Kingdom Hearts fic: Professional Interest

[mistressofmuses]

Summary: When Kairi Uchida hires Riku as a bodyguard for her and her partner, Sora, at a political gala, Riku isn't expecting much. She promises to "make it interesting," but he's heard that before, and it's never left him impressed.
But when it seems like the threat against her may be very real, and her partner seems to have some unorthodox skills of his own, this party might be more interesting than Riku thought.

Day 18 of AU-gust: Bodyguard
I had a blast writing this one. (I've also been watching Leverage for the first time, and while this isn't a heist, there's some sneaky stuff going on that was a bit inspired by it, haha.)
This is BARELY coming in under the wire at midnight my time, but I hope it follows the spirit of the daily challenge at least. ;)

---

“I promise, I’ll make it interesting.”

Riku struggled not to roll his eyes. If he got a bonus for every time some starlet, socialite, or up-and-comer told him they would make it “interesting” as an incentive, he’d have a better looking retirement account. Their definition of interesting always seemed to either mean that they thought he should be excited to get into the exclusive clubs they frequented, or that they thought their drunken or otherwise inebriated antics were the height of entertainment. Both were incorrect.

He forced a neutral smile and answered, “Well, Miss Uchida, I’ll just settle for straightforward.”

“I’m afraid I can’t guarantee that, but I appreciate you taking the job.”

He nodded and smiled, indulging her, and then stood to show her out of his office.

Kairi Uchida. She didn’t seem like the exclusive-club-and-hard-partying type. And anyway, the engagement she’d hired him for sounded simple enough. It was a fancy-dress fundraiser, the sort of political gala that he remembered his parents attending when he was a child. They bored him then, and they bored him now.

She’d be hard pressed to ‘make it interesting,’ promises or no. But if she wanted to pay him to watch her and her current boyfriend make nice with daddy’s political donors, then the paycheck was ‘interesting’ enough.

---

Riku was a professional, so of course he looked his clients up.

He was right that Kairi Uchida didn’t seem to be a hard partier. There were no unflattering local tabloid articles or paparazzi photos featuring her.

Her father had a successful political career, starting as a mayor for quite some time, moving up to governor, and now a seat in the senate.

There was one interesting news story: about six months ago, she’d been the near-victim of an attempted murder. There’d been speculation over whether it was a random attack, or whether she’d been targeted due to her father’s political career. There was no formal outcome of the trial, yet.

Hm. Maybe she did have a legitimate reason to want a bodyguard. Not that he could imagine anyone trying something at a major event like this, but she wasn’t solely paranoid.

Sora Irino, her date to the event, turned up even less on a cursory internet search. He had a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and had been a slightly above-average student, pulling good grades, but not a prodigy or anything. He did not have any noted attempts on his life, or political ties other than through Miss Uchida.

Made them a strange match.

Riku shrugged. He’d keep the job. His services weren’t just for looks; if she was in actual danger, Riku would protect her from it.

---

Riku dressed to blend in. He wasn’t the most inconspicuous person under ordinary circumstances; he’d considered dying his hair, but it had become something he was recognized for. But despite that, he was very good at subtlety, and fading into the background at functions like this. Having a family that attended these kinds of events meant he’d learned early how to navigate them. Growing up in it gave him a significant edge over people who’d had to learn it later.

The event itself was as boring as he’d expected. He glanced longingly at the flutes of champagne the waitstaff carried on trays through the crowd, but he certainly wouldn’t drink on the job.

Kairi—Miss Uchida—looked amazing in a knee-length pale purple dress, simple silver jewelry, and black accessories. She played the political game well, or at least this part of it, despite the fact that she was playing it for her father. She was polite, charming, and managed to float around the various knots of conversation well enough that everyone here was sure to feel like they’d had a chance to talk with her. More, she was genuinely kind to the staff, too.

Sora stayed on her arm for much of the night, though he drifted away to other groups and other conversations sometimes.

Riku kept his eyes moving, sweeping for any suspicious behaviors. Anyone else watching Kairi a bit too closely, or someone with a hand twitching toward a weapon. Nothing yet. Kairi caught his eye directly, and he nodded toward her.

