Utena, Revolutionary Girl Fan Fiction ❯ Cry Wolf ❯ The Self Important Power of Eternal Gratification ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Cry Wolf

Chapter 1: The Self Important Power of Eternal Gratification

Characters are from Utena. They aren't mine just borrowing.

Rating: Will be working up to NC-17.

Poetry is mine.

Yuri/Shoujo-ai

Pairings: uh for now let's just say Kozue/Shiori and we can just go from there.

Warning!!!!!: This is a challenge created for me by Roxanna Ohtori. So here is the first part with a warning that you (the reader) should expect things in future chapters to get darker, possibly violent, and a definite increase in sex of a graphic Yuri nature (f/f pairings and such). So kiddies stay away from this one please. Flamers you can all bask in the glory of my complete silence if you can not voice your opinion intelligently. The rest of you…have fun.

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There were a few words that sat in Kozue's mind as she stood in the middle of the basement. Squalid was one but it didn't seem to suit the extensively dirty space. She took a drag from her cigarette and watched her companion mill about, precious and pert lips puckering to blow dust off a cobweb covered pipe. (Its under side dripped a pale green liquid…presumably water.) Dilapidated, entered her mind as well and it was slightly more appropriate than squalid but still… Still, it was not the correct word.

A deep breath left her throat as she sauntered over to where her companion (Kozue would never say friend, and she certainly would never say lover, despite that fact that she was sleeping with the petite girl) stood watching what might have been a poisonous spider spin yet another web; adding to the clutter on the ceiling. The cigarette in her hand emitted a spiral of spiced smoke that lingered around her wrist before she tired of the thing and tossed it to the floor, smashing it under her black boots.

Her gaze slid to the raunchy and molded mattress lying on the ground near a random stack of wood and thick rusted chains (the kind normally found near shipyards). Ocean blue eyes then moved to the slim figure of her companion and she grinned at the near innocent and childlike manner with which the girl carelessly explored the room. It was the pretended innocence and purity that made the girl desirable, even with the too cute shoulder length schoolgirl hair cut and intentionally rebellious deep violet hair.

"Why do you think she wants this place," the violet haired girl finally asked after prodding the mattress with her foot, leaping back with disgust when it made a gushing sound.

Kozue shrugged. She didn't have an answer and to be perfectly honest she didn't really care. Her eyes caught a glimmer on the ground and she squatted to see what it was (no easy task in skintight, dark blue vinyl pants). Her slender fingers brushed past the filth on the floor and returned with a single diamond stud set in silver. A smirk lined her face as she held up the trinket.

"Shiori, would you like a gift?"

The girl scoffed, "I don't want that thing, it's probably covered in disease." She shivered, "Can we leave now I think we've done enough checking?"

"If you like," Kozue stood and then shook her head, "You have a date."

"So what? I never change. I'm not ashamed, besides he's cute." Shiori flipped her hair. "Be cuter if he loved me though."

Squalor, Kozue thought, that's what her soul is made of. "He'd love you", she purred, "if you didn't enjoy sleeping with women more than you enjoy him."

She stalked up to the girl and wound her arms around Shiori's thin waist. For a second she considered kissing her, but held her instead. Even if Kozue was more at home in the dirt than she'd ever care to admit there was something about that basement that made her very uncomfortable. All her senses perked in the wrong directions as she stood there.

"I'm not like that," Shiori breathed into Kozue's chest. "I'm not."

Kozue wasn't going to argue not about something so very trivial and certainly not in that place, which was becoming increasingly constricting. "Let's go and give our opinion and see what she says…if anything. Then you can enjoy your date."

The girl hopped back and smiled but was suddenly back in Kozue's arms as her lips greedily took and desperately claimed Kozue's own. It was a kiss, and it was hunger. Kozue returned it but did not linger in it. The shadows in the basement, the dirt, the filth, the moldy mattress, the rusted chains, the strangely bright fluorescent lamp that lit the darkness and the dripping pipes… they appeared to be watching. The entire room suddenly seemed to pulse, a creature made real by an act of lust.

Kozue tugged Shiori towards the door, glancing over her shoulder quickly to see the room. It was settled, dead. She shook her head…Perhaps she was imagining it.

