression was unreadable and Momoi felt her heart sink with leaden heaviness. He's never going to speak to me again after this.

"Tell me everything," he said at last.

Momoi nodded, shoving her misery back with sheer force of will. She told him about the park and the spell that had been placed on her, how she woke up in a cellar an indeterminable amount of time later, but from what she could see out the windows the weather was still sunny and fair.

Kuroko added what he had seen of the rest of the house, even providing an estimated square footage. He and Momoi put together a description of the sorcerer behind everything. They kept to the facts; if Kuroko knew more than what Momoi suspected, he didn't say anything, and Midorima would reach the same conclusions she had.

"Is it enough?" she asked when all had been told. "Can you find us?"

"Frankly, the information isn't conclusive, but it's a start. Can you hold out for a few days, keeping me updated?" His impassive demeanor slipped into more recognizable severity as he pinned Momoi with a glare. "There is also the matter of how you managed this spell with your situation as it is."

She'd seen that one coming. "I don't really know myself, but, ah…" She sent Kuroko a sidelong look that gave way to full-blown surprise as the bowl in front of her shattered, spraying water and glazed shards.

Shrieking, Momoi threw her arms up in front of her face. A chant of, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, started up in her head. Unconsciously, she gathered power, for her own security if nothing else.

Dread settled thick and black in the pit of her stomach as the door at the top of the stairs swung open with an ominous sound. The sorcerer paused upon the landing, gazing down upon her and Kuroko in an apparent good mood, smile stretched wide across his lips. Momoi wanted nothing more than to crawl under something and hide, shivering under that pleased assessment.

"As I thought. Allow me to offer you two my thanks for that informative demonstration."

to be continued

I originally wanted to get this story arc over with in one go, but then it became quickly apparent that the chapter was going to be enormous. Also, this was a cliffhanger I couldn't pass up.

I'm reasonably sure there won't be a 7-month hiatus before the next part.