Tender is the Night

AN: Wow, um, yeah, so it's been like four and a half years since I updated this. There are probably a few of you getting emails going “wtf is this?” I had forgotten about this. I only remembered because I was in the mood to read something along this line and then I thought, 'wait, wasn't I writing something like this?' So, I'm very sorry to have left it for so long, but here is the next chapter and I will try to get the next one out on a much timelier basis because I am still very interested in it and not too bogged down with work at the moment.

Disclaimer: Standard
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Tender is the Night
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He woke up with a start the next morning, with the sense that something was not quite right. The sun was peering through the gently swaying drapes, the room was perfectly silent, and he had just gotten the best night’s sleep he had had in a long time. It wasn’t that the bed was particularly soft, but the pillow he had lain next to was warm and pliant and had a rhythm that lulled him. And Hiei pinpointed his problem along with the legs that were neatly tangled with his and the waist he was casually embracing.

It had been a long time since he had slept with a woman in his bed.

He hissed slightly when said woman made an entirely too inviting noise as he carefully unwound himself from their position and rocketed out of that bed as if it were on fire. She was asking him to RSVP to things he didn’t even want to contemplate when she had no clue what she was doing. And this was another reason why he never worked with anyone! Hiei fought down the shiver and angrily grabbed the blanket that had been discarded off the floor.

But it swept down on her gently as he silently fanned it out across the bed. He must be crazy, he must be absolutely, hole in his head crazy for even contemplating her proposal, but he could not deny his decision. He never worked with others, would find it difficult to start now, and she wasn’t exactly the best choice out there. She was often clumsy, a little too loud, and just all around too cheery for him to handle in the best of moods. And he wasn’t stupid, he knew there was more to her than met the eye, there were things she wasn’t telling. Heaven help him, but that was also why he wanted to keep her around, he couldn’t deny it. She was fascinating, something foreign, understandable and yet not at the same time. She reminded him slightly of his sister, with her sheer naivety, and then she’d turn around and do something so clever that he wondered where exactly she had been hiding that brain of hers.

She lay in his bed, completely oblivious to the world and his needs, and that was a whole other level of whys and why nots. He was attracted, gods knew why, but that kiss last night had not been fake on his part, and neither had his reaction on the night he had interviewed her. He wasn’t sure he liked where this had a chance of heading, he had a history of keeping business and pleasure separate, and the last time he had spent more than one evening with a woman had been a long time ago. This sexual tension between them, even if she was unaware of it - though how she could be would be his next question - was a strong strike against keeping her around. In fact, there were only two things that had quieted his objections to her presence.

There was something he wanted, something he itched to get and had for a very long time, and with her pulling strings for him in security systems, he might just be able to manage it.

And instinct, something he had learned to listen to and trust over the years crouched in other people’s homes, was telling him to hang on to this girl. She might be dangerous, but there was some other, greater but unnameable danger lurking just beyond her. He had been feeling it for the past year, that the water was starting to get hot and that he needed to abandon ship before he went down with it. It had started to cool again only briefly before she came, but he could still feel it, like a ghost only steps behind him, waiting for him to douse the light before it descended. If he didn’t take what he wanted now, he would probably never have another chance.

So she would stay and he would wonder at his sanity.

The knock at the door interrupted his pathway to the bathroom. With a muttered curse, Hiei moved to the entrance to his hotel room and opened it roughly, startling a pair of dark brown eyes.

“Wow, that was quick. Chose not to sleep in this morning?” Yusuke asked, letting his hand drop back to his side. “I came by like we planned...” he started, trailing off as something inside the room caught his attention.

The shorter thief turned to follow his gaze and found Botan sitting up where he had left her, with the sheet pooled around her waist and one hand in her hair, pushing it out of her eyes. She stretched, letting out a small moan, before turning bleary eyes towards the door. “Hiei?”

Yusuke let out a small whistle and barely caught the door before it slammed on his face. His grin was almost palpable even though he strained against the smaller man intent on locking him out. “So, I see why you wouldn’t let me show her around town.”

“Shut up and go the hell away,” Hiei growled back, masking embarrassment with fury. That onna’s timing was impeccably terrible.

“I’m not one to leave a free show,” Yusuke replied, grunting as he held against the sudden weight his opponent shifted towards him. “And you’re the one who told me to come at this ridiculous hour, so it’s your own fault that I interrupted your oh so pleasant ‘let’s stare at her while she sleeps’ fest.”

