Disclaimer: All rights and characters of Hawaii Five-0 are the property of Leonard Freeman and CBS. I am not profiting in any way by writing this story.
Later
Normally, the familiar sound of an approaching motorcycle wouldn't have made Kono think twice but this time, she halted mid-boot tie and tensed.
The sound grew louder until it rumbled to a stop. A moment later, the rider cut the ignition and the engine settled itself into silence.
Kona waited several seconds for the sound of footsteps to come up the walkway. When they didn't she finished tying her boot, holstered both guns, clipped her badge to her shorts, grabbed her keys and then headed outside.
It may have only been seven-thirty in the morning, but the air was already hot and humid. A warm breeze blew her hair about her shoulders as she stepped on the porch and locked the front door.
The motorcycle was parked next to the curb, minus its rider. Kono then looked to the right and found Chin Ho leaning against the passenger door of her car. His arms were crossed over the front of his Hawaiian shirt. As Kono approached, he stood up straight and moved his sunglasses to the top of his head.
"Steve told all of us to take the day," he told her by way of greeting. "However, the two of us need to get down to HPD. Right now."
His tone suggested that that was all the information she was going to get, so Kono raised her chin and nodded. "Let's get going then. You wanna drive?" She held out her keys.
Chin's gaze dropped to her hand and then rose a bit higher up to her wrist. He scowled for the briefest of moments, then shook his head and got into the passenger seat of the car.
Kono took a moment to collect herself before walking around to the driver's side and sliding behind the wheel. Then without a word she started the engine, backed out of the driveway and started north toward the Honolulu Police Department.
It was quiet inside of the car for a while, but Kono refused to feel unsure or intimidated by it. It was obvious why Chin Ho had chosen to ride with her to HPD instead of calling and asking her to meet him there. And sure enough, once she turned the car onto the Poly Highway, Chin started their inevitable conversation with, "I almost didn't tail you that day."
The sudden statement after such a long silence almost made Kono tense up again. Instead, she remained silent and glanced at her cousin.
Chin had fixed his attention outside of the passenger window. It made him seem nonchalant, but his posture assured that he wasn't anything of the sort. His back and neck were straight and tight, and it betrayed the battle that was going on between his usual calm logic and his present raging emotions.
Kono turned her attention back to the road. The best thing to do would be to keep quiet and let him get everything out when he was ready. It wasn't the easiest or the most wanted approach on her part, but it was the best one. And perhaps on some level, Kono could admit that she had it coming.
Didn't mean she had to like it, though. Not one damn bit.
She kneaded the steering wheel and waited for Chin to continue.
A minute went by, then a second and a third. He didn't seem in a big hurry to start, and Kono found herself looking over at him again. His position hadn't changed. What was he thinking about? The best way to begin? The best way to make her understand what he wanted to say? The best way to calm himself down enough to speak?
Considering how much he disliked family confrontation, the last option made the most sense to Kono. Chin Ho's character and mannerisms hadn't changed much at all since she had been a little girl. Admittedly, that had made it easier to get away with things around him when she was younger. He enjoyed her energy and spirit almost as much as she had while growing up, but there had still been times when he'd have to take her aside to explain proper behavior or some such other important lesson.
It occurred to Kono that this 'take-you-aside-and-teach-you' method had continued all the way up to her first year with Five-0. Even when they had argued over Chin's innocence and Uncle's guilt over that damn forfeiture locker money, Chin had still tried to teach her. And even if she hadn't exactly expressed it back then, Kono had been grateful for that particular status quo between them.
However, she had a pretty good feeling that this time, that particular status quo wasn't going to be anywhere near their upcoming conversation. Kono wasn't in any mood to be taught, and Chin Ho didn't seem to be in any mood to show her patience.
At last, Chin continued with, "I wanted to believe you when you said that you weren't defending him. I wanted to believe so much that I was ready to ignore seventeen years worth of cop instincts and just take your word for it. Family should have faith, right?"
Kono didn't respond. The question was, after all, painfully rhetorical.
"But I couldn't stop thinking," Chin went on. "All your secrecy and evasiveness, all the vague answers to my questions…"
You mean your interrogations, Kono thought.
"…I just couldn't shake the feeling that you had to be hiding something big to go through all that trouble. So when you left headquarters that day, I decided to follow you to know for sure."
Kono felt him finally look over at her, but she kept her focus straight ahead as the car rolled onto the Poly Bridge. Then Chin's next words nearly made her lose the hold she had put on herself. "You could have told me, Kono. No, you should have told me!"
