Afterlife
Watson
23:08pm

Being carried on V's shoulder is extremely uncomfortable, especially when your hands and feet are tied up. Looking around the familiar underground club, I notice that we are headed to a crowded bar.

"Hey Clare, she in?" V asks in his rough voice. I couldn't see who this 'Clare' person was, but it's not like it really mattered. It makes me wonder though who is the person that is dying to meet me. Could it be my mother? Or worse?

"Not at the moment, you can wait while I fix up your favourite. Maybe your friend would like something to drink as well," A feminine voice chuckles with V joining in. I roll my eyes.

V places me on a bar stool and I scope out the area. Nothing changed. Someone clears their throat, gaining my attention. I turn to the source and it's V.

"What's your poison?" I give him a blank look and blink at his question.

"I don't drink poison," I state. He laughs and shakes his head.

"I meant what do you drink," a straight face covers my expression. He could've said that in the beginning instead of trying to act over the top.

"I'm fine," A mumble escapes my lips. I finally notice the appearance of Clare, she definitely had the look of a bar girl.

"A quiet one isn't she?" Clare asks. She takes a closer look at me and her eyes widen in shock.

"Wa-wait. Isn't she--"

"--Hanako Arasaka's daughter? Yes, she is," V cuts her off. I could've answered for myself, but I guess he doesn't think so.

"It's not that shocking," I sigh. Every time people find out that I'm an Arasaka their minds freeze. But it's probably because it's a big name.

"V, you brought her here of all places! If Rogue finds out- you should get her out of here," Clare yells, ignoring what I said.

"Clare calm down, you don't want the whole place to realise that we have a WANTED Arasaka in Afterlife," V hushes her and glances around making sure there are no prying eyes.

"I need to speak to Rogue and she is the key to making that happen," I should've guessed, Rogue is the last person I want to see. It's a wonder what she would do when she sees me. The last time I 'met' her, was an interesting experience.

"Oh I see...looks like she's here," Clare wasn't wrong, there was Rogue followed by what seemed to be a large man, definitely her bodyguard. She passed us, causing me to duck my head slightly.

"Well that's my cue," Before I can say anything, I'm once again lifted on V's rough shoulder.

"I'm not a body bag," I say through clenched teeth.

"You will be if you keep talking," V says seriously. A moment later we stop and I hear a voice.

"V or Johnny?" My eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"It's just V," he answers.

"Who's that?" Rogues strict voice asks. V turns and I'm face to face with the one and only Rogue. Her facial expression is amused.

"Well look who have here boys," she laughs and other unfamiliar men laugh alongside her.

"Y/n Arasaka, we meet again...under different circumstances," I narrow my eyes at her sly smile. However I don't respond.

"Nothing to say this time, hmm?"

"Wait you've met?" V jumps in. I sigh, but don't answer.

"Maybe another time, What's it you need V?" Rogue doesn't take her eyes off me, making me feel slightly uncomfortable. V turns to face Rogue. I release a breath of relief. V places me on the leather booth.

"I'm here to give you the daughter of Hanako Arasaka, but for a price," My eyes widen. A smirk makes it's way into Rogue's face. I frown at this, but decide to remain quiet.

"Now this is interesting..." Rogue trails off. I notice Clare is here as well but fills up a few glasses and attempts to leave. Rogue stops her with a hand gesture and nods at the bottle.

"Leave the bottle, we might be here awhile," Clare nods and does what she is told. Guess she is Rogue's personal waiter. V takes a sip of his drink and turns to Rogue.

"If I give her to you, the only payment I want is to extract this relic safely out of my head and a few million eddies, everyone wins," V lifts his hands as though he is physically weighing his proposition.

"You know you have an Arasaka right, all the answers is in that luxury chrome head," Rogue points at me.

"You act as though I have the answers to the world," I mutter angrily in Japanese. They honestly speak as though I'm an object or a machine in need of use. I release a sigh and look at V, who didn't say anything but his clenched jaw spoke for itself. Rogue on the other hand scoffed amusement.

"She is hopeless trust me, but do we have a deal?" V states. How offensive. Rogue chuckles. Although this wasn't your usual type of chuckle, it seemed to have a dark agenda behind it.

"Or how about I give you a deal and in return I won't let one of my men drag you out by your teeth," I turn towards V, but his reaction is relaxed as though what Rogue said didn't affect him.

Probably used to getting threatened.

"What do you have for me," V states. Wow he didn't even fight for his proposition. That chip must have done a number to his brain.

"This...job is not just for you but also dear Y/n Arasaka here," Rogue clarifies.

"She's my prisoner...." V informs Rogue. She smiles coyly at us both.

"And now she is your partner, take this data shard," Rogue snaps her fingers and a huge man steps forward.

He stretches out his hand towards me and it holds a data shard.

"You really are brawn without brains, do you not see I'm tied?" I exaggeratingly lift my rope tied hands and the man grumbles in annoyance.

A hand grabs the shard and I turn to V, who is laughing softly but stops himself when he realises we are all watching him.

He clears his throat and attempts to insert the shard into his neural port. Rogue stops him.

"Are you sure you should insert the data shard into the same head the relic is inside?"

"I've done it before," V answers cautiously. Rogue shrugs.

"Your funeral," V is about to insert it but stops, as though thinking of what Rogue just said. He turns to me.

"You will have to place this in your head," I immediately shake my head.

"Use your own broken head," I narrow my eyes at him. A few moments ago he wanted to basically sell me to Rogue, a fixer. Now he wants me to place a shard in my head that won't benefit me at all?

"If you don't want to die, you have to do this," I stay silent in stare in front of me. Trying to manipulate me won't work, but I guess V still hasn't come to terms with that.

He sighs and places the shard into his neural port. His eyes flash red, meaning he received the information on the data shard. Once he is done he takes out the shard and places it on the table.

"Got it," V stands up and throws me over his shoulder once again. I groan at this. Seriously...again?!

"Until we meet again, Y/n Arasaka," I don't respond to Rogue as I'm being carried out of Afterlife.

Once we're outside, I feel raindrops falling on me. A glimpse of V's car enter my vision.

Not a bad car, but not really my style. I miss my Rayfield.

Once I'm placed in the passenger seat, V hops in. He grabs the wheel and takes a ragged breath.

"Where are we going to now 'partner'?" I ask mockingly.

"We will be meeting Goro Takemura,"

A/n Happy New Years!! Hope you all are doing well.

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