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It was supposed to be a simple mission. Simple being the objective term. Crash the Cross-Eye den, wipe out the goons and apprehend the acting leader of the branch. Sorcerer's plan and Devil’s laugh.
From the outset, the venture had set off on the wrong foot; first the usual work car had an unexplained engine fault, then the gang location tip turned out to be bogus and thirdly, Shin was in a bad fucking mood.
Kicking a chunk of rubble aside, Shin cursed sharply and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Well, that’s just great. What fucking moron gave us the info?” His narrowed gaze swept over the derelict house that they had arrived at, finding nothing but dust and hastily discarded Black Powder. The scraps of aged paper were ground under Shin’s feet as he prowled through the empty rooms.
Noi followed, silently keeping Shin within her sights as she watched her senpai’s tense back ahead of her. She was well aware of his foul mood already, having endured the painfully awkward car ride here as the pair barely passed a word between each other. Usually, they goaded and teased during the steadily mounting excitement of a new job to complete and the prospect of a fight but today, the friendly atmosphere was nowhere to be found and instead it was replaced with an uncomfortable silence.
It didn’t take 8 years of partnership to figure out that Shin had clearly woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Noi was well aware that while she had the shorter fuse, her partner was more of a slow burn that progressed at the creeping pace of lava about to erupt from a volcano. She had held witness to a few of these admittedly intimidating fits of rage that were directed at their targets. On the rare occasions that Noi had cleaned up her share of the small armies they were sent into before Shin, she would take a moment to watch him work. The results didn't disappointed. The way walls were painted red with blood and how fearful screaming shattered the air never failed to get her heart pounding and adrenaline coursing. Her favourite part though, was tending to Shin afterwards. If it was a tricky mission, he could sustain any manner of injury, uncaring of the pain as long as he could keep going. Approaching Shin once the floor was piled with bodies was exhilarating in and of itself, his wild gaze would draw Noi in while they gravitated towards each other in a gentle dance as they sidestepped corpses.
At the rate Noi healed Shin, she didn't expect to be verbally thanked each time. Instead, she would delight quietly in the warm gratitude brimming in his eyes and in the heat simmering fiercely in her chest.
Any other day, she would simply demand to know what Shin's problem was, but something about this house set her teeth on edge. Noi was loath to separate from him and he had noticed.
"Are you just going to make me do all the work and wait around until I find the real den?" Shin glared over his shoulder at her and Noi entertained the thought of tossing a brick at his head.
She rolled her eyes and gestured towards the dirty carpet under their feet. "You can't tell me you don't feel that? Like we're being watched, senpai. Whoever was here clearly turned tail and ran recently, but someone is still around…"
The fabric muffled her footsteps as Noi carefully rounded a corner into a half collapsed kitchen, sunlight streaming in through the ceiling and illuminating the Black Powder across the countertop. She dragged a finger through the substance and regarded it with disgust, roughly wiping it off afterwards. Noi felt a twinge of annoyance as she heard Shin stomp around behind her, she turned and pointed at him. "Are you even trying to be quiet? I know it's hard for you to do with you being a fat ass and all but I'm serious, senpai, someone's here. I just know it."
Shin waved her off and wandered to the windows, staring disinterestedly out of the murky glass. "You're the heavier out of both of us, how does that make me fat? Anyway, who cares if someone is still around. The little coward should hurry up and show themselves already, I'm getting bored."
Huffing indignantly, Noi headed towards the dining table, spying a note strewn on the top of it. "You're still a greedy bastard." She muttered under her breath and began to read the note.
"Only use this if the heart guy and his girl come knocking. Don't waste it!"
Beside the scrap of paper was an empty smoke bottle, it's label was scratched away. Noi furrowed her brow at the cryptic warning. "I'm not his girl." She mumbled and shifted to call over her shoulder to Shin. "Senpai, you should take a look at-"
She was interrupted by the creak of floorboards behind her and a burst of white hot pain in her back and over her surprised grunt, Noi could hear the crunch of a blade burying itself to the hilt in her spine; cracking the vertebrae. Suddenly unable to stay upright, Noi's legs trembled of their own volition and she had to brace her arms on the table to avoid crumpling in a heap. “ Guhh. ” Her jaw trembled as a strange numbness crept up her back and swept around her sides, something was tampering with her healing smoke; to great effect.
“Would you look at that, invisibility smoke with that anti healing shit was all we needed to take down you, you big bitch.” A voice hissed above Noi who growled in response. She twisted sharply and grasped the chair beside her, working against the grey tinting her vision and swung the stool; smashing it against thin air. Blood erupted and Noi grinned viciously, baring her teeth as the Cross-Eye appeared spluttering his final breath with a thick shard of wood speared through his throat.
Sharp whistling signalled Shin’s hammer sailing across the room as he threw it with devastating accuracy to the seemingly empty space beside the collapsed Cross-Eye. The resulting spray of viscera splashed across Noi’s face as she watched the gun materialise and topple out of their hand inches from her nose.
Black spots swarmed Noi’s vision and she panted breathlessly, trying to force her body to heal but the knife was interfering stubbornly; blocking her smoke from sweeping through the brutal injury.
A resounding crack had Noi blinking sluggishly, finding Shin crouched in front of her; wrenching the hammer out the Cross-Eye’s head. “ Hng… the knife. It’s messing with my smoke, senpai.” She tried to reach behind her back but found her arm was like a lead weight; barely able to move. Shin frowned and reached for Noi as she swayed like a tree in the wind, she slapped away his hand weakly. “‘M fine, just need to pull it out.”
The room spun and after a disorientating moment of pitch black when Noi’s vision failed, she opened her eyes and was greeted with the comforting bulk of Shin’s shoulder as he held her upright; arms wrapped firmly around Noi’s waist. “Looks like they have some brains after all huh, Noi?” Shin spoke quietly as she fisted her hands in his suit jacket.
“Hurry up and yank the fuckin’ thing out.” Noi ground out, cheeks turning red as she heard him chuckle softly; directly in her ear.
In a surprisingly gentle gesture, Shin smoothed his hand over her hair. “Calm down, Noi, I’ll be careful.” And he ripped the blade out of her spine in one fluid motion, making sure the metal didn’t catch on her bones and he squeezed his arms looped across Noi’s middle in sympathy as she couldn’t prevent the stuttering gasp that burst from her throat.
Despite the knife’s removal, the numbness didn’t abate; if anything it got worse. Shin investigated it thoughtfully before tossing it aside. “Looks like it was coated in some smoke that cancels out your own, wonder where they found that.” He hummed consideringly and lowered Noi into the surviving chair then leaned against the table beside her.
The rickety support of the chairback was the only thing keeping Noi sitting up and her legs were splayed uselessly in front of her. “C-can’t say I’ve been paralysed before, Shin-senpai.” She panted and her head lolled back as she was too large for the seat.
Shin had a small smile on his face as he watched her. “First time for everything I suppose, remember the state of us after that car crash?” The soft teasing was welcome in the aftermath of the painful surprise and the tense morning.
“Heh, yeah that was pretty funny.” Noi closed her eyes as she lost sensation in her fingers. “You should keep looking around without me, senpai, this doesn’t feel like it’s going away anytime soon and seems like we are actually alone now.”
Glass shattered above the pair’s heads and footsteps thundered upstairs as the Cross-Eyes sprung the trap. Shin and Noi blinked at each other before that telltale grin unfurled on Shin’s face. “Looks like you will have to sit this one out, Noi.”
Spluttering in protest, she tried to stand upright, failing miserably and flopping back down on the chair. “No fucking way, senpai! I can manage, just lure them in here and we can take them together!”
Orders were barked and the shouting drifted downstairs. “As long as the healer is down, we’ve got a chance of getting rid of the heart guy, give him all you’ve got!”
Shin cracked his neck and rolled his wrists, hammer at the ready. “This lot sure are determined, I’ll meet them halfway and break them.” He laughed maniacally and stalked towards the hallway, uncaring of the racket that indicated a large force headed right for them.
“Senpai, let me help, there’s too many for you to just fight without using your magic!” Noi sometimes hated his silly honour code of refraining from using his destructive smoke against those unable to produce any, what good is honour if they were going to kill them anyway?