Empowered importance

The seat of her want

The core to her guilt

And drive of her lust

Beneath her chest

Beats a black heart

One that knows how to take

And loves only what is dark

The silver doors to the elevator slid open and she stepped inside, pushed the button for the top floor and leaned back against the faux oak wood interior. She had changed just before arriving (Shiori had been over taken by a want to play and Kozue didn't wish to refuse the girl before she went off on her date), squeezing into black leather pants, a dark blue bustier, and a crisp, men's, white dress shirt that was unbuttoned and tied just above her naval.

She tapped her boots against the floor just before the doors opened and then stepped into the vast space that served as Ohtori Limited's CEO headquarters. Officially the Ohtori's were in the business of making memory chips for the military. Unofficially the Ohtori's were in business to do whatever it took to become more powerful and influential in the world (which meant business activities were not limited to occasionally shoving people into fathomless holes that were dug out in the middle of the Nevada desert).

The plush pink carpet was punished by the weight of her boots as she stepped over to the large desk where the CEO's secretary sat politely ignoring the obvious groans of pleasure filtering out of her employer's office. Kozue found the attempt amusing, if not a little charming. The secretary was a cute girl who was obviously new to the world that was Ohtori. Or perhaps not so new, her blue eyes narrowed at the red mark on the girl's neck.

"Hello Ms. Kaoru," the secretary said sheepishly. "Mrs. Ohtori's-," she was interrupted by a loud thud against the door of the office and winced, continuing nervously, "Her meeting is running a little late."

Kozue ran her hand through her topaz hair (last week it had been red and naturally it was dark brown but topaz, deep blue suited her better). She drummed her polished but chipped nails once along the desk and huffed, "She may be running late but I'm on time and have an appointment." She grinned as she leaned across the desk, "Is the door unlocked?"

The secretary gulped and nodded.

"Thank you darlin', you're sweet… Relax, I won't let her blame you if she gets mad."

Kozue waited a beat outside the heavy door before swinging it open and then stepped in, slamming it shut behind her.

Mrs. Ohtori, a sleek and elegant businesswoman, stood behind her desk unfazed by the loud sound of the door and the insolent intruder. She was neatly dressed in a business suit and the first two buttons of her blouse appeared to be missing. Other than that she was a picture of perfection and outstanding business morals. The young man next to her however looked very much like a deer about to be run down by a Mack truck, missing shirt and the silver electrical tape covering his mouth aside he appeared very much the opposite of what Kozue described as "Ohtori cool".

"Ohtori cool" was a term she coined about the building she worked in. Because there were those that were in the know about the kind of business Ohtori Limited really was and there were those who simply were not. More than that though, there was no such thing as discretion at Ohtori. Those in the know could do whatever they liked, even if that happened to mean fucking (not sleeping with…the sex that occurred in and around Ohtori was perpetually dirty) the entire secretarial pool. (And there are always those who question how a company like Ohtori managed to get away with such things without some government agency poking around…but the answer was exceptionally simple. Boiled down to a) Ohtori made computer chips for the government and b) any other company that made chips for the government was indirectly linked to Ohtori in some way or other, a clever trap that built business and destroyed all enemies.)

"You're early Kozue," Mrs. Ohtori stated, still focused on whatever it was she was looking at. Her dark eyes suddenly on the young man near her. She sighed and then without warning slapped him as hard as she could across the face. "I don't recall giving you permission to look at Ms. Kaoru," she said steadily.

He had been practically knocked to the floor and looked excessively apologetic.

She shook her head and then grabbed the young man's face with the very hand she had struck him with; "Until I've finished conducting business with Ms. Kaoru I want you on your knees and looking at the floor."

He didn't even nod. He did as he was told.

Kozue tried not to laugh when Mrs. Ohtori strode over to her with a broad smile.

"He's new," the older woman explained.

"I guessed…I'm not early either, I'm on time."

Eyes narrowed and then relaxed. Mrs. Ohtori was the type of woman who could ask something without even speaking, an entire speech could be read in her eyes at any moment and then suddenly disappear. She politely ushered Kozue to a couch that faced a view of the city's skyline. It was growing dark; the city lights a minute din.

"Where's Shiori?"

"Date."

The older woman quirked an eyebrow stating without speaking that she could help break Shiori of that little habit.

Kozue shook her head, "I enjoy her dating besides it torments her greatly not being able to admit what she really wants. It's fun to watch."

