An Unexpected Meeting With The Boss

He bumps into her. Then steps back from their close encounter.

So she didn't know exactly who they were. At least, she didn't see him.

" ... Ah, excuse me Miss. It seems that we've lost our way around here. You see, I'm new... "

He pulled out the card. Anything would help at this point. Maybe she would believe him. Either way, he was prepared to go on. Holding his umbrella tightly, he takes the tip off the ground to get a head start at firing at her, if it didn't go well. After giving the lady a glance at the card, he slowly slips it back to his pocket, then looks at her. Watching her reactions carefully.

She looked at him kind of worried. It was good that he had this card but it wouldn´t provide him an alibi at all. There had been too much turmoil. It was for sure that they reckoned with a trick like that. And ... the woman did seen her before. Was it a good or a bad sign? Did she thought she was one of them or did she recognized her as a hitman? The woman smiled.

"So, you´re new. Nice, then tell me the code. I mean, if you want to enter this part of the building you need to know the code anyway and if you´re one of us you surely know."

Nice move on her side. But, if she asked for the code, maybe she knew it. Or she was just trying to prove us being the intruders without knowing the code herself.

Negai remained calm, not showing any emotion toward her question. Looking into her eyes, he answers.

" I was never told about the code. All I know is that it's secret. Someone... I can't remember his name, said the higher ups knew the code. Then again, I'm new. What do I know? "

He still watched her carefully. Other questions were running in his mind. Their story for being there could be at least good. But it was a matter of how well she knew them. How did this lady know her?

The woman was still smiling. They weren´t too bad at all. But she knew her subordinates. Working in this part part of the building would mean working under her. He was right that new members wouldn´t get to know the code but she knew for sure that they weren´t, at leat, in her squad. And this girl ... she did saw her before but she couldn´t remember where. She looked at her again: long blond hair, big green eyes, wearing a katana ... then she remembered.

"Well, it´s possible that you really belong to us but this girl ... I never thought that Dino would send one of his hitmen to our headquarter. I thought he was too scared at all."

So, she figured it out. High ranks would surely know Vongola, their allies and their hitman. Too bad but she just recognized her and believed him. That could be a chance.

So that's how she knew her. This wasn't good. He still didn't know what to consider her as. Maybe she thought of a way to go to this. He remained in character.

"... You must be mistaken... "

He turned to her, looking for a sign of how to go with this. They had only known each other for some minutes, but they could have grown a connection along the way. The fact that even the lady questioning them knew about her people, meant that they were in deeper than expected. Not many girls would fit her description. And he could say that she was holding the katana for him. At the corner of his eyes, he watched the lady. Ready. Not letting his guard down.

First she thought about playing innocent but it was sure that there weren´t many girls in Italy who looked like her and being a hitman at the same time. Sometimes she regretted being blond. But that doesn´t matter at the moment. She gave him a look then turned back to the woman and smiled.

"I never thought that you would recognize me. You don´t seem to be that stupid as you look like. What will you do now?"

The girl dared to infiltrate Kasais headquarter and now she dared to insult her. For a moment the woman trembled with anger but then she pulled herself together.

"What do I do? Let me think about it. I think I´m gonna kill you and send your head back to Dino."

"Do it if you can."

Negai holds back his shock. For a moment there, he thought she... She did. So much for leaving without a conflict. These women were about to really fight. Damn. Couldn't she have just played it off?

" ... Ladies, please. Let's not do anything we'll regret... "

He wanted to help her, but this seemed like her battle. Bringing her boss into this made it even worse. He stepped back to give them some space. Honestly, he didn't know who was going to win this. He was on his partner's side though. And if this got out of hand, it would ruin their whole discrete thing. After giving them some time to sort this out, he would have to to step in, if necessary. And what's more, this lady could be injured. Which wouldn't help to convince Kasai.

Then, he decided he should stop this while there were still some tensions.

His comment made her smile. He really thought she would jump at her assumption. After all she was just fishing. This game was going to be interesting. She put on a serious face.

"Damn. I didn´t thought that Kasais high ranking officers would snap that easily and jump to conclusions."

She put out a card and hold it out to her so that she could see what was written on it. The woman blinked surprised then kneeled down.

"I ... I´m very sorry. I just thought you were ... Sorry."

"It´s ok. I was just testing you. Just a litte tip. Don´t get too excited if you´re not sure about it. Now, give me the code. I need to talk to Kasai but those stupid guards forgot to give it to me."

"Sure. The code for the first door is "B2569K". I don´t know the second one, but show your card to the guard in front of the meeting room and he´ll tell you. I´m very sorry ..."

She shouted out a thanks, turned to him and gave him a wink. She knew she could use it. Back in the locked room she did find interesting stuff.

