Disclaimer: I do not own Gals. (obviously!)
Dealing with a Madman
She had the condo all to herself. Her younger sister, Sayo Kotobuki, had left earlier while she was still asleep.
She knew that Sayo, being a Private Investigator, was hired by a prominent businesswoman, to get information about her daughter's whereabouts. The said daughter had apparently eloped with a poor man.
She finished eating the food that her sister prepared, in no time. She then opened the refrigerator, took a carton of milk with her name on it, and gulped it as fast as she could.
The orange-haired gal then proceeded to the couch and turned on the TV and the DVD player. "This is the life!"
-shshshsh-
She was off duty today, which meant that she would be on a movie marathon. A comedy movie, an action movie and a horror movie would complete her day.
Her occupation by the way is being a COP.
Oh yeah, you read it right!
Ran Kotobuki, the former 'Greatest Gal/ Queen of Shibuya' had become the one thing she hated the most to be, in her teens. Well, that was before, for she loves and enjoys being a cop now. Once she hated, now she loves…
…just like…
… Rei Otohata.
Geez, that is life.
-shshshsh-
"HAHAHAHAHA. A good laugh can really make me hungry." And as she said it, her stomach growled. "Better eat lunch first, before starting the next one."
The 'Greatest Cop', that's what she wanted to be known anyway, made her way towards the kitchen to cook her food.
She savored the taste of her simple meal, which consisted of rice, tempura, fried potatoes and orange juice.
"I think something is missing…what could it be? Oh yeah, dessert!" So she retrieved a box of brownies with a piece of paper attached to it: 'Property of Sayo Kotobuki.'
Ignoring the paper, she started to eat her sister's brownies.
She had eaten half the content of the box when her cellphone rang and disturbed her from eating any further. It was a number she didn't recognize.
"Hello."
No one answered her. "Hello."
Still, silence from the other line greeted her.
"Helllllllloooooooo. If you don't want to speak, I'll hang up." Irritation was evident in her voice.
At last, her caller spoke, "Tsk.Tsk.Tsk.Tsk. Ran Kotobuki…you shouldn't be grumpy on such a wonderful afternoon." The man's voice was deep and creepy. It was the kind of voice that would scare most people away.
"Who are you and what do you want?"
"Who I am is not important, but 'what do I want' is IMPORTANT. Actually, I believe that you'll also want something from me."
"I don't think I'll want something from you. I really don't have time to play games with you Mister."
"Oh… is that so? I think I'll let her speak to you. Then, I'm certain that you'll have time to play games."
"Ran, I'm sorry." The orange-haired gal would recognize that voice anywhere. "I'm a disgrace to our family by being captured like this." She heard a faint sob from her younger sister.
"Sayo!! Did he hurt you? I swear if he did, I'll kill him!"
It was the man who spoke again. "Don't worry, I haven't cut off her hands yet. But, I will… if you won't follow what I'll say..."
-shshshsh-
She made her way towards the black car parked in front of the park. Standing idly beside the car, was a man wearing dark sunglasses and a black suit. The man spoke to her and told her to get inside the car. As soon as she was seated, she was handcuffed and blindfolded by a woman.
'Just hang in there, Sayo.' She was going to save her sister no matter what.
They drove for an hour and the car finally stopped. She heard the car door open and someone was assisting her to get out. They walked for a while and then felt that the handcuff was being removed.
"You can remove the blindfold." A woman told her. It was the same woman who put the blindfold and handcuff on her.
She did as she was told and slowly opened her eyes. She squinted a little because of not being able to get used to the bright lights that greeted her. As soon as her eyes were able to adapt to the lighting, she looked around and noticed that they were in a big warehouse. There was a tall divider that hindered her from further examining what lay ahead.
Her cellphone rang, revealing that the caller was Miyu, her sister-in-law. She took the call, for the kidnapper told her to take calls as if nothing was wrong, as not to raise suspicions. Besides, he told her that he'll only communicate with her through calls.
