Always Room at the Top
#14 of The Zoo
Author's Note: So did y'all miss me? I sure hope so. Sorry it's been ages since I last uploaded. I've been really busy with final exams and graduating law school (go me.) But enough tooting my own horn, here's yet another installment of everyone's favorite (I hope) story. I hope that it was worth the wait. As always please rate and comment. Favorite if you like it enough, give me a shout if you're bored and tell all your friends. Stay beautiful people. - AK
To say Ibuki was confused was an understatement as she walked into the police station. Dulion didn't sound particularly happy on the phone so whatever he needed, it wasn't good. She saw Dulion sitting at one of the desks, probably waiting for her. He looked like a boulder was attached to his neck and was forcing his head down. As she walked by him, Dulion leaned on his cane to get himself up and walked over to her somberly.
"I am so sorry." Dulion said.
"It's fine. What's wrong?" Ibuki asked.
"I'll explain everything while we walk to one of the interview rooms."
Dulion started to walk but Ibuki was hesitant.
"I'm not it trouble am I?" Ibuki asked with concern in her voice.
Dulion thought for a second then shook his head.
"No. No, you're fine."
As Dulion led Ibuki through the station he explained everything that had happened. That he wasn't fired but rather was needed to interview a lycanthrope girl who had been victimized and that he was pretty sure they had the culprits. One of whom was a rogue DYFS agent, one was a member of a WILD and a third man they needed her help with.
"I'll do whatever I can to help." Ibuki said. "But I don't understand why you need me."
Dulion sighed.
"Well...when you called me...the victim heard me say your name and it jogged her memory about someone who attacked her."
"Wait, Dulion," Ibuki said quickly, "I swear I didn't..."
"I know you didn't. The person who hurt her was a man."
Ibuki was quiet for a moment, before she realized what Dulion meant.
"My father?" She asked with disdain.
Dulion nodded.
"Agent Maxwell of the FBI needs you to tell him everything you remember and know. I offered to ask you, but they said thanks to our relationship..."
"It's fine." Ibuki said.
"I'll be right outside if you need me." Dulion said.
With a sigh Ibuki opened the door and walked inside.
There was a handsome younger looking man with sandy hair sitting across from her. He wore a simple black suit and tie and greeted Ibuki with a smile.
"You must be Emi." The young man said. "Please, have a seat. My name is Agent Keith Maxwell. I just need to ask you a few questions. I'm assuming Dulion told you the particulars?"
"For the most part." Ibuki said sitting down. "I'm not sure how helpful I'll be. I haven't seen my father in years."
"Ok, well anything you know may help us. Let's start with some basics, shall we? We need your address and occupation for our records."
"I live at the Mona Suites and I work as a dancer"
Agent Maxwell raised his eyes from a piece of paper he was jotting notes down on before realizing what Ibuki meant. As he began writing down some more notes he smirked.
"Is something funny?" asked Ibuki annoyed.
"No, nothing at all." Agent Maxwell said. "I just find it odd that Dulion could...well he doesn't seem the type of..."
"Can we get on with this?" Ibuki asked.
"Of course, my apologies. So, tell me, when did you leave your childhood home?"
***
Dulion shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the questioning continued. He remembered the last time Ibuki talked about her past she had broke down in front of him. Dulion hoped that this time, things would be easier for her. He had warned Agent Maxwell about Ibuki's sensitivity, but no matter how much he tried to calm himself down, his nerves seemed to always win out. He passed his cane in between his hands back and forth and looked down at the floor. It was only a clearing of a throat above him that brought him out of his daze. Mr. O'Neill stood over him, a pamphlet in his hand pointed at Dulion.
"This is for you." He said with some degree of warmness which surprised Dulion. "Before you begin your crusade against the only things on the planet that give a damn about you, you may want to learn the facts."
Dulion took the pamphlet which was entitled "Let Lycanthropes run WILD and free." Clearly WILD was comprised of creative geniuses.
"Thanks." Dulion said coldly.
Mr. O'Neill sighed.