Negai blinks. As they walked away from the woman, he turns to her.

"... How... When?... "

At least it was all avoided now. But the way she did it was unexpected. He guessed there were still some things he still didn't understand about her. Normally, he would've figured out a person's action and characters were. He smiled. Then shook his head at the thought in his mind. Though it wasn't easy to notice. He liked the way she took the situation. Not just this situation, the way she was in general. You could call it a bit of a crush, but then again, there were more important matters at hand. And thanks to her, there were no injuries. So he still had a chance at convincing Kasai. Who they were about to see now. This girl...

"... when I get into the building I was surprised about the safety measures in this room so I searched for a reason. First, I couldn´t find anything special but then I bumped into a cupboard and some files fell off. As luck would have it this card fell into my hands. I knew it would help. But there is also the risk that the right high ranking officer is coming soon, so we need to hurry anyway."

And it was also possible that the woman was aware of us being the wrong persons or at least, she could figure it out soon. It was also necissary to check if the code was correct or fake.

That was lucky. He just hoped there weren't any more coming after them. Not now, at least. They were getting so close to finishing.

" Right. That was some nice acting you did back there. "

He believed that the code was right. Though, you can never be so sure. But anyway, they achieved what they were going for. A nice team work at their part. With his umbrella pointed out, he made sure to stay guarded. The fake pattern that was given off from the woman was probably gone now. His finger sliding on the wall as they ran determined that.

When they reached the safety gate she was still worried about the correctness of the code given by the woman. The fact that there weren´t anymore guards around made her feel more unsecure. She pulled out the card and entered the code. Red light blinked. She shook her head. Calm down. You just entered it wrong. She tried it again. It worked. The gate opened. Time to be careful. They didn´t know what was in front of them.

"Pull out your card. We´ll surely need them."

They entered the room.

When she was entering the code, he noticed she wasn't calm. It would've fine to take a break if it was necessary. He was about to tell her the code, as best as he remembered, but she seemed to have got it. So the woman gave them the right code.

After it opened, he nodded and pulled out the card. As it opened, he kept his attention inside. Looking at every detail of the place. His guard still up, he slightly lowered his umbrella. It was to keep anyone from thinking they were a threat, but then again, an umbrella isn't much of a threat. At least, that's what they would think. He walked in calmly, as if he worked and had been there before. Stepping in, the atmosphere seemed to change. Maybe it was only him. Or maybe she felt it too.

The people inside the room looked at them carefully. It seemed that they had seen us through. It felt like this. But if they were guards they needed to be mistrustful of anybody around. Or at least good enough to figure out who was suspicious and who not.

She straightened up and put on a friendly but determined expression. She didn´t let her guard down. If the woman just played to put on a subordinate role just to get us in here it was for sure that they knew about us. They we´re close to Kasai. According to her too close. She just wanted to get the information not to play with Kasai. But she couldn´t change the situation she just needed to make the best of it. When they went through the room their eyes followed them. She was still smiling but her hand slowly moved down to her katana.

As he walked with her, he made eye contact with the people there. Not showing any sign of intimidation. His lack of emotions was said to make him strange. What's even more, adding a smile as if he knew some of them made it even stranger for him. Of course, this wasn't the first time he had to act for a mission. This time, he was on a higher alert, staying on guard, but not making it noticeable. Not turning to her, he says under his breath.

" Stay calm. They don't seem to suspect anything... "

They were getting closer down the hall. Almost past everyone. Yet it felt like it was a long walk there. Like the exit was miles away.

"... Almost there... "

His comment made her feel a bit angry. He didn´t know how she felt right now and she was calm. She just don´t wanted to let her guard down. The problem was the second security gate in front of them since the woman did not know the code. She wasn´t quite sure if the card would work again or if the guard would see through them. They needed to avoid a fight if they want to speak calmly with Kasai. Hurting some of his subordinates wouldn´t be that good at all.

At the end of the hall the security gate towered up in front of them. The two guards standing in front of it turned to them.

"You can´t get in right now. There´s a top-secret meeting at the moment and I´m not allowed to let anyone in."

He looked at the guards. Noting everything about them, like height and measurement of strength by outward appearance and age. Two guards seemed to be the limit for every entrance in the place. As if it were enough. But the others behind them had to be taken into consideration. These two were going to be more troublesome than the guards that were the entrance of the gate outside. They could take them both on. Would that bring more attention to them if they struggled?

" We're aware of that... "

Now it was matter of taking a peaceful approach. He was going to wait until he would think of using the card. Just when the guards have asked some questions, and they've given their reason. If they believed their lie, it would be for the better. If not, then something had to happen.