Shin ignored her and shot a parting remark as he disappeared out of the room. “ Tch, it’s my job, Noi, quit worrying and just wait here.”
“Fuck you!” Noi bellowed at his retreating back and winced as pain was starting to return to her body. If he wanted to get riddled with bullets without her to help then that was his own problem as far as Noi was concerned. That's what she tried to convince herself with as she listened to Shin get to work. As predicted, there were no signs that he was using his smoke and instead all that she heard was the cut off shrieking of Cross-Eyes being decimated by a hammer smashing into them.
The gunshots reached a crescendo then they were replaced by a much louder resounding bang followed by silence. Noi forced her head towards the door and waited in trepidation as she didn’t see Shin return to her.
An older looking Cross-Eye swaggered through the door, a rare sight due to the high mortality rate in the gang, followed by two goons struggling to drag a bloodied Shin behind them. Half of his chest was blown away and Noi could see the whites of his cracked exposed ribs as he was thrown in front of her a few paces away. The leader had a huge rifle slung across his shoulders as he kicked Shin over, smirking. “Don’t know what all the fuss was about, he hardly put up a fight once the big guns came out.” He patted the gun lovingly and leered at Noi. “Now look at you." He whistled. "Your man messed up quite a few of my boys so you are going to fix that or else he’s going to chew on some lead. Then you are going to come with us and be our personal healer.”
Noi snorted at his theatrics and peals of harsh laughter had the Cross-Eye’s face twisting in confusion. “Wow you really take the cake for being the most upjumped stick-up-the-ass Cross-Eye I’ve ever had to fight, I’m gonna enjoy this.” She smiled innocently at him. “He’s not my man, he’s my partner and you are gonna regret messing with us.”
“It’s hardly a fight you stupid bitch, you can’t even move!” He spat at her but he still fingered his rifle cautiously at her unnerving expression.
“That’s what you think.” Noi muttered and blew out a massive amount of smoke, forcing it from her lungs and shrouding herself in a thick black cloud. Counteracting the anti healing substance that had infiltrated her spine was difficult but not as difficult as watching the mediocre Cross-Eye flaunt and posture. She ignored the panicked shouting and instead forced her weakened body upright, grabbing the edge of the table so hard that the wood crunched under her grip.
Pivoting swiftly, Noi hauled the table from the floor and threw it across the room with all her strength. The two underlings took the full force of the heavy oak and crashed through the wall behind them. She faced the leader and watched his shocked face with relish, as he was scrambling to unsling his gun, Noi chanced glancing at Shin. He was deathly pale and his insides glistened wetly, she would have to finish this quickly.
Steeling herself, Noi circled the leader and he aimed at her, fingers slipping as he pulled the trigger. The power of the gunshot pushed her back several feet, her shoulder was ripped open and her arm flopped to the ground still twitching. “Big mistake.” Noi growled deeply and lunged for him, snatching the rifle out of his hand and swung it; hard. The metal slammed into the side of his skull, the bone crumbling like wet paper and Noi loomed over him, watching the light leave his eyes with a hard stare.
“What a pain.” Noi tutted at the unsatisfying fight and tried to staunch the bleeding, huffing more smoke over the wound, wincing as new bone was teased out of the shattered socket and as flesh wrapped around the fresh limb. She threw the gun over her shoulder with a scoff of distaste and shuffled over to her downed senpai.
Shin was in a sorry state on the ground and Noi sat down heavily beside him, setting her hands on his shoulders to drag him closer, laying him over her lap. She tugged off his mask and her own joined it on the floor as she smacked his face a few times. “Senpai...senpai...SENPAI!” Noi yelled at him, not getting a response so she sighed in exasperation. “For real...”
Tilting his head back gently she leaned over him watching his eyes flutter behind his eyelids, Noi bit her lip as she debated what to do, on one hand the surface wound was messy enough but she wasn’t sure if the Cross-Eyes had doused anymore of that anti healing factor in it. Inhaling shakily, she murmured an apology to Shin and gripped his chin firmly and exhaled her smoke into his open mouth, feeling his warmth inches from her lips.
He roused slowly and grimaced as his torso stitched itself back together, Shin peered up at Noi before his expression soured. “ Ugh, fuck, what happened, Noi?”
She glared at him and jabbed a finger into his chest. “What happened is that you have no patience and rushed in like a dumbass!”
Shin shoved her away and grunted in pain. “Pot kettle black.”
Noi would never admit that his rejection stung more than she expected, in a way she couldn’t rationalise. “That’s different, I can actually survive a shotgun to the chest. You can’t, senpai.”
Looking at her with a pointed stare, Shin quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah, you gave a great demonstration of that earlier.” He gestured to the long forgotten knife that had been kicked aside in the scuffle.
Hackles raised, Noi rose to the bait. “Like that was my fucking fault, who was the one stomping around ignoring everything that I had said? Honestly.”
Snatching his mask up and tugging it down over his face, Shin stood up and Noi followed. They regarded each other for a moment. “What does it matter? We’re both fine, mission successful.”
Noi scoffed. “‘Fine’, he says. I got paralysed, lost an arm and you got blown to smithereens! Just because I can heal from most shit doesn’t mean that it doesn’t fucking hurt. ” She didn’t understand why Shin was so prickly today but she was getting sick of it. “God, what is your problem?”
Shin ignored her and stooped to pocket the little smoke bottle and knife that caused the worst of the issues they had encountered. “Nevermind that, we should head back and tell En what happened.”
“Fuck that. No, you are going to tell me what’s bothering you.” Noi stood in Shin’s way and blocked his retreat with her hands poised on her hips. He sighed in frustration and glowered up at her.
He pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose and held his hand up. “Noi, I don’t know what you are talking about. I just want to get back, is that so bad?”
Noi was used to Shin’s constant attempts to redirect her concern, when they had just signed a contract and were new partners, he would shy away from her healing smoke; in hindsight he probably held some lingering feelings regarding the ramen shop incident. It had gotten to the point where Noi enlisted En to use a mushroom soldier to pin him down so she could fix him up; Shin didn’t refuse healing after that. If he tried that at this stage, they both knew that Noi could wrangle him without the aid of a monstrous mushroom clone.
Noi tried to reel in some of her anger and spoke. "What use is a partner if you won't rely on them? I could have helped, even as a distraction."
Shin avoided her inquiring stare and shifted on the spot. "Stop being so clingy, you aren't always going to be there to heal me."
"Then why are you avoiding me when I'm with you here and now?" She was stung and masked her feelings with a question, forcing down a blush as she realised what she just said. "Besides, I'm hardly clingy just because I care about you, for some reason."
He cleared his throat and stepped around Noi who closed her eyes in an attempt to repress the urge to grab Shin by the lapels and shake him until he told her what was wrong. "Yeah, I don't know why either." Shin's reply had Noi gaping in confusion and she was left standing alone amongst the destroyed room.
Noi was regretting considering the earlier car ride awkward; the journey home was almost unbearable. The pair sat in silence as the dim interior was illuminated every so often from passing underneath streetlights that lined the city roads. Her eyes were fixed on a small patch of dried blood resting on Shin's knuckle and she pulled her gaze from the stitches to look out the window, considering how much longer she would have to endure this.
Drumming her fingers on her lap, Noi resisted the urge to groan aloud at the tense atmosphere between the two of them. Shin's head twitched in her direction as he was distracted from the road by the motion. At least he's not ignoring me, Noi reasoned. She decided to bite the bullet and turned on the radio to fill the silence.
Her focus drifted in and out as a Devil presented the evening's news, often entirely irrelevant gossip originating from Hell involving other Devils, until a tidbit of information had Noi stiffening in her seat. Was it that time of year already? She cringed inwardly as she finally figured out the source of Shin's foul mood. The anniversary of his Father's death, murder really.
"Shin… Is it-" Noi began, uncharacteristically tentative.
"Don't." Shin's hands clenched the steering wheel and it creaked in protest, he was tense in his seat. He had probably predicted what Noi would have said had he not cut her off, she rarely said his name without the honorific and he wasn't used to hearing it; it had become a habit for the both of them.
Noi ran out of patience and twisted in her seat to look at Shin properly. "I'm only trying to help, you don't have to be such a dick about it." She watched emotions play across his face, saw the split second flash of guilt before his expression hardened and he turned off the radio aggressively.
