King's House is located at Manhattan Upper East Side. You definitely can't miss it. It's a huge towering structure made out of white marble with graceful arched windows made out of coloured glass and tall pillars. The filthy rich, wealthy aristocrats often gather here to outbid each other for the various rare items that is sold. The items are brought in from different countries and markets, including the Black Market, because King's House holds an open auction which means Mafia, Yakuza, Triads and various other crime lords are allowed to walk in freely to bid as well, without using violence or harassment, but through fair game. This is King's House strict protocol, all bids are fair and square. Cheating is prohibited.
Lloyd, Glenn, V.V. and Reo stood outside, taking in the people who are entering the auction house. Powerful-looking men in smart suits, beautiful ladies dressed in their finest gown with rich fur shawls and expensive jewels and many others. Lloyd had put on his suit which looks thoroughly second handed, complete with leather shoes. His blade is kept inside a guitar case to avoid eyes on him. Glenn had dressed himself with a crisp white shirt, red tie and dark pants which makes him look a lot like a waiter. He had kept his gun out of sight by tucking it into his sleeve where there's a spring mechanism attached that allows him to draw his gun out with lightning speed. Reo wore a dark blue tuxedo which makes him look like a buisness man. He carried a briefcase which stored his two gunblades. And as for V.V., she wore her usual white gown with blue trimmings though she accesorised a ribbon brooch in her hair (She had flatly refused to put on cocktail dresses nor any jewelries). Despite the fact that they had followed the dress code, they attracted some attention because they seemed to be the only ones who are not over the age of 30 or 40.
"Ready?" Lloyd said.
"Let's just get this over with." Reo said.
The four of them made their way into the auction house, stepping into a large ballroom that has been converted into a banqueting hall. Tables were set up at all sides, laden with luxury food such as rack of lamb, veggie rolls, smoked salmons, buttered lobsters, deviled eggs, canapes, quiches, truffles, piles of salad, slabs of meat and many more. A chocolate fountain stood on the dessert table with a wide variety of biscuits to dip into. Waiters dressed in white and gold were pushing their way carrying trays of vintage champagne, cocktails, wines, juices and spirits. In the middle, a table full of typed photocopied catalogues were stacked in neat piles, which people are scanning and marking. Each of them took one as well.
"Right." Lloyd said in a low voice. "Glenn and I will check out at the Black Market side. V., you and Reo take here."
"Alright." V.V nodded. Reo didn't say anything, but scanned his copy under the object section.
"Glenn, are you alright?" He asked as Glenn gave a violent sneeze.
"I'm...okay. Really." He sniffed, getting out a pack of Kleenex.
Lloyd sighed. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"
"If it wasn't for me, he would've lost his head right now." He gestured at Reo.
"Okay. You win." Lloyd then dragged him to a doorway where powerful-built men smoking cigars are gathered.
V.V. turned to Reo, who turned back to her. Both of them stood so still til a waiter broke the silence by saying, "Any drinks for you, sir and miss?"
"I'll have vintage champagne." Reo said.
"Orange juice, please."
The waiter handed them their respective drinks and Reo toasted her. "Your good health."
V.V. nodded and they both took a sip.
"So," Reo said. "Where should we start looking?"
"The star ball should be under the Japanese section." V.V. nodded at a door which reads Japanese artifacts. "Maybe we should start there."
"Good thinking." He nodded.
They both entered the room. It's a huge room furnished with thick velvet curtains and ornate portraits of powerful looking men. A makeshift platform had been set up on one end and there are rows of comfy chairs arranged in the middle, occupied by some people.
"Lot 125, we have a 23.6 inches katana donated by the local museum." The auctioneer is a tall thin wiry man with a thin mustache, dressed in a smart suit. "It's blade is made out of the finest steel and forged by an expert blacksmith in Japan. Let's start the betting at three hundred dollars."
"Three-fifty." A woman dressed in an azure blue dress said, raising her hand-fan.
"Three-eighty." A man in black said.
"Four hundred." A man with a thick Scottish accent said.
"Five hundred." An elderly man said.