She felt relieved that he stucked with their plan. The way he didn´t hesitated to take out the other guards made her worry. They would try to convince them and if it wouldn´t work they would need to find a solution. She looked at the tall blond guy in front of her and smiled at him.

" ... but we need to speak to Kasai immediately. You know, there are things that can´t wait."

The guard slightly blushed and looked to the the other guard. They were not sure about letting them in. But if it was really important they would be scolded if they wouldn´t let them in.

"Ok. Show those two your cards. They decide on letting you in."

They stepped aside.

That was quite easy. The blond guard seemed to have fallen for her smile. It made him chuckle a little inside, seeing the blush. He couldn't blame him though. She would've had the same effect on any other guy. We walked through.

" Aren't you quite the charmer?... "

He reached inside his pocket for the card. Hopefully the same thing would happen to the ones ahead. Timing was more important now. If they see their cards clearly, they could tell that they were using a fake identity and assume they were ones everyone has been looking for. They were between the guards and the people blocking their entrance to Kasai. And the were more people behind them. They wouldn't all reach them, in case they happened to fail. There were some time between the time they realize it and they time they would take action. But that was just for fighting references. Taking this approach was better off anyway.

She gave him a smile. This effect wasn´t expected at all but it happenes from time to time.

"... not really ..."

Her thoughts deviated for a moment. That was the same ability as her boss. She shook her head and looked at the guards in front of them. She pulled out her card. The two men were rather small and totally different. The guard to her left had black hair and piercing blue eyes and his facial expressions were kind of aggressive while the guard to her right had brown hair and eyes and seemed rather kind. But she wouldn´t dare judge someone on their surface impression.

She gave him a look again. They couldn´t allow theirselves a wrong move.

When they reached the guards, he stopped smiling. He shows them his card, but immediately after the glanced at it. The time it took to look at the card was good enough to be convincing and ward off any suspicions. Hopefully. They got this far, right? The guards should be less cautious. That part helped.

He didn't say a word. Showing a sign of confidence may lead to something wrong. And when he had to look up, he chose the brown haired guy. Less... Well, he was better to look at than the other one. He wouldn't like to get him angry. But what did he know about their personalities. Just standing was exciting. This whole thing was coming to an end. And right behind them was their doorway to Kasai. Even though these thoughts were running through his mind, he had to keep his facial expressions the same.

She looked at the black haired guy in front of her without any expression on her face. She showed him her card. Long enough to see that it wasn´t fake and short enough to hide the details. His blue eyes went from her to him and then back to her. You could tell from the look on his face that he wanted to play. He stepped forward and tried to fold his arms around her shoulders. She stepped aside and looked at him carefully.

"We need to talk to Kasai immediately. Let us enter."

He was still grinning. The other guy sighed and shook his head.

"Not again. You can´t pick up on every woman ... unfortunately we can´t let you enter. It´s an important meeting we´re not allowed to interrupt."

" Can't you make an exception? Even if it was an urgent matter, our intruision wouldn't make much of a difference. We won't be there long. And I'm ready to take full responsibility, sir. "

Respectful but persistent. There was no way he would end it all here. If talking didn't help, he would have to beat them out of the way. And the black haired guy needed some beating. But that wasn't his fight. He hated to say something about his little touch, so he left it up to her to fight her own battles. It wasn't that he had to protect her. She was well capable of fighting for herself. It was just that guys like that pissed him off a bit.

He turns to the black haired guy.

" ... Hey. Is that any way to treat women? "

She immediately turned to him. What was he doing? Was he trying to pick a fight? She don´t mind about his action. He wasn´t persistant at all so there was nothing to worry about. She could protect herself. The black-haired guy was now glaring at him. She stepped between them.

"That doesn´t matter right now. We just need to ..."

He pushed her aside and grabbed him by the lapels. She fell over. The brown-haired guy now tried to mediate but it did not really work. She stand up and cleaned up her cloths. Then she reached for his arm to let go of him.

"We´re not here to fight for such small matters. What will you do if something unexpectedly happens because of you? Don´t you think Kasai would punish you good?"

Her eyes looked at him cold and certain. He let go of him and stepped back.

Negai simply did nothing but stare him right into his eyes. On the verge of pushing him away and doing something, he remembered that they came here for a reason. Wasting all this effort because of an impulse would make her angry. Just for now, he had to let it go. Though, through the black haired guy's response, Negai was right. Stooping to his level wasn't worth it. With a bit of a sincere tone, he looks at the black haired guy.

" I apologize. It was a question I shouldn't have asked. Please, all we want is a little moment with Kasai. "

Truthfully, he was hoping the black haired guy would touch him again, so he could hurt him where he stood. Maybe the face he would end up with could keep girls away from him even more. That is, if he lived long enough to see another girl. His current appearance wasn't helping him either.