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"This... us... price,"

"Where..."

"That club near..."

You groaned, head spinning as you drifted in and out of sleep. You could still feel the effects of the chloroform making your body and mind feel heavy until a loud thud made you jump awake.

"You idiot!" The first one shouted. "Do you know what could happen if that Guuji chick gets involved?" 

There was some incoherent shouting for a moment, both of them shouting at the same time preventing you from understanding exactly what they were saying.

You looked around. The room you were in was dark, almost pitch black until your eyes adjusted, allowing you to see that it was small. Tables and tablecloths and other random things inside, making you guess it was a storage closet of some sort. You stood up, struggling to gain your balance for a second before slowly making your way to the door, hands out in front of you to keep from running into anything. You finally made it to the door and pressed the side of your head against it to listen in on the conversation happening outside.

"She's got a pretty face, Anton. She can work for the boss," the second guy said, and you barely managed to recognize his voice, realizing that he was the man that brought you here. "No one will ever see her again, so no one will know where she is." 
"Fine," the first one, Anton, said reluctantly. "But when the Shogunate comes knocking on my door, don't think I won't sell you out." 

You heard footsteps approaching and barely had enough time to back away from the door before it opened, revealing the man you guessed was Anton. You tried to back away from him, but he was quick to grab your arm.
"Looks like you're going to the boss' house," he said as the other man stepped in, throwing a skimpy dress on the ground. "Change into that," he said. "And come out when you're finished." He lifted his shirt to reveal the gun under his belt. 

"And if you know what's good for you, you won't try anything funny."

Ayato sat in his office, his usual paperwork pushed aside, violet eyes focused on the video from the nightclub until a knock on the door made him pause it.
"Come in," he called, and his blonde-haired housekeeper walked in.
"Found anything?" Thoma asked, setting the files in his hand down on the coffee table and sitting on the couch to go through them. Ayato nodded.
"Whoever took her is a real amateur," he chuckled. "The license plate on his car, which is in full view, might I add, is registered to a man named Anton Radomir. Judging by the symbol on his cheap vest, he works for the Fatui but is the lowest rank."
"I noticed that as well," Thoma smiled. "In fact, I just got off the phone with Mr. Zhongli, who spoke to his friend in the Fatui. Anton doesn't directly work for any of the Harbingers, but he often does business with a certain... friend of ours." Thoma smiled, and Ayato sighed, realizing that if this friend had something to do with it, that would only mean more work.

"Scaramouche," they both said in unison.

"He's the last person I want to deal with," Ayato sighed. Thoma chuckled as he leaned back in his seat.
"We could send Arataki Itto to do it," he offered, and Ayato raised a brow.
"I would rather not deal with him either," he said, lowering his head to think for a moment before sighing. "But alas, bringing him along would help with the needed muscle when meeting with Scaramouche, so please call him and request for him to meet me here this afternoon..." Ayato paused. "And ask Ayaka if she can contact Beidou about the whereabouts of Kaedehara Kazuha. Hopefully, them being there will give us strength in numbers."
"This afternoon?" Thoma repeated.
"Yes, I would like to get this over with," Ayato said as he began typing something on his computer. "As soon as I track them down, we'll be moving to strike.

"This had better be good," the Harbinger growled as he walked into the warehouse, eyes set straight ahead, ignoring the girls in cages, some glaring at him hatefully, while others, ones that knew better, kept their eyes on the ground, not daring to look up at him.
"Yes, sir, we would never waste your time," Anton assured with a smile as he led the Harbinger to the back where struggling could be heard.

"Let me go!" You growled, trying to pull away from the man as he dug his nails into your arm.
"Get out there!" He shouted, kicking the door open before throwing you to the ground. You groaned, looking up to see a purple-haired man staring down at you with his brow raised.

Your eyes landed on the pin on his vest, instantly recognizing the symbol on it from the news. The Fatui. What caught your attention were his deep purple eyes, they were bright even though they held no emotion, and something about them was strangely familiar, but one thing you were sure about was that looking into them — looking at him put you in a state of uneasiness. 

"And what can she offer?" You were snapped out of your thoughts by his question.
"Nothing for you," you spat, only to gasp, head whipping to the side as Anton struck you.
"Don't you dare speak like that to the boss like that," he snapped. You panted, shakily bringing a hand to your head, flinching when you felt the cut above your eyebrow.

"Well, sir," Anton began, his entire demeanor changing in the blink of an eye. "Not only is she a pretty face, but she also worked at that nightclub downtown, meaning she knows how to have...a little fun if you know what I mean."

"The nightclub? That means this one is pretty rare, huh?" Your eyes widened when you finally recognized him.

Scaramouche, the sixth Harbinger of the Fatui. You flinched as he reached down, cupping your face in his hands.
"You'll make the perfect doll," he smirked, running his thumb across your bottom lip.
"Just to let you know, boss," Anton said, and Scaramouche narrowed his eyes at him. "The owner of that club is friends to that Yae Miko lady, w-who, ya know, has-"
"Ties to the Shogun?" Scaramouche finished. "Have you forgotten that I have ties to the Shogun as well?"

"I doubt those ties will do you any good in this case."

At the unfamiliar voice, Anton and the other man whipped out their guns, pointing them at the intruder, while Scaramouche merely sighed as released you, allowing you to see the people behind you, and your face paled at the sight. There stood the most infamous mafia boss in all of Teyvat. Kamisato Ayato.