"Five hundred for Lot 125, a 23.6 inches katana. Ladies and gentlemen, I have a bid of five hundred. Any further bids on five hundred? No? Going once, going twice, SOLD!" His gavel came slamming down. "To the elderly man in the second row!"
Reo and V.V. silently took a seat in the back and watched as each item is up for auction.
************
Lloyd and Glenn had made their way to a hushed up corridor where crime lords from all sorts of organization gathered, talking in low voices on which item should they bid on. Unfortunately, the auction room to the Black Market requires a VIP Pass. And neither of them have one, much to their dismay.
"We can't enter without a pass." Lloyd muttered as a man held out a gold pass to the big bulky man who is standing guard at the doorway.
"Should we try to nick one?" Glenn whispered, eyeing a few men, scanning for the gold pass.
"No, unless you want to risk starting a gang fight." Lloyd hissed.
"Glenn, my man. I thought it was you." A familiar voice said.
Glenn, stunned, turned to the source of the voice. It can't be-
"I knew it! It is you!" The speaker is a boy, around Glenn's age, dressed in a navy coloured suit that has lapels on the shoulders and matching pants.
"Francis???"
They haven't been in contact since the Blaze incident because Francis had left urgently due to family emergency.
"Why so surprised? Don't you recognize me?"
Glenn, dazed, took in his appearance. He seems to have gotten a tan, but what changes the most is his orange hair. Originally wavy, it had grown longer and it's now straighten with spikes.
"Y-Your hair-"
"You like it?" Francis laughed, curling one of the spikes with his finger. "I got it styled. Hey, Lloyd." He nodded at him who is equally stunned.
"What are you doing here?" Glenn asked, after giving him a brotherly embrace.
"My dad." Francis pulled a face. "He wanted the Eye of Horus."
"Your dad? What does your dad have to do with this?"
At that moment, a muscular man, almost seven foot tall, with the built of a pro wrestler with broad shoulders and arms approached them. He has Francis's cyan eyes and sharp features. Instead of orange hair, he has dark brown hair that hung loose over his eyes.
"Friends of yours, Francis?"
"Glenn, Lloyd, this is my dad." Francis said with a slightly pained expression in his face.
"Vargas McCain." His father said, holding out a huge hand. "You are Glenn? Francis had told me much about you."
Vargas McCain??? They both have to contain their horror. Vargas McCain is one of the top 50 Mafia leaders. He is ranked number 16, his organization known for its brutal methods, illegal smuggling of weapons and gamblings. Francis's surname is Hills, for God's sake. Most likely from his...mother, perhaps?
"Er, h-how do you do, sir?" Glenn stuttered, shaking his hand.
"Very fine, thank you. And you must be Glenn's boss, Lloyd, is it?" They both shook hands. "What brings you both to King's House?"
"We want to bid on a rare Japanese item, a star ball." Lloyd said. It couldn't hurt to tell a little of the truth.
"Ah, you'll need a VIP pass for that." Vargas said. "But perhaps I can loan you mine." And just like that, he handed over a gold card that is cold to the touch. It is actually made out from a plate of pure gold, and crafted into the shape and size of a exact credit card. The words, printed by some clever method in jet-black letters, reads KING'S HOUSE - VIP MEMBER.
"You can have that one." Vargas nodded to Lloyd, who had taken the card in awe. "I got a couple of those."
Nodding at them, he then went to a room where Egyptian relics are being bid on.
"This is great. Just great..." Lloyd was practically breathing with excitement, no longer scared of Vargas.
"Geez, Francis, you never told me your dad is one of the top 50 Mafia leaders." Glenn asked Francis, who was shoving his hands deep into his pockets.
"What is there to say?" Francis muttered. "My mom divorced with him 6 years ago and had been hiding ever since. I was raised in Canada through my mom's Jewish side. After I finished high school, McCain had finally tracked down where we're staying. He then persuaded me to take on the family buisness-" He made quote marks with his fingers. "-As if I will. I just want to finish in Columbia and be a pharmacist for God's sake. Not running a Mafia. And since I'm studying in Manhattan, I have no choice but to turn to him for financial services."