"I didn't ask for your help, it's none of your business and who cares about what happened to some soft weakling in Hole years ago."
She pointed at him and saw right through Shin's facade. "Clearly you do! Why wouldn't you? It was your father for fuck sake. Whatever, last time I try to fucking help." Noi slid down in her seat, biting down a grunt of pain and kicked her feet up on the dash. She was fully intent on having a nap, ignoring Shin and the regretful ache in her chest for the rest of the ride home.
Pulling up to the mansion, the car slowed to a crawl and Noi ripped open the door, slamming it shut so hard that she heard the telltale crunch of something breaking. As much as she wanted to leave the company of her partner, who was a bastard in Noi's humble opinion, they had to debrief with En first.
The gravel crunched behind Noi as Shin followed her through the grounds, his lazy steps at odds with her angry strides. They spotted one of En’s secretaries waiting by the main entry hall and Noi rolled her eyes as she watched their clipboard shake in their hands at her approach; she wasn't even trying to hide the proverbial storm cloud above her head.
"Noi-sama, Shin-san, please f-follow me." They bowed lowly and trotted off, probably eager to expand the distance between themselves and the ticking time bomb that was Noi.
They passed through the opulent hallways, under the judging stares of the dozens of painted En’s set within classical art pieces.
En was lounging in one of his studies, being served tea and cake while his retainers hung on his every word.
"Noi, Shin-kun, take a seat." When he deigned to look at the bloodied pair, he gave them a once over; unimpressed. "You don't have a hostage." A flat statement punctuated by the clink of fine china being set upon a mushroom printed saucer. En waved away his flock and waited until they had left the room, ignoring Shin and Noi for Kikurage nestled in his lap.
Noi snorted and helped herself to some cake, even pouring tea as an afterthought. While she preferred harder drinks, living with En for most of her life had ingrained an almost unwilling fondness for herbal tea. Plopping in some sugar cubes she was smugly aware of En's look of disgust at how many she used. Then Noi sprawled on one of the sofas, ignoring the lingering pain and how her grimy clothes would stain the fabrics.
Watching her stoically, En turned his gaze to Shin, who remained standing across from the cousins and raised a hairless brow. "What happened, Shin-kun?"
Rifling in his pockets for a moment, Shin produced the empty smoke vial and knife, Noi's dried blood rendered it rusty looking. "Invisibility smoke and something that stopped Noi from healing, two Cross-Eyes paralysed Noi then the rest came in from the roof. I dealt with them in the hall-"
"And got blasted in the chest by a shotgun because you ignored me." Noi helpfully supplied as she sipped her tea.
Shin side eyed her and Noi glared right back. "The acting leader had a surprisingly powerful gun and he shot me, Noi knows the rest."
En watched the two bickering and Kikurage had perked up and tilted her head. "Nyah~"
Finishing off her last mouthful of cake and washing it down with tea, Noi finally explained the rest of the fight to En. "After your useless mangled ass got dragged back to me, the leader demanded that I heal the Cross-Eyes that you smeared across the walls and told me that I would be their little pet nurse." Noi giggled at the memory and Shin let out a soft laugh, she turned to him to begin taunting the dead Cross-Eyes before she remembered she was angry with him and narrowed her eyes, continuing. "Whatever they got me with was only effective for a few minutes at most, I could barely move at the beginning but my smoke overpowered it, naturally."
Shin placed the items near En and sat beside Noi, ignoring her poisonous look. "They've never planned this well against us, En-san, maybe you can trace the origins of that smoke and I can go get rid of the user."
"Planning on leaving me behind again already? Wow, you really are a bastard." Noi spat.
En hummed in consideration, running his fingers through Kikurage's fluffy ears. "He's right, Noi, I'm not risking you if they have a supply of anti healing smoke. Where did they wound you?"
Noi flipped the middle finger at him and Shin spoke in her place. "Directly in the spine, they must have been trailing us as soon as we got to the den."
"Judging by the way you are sitting, you still haven't healed fully have you?" En’s sharp gaze clocked Noi's stiff frame and she cursed him internally for it. Shin looked at her confusedly and she wanted to smash the teapot over En’s head. "And judging by your silence, I'm right, as usual."
En gently deposited Kikurage onto the pillow beside him, cooing all the while and headed towards the phone on his desk. He sighed as he dialed a number and waited. "I need you here, yes I'm serious, no this doesn't mean anything. Hurry up." En slammed the phone down and poured more tea, even filling Noi's cup.
They waited in silence for several tense minutes and then the door was kicked open. Shin swore and Noi almost dropped her tea.
"En! Oh, I can't believe you wanted to see me, En! I'm so happy~" Chota danced across the study and presented a bouquet of roses, somehow painted in the likeness of a toadstool's pattern, to an exasperated En. In his other hand, Chota held a large briefcase that he threw on a nearby table.
"Er, thank you, Chota." En accepted the gift and laid them across his desk.
Chota clasped his hands to his chest and gasped. "Look at you, Kikurage-chan! You've gotten so big!" He scooped her up and embraced her carefully.
En watched with a critical eye and sat down. "She's on a new diet." Looking pleased as Kikurage wiggled in delight.
"You take such good care of her, En." Chota gushed and gently placed her back onto En's lap who looked almost flushed.
Perching at the end of the settee En was on, Chota waved at Shin and Noi. "So, when's the wedding, you two?" He said slyly.
Noi choked on her tea and Shin had turned as red as his mask beside her.
En snapped his fingers as Noi was preparing to launch her teacup at Chota's giggling face. "Enough. Chota, what can you tell me about these?" En gestured at the bottle and knife.
Bolting upright from the couch, Chota dashed to the table where he had left his bag and heaved it over to the others. He slapped it down over his legs and unclipped the brass clasps, revealing a small selection of bizarre instruments and ingredients. "I had almost forgotten, leave it to Chota! Silly me~"
In a seldom seen moment of seriousness, Chota plucked the bottle up and slid it into a miniature smoke analysis machine that he set beside the tea set, leaving it to do it's work, he examined the knife. He uncapped a glass jar of toxic green paste and scooped out a blob, smearing it over the blade. Chota laughed as the smell reached Shin and Noi who grimaced, En's expression didn't change. "Sorry about that, you get used to the smell."
A small ticket slipped out the analyser and Chota passed it over to En as he was apparently waiting for something to change on the knife.
En quickly scanned the piece of paper and strode towards the door, passing it to a waiting underling outside.
"Oh dear." Chota said regretfully, shoulders dropping and voice mournful.
"What is it, Chota?" En pressed.
"Whatever was on this knife is long gone, I'm assuming because of the blood stains that some unfortunate fellow was gutted with it?"
Noi grit her teeth. "That would be me."
"I'm surprised someone got the jump on you, Noi-chan!" Chota held a hand to his mouth as he stifled a laugh.
"It was able to hinder Noi's healing. I need you to figure out what it was." En directed to Chota who gasped dramatically.
"Of course! Don't worry, Noi-chan, I'll get to the bottom of this!"
Noi rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I'm not worried. It was just inconvenient and a pain in the ass." En looked at Noi pointedly. "What do you want?"
"If there's nothing left on the knife then it has to be in the wound." En said slowly as he gauged Noi's reaction.
She bristled. "No. Absolutely not. You can fuck off if you think I'm going to be some science project for Chota."
Chota pouted and lowered the scalpel he had whipped out from his bag. "I only need to cut around the wound and run some tests on the affected skin, that's all."
Noi gestured with a fork. "Come at me with that toothpick, Chota, and it's going up your ass."
Slumping dejectedly, Chota whined. "You can be so mean, Noi-chan!"
"Enough!" En rubbed at his forehead. "Noi, we need to figure out where this came from and the only way we can do that is by examining the cut."
Shin finally spoke up. "My magic would be a lot cleaner and more efficient than Chota, it would be quicker for Noi to heal from as well. But it's her choice." His eyes flicked to Noi's and back towards En as he finished talking.
Noi paused in glaring at Chota to look at Shin and found herself agreeing, despite the tension between the pair, she would always trust his judgement; most of the time. "Fine, but only if Chota is out the room, I don't trust him to not poke and prod."