"WILD is just what you need, boy." He said. "You think these humans are really going to keep taking care of you? They're going to chew you up and spit you out. And now that Avery is about to go to jail, well we're going to need a leader."
Dulion resisted the urge to burst out laughing.
"Are you actually suggesting that I take over WILD?"
"Why not? You have the right pedigree, the right name, everything the lycanthrope community needs to really make an impact."
"I think I'll pass." Dulion said.
Mr. O'Neill put his hand on Dulion's shoulder. It took a considerable amount of strength to not lurch back from the touch.
"Just think about it. You know I'm right."
Mr. O'Neill walked towards the exit of the precinct. Soon after, Mrs. O'Neill and Cassie also walked past Dulion. To Dulion's surprise, Cassie came up to him and gave him a big hug despite the fact that he was in his human form. Dulion returned the hug with might have been the first genuine smile he had since he first got off the phone with Ibuki. As Cassie turned and ran to her father, Mrs. O'Neill offered her hand. Dulion, using his cane as support stood up and shook her hand.
"I assume my husband has told you about joining WILD?" She said quietly so that Dulion could barely hear her.
Dulion nodded.
"I said no. WILD isn't my type of organization."
"I said the same thing when I went to my first meeting. Avery was...captivating. Of course, now I know how much of a bastard he really was, but there is the potential for WILD to be a real force of good with the right leader. And trust me; you would be the right leader. Take care of yourself, Mr. Dulion. Hopefully we will see you soon."
Mrs. O'Neill went to her family and all three of them left the station. The O'Neill's words still seemed to echo in his mind. He tried to put such silliness outside of his mind, but there it stood, buzzing around like an annoying fly. It wasn't that he wanted to join WILD, of that he was fairly certain. It was this nagging feeling that for some reason, he had the...obligation to help. Dulion began to brace himself for yet another existential crisis, before the doors of the interview room opened and Agent Maxwell stepped out.
"Everything okay?" Dulion asked when he saw Maxwell step out.
Agent Maxwell nodded.
"She's a little shaken up, but otherwise fine. She gave us something to go on, but for now The Bureau will take care of the investigation. If we need you for anything we'll contact you. You did good kid, real good. I'm sure the Bureau will be keeping a close eye on you for future reference."
"What do you mean?" asked Dulion.
"Let's just say, there's always room at the top. You and Miss Ibuki can go when you like, unless DeCosta needs you for something."
With a small salute, Agent Maxwell walked deeper into the stationhouse. Dulion was still a bit puzzled about what Agent Maxwell had meant by his comment. It almost sounded like the FBI may be looking at him for a future job? Such thoughts quickly rushed from his mind as he remembered that Ibuki was still in the interview room. As quickly as he could he stood up and hobbled into the interview room. He saw Ibuki, gazing absentmindedly at the wall, but was also able to see the redness around her eyes; she had been crying.
"Ibuki." He said gently.
Ibuki turned around quickly and practically ran to him and threw her arms around him and for a moment, she cried into his shoulder.
***
The questions weren't particularly difficult. The agent seemed very nice, almost too nice to be working for the FBI. But still it was difficult for Ibuki to get through. The agent had offered her a break two times. Both times Ibuki had refused. She had to keep going, even though it hurt to be reminded on how little she was actually loved.
She squeezed Dulion a little tighter. Suddenly, something clicked in her head; the man hugging her; he loved her. And so did Dr. Tennant, and Jayson, and Cameron, and Josef, and Stephanie, and Jess. Yes, maybe her parents never loved her, but all of the people in the Zoo did. Her Grandmother did, too. She broke off the hug and held on to Dulion's shoulders. Fresh tears rolled down her face. Dulion tried to hug her again, but instead, he was greeted with a kiss that seemed to take him aback.
"You sure you're ok?" He asked, when Ibuki broke the kiss.
"Yeah." Ibuki said, drying off her eyes. "It's just really good to see you right now."
"Same. You gonna be okay?"
Ibuki nodded, finally managing to calm herself down.
"Yeah. I just...needed a moment."
Dulion smiled and threw his free hand around her shoulder.