"Gosh, Frances, that's really tough." Glenn said.
"'S okay. I always get on his bad side whenever I told him I never want to be a Mafia leader." Francis shrugged. "Aren't you going in?" He nodded at the Japanese relics room.
"Do you want to join us?" Lloyd asked.
"Sure."
*************
Fazar is sitting in a private room, sipping a glass of red wine, opposite of a man who doesn't look human. He has blond hair that is nearly white, which hung to his back, a devilishly handsome face with a pointed chin and has the condition of heterochromia. His left eye is blue as lapis lazuli, his right eyes is red as garnet. Fazar couldn't help but shudder. He looks like the devil.
"Well, I got what you asked." Fazar tried to sound confident, but he couldn't help but shake a little. "I even bribed the auctioneer to make sure that you will have it."
The man's gaze fell onto him, sucking him in with those different coloured eyes.
"You have done well, my friend." He said dreamily. He looked drunk, except he wasn't. "You never let me down when I asked you to steal the Kitsune Goddess's star ball."
"Heck, she thinks she is so powerful just because she is a Goddess." Fazar giggled. "But the Post-It notes took care of that. I even got her on the back with one of the blessed bullets."
"Impressive..." The man said softly. "You even managed to hurt the Kitsune Goddess. However..."
"However what?"
"The star ball will be rendered useless if the kitsune is dead." The man's gaze had frozen on to him.
Fazar is licking his lips nervously. "Wait a minute. I didn't kill her, if that's what you're thinking. She had allies."
"Allies?"
"A man and his accomplice. One of them got me in the wrist with his gunblades." Fazar's gaze then widened. "There!"
The room has been installed with tons of mini televisions, all taken by hidden CCTV cameras. Each television shows a different room. Even so, every image is captured and easily identified. Fazar jabbed his finger at the one at the far right. The CCTV shows a recording of a room where Japanese artifacts are being auctioned. But what Fazar is actually pointing at is Reo's image at the back.
"That's him! The one who shot my wrist!" Fazar snarled at Reo's image.
The man examined Reo's image calmly and said, "Is that so?"
"Yes."
The man then turned to him. "Why don't you go and greet him?"
"With pleasure." Fazar said. "Payback time."
*************
"Next, Lot 189 which I know attracted a great deal of interest. A 24 carat blood diamond ring, the band is made out of pure white gold nugget." A girl dressed in teal
from head to toe, held the ring in its black box, laid in a velvet cushion. The auctioneer was pleased to know that it drew gasps from the audience, especially the women. "Let us start the bid at-"
"One thousand dollars!!!" A man in the front yelled.
"One thousand and five hundred!" A woman shouted.
"Two thousand dollars!" An elderly man shot back.
"Three thousand!" A man in the back shouted.
"Four thousand and five hundred dollars!" An elegant woman said calmly.
V.V. and Reo were silently watching as each bidders place a higher bid to trump over the other. It seems that men and women alike are determined to win the blood diamond ring no matter what the cost is. Even the auctioneer seemed impressed.
"Eight thousand dollars." A man with a thick German accent said.
"Eight thousand dollars." The auctioneer said. "I have a bid of eight thousand from the German gentleman in the front. Any more further bids?"
"Ten thousand dollars."
Everyone gave a huge gasp as a newcomer in the back wagered his bid. He is devilishly handsome, with long nearly white hair and heterochromia. Everyone were gawping at him who had just named his price.
"Ten thousand dollars!" The auctioneer said. "The gentleman in the back had offered ten thousand dollars for the blood diamond ring. Any more further bids? No. Ten thousand it is, then. Going once-"
No one offered a bid. In fact, they are too stunned by the amount.
"Going twice-"
Reo and V.V. realized they were holding their breath tightly as the auctioneer began to count. By far, the blood diamond seems to be the most priceless object among all the others.
"SOLD to the gentleman in the back!"
His gavel went slamming down.
At that moment, something poked Reo hard in the ribs from the back. He wanted to turn, but at that moment, a voice leaned in and hissed into his ear.