En nodded, relieved to have finally come a solution without having to force his cousin into something. "Come with me, Chota, I need to check if the lab has traced the smoke yet." He slung Kikurage over his shoulder who stuck her tongue out at Noi as they left. En called over his shoulder to Shin. "You're cleared for your trip to Hole after this but don't spend the night."
Squealing in joy, Chota laid a container on the table and followed En eagerly. "Put the sample in there please when you are done, Shin-kun, don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Chota cackled and then ran outside shrieking as he dodged the teapot that smashed against where he had been standing a second prior.
The door clicked shut and Noi rounded on Shin. "I don't need you to stop En from slicing me up." She hissed. "If I'm not allowed to help you on missions then you aren't allowed to help me here." Although even she was uncertain about what En would have done if she refused to let Shin use his magic on her.
Shin didn't look angry anymore and instead was slumped in his seat, utterly drained. He rolled his head towards Noi and looked at her with empty eyes. "How do you want to do this, Noi?"
"You're the man with the plan, you figure it out." Noi shot back in the same beat, shrugging her wide shoulders.
Heaving a long suffering sigh, he gestured vaguely at her chest. "Suppose I'll have to be able to see your back from under your work clothes."
Noi had to bite her lip to repress the immense urge to make an innuendo and embarrass Shin. It must have shown as he mustered the energy to glower at her. Noi's iron will crumbled slightly and she had to wrestle the shit eating grin that was slowly appearing on her face away.
She didn't reply, certain she would give in to snorting at Shin's expression despite the hurt she still felt. It wasn't often that they both argued and when they did, they weren't sure how to act around each other afterwards. Noi shifted and unzipped her tracksuit down to the waist, tugging her arms out the sleeves stiffly as the motion jolted the stubborn injury. Shoving her pride aside, Noi faced Shin. "Well?"
Shin twirled his finger in a gesture for her to turn around to give him access to her back. She acquiesced with no small amount of grumbling, tucking a leg underneath her and resting her elbows on the armchair.
When nothing immediately happened, Noi jeered over her shoulder. "Hurry up, I don't have all-" Her words ground to a halt as she felt Shin's warm hands clasping her hips gingerly.
He shuffled across the couch to sit flush behind Noi and rolled up her tank top, holding it against her shoulder as he left his free hand on her waist. Shin ran a thumb down the raised scar, murmuring an apology as Noi shuddered at the sensation, the skin overly sensitive. "I don't need to tell you that this will probably hurt?"
Noi shook her head silently and gripped the armrest tightly. Shin paused for a moment then he gathered her hair up in his hands and pushed it over her shoulder. Noi pressed her lips together as the feeling of his fingers carding through her hair gave her goosebumps that were firmly ignored. Shin shifted and she saw him reach for the glass dish that Chota left and positioned it somewhere behind her ready to catch the mess. He inhaled quietly and poised his index finger a few inches out from where the scar lay in the centre of her spine, hesitating slightly. Noi couldn't blame him, she also felt antsy about this entire procedure. Voluntarily hurting your partner felt so wrong .
Shin must have steeled himself and focused his smoke and began tracing around the wound; slowly.
Noi's muscles corded in tension as she felt the sharp stabbing pain slicing through her back, Shin couldn't go as fast as she'd like, this delicate work was far out of both of their comfort zones. "F-fuck." Noi stammered as Shin completed the circle and slipped his fingers under the flesh, gently prying the muscles off her spine. His blunt nails caught on the bone and a startled squeek escaped Noi as she flinched. "Shit. I'm sorry, Noi."
The segment slopped into the dish with a wet splash and she heard Shin hastily clip the lid on before holding his hand against the heavily bleeding gaping hole in Noi's back. She didn't realise she was panting until Shin rubbed her hunched shoulders, the firm pressure lent Noi enough focus to concentrate on directing her healing; satisfied with how easy it was now that the wound was lanced. She relaxed as the pain ebbed away and found herself leaning back into Shin's hands. He indulged her for a few seconds longer then pulled her tank top down now that the bleeding had stopped.
Noi stretched and groaned loudly. "Oh, that feels so much better, senpai." She had forgotten about their earlier spat and the familiar title slipped out as Noi rode a wave of ebbing adrenaline.
"I bet." Shin murmured and sat back, letting Noi turn around.
The bloodsoaked settee caught her eye and Noi became aware of how heavy her half undone tracksuit was now that it was drenched in blood. Shin was also covered up to his elbow and he fisted his hands on his lap as he tensed under Noi's regard. "So, En is letting you head to Hole?" At his stiff nod, she continued. "Why?"
"You know why." Shin muttered and put his mask on, hiding his emotions from Noi once again but not before she noticed the flush on his cheeks.
She had noticed how he disappeared once a year, striding right out of the mansion and conjuring a door to the human world. The last time Noi had found him just before he disappeared, Shin had simply waved lazily at her and slunk through the door, closing it behind himself. It didn't take a genius to figure out where he was headed. She had never brought it up before because she wasn't going to barge in on any private mourning Shin was doing, despite the conflicting desire to follow him and provide comfort.
"So I was right, you're upset because of the anniversary."
Shin rubbed his bloody hand over his face. "Yes, Noi, you're right. Are you happy now?"
Noi's face twisted. "No, I'm not. Why the hell would I be? If you had wanted some space you should have just told me." She tried to catch his eyes as he stubbornly looked away. "You didn't have to leave me to get yourself shot or bitch at me for the entire day."
Shin seemed to have reached the end of his tether and snapped at Noi. "Would you give it a rest already? Like I said it's none of your business so just butt out, will you?"
"Whether you like it or not, it is my business if you're dealing with some shit! I'm your partner so can't you just rely on me for once!?" Noi was shouting before she knew it and had to pause to gulp down some breath. "Yeah I know I can be a bit hot-headed sometimes, but I'm not an idiot and you know you can talk to me, right?" She was unaware of the plaintive note that snuck into her voice as Shin still ignored her.
En chose that moment to stroll back into the room, the stuttered motion hinting that he had been waiting outside for the shouting to die down.
Kikurage leapt out of his arms and trotted on the tabletop, sniffing at the box full of Noi's flesh and blood. "Nyah?"
En tutted and wagged his finger at her. "Don't eat that, Kikurage, you can have a treat before bed~" He looked between a sullen Shin and an irate Noi with an almost wary expression. "Are you done?" It wasn't clear if he was referring to the gruesome operation or their argument.
For once, Noi found herself agreeing with En. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm done." She stood up, ready to leave the room and get away from Shin until a gravelly voice stopped her.
"Noi."
"What is it now, bastard?!" She contemplated walking away just to spite En.
As usual, he ignored the verbal abuse and addressed both Noi and Shin. "I hope you two haven't forgotten about the masquerade ball I'm throwing tomorrow evening."
Noi turned back to find Shin looking as dumbfounded as she felt and gaped at En. "What."
"Typical. I can't trust you to remember anything important. No matter, I've already taken the liberty to have your outfits commissioned and they will be ready by tomorrow evening." En oozed self satisfaction as he watched the silent pair. "Although this year's theme is animals, try not to act like one." He directed at Noi, still irked by her destroying one of his teapots earlier.
Noi scoffed. "Animals? What kind of theme is that? I'm not turning up if I have to dress as some weak thing."
En sighed, having had enough of his cousin for one night. "Don't worry, Noi, the tailor knows what you like so don't make a fuss. Understood?" He looked at her, Noi stared back and he gave a small nod, apparently finding whatever he was looking for in her sour expression.
Chota danced into the room, clapping in delight at the news. "A masquerade! How romantic, En! Oh, anything could happen behind all those masks." He giggled and hauled the container back into his briefcase, tidying up his instruments and waving goodbye as he rushed out of the room to get to work. "Don't worry, En! I'll figure out where this came from!"
Looking relieved at Chota's exit, En snapped his fingers and some underlings appeared, ready to do his bidding. "I want this cleaned up." He said, gesturing to the ruined couch then he pointed to Shin. "Don't take too long in Hole, I need you to head out tomorrow, alone. Come to my office in the morning." At that final statement En sat behind his expansive desk after plopping Kikurage in her cushion and waved away Shin and Noi.
