Lab Rat

Day One

Len scrutinized her carefully. She was far and above the most important prisoner they'd taken, and by the same measure, the most deadly, with a long and bloody history behind her.

Keeping her here in solitary was a risk he'd take, for the greater good. Someone like her undoubtedly had information that would be helpful to them, and he'd spend as long as it took to get it out of her.

"Hands on the wall. Spread your legs."

She complied, too easily, but not before shooting him a mischievous grin. Len was wary: it was no secret that she was as dangerous as she was beautiful, and she was very, very beautiful. He would not, could not make a single mistake around her or she wouldn't hesitate to exploit it.

"Do you really think I could hide more weapons wearing this little?" He could hear the smile in her words, and he knows what she's trying to do to him.

It's not going to work. His hands settled on the silky fabric of her mini kimono, feeling carefully along her lithe, slender body. Waist, hips, thighs. She moaned, much too comfortable for his liking. He felt his way down her ornately patterned stockings, one lean, firm leg at a time. Finding nothing, he straightened up and looked her carefully up and down.

"You're surprisingly ill-equipped."

"If you're looking for the weapon," She drawled over her shoulder, her tone bordering on insulted, "you're looking at her."

"Hands up. Face me." She obeyed without complaint. "For a weapon, you're sure being well-behaved."

"I'm used to being touched..." A sultry purr coated her words as she took a confident step forward, "...admired..." Another step forward, with a coquettish sway of her hips, and they're close enough for him to feel her breath on the nape of his neck. He stands his ground. Just this once, he'll allow her the proximity, so he can rebuff her and make sure she gets the message. Tender, full lips touch his ear before she sighs into it, cheek to cheek, "...handled."

He reaches up with his hand, pinching her jaw and pushing her into the wall.

"Are you finished?"

She's looking right back at him with that one uncovered eye, the color of bloody wines and thorny roses.

And then, Len makes his first mistake.

He looks at her lips.

The tip of her tongue slides slowly between the edges of her teeth. The movement is casual-deliberate, the sort of thing that could be mistaken for an unintentional mannerism, but he knows better.

For a terrible moment, he wants to kiss those lips, those arrogant, sinister, perky lips. They're close enough to taste and he can picture the way her tight, muscular body could feel against him, if he were only to seal her to this wall and trap her under his touch.

She smiles and he knows she knows exactly what he's thinking.

He's the one who's trapped.

A/N: I've always been intrigued by Rin and Len's relationship in Karakuri Manji Burst, so I finally decided to start this. This idea has been waiting patiently in my head to be written, so now I'm gonna do it! This'll be my first time writing them so I apologize in advance if I fall short of expectations. XD Thank you for reading the first chapter, and if you felt like leaving a review I'd be pleased as punch. 8D