The door was pulled open with a roar. “What?!!”

Yusuke stumbled in, catching himself on the door handle. “Finally,” he said, rubbing his shoulder. He waved a cheerful hand in greeting to Botan, who was still sitting in bed, her eyes flying between the two of them. “Hey, nice to see you!”

She laughed weakly back, tugging the sheets tighter around her neck.

A fist yanked the mobster down to a pair of feral eyes. “Finish. Your. Business. And. Get. Out,” Hiei enunciated clearly, glaring at the early morning intruder.

“Sure, sure,” the young man agreed, casually brushing off Hiei’s grip. His eyes glinted, flashing to Botan again. “I can understand if you’re eager to get some alone time.” Wisely, he dodged around to the sofa, avoiding Hiei’s retaliatory punch. A folder was laid down on the table in front of him. “So, you’ll be wanting passports now, huh? The things I do for you.”

“Hn.” The thief was not placated at all, but slouched on the couch nevertheless.

“Just the usual?” the taller man asked, glancing up carefully as he fingered the manila.

Red eyes stared back for a moment. “No. I’ll be needing two.”

“Right. I’ll be needing a photo then,” Yusuke said, flipping the cover as he pulled out two packets inside, both with carefully filled in information. One already had a tiny photograph papercliped to the packet with Hiei’s soon to be identity.

The thief stared at the papers, then looked back at Yusuke ruefully. “You already knew.”

Yusuke only shrugged, starting to grin again. “Hey, I’ve got eyes, can’t say I blame you, and I put money on this. Kuwabara owes me two grand now.” A few grudging chuckles were his answer, before the shorter man moved over to the counter and pulled a photo out of his wallet. He handed it over to his sometimes associate. Briskly, Yusuke clipped the second photo to the other packet. “Right. They’ll be ready by this afternoon, I’ll have someone drop them by your place in Tokyo.” The folder closed and he leaned back. “Dinner’s at seven. That’s my price. She wants to see you, for some reason she thinks we’re friends and it’s nice, so tomorrow you’ll be showing up for some grub.”

“I can’t bring my sister.”

“S’okay,” the gangster replied, standing up. “She’ll get someone else to gush over, so as long as she’s out of my hair for a couple of days, I’ll forgive you.”

The answer was dry. “Thanks.”

“Where are we going?” Both men turned to the interrupting voice from the bed. Botan sat watching them, her expression calm. “I’m not that silly that I can’t understand when people are talking about me,” she said complacently. “Where are we going?”

Yusuke was the first to break and give her that devil may care smile. “You, lady, have just won yourself a free trip to China.”

--

It was seven in the evening when the plane touch downed at the Shanghai airport. The trip had been quiet. For Botan, it stemmed from exhaustion. Not only had they jetted back to Tokyo that morning on bullet train, but she was given only two hours to grab her things and get to the airport. Her checkout had been so quickly done that she had not managed to save her deposit for the rest of the week. There went another couple hundred pounds that she would never see again. And she had to call Koenma quickly and inform him of her changing location. China, she had said. Immediately he had wanted to know where in China, which local division of Interpol would she be closest to, how much longer would it take her to get the information she needed so she could get back home. She couldn’t answer any of his questions, and her ear still smarted from where he had informed her of how pleased he was with the situation as a whole. Five weeks. She only had five weeks before she was as much a fugitive as the man sitting beside her.

Green eyes this time glanced over at the man next to her as she fingered her brown wig, dyed to match the digital adjustments to her passport. Hiei had been unusually reserved on their flight. She supposed it could be exhaustion as well, since he had been the one in charge of their travel arrangements and, she assumed, returning the dress she had worn to his sister and making his goodbyes. But as far as she knew he hadn’t slept during their trip, unlike her, and his eyes showed no sign of weariness. If anything, she would say that he was deep in thought.

She hoped that he wasn’t reconsidering his decision to let her stay, but she thought it wisest for now just to keep her mouth shut on this concern in case it hadn’t yet occurred to him.

It was dark by the time they were through customs and hailing a cab. The path they took had her head spinning before they finally pulled up outside a moderately posh hotel. Hiei hopped out of the car before she had time to ask him if this was their stop and she had barely collected their bags before he was back outside and handing her a card. He paid the cab driver before turning to her and taking his bags.

“You’re here for the night, floor seven,” he said, hefting one bag and slinging it over his shoulder. She quickly followed suit, skipping a bit to keep up with him as he moved to the entrance of the hotel.

