DON'T PRETEND LIKE YOU AREN'T HURT.
"Fuck Carver."
As Ladybug muttered the words, Kliment looked at him sharply. The three of them were still standing at the back of the train as they neared yet another stop. She was leaning against Tangerine, who had his arm around her waist while Ladybug stood across from them.
"Carver?" Kliment asked, raising an eyebrow. She'd heard the name at least twenty times from her father since the death of her mother — and up until now, she thought that must have been Ladybug's real name.
"The guy I'm covering for," the American grumbled. "He's got food poisoning supposedly. I think he just didn't want to come to work today. If you ever meet him, he's a dick."
Yeah, she thought in agreement, he also killed my mother, so there was that too. Boy, was her father gonna be pissed when he found out about this.
"Well, you drew the short end of the stick then, Butterfly," Klim told him, not giving anything away.
"C'mon," Ladybug whined, not appreciating the incorrect name use.
"I didn't even know you guys got sick days in this line of work," she thought, glancing up at Tangerine, leaning her head on his chest as she did so.
Tangerine shrugged in response. "Throwin' your guts up kinda makes it hard to sneak around and off people, don't ya think?"
"Yeah, you probably would've had more trouble rescuing me if you were sick or running a fever."
Tangerine rested his chin on her shoulder, a smirk on his lips as he spoke by her ear. "Trust me, Princess, you've got me burnin' up all on your own."
"Like the Jonas Brothers song," Ladybug interjected, nodding along as if he was still part of the conversation.
Kliment rolled her eyes in amusement at him. "You're a real mood killer, Mr. Bug."
He squinted at her, pretending to be suspicious. "Have you been talking to my exes?" he asked, earning a halfhearted snort from Tangerine.
Perhaps all of them would've been friends if they hadn't met under such dire circumstances.
Soon, it was announced that the train would be stopping again in a minute. Only about ten minutes had passed between the last one. The longest uninterrupted portion of the train ride would be between the last two stops, giving anyone left alive a good thirty minutes to freak out before reaching the White Death's army of men waiting to kill who was remaining.
"You both know what's waiting for us in Kyoto," Ladybug commented, glancing at Klim as he thought of her father.
"Mm-hmm," Tangerine hummed simply, letting Kliment mindlessly toy with the rings on his free hand.
"We should just get off this train," he said, nodding to the door. "Now."
"If you think I'm stepping off this train without Lemon or the case, you must be mistaken," he replied, rolling his eyes. After this stop, he and Klim would leave the American behind to go find his brother.
"Okay. Well, the case is in the first-class lounge. It's behind the bar, it's in a trash can. It's yours," Ladybug finally revealed as the door of the train slid open. "Me, I'm getting off. I'm gonna go find a temple and reevaluate my choices or something. Hope you two kids work out."
However, before Ladybug could step off, Tangerine moved in front of him, blocking him from exiting. He stayed back and rested his arms on the walls. "Ooh, that sounds very lovely, but here's the deal. I still need a fall guy."
"Shit," he muttered, knowing he was right. "You need a fall guy."
Tangerine exhaled loudly for effect, looking at him with a false apologetic expression. "Yeah."
"No, I understand. I - I get it."
Both men sighed heavily, knowing they were at an impasse. Kliment watched silently with a small smile on her face. Under different circumstances, she knew sitting down for a drink with those two along with Lemon would've been quite entertaining.
"It's a bit of a conundrum, really," Tangerine went on, "'cause, you know, I'm thinking, 'do I hand him back in one piece or do I chop you up into little pieces and stuff you inside a fucking Momomon or not?' That's what's going through my head right now."
Ladybug took a moment to give it thought as if he had any say. "Hmm. Or..."
"Oh, yeah? You got a better idea?" Kliment asked with a little grin. She wasn't going to let Tangerine chop him up, but it was fun to watch the other man sweat.
"You know, before us now is just a wall, but it's an illusion, man. It's a construct. You know, 'cause within that wall sits a window. A window of opportunity," Ladybug began saying, repeating words he'd heard from his therapist countless times. As he did, he subtly glanced at his watch. "Damn it, it's a door. It's — within that wall is a door."
Tangerine looked at him, clearly confused. "I'm finding it very hard to follow this story."
"It's probably his concussion," Kliment chimed in, knowing she'd hit him pretty hard in the head.
"My point is, that door is closing!"