The view in front of Kono blurred as her anger grew, and she spoke for the first time since leaving the house. "Yeah, because that would have ended really well."
"You still should have-."
"I KNOW!" she shouted, finally feeling the hold break as she turned angry brown eyes to his. "I know that I should have! But what would've happened then, Chin? Would you just have accepted my relationship with Adam? Just like that? Without questions or complaints? No, you wouldn't!"
"That doesn't mean you were allowed to lie to me!"
"Oh right, I forgot! You're the only person who's allowed to lie to his family!"
Silence, and Kono could honest to God feel the shocked anger her cousin was now emitting. But her own anger had her far from caring, and Chin's next barely controlled words didn't make it any better. "You know why I did what I did."
"And you know I did what I did so there wouldn't be any problems with us or Five-0."
His control obliterated. "It did cause problems for us and Five-0, Kono! Adam was going to torture and kill a man! And then when you tried to stop him he threatened you, duct taped you" - Chin gestured to the pinkish marks that still marred Kono's wrists - "and then threw you into a locked room! After that, he ordered his men to pull their guns on Steve and then pointed one himself when Steve questioned him. If you, me and Danny hadn't shown up, he would have ordered his men to fire!"
"You don't know that, Chin Ho!"
"You don't know that he wouldn't have!"
The blaring of a car horn prevented Kono from shouting back and she snapped her attention forward. Chin, however, had already grabbed the steering wheel and was in the process of pulling their car out of oncoming traffic and back onto the right side of the road. But he overdid the turn and the next thing Kono knew, the car was fishtailing to the left and in the process of completing a one-eighty on the bridge.
More horns blared and the screeching of brakes rang out. For one awful moment, Kono was sure that they would get slammed by the car that had been directly in back of them. But then instinct kicked in and she turned the wheel further while giving the Cruze more gas. The little red car then completed a full three-sixty and when Kono realized that they were facing the right way again, she straightened out the wheel.
The car jerked a bit, but Kono was able to get it fully straight and under control as it continued down the road. Sweat beaded at her temples. Adrenaline coursed through her system.
And then suddenly Chin's hand was on her shoulder, squeezing. "Are you all right?"
She didn't dare take her eyes from the road again. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You're shaking. Pull over."
"We're still on the bridge, Chin. I can't."
He removed his hand and fell silent.
It remained quiet between them for the rest of the drive to HPD. When they got there, Kono parked across the street from the front of the main building and then followed Chin inside.
The front room was busy with activity. Perps were either being processed or waiting for their turn to do so. The mugshot camera gave off great flashes as pictures snapped. Chin led Kono past all of it to Sargent Lukela, who was standing in front of the double doors that lead to the back holding cells. He nodded at them. "Good morning, Chin, Kono."
"Morning Duke," Chin replied. "Is everything ready?"
"Yeah, follow me."
The older man opened the doors and began leading them down the cellblock. Realizing that she still didn't have a clue to what was going on, Kono whispered, "So what are we supposed to be doing here?"
"I'm here to finish negotiating," Chin told her quietly. "You're going to back me up."
Before Kono could reply, Lukela stopped at the last cell and Chin brought Kono to a stop in front of the one before it. Then they both watched as the Sargent rapped against the bars with a set of keys and said, "Let's go, Noshimuri."
Kono stiffened. Adam?
Sure enough, the man emerged from the cell. He looked worn and disheveled, and was still in the same clothes he'd gotten arrested in. He turned, caught sight of the Five-0 cousins and stiffened in a way that was nearly identical to the way Kono had. His voice and eyes, however, were cool as he said, "Lieutenant Kelly. Officer Kalakaua."
Kono glanced at Chin, feeling both uncomfortable and suspicious. He wanted to negotiate with Adam? What was that supposed to mean?
Chin ignored her look and motioned for Adam to walk over to them. He did so, keeping his expression neutral and his gaze on Chin Ho. The moment he stopped, however, his eyes slid to Kono's and she watched the coolness crumble out of them. Instinctively, she took a step forward to reassure him and was extremely dismayed when Chin held her back. "Chin, don't-"
"Negotiations first," Chin cut in sharply.
"You have no-," Kono started just as Adam said, "Lieutenant Kelly-."
This time, it was Lukela who interrupted them. "I would very strongly suggest that you both listen to him. Chin was here all night pulling strings in order to get Noshimuri released this morning. He deserves to be heard out."