“What do you mean, just tonight? I thought we were here for a few days. And where are you-?”

He merely ignored her until they reached the elevator, glancing shortly at the video camera inside before standing casually near the floor buttons. The doors slid shut and he cut her off. “Shut up for one minute, will you? You have one day to learn this city, study it. My ‘friend,’” he said the word a tad distastefully, “is not so nice as he pulls off. We’re not here just for dinner.” Red eyes were cast over her until she felt a blush starting to rise. Tsking, rummaged through his bag and seconds later she felt something thick being pushed into her pants pocket. If she hadn’t already been blushing, she surely would have lit up then. “And buy something suitable. The trip here should have used up your cut of the last job, but I refuse to associate with bums and my sister is not around to clothe you properly.”

Then the elevator dinged and she stumbled out of the doors, head pounding and with a pocketful of cash, her two bags swiftly following.

“I'll be back for you tomorrow afternoon at four. Be dressed and ready for dinner.” And then the doors closed again, and she was left by herself.

--

The lights lining the street were bright as Hiei stepped onto the street. He narrowed his eyes as he dodged passerby and scanned for the taxi he had asked to wait. It was pulled down several meters and parked by the curb and he quickly strode towards it once spotting it and snapped open the door.

Behind the wheel, the driver fluttered a newspaper before glancing back at him. “Ready?”

“Yes,” Hiei answered in Japanese, watching the man nod in acknowledgment and put the car back into gear. They pulled slowly away from the curb and merged into traffic, steadily making their way from Jingan to Pudong. In the back seat, the thief watched the tourist crowds on the sidewalks staring up at the high rise corporate buildings that dominated the cities. With their minds on skyscrapers, they would be easy targets for pick pockets. Abruptly, Hiei shook himself and turned away. It had been a long time since he had needed to rely on a fat wallet for daily sustenance.

“The boss is expecting you,” the driver announced in Japanese as they pulled up to a particularly tall building.

Red eyes shot to his in the rear view mirror. “I know,” came the reply in Mandarin. “Why do you think I chose this cab?”

“Or did I choose you?” The driver laughed and Hiei got out smoothly, snagging his laptop and the small carry on he had brought. Yusuke should have the rest of the clothes he kept in China. If the man hadn't broken into his house by now, he wouldn't be the sort of friend Hiei kept. With a metallic click as the suitcase handle extended, Hiei made his way in through the sliding glass doors, nodded to the front desk clerk, who gave him a hard and swift once over before smiling, and stepped into the elevator.

The button for the forty seventh floor lit up like magic and he glanced over to see a young woman standing by the controls on the opposite side of the elevator. He long brown hair shifted as she turned to face him as well.

“So, is Yusuke entertaining visitors or should I be arranging for Kazuma's funeral?”

“Kuwabara, Shizuru,” he greeted back, his expression gaining a small scowl but his mouth clamping down on any impolite snarls he wanted to add about her brother. Shizuru looked nothing like her brother, being almost attractive in Hiei's opinion, with her elegant face and tall grace, but she shared one important trait in common, one that slightly unnerved him: her uncanny sixth sense. In Kuwabara, it had helped him narrowly escape dangerous situations dozens of times, but in his sister, instead of being a defensive trait, it morphed into something offensive, that let her determine the best business choices to make, whether in the stock market or the black market. This business acumen had introduced her into Sakyo, a crime boss from Hokkaido and an enigmatic gambler, and there were rumors of their engagement for months before they were terminated with his death. She kept his old lighter as a memento on her desk, and sometimes Hiei wondered if it enhanced her own ability.

Besides his sister's obvious attachment to the oaf, Shizuru was one of the few things that made him hesitate in permanently ridding himself of the annoyance that was Kuwabara.

“Have you seen Keiko recently?” Shizuru asked, startling him out of his thoughts, though he managed to keep his expression fairly neutral.

Hiei gave a negative head shake. “I just arrived.”

“Well, make sure to get a good look at her now.”

And with that statement, the doors opened to the forty second floor and the young woman stepped calmly out, flipping an unlit cigarette up to her mouth as she walked past the small group that bowed as she passed.

Frowning, Hiei let the elevator resume it ascent without calling her back. Her mysterious comments could remain mysterious; he had no desire to prolong their conversation.