He’d intended it as an ‘all is well, no need to worry’ nod, but then she was crossing the ballroom toward him. This whole floor of the mansion was open to the guests at the gala, though it was almost all concentrated in this room.

“Everything seems perfectly fine, Miss Uchida,” he said once she was in earshot.

“Kairi, please.”

“Kairi. Nothing seems threatening. I hope you’re enjoying the party.”

“It’s been as-advertised, I’m afraid. Would you do me a favor?”

He nodded. She was paying for his time; if she wanted him to fetch her a drink or the like, he could do so.

“Would you accompany me out to the balcony? I’d like to get a bit of fresh air.”

“Of course, Miss Uchida.”

“Kairi.”

“Of course, Kairi. Will Mr. Irino be all right in here?”

“Sora will be fine for a few minutes.”

“All right,” he agreed. He wasn’t sure why she wouldn’t just have Sora go with her, except that he did appear to be engaged in conversation at the moment. Perhaps she didn’t want to disturb him. Or maybe she expected a would-be killer was lurking out there.

The balcony was small and secluded, lit primarily by the light spilling through the French doors. It was a pleasant evening. Riku looked at the bushes and trees that ringed the area, but he didn’t see any motion.

Kairi leaned back on the railing, putting her weight into her elbows and crossing her ankles. The position made her look extremely relaxed. It also made her legs look about a mile long. Riku certainly didn’t want to stare, but couldn’t help at least a quick, appreciative glance.

He’d been hired by plenty of beautiful people, but most of them fell into the ‘partying socialite’ or ‘influencer looking to cultivate an image’ categories. That didn’t interest him. But despite his initial skepticism about Kairi Uchida, she seemed much more genuine. And, unfortunately, that did interest him. But he could be professional.

She looked up at the rest of the mansion. Then she pulled out her phone from her clutch and sent a quick text. The slightest hint of a frown played at the corner of her lips for a moment, but it vanished almost before Riku had noticed it.

He glanced up at the building, not wanting to watch her message someone; that seemed invasive. The upper floors were lit more dimly, to discourage guests from too much exploration, but it was bright enough to make the windows stand out. One was open, probably to catch the cool night breeze.

“I suppose it’s mildly scandalous of me to come out here alone with you,” she said. Something about her tone made it sound like she was laughing.

“Your bodyguard should accompany you; I don’t think anyone would find it strange.”

Now she did laugh. “And it’s not like anyone is waiting for gossip about me. Though I suppose they could find something if they tried.”

Riku wasn’t sure what the appropriate response to that would be. “You’ve remained almost remarkably scandal-free,” he finally settled on.

“Go big or go home,” she replied. “I’m saving it all up for when I really want to do something scandalous.”

“Like stand on a balcony with your bodyguard to get some fresh air?” Was he actually flirting? He did not flirt with his clients, no matter how attractive they were.

“Something like that.” She took a step closer. In her heels, she was taller than he’d remembered. She still had to lean up to get close to his ear, to whisper, “I’ll be sure to let you know when I’m looking for a scandal.”

Riku told himself that he was not blushing, and hoped that it was true. He was not blushing, and he was not going to make a move on a client.

“Let’s head back in,” she said.

He nodded, and followed her.

“One more favor?” she asked, as he gently shut the door behind them.

“What do you need?”

“Will you please accompany Sora for a little bit?”

“I’m here to keep an eye on you,” he protested. And Sora, but she was the one who’d hired him, and who’d had a credible threat against her in the past.

“I promise to be very careful. Please?”

“All right.”

They found Sora just disengaging from a conversation.

“Riku will go with you,” Kairi said, leaning in and kissing Sora softly on the cheek. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

Riku was about to protest that he certainly wasn’t leaving in the middle of the event, but then Sora and Kairi were both heading across the ballroom floor and into another room, deeper within the house. He certainly didn’t plan to leave both of his clients unguarded, even if there wasn’t any conclusive danger.

