Club Blood had been given a deep clean before the reception. It was a little off putting to Shoji how clean it was. The usually smoke filled, hazy room had been filtered so that one could breath without having to worry about lung cancer. The soft glow he thought came from the light glowing in the fog was actually the color of the room. It wasn't gold, but it was painted with colors that combined to make the room seem to glow with gold. Different combinations of beige, browns, yellows were illuminated by halogen bulbs in fixtures that were made from brass. That was a better color description; brass. The usual underground club's layout had been rearranged to keep guests on the outskirts and leave a dance floor in the center.
The music playing was different from the music Shoon and Shoji usually listened to. There wasn't any metal, at least, not in the sense that one would assume metal sounded. It was slow, with a beat and rhythm one could actually slow dance to. The voices were surprisingly lyrical and soft, despite the background accompaniment. It was different, but they both liked it that way. Despite not having any that was physical, Shoon preferred a varied, exotic taste in everything. He had selected this music as a middle ground between their differing tastes. It had metal, which Shoji liked, but it also had a refined melodic sense that satisfied Shoons preference for classical music that he wanted at events like this. Two very different genres of music blended seamlessly together.
The two were dancing alone on the dancefloor to a tune. Shoji lost himself in Shoon's arms as they swayed and spun, alone, but with everyone watching them. It wasn't like before, where the space-time continuum bent around them to put them in its direct center. That would never happen again. But it was close enough that Shoji felt comforted. Not a worry in the world, except for his husband, who seemed half out of it. The wild dog shifted his head from its place resting against the hybrid's chest to look up to him. He seemed distant. His eyes were closed, but Shoji could see the eye lenses darting around under his eyelids, like he was calculating, and planning.
"Hey," he whispered to the larger animal.
Shoon opened his eyes a fraction of a second too early to be relaxed and he looked down on Shoji.
"What's wrong?" he asked. Shoon didn't need to answer to see what was wrong. As soon as he asked, the question was answered. Shoji looked into Shoon's mismatched eyes, one red, one blue, and saw the blue one was bloodshot and shifting, color flecks of gold had formed in the iris and he knew what that meant.
"You haven't taken your medication," Shoji noted, before Shoon could even open his mouth.
"My life," Shoon said gently. "My-"
"Your choice," Shoji frowned. "I know."
"Don't worry," the hybrid smirked. "Just for today. I won't have a memory lapse."
"I hope not."
Shoon's smirk was off-puttingly sad. Shoji saw a beautiful tragedy unfolding in them and he didn't want to look away. He didn't want to stop it, but he knew the ending would be painful beyond all hell. His heart started hammering with fear and uncertainty and the hybrid saw it unfolding in his face. He squeezed the smaller animal closer to himself. Shoji buried his face in the hybrid's chest and tried not to cry, since he understood. This was how it had to end, and Shoon was doing everything in his power to keep him safe.
"How long have we got?" Shoji asked. He felt his heart was going to tear itself apart and his chest heaved to try and hold the pieces together before they tore at the seams.
"As long as you want," Shoon answered, keeping his own brave face. "Give me the word and that will be that."
"Why?" Shoji asked rhetorically. He knew why, and it was more a question for the universe. Once again, someone was being torn from him. The only person he loved, who loved him back just as equally was going to be torn from him tonight. And it had the cruel sensibility to make it his decision. He didn't want to choose, but it was either in his power or not. He wanted to control this one thing tonight. He breathed out the sadness. Forever was temporary, and they could have forever in that one night.
Shoji shifted his arms so Shoon's thumbs lay on his wrists. The hybrid rubbed the massive scars, sending shivers through his body. He gently pulled one arm away and reached up to the back of the hybrid's head, feeling for his scar. But when he lay his fingers on the skin, it wasn't there.
"It faded," Shoon said sadly. "The axolotl genes were too strong."
"That's okay," Shoji answered, laying his hand on Shoon's shoulder. A little disappointed, but not devastated to the point it would ruin their first and last night as a married couple.