"Don't you dare turn, boy." A voice growled. "We are going to have a little fun together. Don't try to scream for help or call for reinforcements. You will do as I say unless you want your friends to scrape bits of your brains."
Reo felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Darn. He had let his guard down. He never though that Fazar would dared to show up in a place where there's full of people. But then again, crime lords of the Mafia, Yakuza and Triads dared to show up, so a wanted thief for hire is no exception.
"You see the door at my right? You're going to walk out of here and act normal. Try anything dumb and I will not hesitate to put a bullet into your head."
Reo nodded and turned to V.V. "Hey, V. I need some fresh air. Will you be alright on your own?"
V.V. gave him a silent nod, her expression blank. He then got up and head out as instructed, aware that someone is following behind him.
"Now, go to the second floor. There will be a private room for guests."
Reo nodded and did as he was told. Hopefully, someone would noticed that something is not right.
Or he could always think up of a plan B.
*************
"Anything?" Lloyd whispered at Glenn, both are holding the catalog to hid their faces.
"No. Francis?" Glenn turned to Francis, who had accompanied them.
"Nothing." He sighed as a devilishly handsome man entered.
"Lot 465 in the Black Market, a valuable priceless kitsune treasure." The auctioneer, a tall, thin woman smartly dressed in a suit with her hair tied into a severe bun and square framed spectacles that made her look more like a stern school teacher. An assistant is holding the star ball, a transparent crystal ball, laid snugly in a wooden chest with a faded purple cushion. It gleamed softly with a luminous light. "The hoshi no tama is said to have been shipped from Japan and it is actually a genuine treasure possessed by the Kitsune Goddess, Inari. Let us start the bid at-"
"A thousand dollars!" Someone in the front shrieked.
"Um," the auctioneer blinked. "I haven't even started on the reserve-"
"Who cares? It's the kitsune's priceless treasure. Thousand and five hundred!" A man raised his paddle.
"No way am I letting this chance slip! Two thousand!" A woman shouted.
"Darn it!" Lloyd muttered. "We have to bid on it! And it's more than two thousand!"
"I'm on it!" Francis said. They had given him the briefing about the star ball, which he had staggered in shock though he had quickly recovered. He raised his paddle. "Two thousand and five!"
"Two seventy five!" A Triad member said.
"Three thousand!" A member of the yakuza said.
"Four thousand!" Francis shot back, much to Lloyd and Glenn's nervousness. They need the star ball urgently or else Inari might go on a rampage and they DO NOT want that to happen.
"Is that him, McCain's kid?" A Mafia crime boss said loudly, causing several heads to turn to their direction. "Well, I'm not losing this one. Four thousand and seventy-five."
"Hell." Lloyd swore under his breath.
"Five thousand!" Francis shouted.
The Mafia crime boss, tired of this, took out his cheque book and read off the total amount. "Ten thousand dollars and eighty-nine cents."
There was a large number of gasps as everyone heard him wager. Clearly, no one else is able to beat that amount.
"I have a bid of ten thousand dollars and eighty-nine cents. Ladies and gentlemen, I have bid of ten thousand and eight-nine." The auctioneer said. "Any more bids further than ten thousand and eighty-nine?"
"Twenty thousand dollars."
The number of gasps that drew around was incredible as everyone stared at the devilishly handsome man in the back, smiling confidently.
Lloyd, Glenn and Francis stared in amazement. It's incredible. Someone else had managed to triumph over the Mafia crime boss's total amount.
"I beg your pardon, sir, twenty thousand?" The auctioneer gawked.
"That's right." The man nodded.
"Ladies and gentlemen, twenty thousand dollars. Anymore further bids, no? Going for twenty thousand then. Going once, going twice. SOLD to the handsome young man in the back!!!"
And the gavel went slamming down.
***********
Reo is sitting on a straight-backed chair, his hands tied to his back. His gunblades are tossed onto a heap. But thank God Fazar didn't check his sleeves nor shoes, because it is always handy to hid a few knives right into the hollow soles of your shoes and some hidden in your sleeves. Fazar had taken no chances. Even as Reo began to think of a plan B, as soon as they were all alone in the private room, Fazar had tied him up and disarmed him.