"C'mon. I'll call a cab and we'll go home."
"What about our dinner date?" Ibuki asked. "Too much excitement for you today?"
Dulion chuckled.
"I'm more concerned about you then me. Let's get out of here. I'm sure we'll find some place around here to go."
Dulion and Ibuki left the police station with little fanfare. Ibuki quietly hoped that it would be her last time in a police station. Once they got outside, Dulion checked his phone for a place the two of them could eat.
"What are you in the mood for?" He asked Ibuki.
Ibuki shrugged.
"I'm up for whatever."
Dulion spent a few more moments on his phone.
"Hmmm...there's a hibachi place not too far away we could try."
"Why Dulion, are you assuming that just because I'm Japanese I would want to go to a hibachi restaurant?" She said with mock anger.
Ibuki saw Dulion's cheeks go red.
"No, I was just thinking that maybe uh..."
Ibuki laughed at Dulion's stammering and playfully gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Relax, that's fine with me."
Dulion hung and shook his head with a smile.
"What's wrong?" Ibuki asked.
"Nothing." Dulion said, clearly lying. "You seem hyper affectionate today."
"I think I'm just happy to be around someone who likes me. And who I happen to like as well. So come on! Let's get going."
Ibuki practically dragged Dulion as he gave her directions from his phone. She tried to piece together what actually was wrong with her companion. As they walked, she began to figure out what she thought was the answer: mixed signals. This morning, she said they weren't dating, now she was hanging all over him. She wished she could make this easier on him, but she still didn't know what she actually wanted. Although she had to admit, the more she was around Dulion today, the more even she was beginning to change her mind.
The two of them walked into the hibachi place and were seated rather quickly. They placed their orders and waited for the show to begin. Dulion fielded a few questions from an older looking couple sitting next to him about his leg, which he answered with a smile. Ibuki sat on the very end and listened to the conversation.
"So how long have you two been dating?" The man asked Dulion.
"Oh, it..."
"Hasn't been too long actually." Ibuki said.
"Ah young love." The woman said. "Such a lovely thing."
"You know it." Ibuki said throwing an arm around Dulion.
The couple turned to talk to the other people at their station leaving Dulion and Ibuki free to chat.
"Not too long?" Dulion asked?
"No need for them to know." Ibuki said. "Besides, maybe this will wind up being our first date."
"Going on a date after leaving a police station; yeah, that sounds about right for how crazy my life has become."
"It does have its upsides you know."
"Perhaps."
Dulion added a small wink which caused Ibuki to smile and shake her head slightly. As she did, she noticed someone at one of the other stations staring at her. It took her a moment to place the face.
"Hey, Duley," she said, "be subtle but look over there. Do you see that guy?"
Dulion did as he was told and nodded.
"What about him?"
"He's a regular at the club. I think he recognized me. It's kind of weird to see him here."
"One of your regulars?"
"No. I just see him all the time. All the girls think he's creepy. I wonder who he's here with."
"I don't want any part of this." Dulion said with a laugh.
Dulion turned to talk with the couple again, something about sports that Ibuki wouldn't understand even if she was paying attention. Still, she was happy to see Dulion enjoying himself. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the regular give a kiss to a woman who sat down next to him. It took Ibuki a moment to realize it but the second she did, it took almost every ounce of strength for her not to burst out laughing. She gently tapped Dulion
"What's up?" Dulion said. "Why do you look like you the cat that ate the canary, so to speak?"
"Look who he's with. Trust me."
Dulion rolled his eyes, but then shifted them to gaze. Next to the regular, hanging on him more than Ibuki had hung on Dulion earlier was Danielle. Dulion cursed under his breath, but was loud enough for the couple sitting next to them to hear.
"Everything ok?" The man asked.
"It's fine." Dulion said with a smile. "My ex is here with her new boyfriend."
The man also looked at the direction and saw Danielle. Out of the corner of her eye Ibuki could clearly see that Danielle was looking at them as well.
"Well, if I may say so," the man said to Dulion, "I think you've upgraded."