You watched with wide eyes as the man you had only heard about in gruesome stories and on the news walked in. He hardly spared a glance at the guns pointed at him, and neither did the gang leader or fugitive that followed him, ones that you also knew all too well. Arataki Itto, leader of the Arataki Gang, and the fugitive Kaedehara Kazuha. All of them held weapons, Ayato and Kazuha wielding swords, Itto with a Claymore, and Thoma with his polearm, and you knew and well as your captors did that guns were nothing against them.

"I should've known someone like you would show up," Scaramouche said, rolling his eyes.
"Yes, you should have," The blonde-haired male beside Ayato said. "Your... salesman here didn't do a very good job at concealing their identity." Scaramouche shot a glare at Anton before turning back to Ayato.
"Thank you for informing me," his voice was painfully sarcastic. "I'll make sure to deal with them accordingly." Anton and your other captor exchanged a look of fear before turning back to the intruders, struggling to keep a steady hold on their guns with their trembling hands, and the glare the white-haired gang leader shot them only seemed to make it worse.

"Either way, this is my territory," Scaramouche sneered. "And last time I checked, the Raiden Shogun works directly with the Fatui, which means angering me could cause some problems for her." Ayato merely smiled.
"Believe me when I say that the Shogun works with you because she wants to. Severing your relationship will not cause her excellency any inconvenience in the slightest," he spoke almost as if he was genuinely reassuring someone. "Now, Scaramouche, let's make this easier for everyone, shall we? Despite, you being the out that is severally outnumbered and..." He looked at the two henchmen, before chuckling to himself. "And drastically outmatched strength and power-wise, I'm still willing to make you a deal since there have been times where our interests have coincided."

Ayato glanced at Thoma with a smirk before turning back to the male. "And I wouldn't want to anger someone with your power, so here's my offer. You give her to me, and I'll owe you a favor." Scaramouche narrowed his eyes.
"What kind of favor?"
"That's for you to decide." 

As they spoke, you looked at the two you didn't know. A shorter blue-haired girl was standing to the left of Ayato, a folding fan in her hand, which she used to cover half of her face. To the right of him was the man that had spoken for Ayato earlier. He noticed you staring and gave you a kind smile that made your face heat up.

"Your cooperation is greatly appreciated, Scaramouche," Ayato said as the purple-haired man walked past him.
"Whatever," he growled. "But don't think I'm willing to give up this easily. She's caught my interest so consider this a tactical retreat."

Once he was gone, all eyes were on you, instantly making you panic. You were quick to back away until you were in the doorway of the closet you had been kept, wanting to get away but too afraid to go back into that room. 

Questions raced through your mind. What did they want? Why would a bunch of criminals come to save you? Your eyes scanned over their weapons, wondering how they would use them on you if you resisted. The first one to make a move was Thoma, who attempted to approach until Ayato raised a hand, motioning him and the others to stay still.

Noticing your gaze on his sword, he sheathed it before setting it on the ground and seeing him do this made everyone else put their weapons away as well.

Ayato slowly walked over to you, his motions reminded you of how you'd approach a scared animal that you were trying to rescue. You watched as he kneeled in front of you.
"Calm down," he said softly. "We're not here to hurt you. Yae Miko sent us."
"Ms. Guuji?" You asked, tears filling your eyes.
"That's correct," Ayato nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. "We're taking you back to her, alright?" You nodded timidly and Ayato smiled, slowly wrapping his arms around you, eyes focused on you to detect any signs of discomfort as he lifted you in his arms bridal style.

Once he was sure you were comfortable, he turned to face the others.
"Thank you both for coming. Please do not hesitate to come to me if you need any assistance with anything."
"It was the least I could do," Kazuha said humbly.
"No problem, bro, anything for Ms. Guuji," Itto said as they all walked out of the building.

Itto got on a motorcycle and sped off. As he left, another motorcycle pulled in, the rider wearing all black with a purple helmet. They lifted it to reveal a girl with ruby-colored eyes.
"Hey, Kazuha," she called. "Ready to go?" Kazuha nodded silently as the girl handed him a helmet. Once he was on, she nodded at Ayato before speeding off. 

"Careful." You gasped, feeling Ayato setting you down as a white limousine pulled in. A butler in all black stepped out and opened the door.
"After you," you looked at Ayato to see him motioning to the car. You climbed inside, admiring the large space of the limousine as Ayato and the other two climbed inside alongside you.
"Allow me to introduce myself," Ayato said. "I am Kamisato Ayato, head of the Kamisato Clan. This is Thoma," he motioned towards the man with the blonde hair who waved kindly. "He is our housekeeper and my right-hand man. And this is my sister, Ayaka," the blue-haired girl gave a timid nod before turning towards the window as the car started driving. 

"Ms. Guuji requested that you be brought back to her club, but I think you'd much rather prefer to go home and get some rest," Ayato said. "Is my assumption correct?" You nodded slowly. You honestly would've liked to return to the nightclub and see Miko, but something about his voice made you want to go along with whatever he said, like what he wanted was what you wanted. Ayato smiled, placing a hand on the side of your head, guiding it to rest on his shoulder.
"Don't worry," he said. "You're safe now. Rest."

Almost as if on cue, you drifted off to sleep.

Sorry this is so long. Originally it was split into two really short chapters and I thought it would be better to combine them. Anyways, question of the day: Can anyone guess where the name Anton came (hint: a name of a character in the game).