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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:
You're both really good friends.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"You what?" Higuchi's eyes were wide, her jaw loose—as was Gin's. The three of them were sitting on Gin's bed, her room mostly purple and black with surprisingly girlish decor. They had been talking for at least an hour, eating snacks and drinking the red wine Higuchi had brought. She had insisted it was for Aki's sake, so that her hangover wouldn't be as deathly as if she were to drink her whiskey again.

They had been talking about this and that before Gin asked how Aki and Chuuya's mission had gone a few days before. Aki had told them that it went well, except for her and Chuuya falling into the pool at the hotel. She then slipped in how they had made-out, so fucking casually that it made Gin and Higuchi almost take a simultaneous stroke.

"We kissed," Aki clarified for the two women who were staring at her as if she had told them they bombed an orphanage. She took a long swig of her red wine—she could tell why Chuuya liked it so much, it was pretty delicious. "Only once though—for like, five minutes. Maybe seven." She added, giving a careless shrug. But she wasn't carefree at all.

She had been dying to bring it up. Somehow, she had grown to trust the women sitting beside her—perhaps not with her life, because that was a tad bit too far, but she trusted that they wouldn't speak a word of what she told them. They were loyal, they wouldn't breathe a word to Mori about the kiss that had happened between Aki and Chuuya.

"That's not one kiss, Aki!" Higuchi exclaimed, her cheeks red, eyes wide. "That's like, multiple kisses!" The blonde woman couldn't quite decide if she was elated for Aki or horrified. Relationships within the Port Mafia were to be kept strictly professional, it was written under the law—it was a rule. But then, there was that womanly part of her that was ever so excited for her friend to be getting some action, especially from someone as delicious as Chuuya Nakahara.

Gin's delicate brows pulled downwards, "I'm confused, though. Don't you hate one another?" She innocently asked, not understanding that there was a very fine line between the hatred and lust the pair felt for each other. The feelings were heightened by each other, making it impossible to be in one another's presence without thinking of murder or sex.

Aki nodded, "Absolutely."

Gin blinked, "But you kissed?"

Aki nodded again, "Yes."

   Gin stared at her.

Higuchi chuckled, folding her legs into a basket, wearing a matching grey tracksuit, "Gin, you're about to learn a very important life lesson, so listen up," She said, straightening her back out as she put her hand on Aki's shoulder. "Yes, those two hate each other—despise one another, even. However, there is an unspoken attraction between them that neither of them can continue to fight against, hence the kiss. There's a very, very fine line between love and hate—"

"Whoa, slow your horses," Aki spoke over the blonde, putting her hand over hers. "Love has nothing to do with it. I do hate him, I hate him with all my soul—however, you've fucking seen the guy, right? It should be illegal to be that god damn attractive." She sighed heavily, reaching up to rub at her temple. She was frustrated, so beyond frustrated. She couldn't stop thinking about how she could have jumped Chuuya's bones had she not allowed her stupid insecurities get in the way.

Gin's brows furrowed once again, "So, you don't like him?" She was lost—so very lost. It seemed that Higuchi had a decent understanding of the situation, but the black-haired women couldn't understand any of it. Was it normal to go around kissing the person you loathed? She wasn't so sure. But then again, none of them had ever claimed to be normal, that was for sure. Especially Aki.

Aki laughed, "Absolutely not. He's irrational, cocky, egotistical, under six foot—like way under, annoying, a total fucking neat freak, a massive pain in my ass, and—"

"Okay, we get the point," Higuchi stopped her rambling before she lost breath, putting her hands on her shoulders. She smiled at the woman. "You've got to give us the details, though. Like, how was it? Is he a good kisser? He looks like he'd be a good kisser." She was looking at Aki like a child wanting to hear a bedtime story and it was in that moment Aki realised why she had come to like the woman so much. She reminded her of Kana—from when they were younger. She was energetic and smiley but also very hot-headed. As for Gin, she reminded her a little of herself, from before she joined the Double A—shy, quiet and sincere.

"It was... well, it was really good. Like really fucking good," She began saying, picking at the fluff on Gin's black heart-shaped pillow. "It happened so quickly, but once it did, I don't know, time seemed to slow down? It felt like I was in that pool for hours. He's a very good kisser—too good." She bitterly said. Like honestly, was there anything he wasn't good at? He didn't even stick his tongue down her throat like some kind of animal—he had known exactly what to do with it. Damn him.