Dulion nodded with a broad smile, not realizing that Danielle could see them. Ibuki's attention turned away from the other table and to the chef who had just arrived. As the chef put on his show much to everyone's delight, Ibuki began to calm down. She felt Dulion throw his arm around her back and she leaned in closer to him, enjoying both the chef's performance and her companion's company.
***
The food was amazing, the company enjoyable and the fact that Ibuki was a little touchy feel meant that Dulion was enjoying his night thoroughly. The older man next to him, whose name was Edward, ordered sake for the entire table, despite Dulion's and the other couple's protests.
"No, you won't believe this, but I hit the lottery a few days ago." Edward said. "Not exactly world changing, but enough for a good time, and you all have made this night a really good one."
It was so refreshing to find a genuinely nice person today. Edward gave a toast with his sake to the table and kissed his wife. The couple to their right also exchanged a kiss.
"C'mon, you two." Edward said to Dulion and Ibuki. "Go ahead, you know you want to."
Dulion was about to raise a mild protest, but Ibuki grabbed his head to hers and kissed him, earning them both a cheer from the other couples. Dulion doubted he could get redder. His blushing earned him a playful punch in the shoulder from Ibuki. While he was easily enjoying himself, something still bothered him. Ibuki had seemed to do a full 180 from this morning. Was she actually considering being something more, or was this just an act for the crowd? The thought confused him, but the environment allowed him to at least take his mind off of everything and simply enjoy himself. A quick touch from Ibuki caused Dulion to turn his head.
"Uh-oh." Ibuki said.
Dulion saw it too; Danielle was walking up to them. Dulion took a deep breath. What did he have to be nervous about anyway? She broke up with him and Dulion didn't do anything wrong. There was no reason Danielle would be anything less than civil, right?
"I hope I'm not interrupting the party," she said with a smile that seemed almost menacing to Dulion. "How are you, James?"
"Doing well, and yourself?" Dulion answered warmly.
"Doing perfectly. I was just wondering if you happened to tell your new friends here what you and Ibuki happen to be? You know, you're little secret."
"That's none of your..." Ibuki said, before getting cut off by Dulion.
"It's ok, Ibuki." Dulion said. He let out a deep breath. "What my, apparently bitter ex is trying to say is that I happen to be a lycanthrope."
There was a look of mild surprise on everyone's face at the table, as well as a smug, satisfied look on Danielle's face.
"So am I." Ibuki said. "She broke up with him because of what he was."
"Wait," Edward said to both of them, "so you're both lycanthropes? Why didn't you mention that?"
His voice sounded less angry and more disappointed. Dulion thought he had a good read on Edward and the rest of the table so he decided to try something.
"Well, I was going to show you," he said, "but I don't think anyone wanted hair in their food."
Edward gazed at Dulion for a moment before his mouth curved into a broad smile that was followed by a large laugh, which was shared by the table and eventually spread to Dulion and Ibuki.
"You two are great." Edward said. "The look on her face was priceless, like we were members of CATTL or something."
Edward put a hand on Dulion's shoulder.
"I will say you are better company than most humans I've met, regardless of what your ex thinks."
The look on Danielle's face caused Dulion to laugh more. It was always rewarding to see a carefully throughout plan blow up in someone's face.
"You will regret this." Danielle said to Dulion.
"Actually I don't think I will." He answered, earning a light slap on the back from Edward.
Danielle stormed off back to her table. The sheer anger she expressed caused everyone at Dulion's table to laugh. Ibuki gave Dulion a small kiss on the cheek.
"I would have told her where I know her boyfriend from but I thought she may explode."
Dulion nodded and returned the kiss with one of his own. Everyone at table began to leave. Dulion got a strong handshake and a hug from Edward and his wife respectfully. Ibuki got a kiss on the cheek and a hug as the couple left the restaurant.
Dulion pulled out his cell phone and called for a cab so not to bother the Doctor or anyone at the Zoo. As he did, everything that had happened today flashed before him. While he was still puzzled about what Ibuki's true feelings were and what Agent Maxwell had meant about there always being room at the top, he was at least glad that there was room because right now he felt on top of the world.