Chapter Text
A furious knocking at the front door awoke Mizu. She nearly jumped out of her seat, almost falling out of it completely, before she could catch herself and compose herself and get her baring. Looking around her office, she realized first, she was home; second, it was only someone at her front door; she grunted; she'd fallen asleep at her desk again. Fuck. Doing this always hurt her back. She paid for working late again tomorrow when her back screamed at her for her poor posture and sleeping habits.
The knocking continued.
She looked at the clock at the desk; it was 9:30 PM.
"Fuck, I'm coming," Mizu yelled towards the door. If anyone could hear her from here, it didn't matter. She just needed to do it, let her presence be known. Annoyed by the sound, she had a headache. She threw her head back, took a drink from the glass of scotch on the desk, and got herself up.
It was only Ringo.
She assumed it was at least; no one else came by this time of day; it was too late for any client meetings, and the man had no tack regarding social normalcies. Plus, this was common between them. He tended to appear at her front door unannounced. If she'd fallen asleep and weren't answering, he'd resort to unpleasant means to wake her occasionally, and that seemed to be the case today. It's probably retaliation for refusing to give him a key again. She'd never admit it, but she liked it when he came by. She enjoyed seeing him; if he had a key, that might change. He could come and go as he pleased, and given her poor sleep habits and tendency for radio silence, they might not connect. He is her only friend, though she refuses to tell him, scared of what saying it might mean. Naming it had power, it meant she cared, it meant she'd have to be honest with him and worse herself. Plus, she knew he'd abuse the key privilege by trying to care for her more than he already does.
She tried her best to stay independent of him no matter how much he did take care of her. She didn't need that from her self-declared best friends and assistant, or at least that's what she told herself to try and avoid the truth. The truth is that without him, she might fall apart and completely unravel. Even if she refuted the titles, he didn't care. He still stocked her freezer with homemade meals or organized her workspace how she liked it. She didn't need the help, assistance or kindness. It wasn't for her.
He was too good to be by her side after everything, even if she thought this proper.
Ringo didn't, and he conspired with her father to make sure she was at least fed and watered. The two of them also had an unspoken friendship she resented at times. They spoke the same language and could exist together; she never found that with anyone.
Not her family or anyone else. Being around others has always been challenging, so that may be why she is alone now. It is easier.
The knocking continued louder than before.
Mizu fixed her shirt and smoothed back her hair, readjusting her bun. After an especially hard knock at the door, she grew suspicious and looked through the door viewer.
Unsurprisingly, at this point, it wasn't her friend. Standing there with a huff was the last person she ever expected to be there.
Tokunobu Akemi is the daughter of the CEO of the Tokunobu Company. Curiously, a company Mizu had been investigating for the last several months for the previous case she'd been working on.
Why was she here at my door this time of day?
Too curious for her own good, Mizu unlocked the door to face the other woman. The act must have startled Akemi because she looked up at Mizu with big eyes and confusion as if she had never expected the door to open. Akemi’s hand is still in a knocking position. Mizu took in just how pretty Akemi was, with her long pin, straight dark hair and an unmistakable fire behind her eyes, not to mention she was dressed well. Her clothing was ironed and made of expensive linens. She'd expect nothing less of the daughter of someone so influential. Seeing someone so put together in a place like this was odd. Mizu's apartment wasn't in a lovely part of town or anything pleasing. It was far off from the life Akemi must lead. Mizu adjusted herself. She did want the blush that came to her face to show. This wasn't the time or place to be thinking like that.
"What do you want, princess?" She painted her face with a cocky smile, leaning against the doorframe to hide her surprise. Without missing a beat, Akemi stormed past her into the apartment. The more petite woman looked around briefly and then focused her sights on Mizu, and anger radiated. Akemi’s expression reminded her of those tiny dogs people have to carry around in their purses but several times more intimidating.
"It's Akemi, not Princess! And y—you, whoever you are, ruined my life!" Akemi yelled back at Mizu, closing the space between them and forcing Mizu back up against her door.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Mizu answered, much more monotone hands up in an attempt to fain ignorance.
"Argh!" Akemi grunted, scrabbling through a large purse. She removed a folder Mizu instantly recognized and waved it around before throwing it on a small table nearby. The file spilled open to show photographs and documents Mizu had complied for her last client. "You took these, didn't you?" Akemi's tone dropped to a dangerously low place. Her eyes are fixed on Mizu like an animal getting ready to kill.
There are photos of men and women all associated with the Tokunobu Company. The images depict many employees in compromising positions and are less than flattering to their subjects. They were her photographs, which she’d taken while working on the case. The company's employees weren’t discreet about their other dealings for such a large organization. Mizu had to admit the job had been easier than expected, but she'd never expected this. Akemi, of all people, needs to show up with this information. Mizu's client must have it out for this family. What a bother she was getting dragged into it.