"But you stopped, right? Why?" Gin asked, a frown on her lips. If the kiss was as good as Aki said, why hadn't it continued?

Aki squirmed, "It's stupid."

Higuchi put her hand on Aki's bare thigh, "You're our friend, Aki. We're here to listen to the stupid shit." She assured her, tracing a small circle on her skin. Friends. They truly were her friends. There was no jealousy between them, no competition. They were coworkers, but that didn't mean they were ever comparing themselves to one another. Their time together was fun—lighthearted, something Aki hadn't had in a really long time.

Aki brought her hand up, grabbing a hold of the hem of her sweater. She lifted it up, stopping just below where her bra sat. She didn't look at them as she allowed them to see the most vulnerable part of her, "These are from when I was a child. Nobu, the man that Mori is holding here, he was my mentor and the Double A's greatest torturer," She began saying in a quiet voice as the women stared at the scarring on her body with wide eyes. "At the Double A, they have this thing they call 'breaking in' it's almost like breaking in a new pair of boots. You wear them out, you bend them, you crush them. It's exactly what the Double A does to the children they bring in."

"I was kept in a dark room for a year, where I would be tortured until I begged for him to stop—it went on, and on, until eventually... I broke," She could feel a lump forming in her throat. She picked more aggressively at the pillow. "That day set me up for life, it made me who I am now. If I hadn't given up, if I had been a little stronger, then maybe, just maybe—I would have been put out of my misery."

She brought her hand up, brushing her thumb against the scarred skin on her stomach, "I hate these scars. They're a reminder of the scared little girl I once was. I feel sick when I see them," There was pain in her voice, confirming what she was saying. "The other night, Chuuya saw them and I froze. I didn't want him to see that part of me—I just panicked. He doesn't know my past and I didn't want him to. I didn't want him to look at me and feel pity..." She swallowed hard, pushing her palm into her stomach. She felt so weak, so crushingly vulnerable.

"No one pity's you, Aki," Gin softly spoke up, making Aki look at her with wide eyes, "We admire you," Aki's eyes grew like flying saucers. "You've clearly been through so much, and yet you're such a strong, independent woman. We know it—Chuuya knows it to. He wouldn't have pitied you, I'm sure of it." She said, reaching across to put her her hand on her thigh, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Higuchi nodded feverishly, "She's right. No one in the world would ever pity you, Aki—we've all seen your strength. Even more so now that you've shared such a vulnerable thing with us. It was really brave." She put her hand over Gin's, both women giving her comfort through their touch. Aki wanted to cry. She wanted to curl up in a ball and fucking sob. What had she done to deserve them? She was a liar—a murdering assassin. She was only there to kill their Boss, she was never supposed to get close to them. But there she was, smiling through the tears that had welled in her eyes.

She scooped up both of the woman's hands, holding them close to her chest, a bright smile on her face, "You're both really good friends." She told them, sniffling slightly. She wasn't afraid anymore—not in front of them. She could show them the more complex parts of herself, what lay beyond the narcissism and god-complex. She could be herself.

"Come here, you big baby." Higuchi said, holding her arms out. Aki stared blankly at her, not understanding what she wanted at first—but after a moment, it clicked. She wanted to hug her.

                    "Oh..." Aki allowed Higuchi to wrap her arms around her. She couldn't remember the last time she had been in someone's arms—probably when she was a small and feeble child, in the arms of her mother, before she decided she was unimportant. It felt warm and comforting.

                  Gin joined the hug, putting her arms around the two women. Aki's head was on Higuchi's shoulder, blinking slowly. It was such an odd feeling, but she wasn't against it. Though, she never would have thought that her first hug in a decade would be with two Port Mafia members—she would have laughed at the idea, thinking it to be unbelievable. But it wasn't. Because there she was, being held in their arms.

                   She smiled softly, then wrapped her arms around them.

                 The following morning, Aki found herself in the dining room. Everyone was there—at least, Mori's personal favourites. It was just like the first time she'd sat at the table. Everyone was gathered, being beckoned to the dining room after receiving a message from their Boss. He'd send it out in a group chat, asking if they could all meet with him in the dining room that morning. Aki had already been showered and dressed when she received the message, which had made her one of the first ones there. Chuuya was a close second, pausing in the doorframe when he caught sight of her before heading to his seat, not sparing her another glance.