Before either could react, Ladybug moved and kicked Tangerine completely off the train. Kliment ran toward him, but the door slid shut before Tangerine could fully even stand. Ladybug laughed at him through the window, doing a little happy dance over his victory.
"Shit!" Kliment cursed, banging on the door. But it was too late as the train took off. She watched as Tangerine began running after it. She whirled around to glare at Ladybug. "Why the hell did you do that?"
"Look, you should be thanking me. Now your boyfriend is safe from whatever your psycho dad has waiting for him," Ladybug said, shrugging. But he still took careful steps back, not wanting her to kick his ass again. "And you're safe, so the White Death will be happy enough."
"I don't care about what my father wants. What I want is eyes on Tangerine so I can make sure he's safe!" she shouted, resisting the urge to punch the man again. "Do you have any idea who you just majorly pissed off?"
"Yeah, I know who you are — I mean, we have a small file on The Heir," he sputtered, moving back even more. "I just didn't think—"
"That the White Death's youngest child set to inherit everything upon his fall would be a twenty-year-old girl who couldn't care less about it all?" she interrupted, raising an almost lazy eyebrow.
It was the same thing every time someone found out who she was. No one ever expected The Heir to be a young and lively girl. They expected someone like Vasili with an imposing frame and face tattoos.
Ladybug then narrowed his eyes a bit. "You must care on some level — must want that power. Why else would you be on this train?"
"I'm on this train because Vitamin C wouldn't let me and my brother off at first," she said defensively.
"Well, I just pushed him off the train, and your brother is dead. So, there's nothing keeping you here anymore," Ladybug said pointedly. "If you really don't care what your father wants, you should think about stepping off at the next station, too."
"Go get your fucking case before I change my mind about killing you," Kliment said in a hard tone. She was done talking to the man that'd been ruining things since the moment he got on this train.
Ladybug didn't need to be told twice, running toward the front of the train, knowing his case was all the way back at the first-class bar. Now that she was alone, Kliment sighed heavily and leaned against the wall with her eyes shut.
The White Death had men at every station in Japan. There was a high chance Tangerine was already dead — killed on sight as soon as the train pulled away and the civilians cleared out. And now Kliment would have to be the one to find Lemon and inform him of the new development.
But then a loud thumping sound made Kliment peel her eyes back open and look around. When she saw nothing but heard more thumping, she leaned around the corner of the wall and was shocked by what she saw at the very end of the train, through the glass window.
Somehow, Tangerine managed to run after the train and jump on the end all without the wind throwing him off. Now, he was holding on for dear life with one hand and hitting the window with his other, shouting a million curses aimed at Ladybug as he did.
Kliment ran to the very end of the train and shouted for Tangerine, which was pointless, as he couldn't hear over the wind whipping around him and his own shouting. He pounded against the window with his brass knuckles on, each hit fueled by his anger.
The glass cracked once. Twice.
Then he slammed his head into the glass, shattering the window completely and falling through, landing hard on his side. Kliment ducked and covered her head to keep from getting glass shards in her eyes. Tangerine crawled to his knees, his face red and bloody as he got his bearings.
"Tangerine," Kliment said hesitantly, crawling toward him, not caring how the broken glass cut into her arms and legs. Once she was close enough, she placed a gentle hand on his jaw, guiding his face up so she could see his injuries. There were a few small cuts on his cheek and forehead, as well as his knuckles, but that was it for the most part. "You're in surprisingly good condition for someone who just managed to jump on a moving bullet train."
"I'm gonna kill him," he seethed, his hands finding Kliment's waist as he looked her over. "He didn't touch you, did he? I'll fucking tear him apart."
"No," she said, shaking her head. "Just went after the case."
"Good," he muttered. Tangerine was still looking her over, hating that he was even just a few minutes apart from her with so many dangerous people on the train. He was still huffing and puffing, trying to keep his rage in check, but it wasn't doing much to help. "Fucking c'mere."
Before Kliment knew it, he was sitting back on his calves and pulling her onto his lap, straddling his waist while wrapping her arms around his neck. Tangerine kissed her much rougher this time — it was all tongue and teeth — taking out all that anger and frustration on her lips. And she let him, tangling her fingers in his curly hair while pushing up as close as she could to him.
Tangerine dug his strong fingers into her hips in a nearly painful grip, like he was trying to keep her from slipping away. But Kliment wasn't going anywhere as she shifted her hips against him, letting out a choked moan that he swallowed when she moved against one of his thick, muscular thighs. The sound spurred him on as he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back. He ducked down and began sucking on her neck harshly.