With barely a glance at her partner, Noi immediately headed out the room and made for the gym. Although her outfit was filthy, there was no point cleaning up when she needed a long workout in the gym to cool off.
Mopping the sweat off her brow, Noi tossed the damp towel over her shoulder and tidied up the weight rack. She was distantly aware that she had broken one of her personal records and made a mental note to gloat to Shin when they had smoothed things over.
With most of her anger worked out and now that she was pleasantly sore, Noi could think back on their spat with a clearer mind. She could understand why Shin had been in an awful mood, although she couldn't relate to it herself. But Noi couldn't excuse his behaviour towards her and decided to give her partner some space. She knew he was a private man, almost a hermit actually, but with years of friendship under their belts she had thought Shin would trust her more. So she decided to avoid him for a while, at least until the inevitable masquerade ball and they would undoubtedly bump into each other.
Noi wasn't sure how well her plan would proceed, given that she spent almost all her time around Shin (and vice versa) ever since signing that first contract. Even if they ever missed signing a Blue Night contract for whatever reason, Noi was comfortably certain that they would remain best friends and would work as unofficial partners. She knew that En wouldn't make them sign contracts with other people, since he knew how well they worked together and that they were one of the few devil certified partnerships where both members consented equally.
But despite her internal reassurances, Noi couldn't help but expect Shin to be beside her. Even in the gym, she felt a pang of loneliness whenever she noticed his absence in the wall length mirrors lining the room. They worked out together practically constantly, each goading the other to go above and beyond previous records.
Even after her brutal gym session, Noi still had some pent up energy buzzing inside her so she decided to have a quick scrub in the showers. She threw her clothes in a hamper, trusting the workers to launder them and donned a plain t-shirt and soft sweatpants that she kept stored in her own locker instead. Noi grit her teeth when she realised she was wearing one of Shin's shirts that must have gotten mixed up in her gym laundry as it was slightly too small for her.
She strolled through the hallways, biting on a few hairpins as she gathered up the damp mass of curls to tie away and walked right into Shin; literally.
"Oof!" Neither had seen the other as they rounded a bend in the corridor and Shin bounced off of Noi's chest who grabbed his shirt to steady him.
They both looked at each other, equally surprised and mortified. Noi relaxed her death grip on Shin and he cleared his throat, stepping back to pick up the clips she had dropped.
"Didn't see you there." Shin said, his cheeks flushed pink as he handed over her pins.
Noi snatched them out of his hand and huffed in annoyance, her hair blown astray by the impact of Shin's body. "That hasn't happened for a while." Her voice was slightly muffled as she balanced the pins in her mouth again, Noi stretched her arms to tie her hair up high on her head and caught Shin's eyes flick to her slightly exposed midriff.
When Noi was younger and a lot smaller, Shin would always accidentally walk into her, claiming he couldn't see her due to the several feet of height difference. She soon shot up though, and one day Shin was the one knocked onto his backside, much to the delight of Noi who pointed and laughed at his shocked face.
"I'm taking Gura-Gura out for a walk." Noi broke the awkward silence and watched Shin's reaction.
"Uh, yeah." Shin adjusted his glasses pointlessly. "Yeah good idea, he hasn't had a proper walk for a few days."
Noi waited to see if he had anything more to say before sighing and side stepping Shin, heading towards his apartment. She looked back once, just to see what he was doing and saw him standing forlornly in the hallway for a several seconds then continuing on his way.
Turning the spare key in the door carefully (Gura-Gura tended to be excitable at surprise guests) Noi slipped into Shin's apartment and quickly shut the door behind her to prevent the dog's escape.
Noi had to squint her eyes to see past the front hall into the lounge, all the curtains were pulled closed and the air was stale. She frowned and threw open the windows, not bothered if Shin had a fit when he got back and gathered up the dishes to dump in hot soapy water. He could deal with that later, Noi thought and whistled for Gura-Gura.
Claws scrambling on the tiles signalled his excited run towards Noi who crouched and braced herself when he crashed into her, huffing and whining in joy.
"Hey boy, has senpai been neglecting you too?" She grimaced as Gura-Gura barked in her ears and attempted to lick her face. "Get off me, mutt, c'mon let's go."
Noi scanned the room for his lead and something caught her attention, Shin had moved one of the framed photos of the two of them posing; his favourite one actually. Where he was trapping her in a headlock and she was punching his side to get him off. It used to sit on a side table but now it was on the main coffee table, as if Shin had been picking it up and looking at it from the nearby couch.
She shook her head and focused, finding Gura-Gura's leash in the kitchen and wrestled him into his red harness. Noi had once tried to convince Shin to buy him a gaudy jewelled collar like Kikurage's, her suggestion was met with an unamused stare.
Looping it around her wrist, Noi tugged Gura-Gura out the door and locked up behind her, idly wondering if Shin would get irritated that his apartment would be cold.
She set off at a brisk pace and let Gura-Gura decide where he wanted to go, soon they were out the mansion grounds without further incident, Noi had seen En in the gardens with Kikurage and she swiftly pulled the dog in a different direction. Kikurage had never met Gura-Gura before but Noi wasn't willing to face En’s wrath if any fighting occurred between the two, especially now that Kikurage effectively did her job when she brought people back to life.
The sun was slowly sinking past the horizon and she was fortunate enough to pass the pie vendor just before he closed up shop, Noi was one of his loyal customers and he sent her a friendly wave when he spotted her.
"Fancy a pie on this fine evening?" He called across to her. "I can get a dish of water for the dog too, free of charge." He said with a wink.
Noi stopped to catch her breath and agreed with a smile, the only person she had spoken to all day that hadn't bitched or demanded anything from her.
He passed the pie and water over as Noi slapped down a few notes in his hand then gave Gura-Gura the dish and scarfed down her pie.
"Say, I haven't seen your pooch before, where'd you get him?"
Noi wiped her mouth and crumpled the packaging up in her fist, tossing it into the trash. "He's not mine, he belongs to my partner."
She must have said it with some venom as a solemn look appeared on the pie man's face. "Ah, trouble in paradise huh? Don't worry, I'm sure you will sort it out like adults." He propped his chin onto his hands and smirked at Noi's baffled expression, sharp teeth glinting from over the counter.
"Hey, wait a minute, it's not like that!" A blush broke out across Noi's cheeks as she tried to remedy the situation.
"Sure it isn't, I'm not as young as I used to be but I can smell a blooming romance from a mile away."
Noi spluttered and contemplated setting Gura-Gura on the chortling man until she turned tail and jogged away from his hacking laughter.
She finally returned to the mansion grounds when Gura-Gura had used up his massive reserve of energy and even Noi was regretting the extra long walk. She was damp with sweat and carefully rolled her shoulders, mindful of her regrow arm, new limbs always felt funny for the first day or so.
Weaving through the labyrinthine hallways with the tired dog in tow, Noi came upon the rare sight of a lone En who was thoughtfully considering one of his stone busts.
He caught sight of her before she could retreat, presence given away by a panting Gura-Gura and beckoned Noi over. "How's Shin?"
The question caught her off guard and her face twisted in confusion as she dragged her feet to stand beside En. "Fuck if I know, haven't seen him for hours." Noi narrowed her eyes at her cousin. "Why?"
He stroked his chin over his mask and left her in silence for a few minutes until she contemplated leaving. "I try to avoid scheduling missions for you two on this day, you know."
"Really?" Noi was genuinely confused but when she thought on it, it made sense as she couldn't recall a year where they worked on the anniversary of his father's death and clearly working during it didn't turn out well.
En sighed. "Contrary to what you think, Noi, I'm not completely heartless."
Noi couldn't help bursting into laughter, snorting even harder at En's slightly affronted expression. "Oh that's rich, En, you are as heartless as they come."
En chuckled once, surprising Noi. That had happened too much today, she thought as he walked away. "Goodnight, Noi."
Still puzzled by her cousin's odd behaviour, Noi took Gura-Gura back to Shin's apartment, unlocking the door and bumping it open with her hip.
He darted inside and made straight for his food bowl that was now full. Noi noticed that the dishes had been washed and the curtains drawn which meant only one thing; Shin was home.
