Chapter Fourteen

Rei grumbled as the elevator slid down into the Deep, straightening his collar for the umpteenth time since leaving his bolt hole. His sister’s call had come that morning, and his estimate of travel times had forced him to dress for his date before heading out. He’d had to close off his sweat gland to prevent the rush from producing perspiration which would visibly stain the vibrantly white shirt he wore.

Fortunately, the atmospheric plants of Undercity were working overtime, keeping the ambient temperature on the cold side of comfortable, or he’d have passed out before making it a kilometer.

Stepping off the elevator and onto a gravel path he trudged to his sister’s clinic. He didn’t bother to knock, walking straight through the door and by his sister’s work table towards the bathroom.

“Rei?” Kay called out, watching him pass by her place at a microscope, blinking as he ignored her. “Rei? Hello?”

He shut the door on her, stripping off his nice shirt. With a sigh he let his body go and moaned in relief as his body temperature returned to something approaching normal, dampening a rag to wipe off the glistening sweat that had suddenly coated his skin.

“Rei! Are you al…woof…?” Kay, who had jerked the door open, waved her hand in front of her nose, clearing the sudden smell of sweat and pheromones. “What are you…?”

“What am I what?” Rei demanded. “I’m here like our lord and master… demands… why are you looking at me funny?”

Kay ignored him, instead focusing on tuning her nose and sense of smell, inhaling her brother’s scent once more. “Your pheromones are… off…”

Rei winced then pushed past his sister. “Don’t be stupid. Now tell me what Alexander thinks he needs.”

“No… they aren’t off…” Kay corrected herself, ignoring her brother. “They’re different, with just a hint of something… feminine?” Kay’s sudden smile caused Rei to seriously consider running, especially when she picked up his synth-silk shirt and held it up in triumph. “You’ve met someone!”

“Oh geeze!”

“What’s her name? I know she’s a Kitsune, your own scent is telling me that.”

Rei considered blustering through her questions without answering, but with a sigh accepted it would never work. “Natalia, and yes… she’s a Kitsune.” His expression changed to a glare directed at his sister. “And since I have less than two hours to deal with whatever it is Alexander wants, and to cross the Sydney district to meet her, can we save your questioning for later? Please?”

“Ohhh… My brothers in love!” Kay teased, though she was sincerely happy for him.

Neither she, nor Rei, noticed Alexander enter the clinic. “What poor creature is doomed to have this one’s affection now?” The Siren asked sardonically.

“Never you mind! What do you want?” Rei growled.

“To the point today, hmm? Fair enough.” Alexander shrugged. “InSec has a Special Forces hit squad trying to track down Marigold and… young Rei Junior.” Alexander managed to not snicker at the stricken look on the Kitsune males face, all though Rei’s own twin lacked his self control. “I haven’t figured out which team it is, or who’s on it, but I have locked the operation down to a specific ISF colonel. He’s holding a large dinner party in a little over a week.”

Rei shrugged. “So? Those government types throw parties all the time.”

“I want you to crash the party, and see if you can learn anything. I’m hoping you’ll over hear the name for the team’s leader, or something else I can use to track them down. Once I have that I can find the team and… correct their investigation.”

“By correct you mean send them after someone else, who’ll likely kill them, or get killed by them, and prove to be a dead end.” Rei shrugged, not particularly bothered by it. “Sure, I should be able to get in. I have a buddy who does a lot of hiring for day labor, and works with the biggest caterer in Sydney. If this Colonel’s any kind of mover and shaker, he’ll use them.”

“Excellent.” Alexander held out a data-chip. “This contains everything I do know about this man, and his projects. He’s a nasty piece of work, fair warning.”

“Whatever.” Rei took the chip. “I have a date I need to get to, so if you’re done?” Alexander nodded, and Rei headed for the door while reclaiming his shirt from his sister, waving in response to her telling him to be careful.

Once he was gone Kay sighed. “I meant to tell him to ask Mrs. Sengdali for a bouquet of flowers for his girlfriend.”

“I did it for him. She’ll be meeting him at the elevator.” Alexander said with a malicious grin. “It’ll annoy the hell out of him.”

“You’re bad.” Kay said with a giggle.

Rei, reluctantly carrying a small bundle of roses, drifted around the final corner to his destination. He immediately began scanning the crowd around the kiosk looking for Natalia. His eager senses caught her scent only seconds before his eyes settled on her. Both took his breath away.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Natalia stood, scanning the crowd herself but not seeing him yet, dressed in a deep purple, full body skin-suit. The dark sheath was highlighted by threads of gold which seemed to caress the curves they accentuated. A short, black skirt of synth-leather hugged her hips, doing nothing to conceal the feminine grace of her thighs from appreciative male eyes. In contrast the black and purple running shoes she wore were a practical choice that brought a smile to his face.

The woman in the package was no less eye catching than the package it’s self. Her hair was darker now compared to the last time they’d met, nearly the color of garnets with purple highlights adding to the exotic tone of her curls. The whole beautiful mass was loose, except for the top which she had twisted into a tight bun, pinned by what Rei suspected were punch daggers. Her lips held just a hint of pink, as though they had just recently been kissed and a strand of copper collared glass pearls and purple kangaroo earrings added a whimsical element to her ensemble.

The grey overcoat, heavy where Rei knew she kept her bladed shock-stick, was a boring frame surrounding the living artwork that was the Kitsune girl, and was unimportant. He stepped, suddenly nervous, into the crowd to approach the divine creature who had deigned to dine with him.