"How did you find the building?" Mrs. Ohtori leaned back into the couch and the leather upholstery rustled beneath her. Her red nails aimlessly traced patterns into the arm of the couch as she waited for an answer.

"It's… Dilapidated", Kozue said. "Work will have to be done before it can be inhabited."

"And?" Eyes shut, her other hand began to wander over Kozue's thigh. She never received the reactions she wanted from the young woman that was why she liked her so well.

Kozue watched the hand and then breezed, "The basement needs to be completely gutted and redone."

"Oh? Why?"

"Because it's far worse than dilapidated, squalor isn't even an appropriate word for it."

Mrs. Ohtori chuckled a sigh and opened her eyes, "Using such big words these days, how much did you have to pay for them?"

"Would you prefer if I said the building was a festering shit hole and the basement and fucking pit of filth? Because I could use those words but I liked the others better. I may be a punk ass kid but that doesn't mean I'm a punk ass without an education."

The older woman had a toothy grin set on her face, sliding closer as her exploring hand fought with the leather ties of Kozue's pants. The ocean-eyed girl revoked the CEO's advances.

"Not tonight."

"Why? I know it's not because of our 'friend' at the other end of the office. Why don't you ever let me reward you Kozue?"

"I have other plans that I can't be distracted from and besides, it isn't a reward so much as a fringe benefit."

Mrs. Ohtori laughed, "That's why he recruited you, that wild streak, that, unfettered honesty."

"And how is the devil doing these days?"

The older woman's expression was suddenly lonely and miserable. Kozue understood; it was a shame it had to happen (strange that it happened) but Akio had broken the rules and so he had to pay a polite price (if prison could be considered polite). He would be back in the offices soon enough though, causing trouble, sucking up power and charming anything that walked by him.

Kozue leaned into Mrs. Ohtori, whom had slid even closer, and left a plaintive kiss upon her forehead before standing up and preparing to leave.

"I need a favor Kozue."

She smirked, "I've done three for you already."

"The rewards will be great." Mrs. Ohtori seemly recovered from her brief depression sat upright and noble, crossing her legs slowly.

"They always are."

"I want you to head off the project of making that building presentable. Spare no expense, and work the place over top to bottom… Restore it to its former glory."

There was a strange look in the older woman's eyes, one of deception that Kozue was not accustomed to being on the receiving end of. And knowing this Kozue raised an eyebrow, understanding that saying no was not a likely option. Perhaps she had refused the older woman once too often or perhaps it was something else, the inevitability that everyone is deceived eventually, and that everyone in his or her own turn deceives.

"It doesn't sound like something to which I'm suited Mrs. Ohtori," Kozue stated.

And it wasn't… Ask Kozue Kaoru to take a gun to someone's head and ask for money. Ask her to slip into someone's bed give a little pleasure and leave with blood on her hands. Ask her to drive a package to an undisclosed location. Ask her anything that gets her dirty and it would get done and done right.

Mrs. Ohtori released a breath that could have been a sigh but clearly was not and stood up. She draped her arms over Kozue's shoulders and smiled when the young woman rested against her chest twining her arms around the CEO's waist.

"You alone I trust with this project Kozue. You're like him… You will make sure it is done right. Besides it's an easy job…you just hire the crews, construction, decorating…You know, the basics." Her hands were beginning to snake down towards the front of Kozue's blue bustier.

Kozue caught the older woman's hands; "Fine I'll do it, any special requests?"

Dark eyes narrowed into thin slits. "Forget your date and help me break in the new guy."

She had to laugh and when she did it surprised her when the older woman was laughing with her, "I meant for the building… And no I can't cancel this one… But the next time you ask," she looked the woman dead in the eyes, "I will allow whatever you like."

"That's five favors you've agreed to and three completed. When will you collect?" She smirked and then released Kozue from her grasp. "I've no other specifics at the moment…If I think of any I'll make sure you know. Just remember, restore the building to its former glory."

Eternal gratification

It waits in our hands

The smallest grain of sand

And if you reach for it you will lose it

If you wish for it, it will pass you by

Would it do to feel something so fervent?

Would it do to be complete and satisfied?

We do not live unless we are reaching for what we can not have

From agony and passion there… lies ecstasy

We need the pain to feel the love

And love is false but the pain is true

Only the blackest of souls to make us wonderfully blue

Why was she there?