"F - fuck," she stuttered, clenching her eyes shut. "I should've thrown you off this train hours ago."
Tangerine let out a groan before biting down and screaming, the sound muffled by her skin. She took in a sharp breath, it stinging in the best way as he bit her, knowing that the bruise would be there for days afterward. No, he wasn't calmed down, but the last few minutes with Klim on his lap certainly helped. Seeing his mark on her neck like a brand certainly helped.
Finally, Tangerine pulled back, catching his breath as he did. His blue eyes were dark, the pupils were blown wide as he looked down at her. She reached up and brushed a fallen curl off his forehead before letting her fingers rest in his hair, holding him close.
Kliment couldn't hide the smirk on her face as she looked over his appearance. "Do you have any idea how goddamn hot you are right now?"
Tangerine scoffed while using his thumb to wipe his saliva off her swollen bottom lip. "Love, if you find a man covered in blood and grime hot, you most certainly need to be seeing a therapist."
"Already seeing one," she admitted with a grin while sliding off his lap and to her feet. Then she offered him her hand. "Survive long enough to meet my dad, and you'll understand why."
Tangerine groaned in pain as he also stood. "Oh, I figured so after you and your brother shared the fond memory of shoe shopping after watching dear ol' dad cut some arms off."
"It was just the one arm," she told him teasingly before standing on her toes to kiss him softly. Then murmured against his lips, "That day."
"That day," he repeated, shaking his head as they started walking. "Right, that fucker is headed to the bar. He better hope this train makes a stop before I get my hands on him. I've had it with 'im."
Just talking about Ladybug got Tangerine worked up again, who stomped through the rear cars, steam practically blowing from his ears. No talk about Thomas the Tank Engine or witty jokes could get him to calm down. Beating the shit out of Ladybug was really the only thing that could help.
As they stormed down the train, Kliment was surprised to see the man with Ladybug's hat still on the train, nearly done with his book. Tangerine paid him no mind, stalking past him while exhaling loudly.
The man leaned his head into the aisle and watched him go, raising an eyebrow. "God, he's got a great walk."
"Yeah," Klim agreed. Then she cut her eyes to the man. "Word of advice — get off this fucking train."
In response, he held up his ticket. "Yeah, next to last stop."
Knowing that he'd be safe from the warzone that Kyoto station would be made into, Kliment rushed after Tangerine just as he walked onto the sixth car. Though after only a few steps, they were both slipping on something wet. As she nearly fell over, her foot knocking a cup around, he caught her waist and kept her up. Both looked down to see what caused their stumble.
Blood.
"Someone was dragged," Kliment said, following the smeared blood with her eyes, the marks disappearing past the door they just walked through.
Tangerine was the one to see what else was unusual. There was some kind of wire wrapped around the bathroom door handle, keeping it locked from the outside. Keeping someone locked inside.
Making sure Kliment was behind him in case someone dangerous was inside, he slowly began to unwind the wire. Kliment held her breath, wondering who it could be — the Hornet, Ladybug, the man working with her sister? Gedeon?
She had her answer when Tangerine yanked the door open, both of them freezing at what they saw. Yes, the man that'd been with Gedeon was lying dead on the floor, but he wasn't the only one. He wasn't the one they cared about.
It was Lemon.
Kliment covered her mouth to stifle a gasp, her eyes falling on Tangerine who was frozen in place, his eyes looking at the turned-over body. While holding his breath, he slowly moved Lemon, carefully leaning him against the wall. He was covered in blood with three bullet holes in his shirt.
Tears welled in Tangerine's eyes as he looked at his brother's unmoving body, realizing he was dead. Realizing he'd lost the only person in his life he'd ever cared about — ever loved.
Tangerine had to look away, trying to collect himself hopelessly. Then he moved to take off the golden chain and medallion around his neck that he'd had since he was a child. He paused and took in a deep breath, trying to work up the courage before looking back at Lemon and putting the necklace around his neck.
Finally, Tangerine acknowledged the other body, spotting his revolver in his still hand. He grabbed it and emptied the used casings, reaching for more in his pocket. His jaw was clenched so tight that Kliment worried he would break it while letting out shuddering breaths to fight off the tears he so badly wanted to shed.
After loading the gun, he took a moment to wipe his eyes and under his nose. Then he cleared his throat and got up, giving Lemon one last look before closing the door gently on him. He was still for a moment, looking blankly at the door.
