Visual Kei

I had been called into The Oni’s office several times before for assignments and orders, but this particular meeting could scarcely be considered a meeting. When I stepped into the room, I faced the back of his leather chair. Ray and Seheon weren’t there as they usually were. Just me and the big man.

“Be seated, Alice.”

I plopped into the nearest leather seat. It was soft and cushy.

“Where are the others?” I asked, growing uneasy as long minutes passed. The chair turned slowly, revealing his clothing, which I was unaccustomed to seeing him in. He wore a plain black shirt under a black jacket with zippered pockets and nearly-invisible seams.

“I have already given them orders. You are to be assigned to something different.” With only two fingers, he twirled a pen lazily. His rings clinked against it like coins. “There is a very important confrontation that I must make, and I would like you to accompany me personally.”

“Why me?”

“Several reasons, actually,” he answered almost cheerily. “At the place where the confrontation is to take place, you are the most logical person to bring along with me. You are physically stronger than the others, and, of course, you have prior experience with him.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Who are we meeting?”

“Not to worry, Alice,” he said with a hint of amusement, “I wouldn’t send you against your little blood-licking boy toy.”

“How comforting.” It actually was a comfort. If he stayed away from Kiiro and the others, I would do whatever dirty work he assigned me to.

“Yes, well, I’ll save the details for later. You won’t need them, anyway. I doubt this will come to conflict. Even he is intelligent enough to know when not to fight.” He stood from his desk, revealing black slacks. I was a little off in assuming he was going casual for this meeting. “However, on another note…” he began, his eyes skimming my baggy jeans and tank top with what looked like disdain. “Your attire is not at par with company standards. Did Seheon not tell you that we have those?”

“Not exactly,” I said flippantly, “I didn’t think I needed to be wearing a $400 pair of shoes while I was bleeding someone dry, but if ”company policy” says otherwise, I guess I’ll have to trash my wardrobe.”

He smiled and opened a set of doors near his desk. “I will provide the proper attire for tonight’s assignment. I doubt you have anything that would suffice.” He pulled out a dark green dress with a neckline that looked as if it had been made for an extraordinarily tall person. It looked almost as though it had been slit up to the waist, also. No sleeves. It was trimmed with ruffled edges.

“You have got to be shitting me.” I just stared at it as he laid it out on his desk. “I’m not wearing that. I am so not wearing that.”

“Yes, Alice, I am afraid you will be wearing it. I understand how much a change it must be from your typical garb. If you dislike it, perhaps you should take that up with Seheon Kim. He chose it based on your measurements. It is a custom fit, made particularly for this occasion.”

“Oh, lovely. I will kill the bastard. But… he’s not possessed?”

He waved a hand dismissively, obviously uninterested in this topic. To him, it might already be considered old news. “The Orion could find no trace of mind control, though his mental defenses were nearly impregnable, even for their telepathy. It will be investigated as soon as possible.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little risky letting him run off on missions without testing him properly, first?”

“The Orion saw no immediate threat, and I will put my faith in their abilities, for now.” He handed me the dress and closed the doors to the closet. Then he opened another door, revealing a restroom. “Get dressed. We will leave when you are finished.”

**************************************************************************

Seheon was going to get it when this night was over. Although I’d exaggerated a bit on the neckline and the dress’s side slit thing, it wasn’t much off mark. In the dress, there was a built-in bra that pushed my breasts together more than any corset I’d wore yet (not that I’d wore many, but still). Even if it looked a little skanky, I had to admit, they looked pretty phenomenal. Still, having almost half of each breast open for public viewing wasn’t exactly my idea of awesome. The neckline seemed to stop at the base of my ribcage. It sucked. Then there was the slit up the right. It stopped about four inches below my hip, making for a generous view of leg. To top it all off, I was wearing those damn stilettos again. Again.

Gackt (as he had asked me to call him, here) had complimented me politely, although I couldn’t tell if it was simply to be nice or if he really thought I looked good. Either way, it took a glass of Champagne for me to stop pulling the neckline up every ten seconds.