Kozue couldn't remember why she had decided to go and visit the basement after her date, could not fathom a reasonable answer to walk into such a dark and unsettling place.

It was the same as it was during the day, or so it appeared on the surface. A too bright fluorescent lamp lit the center of the room, while the far corners were a scurry of darkness. Everything was the same, the dripping dust covered pipes, but less dusty and slicker like it had been sweating, and the old mattress on the floor was positively rank. The whole of the room was just filled with a scent that was putrid, yet familiar. Sweat and sex and death… yes... That's what it was Death. The smell of curdled blood and decaying flesh…but it wasn't over powering. It was just there lingering around her, a light fog.

She scrapped her boot across the dirt floor and the room released a groan. What had happened down there?

Never one for history Kozue was surprised to find her self interested. She moved her boot over the dirt floor again and noted the dull glint of metal. She shrugged and bent to the ground another earring perhaps a necklace. But no, it was part of something larger, a lid perhaps like sewage cover.

There was an excited shuffling from one of the darker corners. Rats? Cockroaches? She couldn't be sure and while Kozue could never be accused of being easily frightened there was a tension in that basement, a slow slither of a constrictors coils that devoured the air around her.

The light began to flicker and she took it as her cue to leave. She rose to her feet and turned.

But there she was staring at the inside of the basement, not the stairs. The heap of rusted chains gave a shutter, clanking and ringing out… danger…danger.

"You are not the one," a voice softly stated from the shadows. It was hard to tell if the voice were male or female.

Kozue grit her teeth, she wanted to shout and rage like an animal in a cage but time had taught her…Akio had taught her… how to be angry without showing it. So she stood and waited for the voice to take shape before her. She should not have returned to that basement alone. It was a mistake.

The voice spoke again but it seemed to be directed at something, someone else, "An animal can not do this, I do not think."

"Do what," she found herself suddenly hissing.

"We need a prince," the androgynous voice stated.

And then there was another voice, soft as well but more obviously male, "There are no princes. The princes are dead. She will do…a wolf will do. A wolf can do more than any prince."

In the silence that followed was a question that was never answered. She stepped back only to be standing in the same exact spot. The light quaked and then died. In the darkness, she could only hear and against her instinct to run her body would not follow, nor her mouth move to open or her voice scream and shout.

Her skin felt slick, black liquid melting around her. What was it?

"Your path is unclear Wolf," the androgynous voice said.

"Wolves do not keep to the path. Wolves are always in the wild, they take the shortcuts."

"And devour?"

"And when they do it feels like heaven but it leads straight down to hell."

Through the wetness that seeped over her, she felt a small hand move over her heart.

"Wolf…Will you lead us to the end?"

Her voice sprang back to life for an instant," The end of what?"

A pair of lips eased close to her ear and replied, "The end of the world. But first…"

"The end of the world lies in the darkness, a night full of pain that is… ecstasy. The end of the world lies in death and your death lies in the form of a new heart."

The blade, for it could have been nothing else slid into her chest almost as if it were made of clay.

"A newer heart", the masculine said, "And you will restore us and lead us…"

"To the very end of it all."

Silence rushed around her. Trapped in the dark and she could not tell what was next.

The blade?

No it was not a blade it was a…A rose?

Yes, with black thorns and petals of blue and violet. She reached for her chest, her hands finally able to move she reached for her chest and….

A shock of breath heaved from her chest as her eyes flew open and she sprang upright in the bed, grasping the sheets, only the peaceful breathing of the woman next to her filled the room that was flanked by streaks of pale orange light from the street below.

A… dream?

But she… she never had nightmares. She never…Her hand moved reflexively to her chest grasping for what she had felt so clearly being thrust into her. Nothing was there.

Kozue's eyes narrowed. This task was not for her to undertake. She would go to Mrs. Ohtori and tell her no. There were a million other things that she could do for the woman. She wanted no part of whatever that building was. Her instincts were too strong to be ignored.

Quietly she shuffled out of the bed and gathered her things. Put her clothes on and went to her car, speeding off towards Ohtori Limited.

From the shadows a tall, thin almost robotic looking man stood watching Kozue's beat up mustang rush away. He brushed back his shoulder length brown-blonde (nearly salmon pink the way the distant streetlight reflected off it) and nodded.

"Wolves never travel the path... She will do better than any prince."

To be continued…