WARNING: The characters are likely to be OOC and for that I'm sorry :/

~

She goes by the name of Mynt. She says it fits because of her eyes. I think it fits too, though her eyes are like a hybrid colour. A mix of lime and mint green. Peircing yet innocent. Appropriate for the fantasies. Fitting for her line of work. I had only met her twice before but those times were long ago. Almost as if it was a lifetime ago. If you compare the circumstances under which we had met this time, you wouldn't even think that we were the same people.

We aren't the same people.

~(^v^)~~(^v^)~

"Sometimes all it takes is a slap in the face to make you see what's right in front of you...or see how harsh reality really is." It was a phrase that most of my family used to use. I remember it well. I think that that was what scared me the most, when I heard her, Mynt, say those words. It was more of a slap than I needed.

I had let all of my feelings out, confided in her, thinking she was just a call girl. A disposable piece of work in my life. I was wrong. So wrong.

How was I to know? I hadn't seen her since I was a child. She had grown up, matured, blossomed and grown her thorns.

I still can't believe how close I was to kissing her, embracing her, using her, my second cousin, the call girl.

"That was close." I find myself sighing as I lean on the wall of an alleyway.

"Oi!" her fruity voice echoes through the alley. She's stood on the balcony. Simply stood on the balcony to her apartment, in a translucent green nightie, decorated with black lace and ribbon. You can see her bra and underwear through it. But I think that that is the point. I wouldn't know. I never understood the appeal of lingerie.

I look away from her. I can't look at her, we're related for Goodness sake! It's disgusting to even glance at a woman you are related to when she is dressed like that. Not even a peak! Horrible! Gross! Wrong!

"Look, Noiz. I know that wasn't the slap you wanted." I look at her face. I can see that she's leaning on the bars of her balcony. I keep my eyes trained on her own. Those hypntic eyes, a concoxion of lime and mint green. "But I think it was more effective...so go get 'im!"

My second cousin, Yamaguchi Mynt pumps her fist, eyes shining. She looks oh to comfortable on the balcony in lingerie. I think I once heard that she had gotten a modelling career. Modelling just that, lingerie. I heard it when I planted a bug in my parent's home, simply out of curiosity.

I stare at her, baffled; "Go get 'im"? She thinks that the event in the apartment...

"Just go Noiz! Go see 'im! See if you see 'im in a new light!" Mynt encourages.

"Okay. I guess I'll have to trust you on this." I say quietly.

"Yeah you should!" her cheeky childish attitude comes through. She hasn't changed too much then. "Because I'm the one who has had the intimate relationships."

I grimace. I didn't need to know that. Even though it was obvious, since as a call girl, intimacy is the top aspect of the job.

Making my way back to my home turf' isn't the most amazing thing. I hated that Mynt coaxed me to her apartment. Now I'm right by Scrach headquaters.

I wonder if Mynt's location has anything to do with Scratch and it's members...actually, no, I would rather not think that it did. Coincidence, right? It has to be. The loner that often mocks me by calling me a maniac can't have anything to do with Mynt! I can't let myself accept the possibility.

"Oi! Slowpoke!" she shouts. "Get a move on or you'll get caught." I make a fist. Looks like i'm going to have to set myself at ease with some reluctant personal hacking into one, Yamaguchi Mynt's information.

Mynt's right though, if I dwell in an enemy territory and get caught, the consequences will NOT be very pleasent. I think the idea of being caught was less scary when I was oblivious to pain. Now that I know how it feels to get punched and kicked and beaten up, I don't think I would want ex-prisoners to rough me up.

I hastily make a retreat, not stopping for anybody. That is, at least intil I walk straight into a man in a red kimono. I frown. The one person that I really didn't want to see, especially after that stuff with Mynt. I think that running into Mink would be better right now.

"Noiz?" his baritone voice is tinged with light amusement.

"Ah...Koujaku." I rub the back of my neck.

He's staring at me. His warm garnet eyes are going to catch me out. I'll slip up. I'll say something wrong. Mynt looks like me. Maybe if she dressed like me, she could tell him instead.

"Here." he holds his hand out to me. I fell onto one knee when I ran into him.

I take it hesitantly, hoping it's not sweaty.

'This is ridiculous! He's older than you! He's like eight years older than you!'

'He's an angry angry individual!'

'But Noiz, you're angry too, you can be angry...together?'

'You butt heads, a lot!'

'You were always being childish! He'll see you're not just a kid!'

'But I AM just a kid!'

'You're more than just a kid, Noiz. You're NOIZ! Information broker for Rhyme! You're NOIZ! You're not a chicken. Speak! Say something!'

'GOD DAMMIT NOIZ LET GO OF HIS HAND'

...Crap!

I immediately move my hand out of his hold. He must have pulled me upright a little while ago! Damn this is embarassing!

'Jesus fucking Christ, Noiz! You idiot!'

"Shut up, I still don't KNOW how to talk to people. That's it! I'm leaving! I'm going to pay Mynt to do it! I'm going to pay Mynt to confess." I mutter, hand clamping over my mouth. He heard that. He had to have heard that.

'FUCK YOU, ME...S!' I scream at my inner council of Noiz.

"Noiz?" I flinch. I bet I'm redder than Aoba when I kissed him at the store that one time.

"Noiz did you just say confess?"

"NO!" I try to stand my ground and act normal. But I can feel the judgement in his eyes. He knows that I'm not my usual self.

DAMMIT NOIZ!

"You wanted to confess to...Aoba?" he queries. I shake my head. No, not Aoba. Aoba is a friend of mine.

Koujaku looks a tad relieved when he sees my shake my head. "Then...who?"

I look away. "It doesn't matter what I said, didn't say or was going to say. Goodby Koujaku."

"Wait! Noiz! Were you going to confess to ME?" he looks skeptical. I duck my head, wishing Mynt was in my place now, her impressions of me used to be good.

I sigh, not wanting to reply.

"You were." Koujaku nods. "C'mere, my apartment's just across the street." I am steered to Koujaku's place.

I close my eyes. Time to forget everything that Aoba taught you about social intelligence. I take off my shoes as customary and then wait for a cue.

He makes his way toward me. Man, I feel short. I lean upward and put one hand on his neck before planting a kiss on his lips. He doesn't seem confused at all, Koujaku compleely takes control of the kiss. He's older, and of course, with that many fangirls, he will have done a LOT of kissing.

He breaks away.

"Man, that was dramatic." I mutter.

"Very. I hope that that makes your response to my earlier question easier to say." Koujaku is smirking childishly. I nod once.

"It does." I nod, going in for another kiss.

~

Squary Note:

And the spam of these random Christmas gifts continues. This one is for Area11Dennise even though she said she didn't want one

How amazing it is that I post this on the day the OVA for DRAMAtical Murder comes out XD

Merry Christmas, Den-chan, I hope you enjoyed the oneshot!