Mizu had been hired to investigate the board of directors of the Tokunobu Company. In short, what she found wasn't good: a lot of misappropriation of funds, inside trading, unfair labour practices and active discrimination. She'd gotten more than a few photos of directors spending company money on women they were in affairs with. She'd spoken to ex-employees who had been sexually harassed or discriminated against. The case had been her project for the last several months and was funded by a client who paid well.
When it came to Akemi's question, you took these, didn't you? The answer was yes, but she didn't care for Akemi's tone or to prolong this interaction.
"Does it matter? Get out,"
"Yes and No! I'm not leaving." Akemi shouted, stomping her foot down. Like the spoiled brat she was, it's funny how, under pressure, old habits emerged. Mizu rubbed her brow in frustration, pinching the skin and taking in the angry woman before her. Fuck, she was dressed nice. This wasn’t a good time to be distracted. Akemi was wearing a tight blazer with a well-fitted dress shirt peeking out; her pencil skirt hugged her hips just right, and the heels parted fair too well with the whole ensemble. This wasn't the time to get caught up in her attraction towards Akemi; it wasn't helpful. "This is your fault, all of it. You ruined my life for some petty cash, and I want answers!" Akemi demanded, pointing to the folder again. "Who hired you?"
Again, Mizu didn't answer. This situation was getting absurd, and the entitlement oozing off Akemi was just a bit much for Mizu's taste and patience. She looked back at Akemi with what must have been an expression Akemi didn't like as her face scrunched up into an unknown expression to Mizu.
"Fuck, tell me something? It feels like everyone important to me has been arrested or detained! I can't contact anyone, and everything is. I don't know why any of it is happening. An anonymous tip came to the authorities about all this, and this shit was mailed to me." She gestures to the file again. "I didn't even have a chance to open it before it happened. Fuck. They arrested my father, my fiancée, and the entire board. They've all been taken away from me. And everything has been frozen. I need to know why. Or who would do this? Please, please, Mizu –help me." Akemi begged, falling to the floor, tears in her eyes. Mizu looked down at the woman who crumpled into herself there on the floor.
Fuck, Akemi was desperate.
Mizu was out of her depth here with all these feelings and questions. At the best of times, Mizu could barely acknowledge her feelings, let alone console someone else. Ringo or her father might know what to say to comfort this poor woman, but she barely knew how to take care of herself, let alone another person. You could say that words weren’t her forte. Empathy was never something that came naturally to her; maybe life fucked her too many times for her to care much about other people, or perhaps she was just like that, to begin with; who could say, but none of that was helping her here and now.
"Umm, there, there," Mizu kneeled to meet the now hysterically crying woman in her apartment. The words left her mouth awkwardly, like vegetables a child begrudgingly eats to appease their parent. "I can't tell you who hired me, I'm sorry. I don't disclose my clients, but maybe we can still talk. To start, how did you know it was me? Where to find me?"
"Your name was enclosed in the documents," Akemi answered, looking up through her eyelashes. Those big eyes taking in Mizu again, that look did something to her, something primal and not appropriate for the situation. Her breath caught in her throat, and she coughed, averting her gaze away from Akemi's eyes. She shouldn't be feeling something like that right now from a stranger crying on her floor. There was a better time than this for those feelings.
"Okay, so maybe there is other information in that folder leading back to someone else. That isn't me." Mizu tried to say with compassion. It wasn't convincing at all and had the opposite effect. Akemi began to cry more and harder, leading to thick tears running down her cheeks. Her hands tried to push them away as she attempted to settle herself.
Fuck she is loud.
"Don’t you think I would’ve checked already? I'll never see them again, Father or Taigen."
"Taigen?" Mizu asked in a low, distilled voice.
"Yeah," Akemi answered, hopeful. "Do you know him? He's my fiancée, my world. I can't lose him."
"You can do better than him. That guy is top-shelf shit." Mizu answered, getting up off the floor and heading to the door, holding it open for Akemi to leave. Mizu's sympathy, as little as it was, had run out if Akemi was engaged to Taigen. She was beyond Mizu's help; that idiot had dug his grave long ago.
"Shut up," Akemi's fire was back. She got to her feet and stormed over to Mizu, shorter than her. Akemi still managed to get up in Mizu's face. This was all giving Mizu whiplash. "Taigen is a good man; he loves me and will be a good husband. What do you know anyways?"
"More than you. Fuck just get out of my place already," Mizu answered again, motioning to the door. She could call Ringo for help. That was better than the police, at least.
"I told you already! I'm not leaving until I get the answers I want!" Akemi demanded. Once again, Mizu sighed, unprepared to deal with this or anything else. She slammed the door shut and got away from Akemi.
"Okay, fine. Ask me your questions while I make some food. I at least need to eat something first." Mizu moved toward the small kitchen.
Akemi seemed satisfied with that answer.