They led him through a short hallway and then to another open room, with a staircase leading up to the higher floors. Several other hallways let into the same room. One of the hired staff stood at the foot of the stairs, looking bored, but not looking towards them.

He saw Kairi squeeze Sora’s arm, and then walk out into the center of the room, stumbling as if she’d had far more to drink than she had. Not a full-on drunken lurch, but like a gently tipsy lady might. Except he’d been watching her all night, and she hadn’t slipped or stumbled even once.

Sora put an arm out to keep Riku back, though he hadn’t made a move to follow her.

“Hiii,” she dragged the syllable out just a bit, as she addressed the staff member. She shifted her weight back and forth, suddenly looking terribly nervous. “I am so embarrassed to ask, but I forgot to ask where the bathroom is. Would you mind showing me?”

“Uh, sure, miss. It’s right through there,” he pointed through the door opposite the one Sora and Riku were still standing by.

“Upstairs?” she asked.

Riku almost snorted. He’d known her for just a couple weeks, and had actually only spent a few hours of time with her, and the vapid tone of voice was ridiculous coming from her.

The man pointed again, but Kairi just stared at him blankly.

“…could you show me?” she asked again.

He sighed and stepped away from his post. “Right this way, ma’am.”

Riku shot a look at Sora, but Sora was already heading up the stairs. Riku bit back a curse and followed him. He had promised to accompany Sora, but this was definitely not what he had signed up for. He did not want to get blacklisted in these circles of people.

She did promise it would be interesting.

Sora took a sharp right at the top of the stairs, heading down a hallway lined with doors. He pointed at them, counting.

When he evidently reached the number he was looking for, he opened the door. Riku noticed that he used the end of his sleeve to do so, and he frowned. He was so not interested in guarding someone who was trying to break into the off-limits part of a mansion. Were they thieves?

“I don’t know what you’re-”

Sora cut him off with a whispered, “Crap,” as he stepped into the room.

Riku saw why, immediately. This window was on the same side of the house as the balcony. He’d even noted that one of the windows had been open to catch the breeze, but he’d been wrong. Broken glass was sprayed all over the fine, plush carpet. The jagged bits had been removed from the frame, making it less obvious from the outside.

“No alarm system?” Riku asked.

“Not a working one, anyway.” Sora prowled around the room, careful not to step on any of the larger pieces of glass.

“At least two people.” He gestured at areas where glass had been crushed or kicked aside. Riku could vaguely see that they were maybe footprints. “And nowhere to hide in this room.”

The room was very empty. A wooden desk and chair, a pair of sitting chairs. Definitely not in common use.

“Why is there a broken window? Why did you know it was right here?” Riku asked. “And why do you care?”

“I knew where it was because Kairi texted me about it,” Sora whispered back. “And remember how she hired you because someone might be trying to hurt her?”

Riku felt a chill go down his back. He’d been thinking of the broken window as targeting the mansion for something. But if it was actually targeting her… “We have to get back downstairs.”

Sora waved him toward the door, but then instead of heading back to the stairs, he started creeping farther down the hall, stepping carefully.

Riku tried to follow, but his steps weren’t nearly as quiet. The floor let out a painfully loud creak in the quiet of the hall.

He winced.

So did Sora.

And then they heard footsteps on the stairs.

Suddenly Sora pushed him into the wall, and leaned right up into his face. “I’m going to kiss you, okay?”

Riku didn’t have a chance to answer, before Sora was following through. Riku had dealt with dodging the affections of persistent clients before, but this time he did not dodge. Sora pressed his lips gently against Riku’s, curling his hand up into Riku’s hair. It may have had the additional benefit of helping to conceal their mouths from view.

Almost immediately the staff member who’d been guarding the stairs called, “Hey! You can’t be up here!”

Sora pulled back, though not away, looking sheepishly at the guard. “Oh, man, I’m so sorry. We were just, y’know, trying to get away from the party.”

Riku took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down and prepare himself for needing to explain how as a bodyguard he had gotten himself thrown out of a political gala for making out with his secondary client in an off-limits area while his primary client was in potential danger. Though maybe the deep breaths just made Sora’s cover story more credible.

