Corpse Bride || Haitani Brothers/OC

06 - closer to truth, closer to danger

inside the club played a calm jazz. people were drinking, yet because it was still noon, there was yet to be erratic dancing and lively desires of the night. it was actually nice and it didn't look as dangerous as it actually is. Hikari kept her hood on as she stalks towards a booth, not quite knowing what to do.

maybe what she did was useless. it'd most likely just make Rin tighten his security on her. oh what to do. was there even something to look for?

she sits down hesitantly, her cluelessness obvious from the way she fumbled with her fingers. maybe she really did do something stupid, and she cut open the back of her hand for nothing. fortunately, a waiter who had nothing much to do with the few customers inside approached her.

"drinks, ma'am?" he politely asks. at first he thought she was a beggar, but when she looked up, she had robbed him of his breath. she looked like an innocent rabbit, cute yet beautiful all the same.

"a margarita." not that she was going to drink it, she just didn't want to be suspicious.

when the waiter leaves, she looks around the place for any clue. she didn't feel so hopeful, but the least she could do was make something of her trip. the second floors were nearly empty as most of the customers resided near the bar, but she notes that there was a staircase that led somewhere unknown.

she hadn't thought about it before, back then when she had no clue that this was Bonten's club. but now that she knew of this, the staircase seemed to lead to somewhere important. and dangerous. but important nonetheless.

there was one guard at the foot of the stairs, and there was a barricade stand too. it wasn't somewhere she could easily go in to, but yet again, it wasn't easy escaping Rin multiple times as well.

her mind was concocting yet another plan as she stares at the slice on her hand. the blood had dried, and it'd probably lead to a faint scar. finding it messy to look at, she pulls the ends of her sleeves to hide her wounded hand.

once the waiter had returned, she smiled politely and put her hood down. she could only hope that her hair wasn't so messed up.

"thank you so much..." she glances down his name pin, "...James."

"is there anything else you need?"

"I'm not sure if you could give it to me," she slyly smiles.

his adam's apple bobs down from her suggestiveness. "I try my best to satisfy my customer's needs."

she didn't like this method of trickery so much, so she cuts it short as subtly as she could. Hikari glances up to the second floor, pretending to search around before she looks back at him.

"do we go up that staircase?"

he immediately shakes his head. "that area's for the VIP's, ma'am. only executives and their guests could go in."

when he turned out to be useless, she dismisses him without a trace of her earlier's friendliness. he looked crestfallen, but she brushes it off as she walks up the staircase to the second floor. on her way, she passes the bar stool that Ran had been on that night they first met.

she recalls that she was crying that night, and she had almost tumbled down the stairs. she unknowingly smiles as she walks up the second floor. Ran had tried to catch her when she fell but she caught herself.

she felt disturbed to pass the stool he sat on, she could only imagine what it'd be like to go to the back-alley where he had first charmed her. he was a murderer for god's sake, yet all she could notice then was his face. even the blood seemed to have complimented his skin.