"Hey there Miyu."
"Hello Ran, I just want to know if you're free tonight. It's just that Sakura wants to see and play with her favorite aunt."
Despite her current situation, she can't help but smile at that. "I'll be there." Of course, she'll come. 'More reason that I need to save Sayo quickly and beat that guy.'
"Thanks Ran." The call ended.
'One, two, three, four, five.' She now counted the people who were with her inside the warehouse. Two women and three men, who were all wearing black suits and dark sunglasses, were watching her every move. Not that she can see their eyes focused on her, but she can sense them. She was not scared, for she was Ran Kotobuki.
She was just pissed off and was getting impatient every passing minute.
'What's taking him so long to call again?'
The entrance of the warehouse opened and the sound of it made Ran look at the direction of the newcomers. One of the newcomers was a man she was very familiar with. The handsome face, the dark brown hair and the cold aura, were just some of the traits that her boyfriend for almost 4 years, possess.
"Rei! What are you doing here?"
A man was behind Rei, with his gun pointed at Rei's back.
"Answer the lady." The man spoke.
"I saw you in front of the park talking to this man. I recognized him as one of the bodyguards of a man we were trying to convict. I had the gut feeling that you were in trouble so I followed you here." If Ran became a cop, Rei became one of the most sought after lawyers in Japan.
"Well, how smart of you to follow Ms. Kotobuki here. Now, we have an additional hostage. Our boss would be really ecstatic. Now, let's move along so you can meet him." The man smirked.
"Who's the other hostage?" Rei asked.
Ran answered him, "Sayo." She clenched her fists as she watched Rei and the man pass through the space beside the divider. "Damn."
A few more minutes passed and the call that she had been waiting for, finally took place.
"What a nice surprise to have an additional hostage! I'm certain that you already want to start our game as soon as possible…If you would just kindly pass through that divider. I'm sure my bodyguards would gladly escort you."
The two women lead the way while the three men trailed behind her. Ran had the feeling that these people already knew what was in store for her.
There was a long table with 5 tin cans on top of it. The tin cans were placed far apart from one another. Near the table was a chair, with a pair of red boots on top of it.
"I could see the cans and the boots. I assume that I just need to hit the cans using the red boots." She told the man. 'This is absurd.'
"Right. Now, you just have to stand at the circle that you can find on the floor. Hit the cans one at a time. You only have one chance to hit each can. I want to see the cans off the table when you hit them. Four cans on the floor mean that you saved Sayo and Otohata from losing their right hands. Do you have any questions?"
"Why did you kidnap Sayo?" She had asked the question earlier but the man told her that he would only reveal the reason when she entered his territory.
"Because I was bored and want to play games with you."
"You must be kidding me! You kidnapped her because you were BORED. And you're asking me to play this stupid game in exchange for her and Rei's life! I want to know the truth!"
"But that is the truth. Just tell me if you don't want to play anymore so I can just cut off their hands, then their heads."
"You're crazy! You're a madman."
"Are you going to take the challenge or continue insulting me? But, I won't deny it. Actually, 'Madman' sounds nice…So what's it going to be?"
"I'll defeat you." She gritted her teeth, then the madman hung up on her.
She found the circle, which was approximately 12 meters away from the table.
One of the men gave her the pair of red boots. "You may start now."
'This is a piece of cake.' Ran smiled and prepared to throw one of the boots like a boomerang.
One
Two
Three
Four
Five tin cans were lying on the floor.
She then stood in front of the security camera and positioned her fingers as if she was firing a shot, then her cellphone rang again.
"HAHAHAHA. That was easy! Never underestimate Ran Kotobuki!" Her left hand was on her hip now, while her right hand was holding the phone near her ear.
"Don't celebrate yet. The game had just begun. Now, just sit on the chair and relax for a while."