As it was only five more floors away, he reached his destination quickly and moved out into the waiting area, letting himself be quietly impressed once again just how much Yusuke had improved his standings since he had picked up shop and moved to China. The windows were tall and bright, with a magnificent view of the city sparkling with electric activity against the night sky, the small waiting area pristine, the magazines on the short coffee table deceptively friendly even though the young man playing secretary was decidedly not. Hiei gave a generalized glare in his direction in return. “It's Jaganshi. I should be on that schedule somewhere.”

“Urameshi-san is currently in an interview with a client,” the young man returned beligerantly.

Hiei matched his tone without even breaking a sweat. “I'll just wait here then.”

Swiftly, the secretary's lips thinned into a tight line as he took in the casually bellicose stance of the visitor and the out of place sight of the suitcase. His voice came out rebelliously in short punctuations. “Urameshi-san usually has his special clients wait in another room. If you would follow me?”

'Ah,' thought Hiei, 'they're entertaining one of those people. Who come for money and not for violence.' Conceding with only a raised eyebrow, he followed the young man down a hallway and into another room, this one with a less attractive room but more comfortable chairs. The secretary quickly abandoned him to his own devices and Hiei was left to set his bags on one of the chairs and go stand by the window, staring out at the other skyscrapers nearly eclipsing his view of the bay. How far Yusuke had come. When he left Tokyo, it had been for political reasons, to slip past the tightening crackdowns of the government on gangs. Technically he was still centered in Japan, but Yusuke had lived out of the country for years now, only visiting his subordinates to provide support and head important events. In Shanghai he was acting as an international yakuza liason and doing better than ever. It was Kuwabara who had stayed behind as acting head while Yusuke was away. Shizuru had been the one to go along instead, her skills extremely useful in the economically bustling city.

“Hey.” The comment drew Hiei's attention away from the view.

“You'd better tell your secretary to stop announcing this room as the destination for your 'special' clients or people will start thinking you fill it with hookers on a regular basis.”

Yusuke's expression was wry. “Wow, could you try that greeting again? I could have sworn the proper response was 'Hey, Yusuke, what's up?' not 'I hear you hire hookers nightly'.”

“...Hn.”

“Well, I'll give you credit for considering it,” the yakuza boss sighed as he sat down. “And you know damn well that Keiko would have me cremated before any of those women got through the door.” He plopped down onto a nearby couch, leaning back into the comfy leather and propping his feet up on the glass coffee table. “So, you're earlier than I expected. I thought you wouldn't be showing up until tomorrow.”

Hiei returned to the seat with his things and shuffled them to the floor before sitting down on the chair. “I thought I'd impose on you before you got the chance to spring the ridiculous part of your deal on me,” he muttered, eyeing his friend's sudden smirk. Letting the subject rest with a short exhalation, he turned to another topic. “That baka's sister mentioned something odd in the elevator earlier. She said I should look at your wife.”

Yusuke mocked shock. “Is that concern? Hiei! I'm honored!” He ignored the growl rumbling from across him with a grin. “No, Keiko's the same as always. She even slapped me this morning. I walked into the bathroom after getting home only to be screamed at that 'this is all your fault!'” He mimed the last in a reedy falsetto. “I replied 'you're the one who started it' and BAM!” A finger pointed to his cheek. “You can still see the outline. I swear, that woman only gets stronger with time.”

“I told you you'd regret marrying her,” Hiei replied with a faint chuckle.

In return, Yusuke sniffed. “Ain't gonna happen. Anyway, you know a fiery temper like that only adds kink to the bed-”

“I do not want to know.”

The grin was back full force. “Yeah, well, I guess your taste runs to quiet girls with big, purple eyes.”

“She's not that quiet,” Hiei grumbled quietly, “and I don't sleep with the people I work with.”

“Bullshit. This morning-”

“-was a result of that onna's fumbling on a heist. She lost her room to cover her tracks and I didn't feel like supervising any other attempts to get her another.” And, honestly, he had intended that she would sleep on the couch. She'd stayed on the bed only because by the time he had realized she had fallen asleep he was too tired to go through the hassle of waking her up and making her move. They had only legitimately slept in that bed, nothing else.

Yusuke was still looking skeptical. “And yet you're still working with her? After that 'fumbling?'”

The red eyes across from him slid over to the window again, gazing at the view. “She performed adequately in all other respects.” The gaze riveted back to Yusuke, with an almost challenging glint.

But the mobster let the quarrel go. “Hmm. Well, she's your partner, not mine, so I'm in no position to judge. I thought she'd be with you, though.”