He managed to reach her before she spotted him, so his appearance was as much of a surprise as the flowers he offered her. “I realize they in no way compare to your beauty, but tradition older then time its self insists a lady receives flowers from any serious gentleman.”

Natalia blushed, causing him to smile and his heart to pound, as she took the small arrangement. “Thank you, but aren’t flowers like these expensive?”

Rei shrugged. “For you? I doubt anything I buy would be worthy… but I have a friend who gets them for me quite cheaply.” ‘Assuming you ignore bruises to my dignity’ he left unsaid.

Her smile, which only deepened at his compliment, was worth such a small price. “Shall we find ourselves dinner?” He asked, offering his arm to her.

Natalia hesitated before settling her hand into the crook of his arm. “Let’s.”

He led her through the crowded streets, and into the small restaurant. As usual for that time of evening it was busy, but luck was with them, and they were quickly shown to a table. “So how was your week?” Rei asked as he held her chair.

Natalia, with a nod of thanks, sat and waited for him to settle into his own seat before answering. “It wasn’t great, until now at least.” She smiled shyly and took a deep breath. Rei’s scent mingled with the spicy odor of well-prepared food in a, to her, intoxicating blend. “Yours?”

“Up until this morning, fairly quiet. A… friend of mine needed me to swing by his place earlier. That’s why I was running behind, and I might be a bit rumpled from the hurry.”

The female Kitsune leaned back, looking over his nearly pristine appearance before making a show of looking at the time on her com-band. “You’re about five minutes early, as of right now, and you look reasonably presentable.” She winked mischievously in response to his arched eyebrow and grin.

“Ah, but you beat me here, so I lost the chance to spend even more of my evening with you! That is plenty late for me.”

“You are a horrible flirt.” She laughed with a blush.

“Now, now…” Rei countered. “By the pink in your cheeks and that smile I suspect I’m a very good flirt, indeed!”

His grin deepened as her cheeks became even redder. The waiter appeared with menus, and the young couple began to discuss dinner choices. The whole time Rei was convinced his evening couldn’t get any better.

Natalia was so glad her team wasn’t there to see the blush that seemed tattooed across her face; she was going to catch enough flack from the roses. She wanted to bury her nose in them, and she couldn’t keep from stroking the satiny textures of the buds with her tuned skin.

She’d never been given flowers before and didn’t understand why her heart would not behave itself as it thundered merrily in her chest. Rei was dressed far nicer than their first meeting and his synth-silk shirt looked as soft as the roses. She wanted to reach out and pet it so that she could confirm rather or not it was.

The food at the Vietnamese restaurant was as good as Rei had promised, although the cynic that lived in the back of Natalia’s head wondered what it would have tasted like when Vietnam was a country, and not just another nuke poisoned hell.

After the meal they walked through one of the Undercity shopping districts. It was as close a thing to a park the Undercity had, there were even a few stone tree sculptures, covered in moss and lichen.

“You seem…Jumpy tonight, is everything alright?” asked Rei.

“Y-yes.” Natalia bowed her head. “I-I have never done anything like this before.”

“Like what?”

“A date.” Natalia muttered. She wasn’t sure how to take the incredulous look on Rei’s face.

“You’ve never dated, as in ever?” Rei’s tone was shocked. “How can it be that someone like you has never gone out?”

Natalia sat on a bench under one of the stone trees and looked up, for a few moments she watched as a spider worked on its web, and wondered at how similar her life was to a spider. “I was never really interested in seeing anyone.”

Rei smiled and sat next to her, she felt her instincts fight each other, half wanting to lean onto his shoulder, and half terrified that he was so close, that he could touch her. “But you chose to see me?”

She smiled. “I did,” I chose this. That should make a difference right? “You… I don’t know. There was something about you.” her comm blinked at her reminding that she only had a half an hour to get to the tube to get home. She swallowed nervously. “Shido said that I…needed to be open about things.”

“Who’s Shido?”

“He’s my… best friend; he’s like a brother to me.”

Rei nodded and rested a hand on her shoulder. Natalia resisted the urge to throw him. It was an ingrained response to being touched. She failed to cover the wince, and saw the concern in his face.

“I. I. I.” She hated the slippery fear that gripped her stomach. “I have, had very bad experiences, with…being…I mean.” She shook her head in irritation. She would not be ruled by fear. She was an InSec officer in the ISF, fear was not in the dress code. “I have had very bad experiences with sex. I was hurt very badly.” There I said it. She closed her eyes, if he left now she did not want to watch.

Natalia opened her eyes as she felt him take her hand, she could see anger in his deep brown eyes, but she also saw care, she did not see rejection.

“I am honored.” He kissed her hand gently then stood and helped her to her feet, “When is your next free day?”

“Sunday.”

“Well then, I guess I should be getting you back to the tube. Meet me at the station on Sunday?”

“I’ll be there.” Natalia smiled. They held hands like teenagers as Rei walked with her to the Sydney tube station. Natalia blushed as she saw the knowing looks of the Kitsune they passed. As they came to the station Rei caught her other hand, so both were held by his. He kissed the backs of her hands, letting his lips caress her tuned skin, causing a shiver to run down her spine. Reluctantly Natalia released his hands and turned to enter the station, her heart racing in terror and wonder.

The tram zoomed off, caring her back to the tower and her team. She knew they would all be sitting in the commons waiting for her to get home so they could pounce on her for details. The only thing she wasn’t sure of was if it would be Shido, Takada, or Saki that would lead the interrogation to come.