She followed the instruction and even crossed her legs while sitting. She was going to win and teach that madman a lesson.
"Now what is the next challenge?" She was very eager to finish this absurdity as soon as possible.
"It's going to be a guessing game." The madman replied.
She noticed that a woman was holding a tray with two identical white bowls on it, and a bottle of water.
The madman continued speaking. "Just eat the two bowls of noodles and tell me the name of the restaurant or noodle house where they came from. It's as easy as that. You need to get both answers correctly. One wrong answer means that Sayo and Otohata will lose their left hands." He ended the call.
Learning what her next challenge was, a frown became visible on her face. 'Now what?! There are lots of places where these 2 bowls of noodles could come from. This is going to be hard. And is it really safe to eat these? For all I know, he could have put poison in it.' But she has no choice. She needed to eat the noodles.
Without wasting another minute, she got the chopsticks and started eating the first bowl of noodles. Normally, she would greedily eat her food like there was no tomorrow. Normally… But now, she ate slowly, savoring the taste and racking her brain of where could this come from.
'Aha!' She remembered the restaurant where she and Miyu had first eaten to celebrate their newfound friendship a long time ago. They still eat there occasionally with Aya. 'This is from Yunoki's.'
She drank some water and prepared to eat the next bowl of noodles. The second bowl was harder to figure out. 'Is this from Miyagi's or from Megumi's?' She drank some of the soup again. 'Wait…this taste! How could I have forgotten?! That cheater!' She emptied the bowl and drank the remaining water in the bottle.
A few minutes passed then her cellphone rang again. "I think the time I gave you was enough to figure out the answers. Now tell me your answers."
"The first one I've eaten was from Yunoki's restaurant while the other one was from Tatsuki's noodle house! You cheater! You said they were from Shibuya but Tatsuki's can be found in Machida! Did you hurt him?" She was angry. Even after their break-up some years ago, Ran and Tatsuki were able to preserve their friendship. The latter would sometimes come to Shibuya and visit the gang. He would sometimes bring cooked noodles for them.
"I'm impressed. Yunoki's and Tatsuki's are the right answers. Don't be angry. You were able to answer correctly even if I lied that both of them were from Shibuya. And don't worry, 'cause your friend is fine. Now, let's start the last challenge…"
-shshshsh-
In the far end of the warehouse was a room where Sayo and Rei were. The said room was hidden from Ran's view by another divider.
"Rei, what if Ran fails this time?" Sayo asked Rei.
"She wouldn't fail. I know she'll succeed." Sayo smiled at that.
-shshshsh-
In front of her was the long table, with a pen and paper on top of it.
"The timer starts now." One of the men said.
She needed to answer 5 out of 7 questions correctly or else, the madman would cut off Sayo's and Rei's heads.
She finished answering 5 minutes before the allotted time and gave her paper to the man. The man checked her paper then called their boss.
"6 correct answers." She heard the man say. The man then turned his attention towards Ran, "My boss wants to speak with you."
She got the phone and was smirking.
"Congratulations Ran Kotobuki! You have succeeded in completing the challenges. As promised, I'm going to release Sayo. But it seems that we have a problem regarding Rei, as he is not part of the original negotiation." The man paused as if daring her to say something.
The smirk on her face vanished. She wanted to say, 'That is so unfair! Damn you.' But she knew she was in no position to say that, so asked instead, " So what do I have to do?"
"I'm glad you asked…My bodyguards will bring you somewhere then we'll negotiate. Have a nice trip." Then the madman hung up.
-shshshsh-
She was blindfolded again as soon as she reached the car. But she was not handcuffed this time. 'What kind of absurdity will I face this time?! Geez, what a rest day!'
They drove for a while and finally reached their destination. She heard the car door open and someone assisted her to get out. They again walked for a while.
"You can remove the blindfold Ran!" It was Sayo's voice. She was sure of it.