Pulling strings? Kono wondered, glancing from her cousin to Adam and back again. How? Why? Just what the hell happened between the two of them last night?
Without knowing it, Chin answered those questions for her as he told Adam, "As we agreed, the Yakuza will fully cooperate with HPD and Five-0 from now on. No more secrets and no more vigilante stunts like the one you tried to pull last night. If we have questions, you will answer them truthfully. If we need assistance, you will provide it. You with me so far?"
"Yes," Adam answered quietly.
"Good. Now, Kono's been trying to convince me that you're working to make your father's business legit, and after doing some digging around last night I've discovered that you have been making changes. Continue to do so and I won't have any reason to you keep you under suspicion where your business is concerned."
"I understand."
"Good," Chin repeated. Then Kono watched as he looked over Adam's shoulder at Lukela and said, "I'm taking him now. Thanks for the help, Duke."
"You're welcome, Brah," Lukela replied. "And you, Noshimuri, I would take Lieutenant Kelly's words into consideration. All of them."
Adam nodded and then allowed Chin to grasp his upper arm. Together with Kono, the three of them made their way back toward the front doors, pausing long enough for Chin to sign the proper release papers and pick up the bag of personal items Adam had had on him the night before. When that was finished, they headed outside.
Chin stopped the by the curb and waved at an SUV that had parked on the other side of the street. The driver pulled the car around and stopped in front of them.
Chin handed the plastic bag over to Adam. "Don't forget this favor, Noshimuri. It would have taken your fancy lawyers a lot longer to get you and your men out of all the charges you managed to rack up last night. I'm cutting you slack now because you're a hell of a lot more valuable to me and Five-0 outside of prison than inside of it."
For the first time, Kono saw Adam give Chin a look that spoke of his anger and annoyance. Without thinking, she reached out a hand and took hold of his wrinkled blazer.
The move made him look at her and then remove her hand. "HPD, Kono."
She blinked and suddenly remembered Duke's presence when he'd released Adam. She'd nearly exposed their relationship by trying to comfort him.
No wonder Chin stopped me. But then again…do Adam and I still have a relationship?
Odd that she was considering this question now and not earlier, say, during their stand-off at the airport the night before or while she and Chin had been arguing in the car. It must have been because they were now together outside of a hostile situation, Chin Ho's presence notwithstanding.
Kono still wanted him, though. That wasn't up for questioning at all. Had Adam's feelings changed? Was that…was that part of the reason why he'd had no problem ignoring her protests and taping her up the day before?
No, Kono refused to believe that. He'd been upset while incapacitating her. Visibly upset.
She tried to gauge his feelings just from his face and body language. His shoulders held traces of tenseness, but that was expected given the situation. His eyes were dark and tired, again, another expectant after the past ten or so hours. With the exception of his gentle admonishment about HPD moments earlier, everything else about Adam screamed indifference. To top it off, he'd barely looked at her since being escorted outside. How was Kono supposed to view all of this? Good or bad?
Screw it, she decided finally. No more of this unsure, uncomfortable crap.
She wound an arm around the back of Adam's neck and yanked him down into a hard kiss. When he tried to pull back, she crooked her elbow and added more pressure to the hold. Once she was sure she'd gotten her point across, Kono released him and ordered, "Call me."
There was no mistaking the expression on his face now: Shock, with a bit of awe and a dash of arousal. "Okay," he replied.
With that, he nodded at Chin Ho and then climbed into the passenger seat of the SUV. But before he could shut the door, Chin held it away from him and said, "One more thing, Noshimuri." He reached over, grasped one of Kono's hands and presented her wrist. "If I ever see something like this again, I will kill you myself."
Adam inspected the marks and then took a small breath before saying, "I promise that won't be necessary, Lieutenant."
He then nodded to the driver and the car started down the street.
As the two of them watched it disappear around the corner, Chin said, "I know that I can't keep you away from him, but I am still family and whether you like it or not, that means I'm entitled to protect you. And if making deals with the Yakuza and keeping Adam Noshimuri close is what it takes, then I'll do it."
Kono bit her lip and averted her suddenly stinging eyes. She blinked them a few times in order to get herself under control and then turned her wrist to grip Chin's hand. "Ma-mahalo nui loa."
Chin made her look at him and then pulled her into a warm hug. "Hoahanau, aloha au ia 'oe."
Kono clutched him a little tighter.