The guard shook his head. “I don’t get paid enough to deal with this. Three minutes. If you aren’t back downstairs in three minutes, I will absolutely have security throw you out.”

“Thanks man, I owe you,” said Sora, leaning back in toward Riku, while the staff member stalked away grumbling.

Sora kept their faces close, though he didn’t kiss Riku again. Riku tried very hard to ignore the fact that he was almost disappointed. He was definitely not up to professional standards, if he’d flirted with one client and let a second kiss him in one damn night.

Instead of kissing, Sora said, “A classic distraction technique. Wouldn’t have needed it if you could walk quietly.”

“Not what I was hired for. Why are we even up here if we need to get back to Kairi?”

“Because it’s possible the people who broke in are still up here, and I wanted to find them. I bet you could knock them out way easier up here than once they’re downstairs. Where would a would-be assassin hide after a break-in?” Sora’s voice trailed off.

“I’m a bodyguard, not a detective.”

“I’m a detective. Not that I’m getting to do much detecting.”

Riku resisted the urge to ask him if he was serious. Things were already… out of hand. He could deal with that later.

Sora was still talking. “Classic move would be to impersonate waitstaff. Less noticeable than trying to act like a guest.”

“Fuck,” Riku answered.

“Time to go downstairs, since we can’t do anything more up here.”

Sora smiled at the man at the base of the stairs again, flashing a quick wave. The man just rolled his eyes.

As soon as they were past him, they both started to walk a little faster toward the ballroom.

They heard from the room behind them, “Hey! Not again! You two get back downstairs before I get securi- Hey, what the hell?”

Riku spun, rushing back to the room with the stairs. The staff member who’d spoken had his hands up, backing away slowly from another man with a gun aimed at him. A third man was about halfway up the stairs.

Riku wasn’t armed; it hadn’t been allowed, even for a bodyguard. That was okay; he didn’t need a weapon.

“Get to Kairi,” he bit out toward Sora, and then he rushed at the man with the gun, ducking low to minimize his profile.

He succeeded in surprising the man, knocking his arm with the gun sideways long enough for the staff member to escape down the hall he’d taken Kairi into before. Riku hoped he’d at least call the cops.

The other man on the stairs didn’t come to the aid of the man with the gun; he sprinted down the rest of the stairs and out of the room. Looking for his target.

Shit.

Riku kept close to his current opponent, not giving him an opportunity to bring the gun back into play. The man still tried, swinging the arm back around and right into Riku’s waiting hold.

Riku forced the arm straight and then back, feeling the sickening pop as the man’s shoulder dislocated. The man screamed, and the gun clattered to the floor.

There was a moment of hesitation, because he couldn’t leave this man to escape, but he had to get to his clients, because there was another threat.

Fortunately, the hired security arrived in time to save him from having to do something too terrible to the man, and Riku rushed to the ballroom.

Security was not there yet, and Riku had a feeling someone was getting fired over that. No one here seemed to have any idea that something was going on. The fight on the stairs must have taken even less time than he thought, because Sora was still talking to Kairi in a hushed voice.

Riku pushed towards them, not caring how rude he seemed to anyone else.

He was not faster than the second attacker.

The man was dressed as one of the waiters, Riku couldn’t remember if he’d noticed that before. But he didn’t move like a waitperson, his strides were too long and forceful, still almost running towards Kairi.

“Kairi! Sora!” Riku called out, desperate to give them any warning. The man lunged at Kairi’s back, arm out, almost certainly intending to grab her around the neck.

Kairi leaned to the side so that the man’s arm went over her shoulder. Then Kairi gripped it, while she smoothly leaned forward and down, throwing the man over her shoulder and onto the floor. Before he could recover, she knelt, her knee pressing into his throat, while Sora helped to immobilize his arms.

By the time Riku got to her side, he felt rather superfluous.

---

Later, once they’d given their statements, and were finally free to go, Kairi turned back to Riku.

“I did promise to make it interesting.” She grinned up at him.

And Riku was forced to concede that she had.