"Tan," Kliment whispered gently, her heart aching for him. "You—"
"I'm fine," he said, his voice strained as he turned to face her, a guarded look in his eyes. "I'm fine. Not like I'm the only one to lose a brother today, am I?"
Kliment reached for his empty hand. It wasn't the same, though. She'd been raised knowing at any time that any of her family members could've been killed like this. But even in Tangerine and Lemon's line of work, they couldn't swallow the idea of losing each other.
"You and I both know what Vas and I had was nothing compared to you and Lemon. Don't pretend like you aren't hurt."
"How about I just let you know how I feel once I find and kill the son of a bitch responsible for killing my brother," he compromised, taking in a deep breath while continuing to walk through the sixth car.
"Then I'll help you find them," Kliment promised. Deep down, she knew Ladybug wasn't the one that did this. The other options were the man in the bathroom with him, the Hornet, someone called the Wolf that Ladybug told them about, or anyone else working for her father that was stowed away on the train.
Of course, it could've also been Gedeon. But Kliment knew her sister wasn't an idiot. Her threat to leave Tangerine and Lemon was open-ended but it certainly wasn't an empty threat either. So, she ruled out her sister on that alone.
As they reached the halfway point of the car, Tangerine's phone began to buzz with another call. Having lost all interest in the assignment, he let out an exhausted sigh and answered it, putting it on speaker.
"You have been lying to me, my friend."
Kliment heard her father's voice and froze. He never personally called those he hired. Tangerine studied her surprised expression carefully, stopping in the aisle along with her.
"Well, cat's out of the bag now, innit?" he asked, not bothering to hide his snark.
"You were responsible for keeping my son safe. For keeping my money safe," the White Death stated what they all knew.
"You know, I - I don't know a thing or two about being a parent, but you know what I would do, being that it's your son and your money? I'd stop crying about your dead wife, get off your fucking lazy ass, come here and finish the job yourself," Tangerine snapped. Kliment's eyes went wide, unable to believe someone was talking to her father like that — she couldn't help the little smile that appeared.
"But as we're having a bit of a heart-to-heart, got a couple things to tell ya. Your son's a complete bellend and fuckin' deserves to be bleeding out of his eye sockets. And as for your case, I haven't seen it since Tokyo. And I hope someone's fuckin' found it, put it all on red, and having a fuckin' wonderful time."
After a beat, the White Death responded smoothly. "I will meet you at Kyoto station."
"Oh, how wonderful. I can't fucking wait," Tangerine said, scoffing. Then his eyes fell on Kliment, walking forward until the side of a seat was digging into her back. "In the meantime, I think I'll get your precious baby girl on her knees and watch as she sucks the rings off my fingers."
Kliment's mouth went impossibly dry. Sure, Tangerine was just spouting off all he could think of to piss off the incredibly powerful man — all regard for his own life died with his brother. But it was certainly a tempting proposition in the moment, and he could see the interest in her eyes.
What better way to say 'Fuck you!' to the White Death than fucking his daughter on the train taking you to your execution?
Though he still sounded rather monotone, Kliment could hear the anger in her father's voice as he said, "I want to look into your eyes when I kill you and your brother at The Heir's feet."
"My brother," Tangerine repeated, his face falling yet again. He took a moment to collect himself before glancing out the window. Sunrise wasn't too far off. "Morning rush hour's rolling in quite nicely. Uh, what's your plan, mate? You gonna fuckin' waltz up here and blow my brains out in front of the whole fuckin' carriage of... witnesses?"
Tangerine hesitated, looking around and realizing that the car was completely empty, as had all the others they walked through aside from the lone man who'd be getting off in a matter of minutes. Kliment frowned and walked toward the other cars they hadn't checked, running into the next one to see it was empty as well.
"Shit," she muttered, catching Tangerine's worried eyes as they walked onto the Momonga-branded train that was void of people.
"There is no one left on that train," the White Death went on as Klim and Tangerine stared at each other. "I know. I bought every ticket until the end of the line."
The line beeped as her father hung up, and Kliment sighed heavily, shutting her eyes. He was coming to the station himself. There was no saving whoever was still on the train when it got to Kyoto.
Kliment grabbed Tangerine's arm, not bothering to hide her worried expression while dragging him along. "We need to get you off this train—"
As she turned, both she and Tangerine spotted the new person at the end of the car. Kliment cut herself off, seeing her sister Gedeon all on her own. Tangerine was clueless to the sudden dread that washed over both sisters in that moment, both fearing how the next few minutes would go.