"This is a gunblade?" Fazar was holding one of the gunblades in his hands, weighing it in hands, and examining the elaborate design of the blade. "This is my first time seeing one. I could even put it in the auction for a good price. Just where did you get one of those?"
"Do you think I would tell?" Reo said, trying to reach into his left sleeve for a knife.
"I know you wouldn't. But what if I put it in the auction?"
Reo forgotten about breaking free for a moment as Fazar's words. "You wouldn't dare..."
At that moment, the door opened and the devilishly handsome man entered, holding the hoshi no tama in his hands.
"Ah, so this is he." He said, his smile so dazzling til it sickened him. The first word that came into his mind is narcissist.
"Who are you?"
"Oh, how rude. I didn't introduce myself." The man tossed the hoshi no tama into the air lightly and catches it. "My name is Kujaku, the Dark Assassin."
"Sounds like something out of a comic book. And Kujaku means peacock." Reo commented, trying to reach his sleeve again.
"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you..." Kujaku said, grabbing one his wrists lightly, causing the knife to clatter onto the floor. "You may have fooled Fazar, but you can't fool me."
"He's also an assassin just like you." Fazar said, holding out a file. "Reo Minamio, aged 18, studies engineering in Columbia University. Born in the Gifu Prefecture and lives with a grandmother. I read your files."
"I see you did your homework." Reo said lightly.
"It does help a lot when you're examining your prey." Kujaku flashed him a 250-kilowatt smile that will make girls swoon over him.
"Halt, who are you?"
The voice came from outside. It was the guard that Fazar had posted outside to keep out nosy intruders. But apparently, someone seemed to have figured him out.
CRASH!
The entire door crashed open as V.V., hair turned into a mallet, smashed it open.
"Reinforcements?" Fazar drove his knee into Reo's stomach, causing him to gasp. "You're rather sneaky, aren't you?"
"Let him go." V.V. warned, stepping in, the mallet held out right in front of her.
"How-"
"I'm not exactly human, you know." V.V. tapped her ears lightly. "I was infused with demon blood."
Kujaku who was standing on Reo's other side, looked silently interested.
Fazar then looked a little stunned. "You are the one, aren't you? Stellar's finest weapon?"
V.V. looked a little stunned herself. "You knew?"
A huge claymore, with elaborate designs, hurled towards her out of nowhere, narrowly missing her heart, though it hit her right at the shoulder. Had she had been a normal human, she might've been fatally wounded, but since she's not, the part where she got stabbed just crack like glass.
"Oh, they really did make you 'immortal'..." Kujaku smiled.
"You..." V.V. glared at him, her hair turning back to normal.
Kujaku then pulled her over with his claymore and said, "Hey, do you think we should ask Desmond to sell her, my friend?"
Fazar considered this for a moment. "Do I get half of the profit?"
"If that's what you wish."
"Then I say, yeah."
************
"I'm getting worried..." Lloyd said.
Glenn pulled out another pack of Kleenex and went, "What???"
"V.V. and Reo." Lloyd pulled out his cellphone. "They were suppose to call if something comes up."
"Minamio is here???" Francis's eyes became round.
"Er...It's a long story..." Glenn said.
"What has been going on since I went back?" Francis asked suspiciously.
"Like I said, Frances, long story."
"I have enough time to kill off." He replied lightly.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, Lot 567, a perfect bio weapon in the shape of a human." The auctioneer's voice came from the Black Market auction for weapons. "This is a hastily thrown in lot by the Master of King's House."
As they all involuntary turned to the stage, their jaws dropped in shock.
Standing in between two huge guards, bound with chains and a duct tape across her mouth to prevent her form crying out for help, was V.V.
************
Inari was just about to slip out of the house when Dr. Chang caught her. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Urusei. I can feel my hoshi no tama." Inari said, her face ill and ashen, but her hair is still a brilliant gold with cyan tips. "I must go there..."
"You can't leave! Your body isn't fully healed."
But Inari took no heed of him as she transformed into her kitsune form and took off into the night.
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