She did as she was told and was face to face with a grinning Sayo. Her sister who was slightly shorter than her, was accompanied by very familiar faces-Yamato, Miyu, Aya, Yuuya, and Tatsuki. Every one of them was holding a red rose.
"Happy anniversary!" Sayo said as she handed Ran, the red rose. The others did the same.
Ran was dumbfounded as she held the 5 roses in her hand. She was just staring at them, disbelief evident on her face.
Her cellphone rang, "Hello."
"Ran Kotobuki, did you like my little surprise?" It was the deep and creepy voice again. But she also heard a voice behind her say the exact words. Though the voice behind her wasn't creepy. And she would recognize that voice anywhere for it belongs to the man she loves. She turned around and saw that Rei was holding a brand new cellphone with a small device attached to it. The small device was none other than a voice changer.
Rei Otohata turned off the phone, "Happy anniversary Ran."
Ran also turned off her phone. "Damn it! I was really worried for you and Sayo!"
Rei remained calm. "But didn't I tell you before that the next time that you forgot our anniversary or my birthday that I would really make you pay?! Don't try to deny that you haven't forgotten our anniversary today…"
"Hmp…Fine…I won't deny it. But seriously, this whole thing is absurd! Making me worried like that!"
"I know you enjoyed taking on the challenges, so I'm not going to apologize. Besides…" Rei suddenly knelt on one knee.
'What the hell is he doing?!' Ran was rooted on the spot.
He continued speaking, "Ran, even though you sometimes make my life miserable, I would be more miserable without you. Even though you're the most annoying woman I've ever met, you're also the most amazing. I know that you already know this, but I'll say it again…I love you…" He paused then reached inside his pocket. He opened the small black velvet box, which encased a beautiful diamond ring. "Ran Kotobuki, will you marry me?"
Ran was speechless. 'Geez! Am I seeing things?!' She pinched her hand and felt the pain. 'Damn it! This is real!'
Rei was patiently waiting for her answer. 'Please say yes.'
Ran was now so absorbed in her own world. 'Am I ready to spend the rest of my life with him…Am I ready to say goodbye to my freedom and be like Miyu and Aya? Do, I love him that much?' The answer was obvious.
She breathed a sigh of relief then answered, "Yes… I will marry you, Rei Otohata." Rei smiled genuinely then put the ring on her finger. The ring fit her perfectly and she gazed at it adoringly.
He stood up, "Thanks Ran." He kissed her on the cheek.
The sound of clapping can be heard from the people in the restaurant. "Congratulations!" They said in unison.
She was slightly blushing but smiled at them anyway.
"By the way Rei, why did your proposal sounded like you were insulting me?! Weren't you supposed to say only my good traits or something like that, when proposing?! If I am like other women, I definitely would have rejected you!" Ran smiled mischievously.
"But you're not like them." His reply was plain and simple.
"I know. But I think it would be more romantic if you just praised my beauty, kindness and left it like that." She teased.
"I know that you don't want to hear mushy things like that. On second thought…do you want me to propose again and tell you that I'll offer you the sun and moon?" He asked, a teasing note evident in his voice.
"Whatever!" She then turned her attention to her sister. "You should treat me to an expensive dinner for a week for making me worry like that, Sayo!"
"But Rei asked for my help! Don't be unfair!" Sayo replied.
"Okay, I'll just eat all of the brownies as your payment." She then looked at Rei, "Expensive dinner for a week! Oh yeah…who were the bodyguards?"
He can't do anything but comply, "All right… They were the bodyguards of my client. Speaking of dinner, I know you're already hungry so let's eat." He led the way to their table (table for two), while the others also found their tables and seats.
Rei pulled the chair for Ran, and before Ran could sit down she whispered, "I still love you, even though you're definitely a madman." She took her seat and had one of the best dinners of her life.
-shshshsh-
AN: Thanks for reading. But you can make this frustrated writer, happier by reviewing! Hehe.