We travelled in style. Gackt had a private limousine pick us up at HQ and drive us to our destination. When we arrived, I stepped out easily, uncomfortable but not teetering with every step. We were standing in front of a large, clean, but otherwise unimpressive building in the hub of Fukuoka City. Several other guests had arrived also, their expensive and glitzy jewel-encrusted clothing and accessories catching the light of the two lanterns swinging on poles beside the double doors. Gackt was at my side immediately, his cool, composed smile in place as I took his arm and he led me inside. Everyone turned to stare at our arrival, and he bowed kindly to each. Some, I recognized, but I knew none of them personally. Gackt cut to the front of the line, his face a perfect mask of tranquility.

“Welcome, everyone, to the second opening of the Tamaly Bar,” he called graciously, sweeping his arm across to gesture to the building behind us. A ripple of excitement went through them, and he smiled to me, leading me inside immediately. The others filed in behind us.

When I got inside, I was surprised at what I saw there. Tamaly was not like a typical bar. It looked like a high-end restaurant. The tables were mostly small with high-backed, rigid and uncomfortable-looking chairs that screamed ‘no fun allowed’. Each table had several candles, bathing the room in a gentle, warm glow. Several flowering plants looked as if they were bursting from the ceiling, draping and coiling down the columns that separated three different sections. It was beautiful. And it made me feel like a hobo.

“Come with me, Alice,” he commanded in his confident, deep voice. “Allow Samael to check the reservations.” He led me away from the entrance, where his guests were lined up showing their invitations to the tall, broad man who filled out his tuxedo that looked to be valued at somewhere in the four digits, and into a back room with a flat-screen TV and leather couch, as well as a few other expensive-looking furnishings. “We’ll wait for Samael to retrieve us from here.”

“What are we waiting for?” I asked, sitting on the couch. “Preparing a grand entrance, or something? Do you have a little speech all written out?”

“The former would be more accurate,” he replied, pouring two glasses of Champagne. He handed me one and sat a respectful distance away from me, taking a long, but controlled sip. “It would be to my advantage to assert just how much support I have behind me when we confront him at last, and your presence will simply seal the deal.”

“Me?” I asked, about to spew the Champagne in surprise. “What do I have to do with it?”

He smiled darkly. “This man you are to meet for the first time tonight also finds your company desirable, although if I know him at all, it is beyond a simple interest in your divinity.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, exactly?”

“You know exactly what I am implying, Alice.” He slipped off his jacket and put on a newer and classier one. “Still, you will better understand the situation when he arrives.”

“What makes you think he would come here, anyway?” I asked, taking a sip of the ice-cold, slightly-fizzy drink. “If he’s someone you want to confront, doesn’t that mean he’s an enemy?”

“While it is true that we are rivals, for him not to accept my offer would be cowardice,” he explained, brushing at the collar of his suit jacket. “He cares about his image, even if it is only the opinion of someone he is at odds with.”

“Then, is he a fool? To walk into enemy territory where all the important people have their eyes on him is stupid. He’s pinned.”

“He may be proud or over-confident, but he is no fool, I assure you,” Gackt said, finishing the rest of his Champagne from the tall, slender glass. “He comes here to measure the breadth of my support. It is a display of power, in essence.”

“All this just to compare packages? Am I the only one who thinks this is a little elaborate?”

He laughed. “I assure you, if we were merely comparing genitals, I would exceed him greatly.”

“I’ve always been curious about the nature of your endowments. Thank you for gracing me with the knowledge.”

“Any time,” he replied with a wry smile. “You say you do not want to know, but the rumor is that every woman in Japan (and some outside of Japan) wonders about my magnum.”

“You even named it?”

“Have you ever met a man who hasn’t?”

“True.” Just as he laughed, Samael opened the door respectfully.

“Sire, your guest has arrived.”

“Ah, yes,” he said, standing and glancing at me. His face was alight with anticipation, a small, but charming smile crossing his features. He extended a hand to me, and I took it in my gloved one, rising steadily. The heels weren’t killing me anymore. My feet were numb. I couldn’t tell which was worse. Probably the latter. “Come, Alice. The fun is about to begin.”