“She'll be here for dinner tomorrow.”

A raised eyebrow was Yusuke's response. “You let her go off on her own in a city this big? That's a little dangerous, don't you think?”

They were interrupted before Hiei could reply by a knock at the door. Yusuke glanced up and called a 'Come in!' then waited as the secretary approached him and whispered something in his ear. He glanced at his subordinate in surprise before turning back to Hiei with a small smirk.

“Your little 'bird' has flow the coop. Any clue where she might be?”

Hiei smirked almost viciously back. “No idea.”

Yusuke just laughed.

--

Huffing as she pulled her luggage down the street, Botan glanced behind her and sighed with relief. Nobody there. It had been the right decision to cut through People's Square. It would have been more crowded during the day, but at night the shadows were easier to hide in, and she managed to lose the two dark figures who were following her.

Angrily she cursed as she drew out the note Hiei had given her again. It had been wadded up in the cash he had slipped into her pocket and was only two sentences long, but she felt a loathing for his high handedness all the same. The message flickered under a nearby streetlight as she turned down another cramped alleyway.

'Use this to find another place to stay. Don't let them know.'

The first time she had read it, standing in the hall as she searched for the key he should have passed to her - she could have sworn it was in her hands, just when had he filtched it? - in vain, the note seemed rather vague. But she had complied because she didn't really have a choice with no way to get into her current room and because the money he had given her could certainly afford a better room and she felt like viciously using up every cent of it after he had left her on her own. Anyway, he said he'd pick her up the next day. Let him struggle a bit to find her. Not too much, since she still needed this job in order to complete her real one, but just enough to make him sweat a bit. With that she'd marched down the service stairwell at the back of the hotel and slipped back onto the main street.

Halfway down Nanjing Road she realized she was being tailed. By unfriendly looking people. And things about that mysterious note began clicking into place. Alarmed, she moved faster, darting around people and tugging her luggage haphazardly behind her.

They had chased her for almost a mile before she managed to lose them. She still didn't feel quite safe and so stuck to the tiny back alleys as much as possible.

“Screw Hiei and his dangerous 'friends',” she whispered to herself, peering around the corner before joining the throng moving through the shopping district again. She honestly didn't know which was worse: being arrested by the police or accosted by the mafia. Or yakuza or triad or whatever the hell they called themselves around here. At this moment she wished bitterly that she was back in England, back in London with her familiar streets and her clandestine mobsters and her god damn semi-automatic strapped to her thigh. Right about now, she'd even settle for the batons the average policeman carried.

But no, Koenma just had to take away anything that screamed 'law enforcement'. (And nothing quite screamed law enforcement like Interpol issued firearms. They just had the look of dark suits and impressive badges about them.) “Screw Koenma, too,” she added for good measure, glancing back in residual paranoia as she darted around another corner and onto a smaller but still decently busy street. Ahead she could make out the bold English of the word 'Hotel' and she almost sprinted to its luxurious door, smiling with strain at the doorman and pushing her way through the roundabout doors to the lobby.

A bellboy was standing there to greet her and, with a steeling of her nerves, she let him take her bags and place them onto a rolling carousel.

“Does madam need to check in or has she already arranged a room?” he asked in accented but impeccable English.

“I, uh, need to check in,” she replied eloquently, hoping that the rates were not ridiculously expensive. She didn't think Hiei had given her that much.

With a small bow, Botan was led over to the reception desk, making her way around the small group gathered at the concierge asking about dining options. The girl behind the counter greeted her as brightly as the bellboy, and in just as syllablistically correct English. “Hello, how may I help you today?”

“Hello,” Botan greeted in return, relaxing as her settings increased in familiarity. “I'd like to book a room for the night.”

Fingers tapped on the keys of the computer in front of her as the girl pulled up the hotel room list. “I have several rooms free with king size beds, one free with a pair of doubles, and one suite available. What would madam prefer?”

Botan paused. “How much is the suite?”

“Three thousand yuan a night,” the girl answered promptly. “Do you want to reserve the room?”

How much had Hiei given her again? Botan was having a hard time with the exchange rates. Three thousand sounded like a steal in yen, but this wasn't Japan. “Excuse me,” she said quietly, turning around slightly to pull out the cash she had on her. She quickly counted through the notes, adding up the numbers in her head, then double checking twice as fast. With a smile, she turned back to the receptionist. “I'll take it.”

And tomorrow, she'd still have three thousand left of Hiei's money to burn.