Aware of the late hour, she strolled into the lounge, fully expecting to see her partner spread across the couch watching TV but the sound of snoring reached her ears. Shin was curled into an impressively tight ball in the corner of the couch with a hand held close to his face as he slept. How does he get to look so adorable when I'm still mad at him? Noi thought to herself, annoyed at how the sight brought a smile to her face. Although he usually had sporadic cat naps throughout the working day, she'd even seen him napping whilst still standing once, she had noticed when Shin was properly sleeping, he scrunched his large body into a protective position. Probably ingrained from his years as a street rat when he stuffed himself into stupidly small places to catch some rest, safe from the dirty humans, Noi theorised thoughtfully.
Shin had made a soft noise in his sleep when Noi came to the end of the couch, tensing his shoulders until he relaxed again momentarily. Wonder if he knows it's me cos of our contract? Noi sighed to herself.
While they were both uncertain about the specifics of sharing a physical contract bound by Chidaruma, over the years they had developed a sort of sixth sense when it came to each other. Usually in the form of a slight 'nudge' when one of them was in a spot of trouble, it was nowhere near accurate enough to find each other after being split up. But it did provide some idea of location over very short distances; as long as they weren't distracted. Either that or Shin was just a worrywort, not for himself though funnily enough.
If he was snoozing during a meeting or some other social event En had forced them to attend, Noi noticed that he only let himself zone out if she was nearby and snapped to awareness if someone other than her approached him.
It also brought into question if their arguing affected them more than regular people, since they were quite literally linked to each other. That train of thought gave Noi a sore head, although she agreed it might have some merit as to why she felt so miserable without him, so she quit hyper analysing and focused on her sleeping partner.
Noi was unsure if she wanted to deal with his griping and complaining when he inevitably got a sore back from sleeping on his shitty couch. Despite the handsome paychecks he got from En, Shin's apartment was pretty threadbare compared to Noi's. As it stood, the two of them barely fit on it when she visited for a movie night, they would huddle close together to even fit on the sofa. Their sides would be flush to each other and they stubbornly ignored the fuzzy warmth that being close to their partner brought.
He was still in his work clothes and there was an empty wine bottle knocked over on the ground beside the couch. Noi toed it out of the way and crouched down, slipping her arms underneath Shin's back and legs, being careful not to rouse him.
Shin mumbled some nonsense in between snores and Noi rolled her eyes before lifting his bulk up off the couch.
The day's events had chipped away at Noi and even carrying Shin was a struggle, although he was closer to her size than most people and densely packed with muscle, she knew that on a normal day she could throw him around with ease. He radiated heat in her arms and Noi backed away from the couch to head for his bedroom, elbowing the door handle to get it open.
The bed was unmade but the room was in less of a disarray than the lounge had been, moonlight was gently streaming in from a crack in the curtains and spilling across the mattress. Noi kicked the door closed behind her and carefully lay Shin on the bed. She almost left once her job was done but noticed with aggravation his tie had tightened around his neck and she could see that Shin's hammer was crushing his thigh from where it hung on its chain.
Sitting beside him, Noi shoved him to the side somewhat and squished her hand trying to get to the hammer trapped underneath him. Her fingertips brushed against the warmed metal and she tugged it out, mindful of the claw head and making sure it didn't scrape against him. Don't know why I'm going through all this effort, he deserves getting choked out by his tie in his sleep, Noi huffed and began working on the offending garment.
She felt Shin's strong pulse work in his neck as she slipped her hands around to untuck the tie from his stiff shirt collar, she had just started undoing the knot when he lashed out. Shin's eyes snapped open and his hand snatched her wrists away while his other wrapped around her back, trying to catch what he thought was an unknown assailant.
Noi yelled as she was unbalanced and dragged along the bed, landing heavily on him with a curse. "What the fuck!? It's just me, Shin! Fuck!" Although her swearing was muffled by her face being squished against Shin's shoulder.
He relaxed but didn't let go of Noi. "What're you doing in my bed, Noi?" His words were slurred and she could smell wine on his breath.
This close, Noi felt his chest rumble from his baritone voice and she propped herself up on her elbows above him, wiggling slightly as Shin's grip tightened on her wrists subconsciously. "Trying to make sure you wouldn't get strangled in your sleep, dumbass!"
Shin laughed tiredly and released her arms. "What, by doing it yourself?"
Noi's cheeks grew warm as she realised the compromising position they were lying in, she was practically straddling Shin while his hand was splayed on her back, scorching the skin as her top had rolled up in the scuffle. She could feel the coarseness of his stitches and stiffened when she felt his fingers rub questioningly on her spine. "Your back is fixed up properly now."
She decided to not let the embarrassment get to her and glared down at his bemused face. "Yeah, no thanks to you."
Shin smiled at her, expression unguarded for once, probably because of the empty bottle of wine in the other room and Noi's ire faded somewhat. "Shin, we should talk-"
He reached up and shushed her gently. "Wait, Noi." Just as she was about to tell him what she thought of that suggestion, his hand cupped her face.
Noi's offense melted away and she watched Shin. His thumb rubbed her cheek lightly and he tucked away the stray hairs that had been dislodged in the unexpected grapple. Shin left his warm hand on Noi's cheek and she tried to stay focused. "We should really- Mmf !"
Shin twined his fingers in her hair and brought her face down, pressing his dry lips against her own. Noi's eyes were still open in surprise but they swiftly lidded shut as she tilted her head to the side, deepening the kiss. He held her close to him, squeezing her pleasantly and she sighed into his mouth. Noi shifted and slotted her thighs over Shin's hips and pressed against him, rocking gently, he groaned at the sensation and he bit her lower lip. Heat bloomed in her face and chest, it felt so natural to be touching her partner like this. How long had they been suppressing something they both wanted?
Noi pulled away for breath, gasping and Shin dotted kisses along her jaw and nibbled on her neck. "Stay with me?" He murmured against her skin.
"Mm, Y-yeah." Noi sat up, shedding her t-shirt, stomach clenching in anticipation as she saw Shin's eyes burning with desire while he looked her over. One hand slid up her sculpted abdomen, tickling the dips and valleys and the other played with the edge of her sports bra teasingly. Noi's eyelids fluttered at the playful motions and she focused on Shin, linking her fingers with his, pressing them against the bed firmly. His grip went slack slightly and Noi leant down to kiss him again only for Shin to snore against her lips. "Are you serious?!" Noi smacked at his face with no success, Shin's head lolled to the side and he didn't wake.
Noi could have punched him then and there, an unsatisfied ache burning within her, but the unrestrained smile on her face stayed her hand. She got off of him and got comfortable on the free side of the bed, touching her mouth giddily. Shoving Shin on his side so he would stop snoring, Noi then draped the duvet over him and tucked her head into the space between his shoulder blades.
Her happiness dimmed somewhat as she hoped Shin would remember this and wouldn't try to brush it off in the morning. Noi shook herself slightly, it wasn't like her to worry about future possibilities and she decided to just enjoy the moment; holding Shin close to her chest.
Sunlight burned through her eyelids and Noi felt utterly relieved when she felt Shin's warmth still in front of her through the duvet, then she groaned as she felt him lick at her face. "Ugh, go away senpai…" She shoved him alway only for her hand to encounter soft fur and she blearily opened her eyes to the sight of Gura-Gura in bed with her.
He woofed and tried to squirm closer to Noi, already curled up on top of the covers tucked into the empty curve of her body now that Shin was absent.
Bitter disappointment washed through Noi in a cold wave, her face fell and she wrapped a thick arm around Gura-Gura who was suddenly regretting his desire for snuggling with her as he was pulled into a strong embrace.
He only put up with it for a second or two before wriggling free and high tailing it out of the room. Noi sighed and rolled onto her back, itching at her neck absently. As she moved, she caught sight of a neatly wrapped package on the bedside table that had her mouth watering. Snatching up the warm pie, Noi immediately stuffed her face with it, not too bothered about eating in Shin's bed; if anything she hoped she would cover it in crumbs.
The knots in her stomach abated somewhat now that she had evidence that Shin wasn't completely mortified by last night's events if he was still willing to feed her. But Noi didn't appreciate waking up alone after spending the night with someone and scooted out of bed, marching to the kitchen ready to give him a piece of her mind.