~~~~~
"Did you see the look on his face?" Azuki laughed.
"Nope," Reina said, grabbing another drink from the wait staff. "I was busy walking the groom up the aisle. You know, paying attention."
"Hmm," the doe groaned a little. "Shame."
While at first unenthusiastic at making the deer a member of the Jade hybrids, the melanistic leopard had taken quite a liking to the cervidae. She was a breath of fresh air to the usual faces she saw in the club. Despite coming from the exact opposite end of society, Azuki had folded herself right into the fabric of their 'family'.
"He's staring again," the panther said.
The two women looked over to the table where Louis/Adler was seated. He hadn't taken the mask off, which made him stand out of the crowd even more. It was mostly because she had been married to him for years, but Azuki seemed to be the only one that found the getup absolutely ridiculous in this setting. Said feelings seemed to leak into people around her as Reina wasn't affected by the vigilante staring at them from across the room either.
"He moved on rather quickly," Reina sneered.
"He's always had a thing for carnivores," Azuki said, still ignoring the only other deer across the room. "The only reason he married me was due to our families arrangement. We made it work for as long as we could, but we were never really meant for each other. In the end, it's better for us."
"Can't be too hard on him I suppose," the panther said, turning back to her. "He honestly thought you were dead."
"Yeah well," Azuki retorted, downing her martini. "He never really got over that shewolf from high school so, can't really blame him. And Shoon had set it up in such a way that he'd lose, no matter the decision. I'm actually happy for him and his decision. She's a better match for him."
"You do realize Shoon lied to him about who was where?" Reina asked.
"He never told me but I gathered as much," she answered, picking up the olive from the drink. "Makes it even more difficult to decide whether to be flattered or hurt by his choice."
"Judging by the tone of your voice, I'm guessing you're over him?"
Azuki raised an eyebrow and looked at her.
"Looking to take him from me?" she asked. "Go right ahead. Though I'm not sure how well you'd do in a fight against that canine."
"Nah," she said. "Men have done nothing but use me, abuse me, and leave me. I think I need to switch models."
"I hear that," Azuki sneered, biting the olive in half and Reina could have sworn she eyed her up and down while doing so. "Remind me again, when was Shoon planning on having everything resolved?"
"He planned on midnight," Reina answered. "Though that depends on how long this game is played for and then that depends on what Shoji chooses."
Azuki nodded.
"I don't know about you," she said, lowering her voice and leaning closer to the deer. "But what say you we leave before then?"
Azuki raised her eyebrow again and looked Reina in the eye.
"It's just...I don't know if I can go through with what he has planned," the panther admitted. "He's my friend, and I'd do what I can for him, but this is too much. And why should Shoji be the only one who gets out of it?"
"I agree," Azuki nodded. "But I have to stay for the game, liquify the accounts and make the proper transfers to the launderers before I wipe the computer's logs."
"How long would that take?" Reina asked.
"Well," Azuki said, finishing the olive. "From what I overheard, the last phase has to be delayed due to some issues with the distillation. As such, they'll be waiting for me to give them the go ahead."
"But what to do afterwards," Reina said. "None of it will be going to us."
Azuki thought for a second.
"Leave that to me," she smirked.
"Can I trust you?" the panther asked.
The doe looked her in the eye with a playfully questioning glance. Reina smiled. She was going to be a fun partner in crime.
~~~~~
Louis sat in the corner watching the entire room, eyes darting everywhere for the past few hours. He was out of his element. Not that he wasn't used to parties, it was just that the party was filled and he was dressed as Adler. And Adler wanted to get out, but he couldn't let him. It was too risky. Juno had been by his side the whole time, doing her best to make it easier on the deer, though she was getting restless with the standing and finally took his arm.
"Care to dance?" she asked.
"Seriously?" he asked.