                 "Thank you all for joining me on this fine morning," Mori was saying. Elise was perched on his lap, drawing on the table cloth with a black sharpie. Aki squinted her eyes, trying to catch sight of that the young girl was drawing. She blinked back in surprise. It was a decapitated bunny. Weird. "I've called you all here today to discuss the details of our annual Gala." He said, a wide smile on his face, looking pleased to talk about the subject.

Aki perked up, intrigued, "Now, as you already know, last years Gala was a hitch—however, this years will be bigger and better, and I'm counting on all of you to make it so," He said, his purple gaze flickering between his subordinates. "Of course, most of you just have to sit there and look pretty, leave the negotiations to Chuuya, Hirotsu and I. But I do wish for you all to be in attendance, the other organisations joining us need to see us in force to be reminded of who they work for." Aki found herself glancing across at Chuuya, watching him as he watched Mori, nodding his head. She could picture him perfectly in her minds eye, wearing a suit that fit him exquisitely and mingling with guests—women all around the room eyeing him up.

                    "Akira," Aki's gaze flickered to Mori at the mention of her name being called. He was looking right at her, a smile on his lips. "I want this Gala to be your debut to the Port Mafia. I want everyone to know that you work for us. Can you be a dear and mingle as much as possible? You don't have to do any negotiations of course. Just be your pretty self and say hi to the folk who's direction I point you in. Can you do that?" Aki stared at him, swallowing. She didn't take any issues with that—not really, she was used to be paraded around like some kind of show pony at that point. The only issue she had was other organisations knowing that she worked for the Port Mafia instead of the Double A—it would cause a power shift, the power going straight to Mori. She knew that was exactly why he was doing it.

                 Aki nodded, "Of course." She agreed because what else could she do, refuse him? Not a chance.

                  "Perfect," Mori purred. "The preparations have already begun, the Gala will be held within the week. But for now, I'm sure you all have a lot of work to do, so you are dismissed." Each of them respectfully nodded their heads—even Aki, before standing from their seats, excusing themselves.

                  Aki grabbed a buttered croissant, heading to where Gin was speaking with Tachihara, "What're you two talking about?" She asked the Black Lizard members, settling her hands on her hips, a smile on her face.

                   Tachihara turned to Aki, a smile on his face at the sight of her, "I actually don't have any work to do today, so I was trying to convince Gin to come see a movie with me—but she's rejecting me, pretty harshly too." He said, giving a pout of his lips.

                   Gin shook her head, her cheeks red from underneath her mask, "I—I didn't reject you. It's just, Aku and I already had plans for today." She quickly said, not wanting to upset Tachihara, completely unaware that he was winding her up.

                   "I'll go with you," Aki said without skipping a beat. From behind them, Chuuya's ears perked up. He was in the middle of a conversation with Mori regarding the Gala, but had also been eavesdropping—but the moment Aki suggested going to see a movie with Tachihara alone, he paid a lot more attention. "I have nothing to do either—Nakahara has been working me to the bone, all of my paperwork is complete." She added, giving a shrug.

She was also very excited to see a movie. She hadn't seen one in ages, a good couple of years at least. In fact, she had absolutely no idea the type of movies that were being shown in a cinema because she never had the chance to pay attention to such trivial things.

                    Tachihara's eyes lit up gleefully, "Aki, you are a fucking Angel," He exclaimed, putting both his hands on her shoulders. Chuuya's eye twitched and Mori asked him if he was listening. "Come on, I'll tell you all about it—you're gonna love it." He insisted, wrapping his arm over the woman's shoulder, leading her out of the dining room.

                  Chuuya glanced over his shoulder, watching them go, his jaw tight. What the actual hell? What was the feeling creeping on his chest? He'd never felt it before. He felt sick, his skin turning warm. He wanted to grab Tachihara and remove his hands from her—but Tachihara was his friend, so why was it bothering him so much? Could it be... jealousy? No. Fuck that. He wasn't jealous—he couldn't be. What the hell did he have to be jealous over?

                    "Chuuya, am I boring you?" Mori drawled out, snapping the man's head back towards him, his eyes wide. Fuck. He had completely zoned out in front his Boss—and quite obviously too.

                   He cleared his throat, clasping his hands in front of him, "No. Please continue." Damn you, Tachihara. And damn you, Akira.

AUTHORS NOTE.

this is my version of a filler chapter u guys, so i apologise 🫣 but at least aki, gin and higuchi are super cute, right???

— taylor xx