Hoping to find Shin there to shout at and then continue where they left off the night before, Noi found only a used mug, the remains still steaming.
She had forgotten that En wanted Shin to clear out whichever smoke den the Cross-Eyes had been using; alone. Her fists clenched as she remembered that little tidbit and breathed heavily to prevent herself from disobeying En and going after Shin.
Shin's accusations that Noi was being 'clingy' rang in her ears and she forced herself to relax, resolving to leave her partner to this solo task. Her senpai was more than capable of taking on a den by himself so she should let him be for the day. They would find each other later and resolve things, hopefully by engaging in the one physical exercise Noi loved more than fighting.
Thinking of the evening had Noi's mind turning towards the masquerade and what her outfit would look like. It posed the perfect opportunity to ambush Shin by making more of an effort with her appearance by using the ball as an excuse. Noi wasn't vain by any means, she was just well aware of the effect she had on other people and if she used that to her advantage she didn't see anyone complaining. Plus she loved adding to her extensive outfit collection so it was a win-win situation.
An evil smile bloomed on Noi's face, she couldn't wait to make Shin regret passing out on her last night, she was going to show him exactly what he was missing.
Finding tasks to occupy herself throughout the day proved a challenge. Noi walked Gura-Gura again, avoiding the route that would take her by the pie man. She skirted the edge of En's radar, set firmly against helping him organise the ball tonight and either scared off messengers sent after her or slipped behind a hedge or two to avoid detection. It wasn't the most glamorous game of hide and seek but Noi's victories reached the double digits before she was dragged away by a tearful underling who begged her to lift some ice sculptures.
And so, Noi found herself hauling custom carved ice En's into the ballroom that was buzzing with activity. Apparently he was very excited about these new sculptures and had found a sorcerer that specialised in ice magic. It couldn't have been that powerful if the sorcerer wasn't in En's grasp after being discovered, Noi grumbled to herself as she was weighed down by several icy renditions of her cousin.
"Set them down there, Noi." En and Kikurage watched helpfully from the sidelines. "Actually, a little to the left. Yes, excellent!" His stoic voice was tinged with glee as he surveyed the decor.
Noi exhaled and blew strands of hair out of her vision, eager to leave and begin preparations for her cunning plot; stun senpai stupid! Getting an apology was almost an afterthought but deep down Noi knew that they would be fine after an awkward conversation or two, they always were.
After rotating the statues a few times, she nodded and stood back, pleased with her work. Although Noi was a fighter through and through, she could see the appeal in this sort of boring shit. Behind her, Noi heard En talk to someone and the familiar jingle of a chain. Shit! Senpai wasn't supposed to see her before the ball! Noi turned around warily and found Shin looking no worse for wear speaking to En, holding a trash bag.
"Here's the smoke user, En-san, there were a few Cross-Eyes holed up there but they weren't anything special." Shin sounded tired and Noi almost felt sorry for him, almost.
En nodded. "Well done, Shin-kun, take that to the cells and clean up for tonight, you look awful."
Noi snorted at Shin's offended expression and he slumped, agreeing dejectedly. He caught sight of her out the corner of his eye and perked up slightly, making to head over to her.
Panicking and thinking fast, Noi yelled across the room. "Fujita! Get over here!"
The boy in question scampered over, tripping up in his haste to see what the fuss was about. "Yes, Noi-san?"
She patted him on the back roughly and pushed him towards Shin, making him her human shield. "It's your lucky day, Shin was just telling me all about how he was going to invite you to get a tour of the cells."
Shin worked his jaw for a moment, speechless, then his eyes narrowed and just before he could demand to know what Noi was playing at, Fujita spoke up. "Really, Shin-san?!" His voice was thin and reedy with excitement.
"Yeah, sure, Fujita! On you go now with senpai!" Noi steered him over and winked at Shin over his head. "Have fun you two!"
Grinning, Noi squeezed between the ice En's and hauled ass out of the ballroom, gently shoving workers to the side as she looked behind her to see Shin's face.
Both En and Shin were baffled at her behaviour, Fujita was eagerly tugging on Shin's sleeves with his mouth going a mile a minute asking questions, she cackled at the sight. Shin was in for a big surprise later.
Noi reclined in the bathtub, submerging herself to the chin and luxuriating in the hot water. She had already peeked at her outfit and made a note to thank the tailor if she saw them tonight, she was leaving unpacking the carved animal mask till last minute though.
She had already tied her hair up and was now scrubbing herself thoroughly, dousing herself in the most expensive body wash she owned, courtesy of En's treasury. Noi was pulling out all the stops tonight.
Yanking out the plug and tugging on a robe, Noi padded into her bedroom and dug through her drawers, pulling out everything she would need.
The tailor had certainly outdone themselves and fashioned a sleek white gown with a plunging neckline and slits down the sides to show off Noi's muscular thighs. They knew her tastes well. They had even crafted a white cape lined in fur, hinting at her animal guise for tonight.
En loved to throw parties but Noi had a feeling tonight's festivities would be a night to remember.
Noi wondered if Shin had killed Fujita out of sheer irritation yet, not even feeling slightly sorry for her partner who deserved some harmless torment. While she still planned to lure Shin into her bed now that she knew her feelings weren't unrequited, she was sure they would both chew each other out before that happened.
She took her sweet time getting ready, debating heavily on which jewellery to wear as her usual fare wouldn't do. Noi decided on replacing her current earrings with hoops and found the thick silver chain she used to wear years ago and pushed her hair out the way to wrap it around her neck. As she sifted through her ring collection, a little tube rolled out from the back of the drawer and Noi's eyes lit up. Perfect!
Noi paused outside the ballroom carefully tying the mask around her face and fluffing out her hair for the final time. She'd encouraged it's inherent wildness and it swept across her shoulders in a tousled mane.
Fixing a cocky smirk on her face, Noi strolled inside with her cape billowing behind her. She noticed immediately how many heads turned as she walked and her smile turned more natural. She did love being admired after all.
She headed for the bar, the queue dissolved to let her in front and she ordered a beer from the rat masked bartender.
"Here you are, Noi-san."
"Wow, Fujita, I barely recognised you!" Noi laughed at his dejected posture. "Stuck behind the bar again huh?"
Fujita wilted and pushed up the snout shaped mask uncannily similar to his actual mask. "En-san doesn't want me to get into trouble." He fumbled for a moment and squared his shoulders. "You look lovely, Noi-san!"
Noi reached across and ruffled his hair, knocking his mask astray. "I know. Hey have you seen my senpai?" She scanned the room as she took a drink.
"U-uh no, he threatened me and left me behind in the basement when I asked too many questions."
"Ha! You never know when to stop do you, Fujita?" Noi drained the bottle and accepted another as she began prowling the edge of the dance floor.
A bright spot of red caught her eye and she saw En entertaining a gaggle of admirers. He was wearing a fox mask and a matching red suit, for once his hair wasn't styled into that ridiculous peak and instead was combed neatly down his back. Noi's face twisted as a raven offered his arm to En who smiled, actually smiled, in response and the pair snuggled close and swayed in time to the music. She knew exactly who the raven was and was extremely surprised that En wasn't hissing and spitting like a wildcat in his presence but just rested his head on the other man's chest.
Seems like I'm not the only one using the masquerade to take a chance, Noi thought with wide eyes as she watched the couple. She shook her head and carefully made her way through the swarm. A plethora of people asked her for a dance: a burly panda, a coy bat and a shy turkey but there was only one person Noi wanted to dance with tonight. So she let them down graciously and slipped between the crowd to finally end up at the other side of the dance floor.
Sighing in relief and adjusting her cape slightly, Noi took a breather.
"You're wearing lipstick." She looked up and saw Shin leaning on a pillar by himself watching her, he stammered slightly as he elaborated. "It, uh, looks good. You look good." She had found black lipstick in her room and decided to use makeup for tonight's party. Noi barely wore it because she knew how much mess she got in at work so she took the time to apply some dark colours to her eyes and lips for tonight.