"Come on," she urged. "It'll get your mind off things and it's something to do. Besides, he invited us and welcomed us to enjoy ourselves. So I think that's something we should take advantage of."
Louis hesitated a little bit longer before finally giving in and letting Juno take him to the dancefloor. On the way, Juno grabbed a mask hanging from the wall and slipped it on her face.
"Everyone knows who you are-"
"It'll keep my identity hidden from those who don't," she interrupted. "And besides, it'll match your aesthetic."
He didn't understand until he saw her in the golden glow of the dance floor. While he was an herbivore in the guise of a carnivorous entity. She was a carnivore in the guise of what he really was. The deer mask fit her face surprisingly well, and the golden antlers that sprouted from the head of the mask made her look all the more radiant. The herbivore within the predator, and the carnivore in the prey. He became entranced by her, starting to dance. They weren't the only ones, but soon every one else faded from existence as they swayed and stepped through the space.
Adler's cape flowed with them, making the dance all the more entrancing. Black and red were good, dark compliments to each other. The song that filled the air was Love Bites. Juno had heard it before in the past in passing. It wasn't really her taste, but hearing it now she couldn't help but realize how much it matched them. The song continued as Adler held the other entity closer to himself as the speed of the song picked up. As if their orbits around each other would inevitably throw her from his grasp. She held onto him for the same reason, never expecting a dance with death to be this entrapping.
Their antlers seemed to grow into the expanse of the universe, entwining and locking them together. Their hearts pounded in their chests and their souls stirred in the presence of the other. The reaper had found his love, and he wouldn't let a thing happen to her. The dance became more intense as the music picked up and the two held each other closer and closer. The antlers on the mask, which at first weighed her down, now made Juno feel as though a tree were growing up through her spine and out through the top of her head, making her stand up straighter and taller, matching the reaper's height to the best of her ability. They danced and danced and danced until the song came to a stop.
For a brief moment they were still, anchored to the earth like the trees in their backs the antlers alluded to. Juno reached up and lifted the reaper's mask ever so slightly. She lifted her own mask and, without hesitating, dragged his face down to hers and kissed the deer underneath. It was like they were shot up to the stars. He didn't hesitate in returning the gesture and dipping her in the passionate embrace. It was like they were floating through space, alone in the universe with only themselves for company. It was wonderful. The kiss ended and they just stared at each other lost in their eyes.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Shoon called. "If we could clear the dance floor in preparation for the poker game to be set up, we can begin in a few minutes."
Louis and Juno slowly came back to the real world, not wanting to leave the void of reality they had created for themselves.
Hey! Mister Romantica! He's leaving, Adler said in his subconscious.
Louis looked around and saw Shoon leaving up the stairs with Shoji. He turned to go after the hybrid but the sudden loss of Juno left him reeling. He turned back to look at her. He couldn't leave her alone in this hornet's nest.
"She'll be fine," someone said. "Leave her with us."
Azuki was behind him.
"Not a chance," he said.
"He's getting away," Azuki continued in a hushed tone. "Either you let him go again, or you go after him and end this once and for all."
Juno walked up behind Louis and hugged him.
"Believe me I don't want to hurt her," she said. "Even though we may not be married anymore, I still respect you for the time you put into me. You deal with him. I'll get her out of here once my business is completed."
"I'll be fine," Juno said, directing his hand to her outer leg, where the gun was holstered under her dress.
"Tonight just gets weirder and weirder," Louis said to himself. "Keep her safe."
"I will," Azuki repeated, as if insulted that she would try anything. "Go."
Louis let Adler in.
"Finally," he growled.
~~~~~
"I thought knowing would make it easier," Shoji said, keeping in the sobs. "I can't leave you. Why can't you come with me?"
"You know why," Shoon answered. "They'll hunt us down, putting you in just as much danger as me. And if something happened to you I wouldn't live with myself."
Shoji remained locked around him and Shoon just stroked the wild dog's head.
"What time did the salesman give you?" the badger asked. "Because the time table is getting shorter and shorter."
"Shoji, go with him," Shoon reassured.
"But I want to stay with you," the wild dog said. "We're married now for god's sake. Till death do we part and all that."
"Exactly," Shoon said. "And either way, I was going to say goodbye first. And rather soon."
"But I don't want this to be the end," he pleaded, tears finally starting to form.
Shoon suddenly went cold. His expression died and his entire demeanor became stiff. So much so Shoji didn't want to hug him anymore.
"Don't do this," Shoji said, recognizing the behavior from an old boyfriend. "This isn't you."
"No it is," the hybrid said with zero emotion. "Everything else was an act. I had to hide my money somewhere and where better than the account of a spouse."
"I know you're bluffing to make me leave and it won't work," Shoji said. "I've seen you actually forget and you are never this composed."
"Those were fake too," he said. "To make you feel empathy for me, to draw you closer."
"I don't care what you say," the wild dog continued, tears breaking from his eyes. "You're not leaving me and I'm not leaving you."
Rather forcefully, Shoon grabbed the wild dog's arms and forced them away from his sides. It hurt him a little and he winced, but Shoon didn't loosen his grip.
"You've been a real pain in the ass," he said accusingly. "You know that."
"I love you please...please don't do this," Shoji begged, hoping beyond all hope that this was just an act and that he could get through to him, or at the very least it was a minor seizure he could help him overcome.
"I am not someone who is loved," Shoon growled, channeling some Razor into his voice. "I am an ideology. A state of mind."
Still gripping his arms rather tightly, Shoon started backing Shoji up to the bar.
"I execute my will according to my plan," he said, pressing Shoji against the bar rather forcefully. "And you...are no longer a part of my plan. Your usefulness has run its course. I am giving you an out, now take it."
The hybrid threw the pureblood's arms down and Shoji drew a gun from its holster on his waist in anger and fury. He held the hybrid's automatic revolver up to Shoon's head. To his relief, he saw a sudden flicker from deep within Shoon's eyes. Or rather, the lack of one. This was unexpected and therefore, he hadn't planned for it. He was so consumed by his performance that the one thing he couldn't accommodate, was spontaneous reaction.
"So that was a fifth option," Shoon said to himself. "Good one Reina."
"Let me stay with you," Shoji ordered now, feeling better that his husband was playing this character and that it wasn't actually him.
Shoon smiled, impressed by the wild dog's quick thinking. He took the gun and opened the barrel, showing him the one shot before snapping it closed again and staring back with malicious intent and Shoji saw the more obvious pain in his eye as the facade was becoming harder and harder to keep up. The hybrid handed the gun back to the wild dog and Shoji took it.
"Keep it," he said. "One pistol, one shot."
Shoji looked at him quizzically.
"That's for you to decide," he said. "Saving yourself, taking revenge, your choice. Just make it count."
Shoji lunged forawrd and kissed him one last time. It was hasty and too quick for him, but he needed it before leaving. It was all he'd have left. Shoon grabbed him back and kissed him an extra time, this one longer, deeper and more passionate than any kiss they had shared before.
"When you've been cleared in your new life," Shoon said. "Go to the address I gave you, tell the hotel receptionist I sent you, and then give them the coin. They'll know what it means. Everything else after that, is up to you."
"I love you," Shoji said.
"And I love you," Shoon answered, giving him just one more last kiss as tears began to form in the hybrid's eyes. "Now go."
Shoji holstered the gun and swallowed, turning from the hybrid to follow the badger. He finally understood the odd behavior. It was hurting him just as much, and he was trying to make it easier for him.
~~~~~
Shoon watched his husband leave, swallowing everything down, though he couldn't feel the knot in his throat, or the warm streams falling down his face. He moved to the elevator and pressed the button. He stepped into the cab and waited for the doors to close before breaking down, spasming in seizure twitches. He couldn't feel anything physically, which made the emotions all the harder to deal with. Trapped in the cage that was his own body.