Noi's mouth dried as she looked Shin up and down, his mask was carved in the likeness of some sort of black hound with sharp pointed ears. Gold lacquer lined the eye holes and dripped down the mask in thin lines. Shin's suit was actually properly fitted to his bulky frame and Noi could clearly see his defined muscles filling out the fabric nicely. Although it was all black, a gold tie added a refreshing pop of colour seldom seen in his attire. Noi's eyes darted back to his face and she could see the beginnings of a flush where the mask cut off halfway down his face. "Not bad yourself." She quipped, feeling somewhat shy now that they were properly face to face after the events of yesterday.
"I thought polar bears were supposed to be cute and cuddly?" Shin joked, trying to ease the mounting tension.
"Aw, you don't think I'm cute, senpai?" Noi popped the 'p', probably laying it on a bit thick but she couldn't deny that she felt nervous too. She flexed her arms. "I think I could take on a polar bear though."
"The ears are cute." Shin pointed at the softly rounded ears of her white mask. "The cape is even better."
"Damn thing is warm though." Noi complained, suppressing a smile as Shin huffed a laugh.
He held out his hand awkwardly. "Walk with me?"
Noi shrugged and placed her hand in his, twining their fingers together as he pulled them in the direction of a nearby balcony. They each plucked a fresh drink from passing servers, liquid courage and all, then exited the main hall onto a secluded balcony full of workers on their breaks.
"Scram." Noi jabbed her thumb over her shoulder and they scrambled to leave, bowing to her as they went by.
Shin watched them flee with a smirk. "I think you get some sort of kick out of doing that to the goons."
She gestured nonchalantly. "Hey I'm just upholding the values of my cousin's fine business and they were slacking off." Noi said haughtily then snorted at herself.
Shaking his head at her antics, Shin led her to a stone bench where they sat beside each other, letting go of each other's hands when they realised they were still holding on.
They gulped down their drinks at the same time and watched the dancing progress, En drifted into view every so often still with the same partner.
Shin must have noticed and turned his head towards Noi but he was unable to take his eyes off the pair. "Did you know about…?" And gestured towards them with his empty glass.
"Nope."
"Huh."
Noi watched him stare at the couple thoughtfully and she sighed, leaning back against the wall to look at the stars. "Isn't it funny how we face death together every week but we can't even talk about our feelings like normal people?"
Shin chuckled wistfully. "I don't think anything about us is normal, Noi."
She had to agree to that, both individually and together they were pretty unique in the sorcerer's world. Shin might even be one of a kind and Noi had never met another healing type sorcerer. "Yeah, true. Your eating habits are anything but normal."
"Hey!" Shin bumped her shoulder playfully.
Noi looked down and saw how close their hands lay together, near enough to touch but neither was brave enough to take the first step. At least until she looked up and saw Shin's eyes on her, crinkled with happiness and glowing with affection. So she shifted over slightly, thighs pressing against his and took his hand.
She watched the blush bloom across his face with a smirk. "Big bad Shin can't handle a little hand holding?" Noi teased then laughed at his outraged spluttering.
Her giggles died down when Shin ripped his hand out of hers, she feared she had gone too far until he snaked his arm underneath her cape and curled it around her waist.
Shin's fingers stroked the sleek fabric of the dress and Noi shivered as goosebumps rose on her skin. "Thought you were too warm?" Shin murmured as he caught her tremble.
"Shut up." Noi grit out and he chuckled in response.
They sat together in companionable silence, watching couples dance to and fro. Shin's arm tightened as a clumsy lizard dancing with a rabbit twirled by the open doors. "Isn't that..?"
"Yeah… It might be. But who's the bunny girl?"
"Dunno."
"Uh, should we do something about that?" Noi asked dubiously as Shin didn't immediately launch himself into another fight.
"Nah, I'm comfortable where I am. Looks like they are just enjoying the party anyway." Shin's lazy reply made Noi's tense muscles relax as she wound herself back down. "Noi?"
"Yeah?" She replied, glancing at him.
"I'm sorry."
Noi smiled ruefully at him. "I know." She did know, she knew from the moment he shouted at her in the car that he regretted his harsh words. Noi had seen the guilt on his face but she knew her temper had probably exacerbated things. "I'm sorry too, senpai, for yelling and for, uh, being clingy." She ducked her head, peeking at him from under her mane, feeling embarrassed. Shin was a seasoned fighter and he had managed worse battle conditions before he had ever met her.
Shin ran a hand through his hair looking frustrated. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. I do trust you, I do. But talking about old shit is…" He trailed off.
"Difficult?" Noi supplied.
He nodded. "Yeah, difficult, I didn't want to bother you with sappy shit and I wasn't even sure if I wanted to acknowledge it as more than one crappy day out of the year."
"You couldn't bother me, not now and not ever." Noi insisted. "Except when you're in a bitchy mood or get yourself into a stupid situation. But you don't have to talk about that stuff if you don't wanna, senpai."
Shin looked grateful. "Thank you, Noi." He squeezed her comfortingly. "I shouldn't have left you alone like that." His voice turned guilty and he looked away.
"What, left me alone after spending the night together?" Noi harrumphed and crossed her arms.
"Not that!" Shin's face lit up like a beacon. "I meant, fuck, when you were vulnerable and I went to deal with the Cross-Eyes."
Noi gaped. "Vulnerable!? Who do you take me for? I could be an armless legless corpse and I could still take on an army of Cross-Eyes!"
He didn't look amused. "En chewed me out for risking you like that."
"He what. " Noi growled. "I know for a fact that he doesn't give a shit what I get up to."
"You're still his only family, I'd say I deserved the threat of being turned into a mushroom." Shin slid his hand further down her side and teasingly rubbed the exposed skin of her thigh. "I know you can handle anything, but I should treasure my partner more."
Now it was Noi's turn to blush beet red and to be rendered speechless.
"After all," Shin continued and his voice deepened slightly. "You did take such good care of your senpai last night."
She slapped his hand away and turned to him, furious and flushed pink. "I can't believe you fell asleep on me! I should just ditch you now on principle!"
Looking ashamed of himself, Shin rubbed the back of his neck and muttered. "Yeah I kinda hate myself for missing out on you." He glanced at her. "Let me make it up to you?"
"How?" Noi narrowed her eyes at him, hiding the fact her heart was thundering in her chest.
Shin stood up and offered his hand to Noi with a small smile on his face. "Dance with me?"
She had to hide the grin that threatened to show itself and made a show of considering the offer, airily gesturing with her hand. "Hm, I dunno, senpai. So many lovely men and women are waiting for me inside, I'd hate to disappoint them."
Rolling his eyes, Shin snatched up Noi's hand and pulled her to her feet, their chests bumping against each other as she was stunned into silence. Fuck, this isn't good, I'm supposed to be the one sweeping him off his feet! Noi sweated and changed tactics.
She strode forward, bodily pushing Shin back as she steadied him with an arm around his waist to dip him low to the ground. His eyes widened in panic and Noi grinned at him. "I thought you wanted to dance, senpai~" She purred at his red face.
Shin huffed and raised an eyebrow. "I don't see much dancing going on here, Noi." But she caught the stammer in his voice and congratulated herself on her victory. He squirmed a little and Noi felt merciful enough to let him back up so she snaked her arms around his body and rested her forehead against his, their masks clicking together gently.
"How about we just take it slow, senpai." Noi murmured as she looked into his eyes.
"Y-yeah." Shin breathed and she couldn't help kissing him then and there.
She cupped his face and tilted it towards hers, tenderly catching his lips as his eyes slid shut. Their mouths worked lazily against each other's, not as frantic as last night but no less passionate.
They broke away, gasping quietly and Noi laughed at the state of Shin's mouth.
"You look like you've been taking Black Powder, senpai!" The black lipstick had smeared across his face and she doubted she looked any better.
He snorted as she plucked out the gold handkerchief tucked into his breast pocket, knowing he would never wear this outfit again and dabbed at his face.
"Clean me now." Noi demanded as she waved the cloth in his face.
Shin sighed goodnaturedly, muttering. "Cheeky." Then wiped away the makeup carefully.
Afterwards, he rested his head on Noi's chest.
"Y'know I was wrong earlier."
"Wrong about what, senpai?"
"You're cuddly enough to be a polar bear, especially here." To illustrate Shin's point, he snuggled in closer to her.
Noi gaped at his remark and slapped his shoulder. "Shin!"
He howled with laughter as she swore and cursed at him but the pair remained entwined and they danced to their heart's content.