Warnings: Sano/Saitou, Sanosuke+Kaoru, morbid themes, death, dark stuff, angst
Scheduled Suicide
By: Emmy and Erin
Part Two: Kaoru Kamiya
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"The next case." Saitou stated towards me, circling a name on the calendar in red marker. It read in bold, Arial font:
Kaoru Kamiya.
So she was next in line on the calendar? On... I searched the space with a curious eye.
November 1st. In three weeks.
Three weeks to become best friends with this girl and hope to collect something in the inheritance?
Sounded good to me.
Saitou handed me off a packet of information about the girl and more about her than she knew about herself. I honestly wondered how we were able to gather all this information. It ranged from favorite color, to birthday, to every love-interest the person had in their life (puppy love in the 3rd grade included). It was sick that we knew this, hell, I could even look up her choice of fucking underwear. Not that I was really that curious about it...
Saitou handed me over Hiroshi Mitaka's folder with a grin on his face. "Make sure to finish this one up." He stated that coldly and I nodded, walked over my little section in this office building. I sighed as I looked around, after shutting the door.
It was so late; I was tired, but I knew that Saitou was going to punish me if I didn't work on the goddamned report. But after that, maybe... just maybe he would let me go back to his house tonight and sleep there.
I loved his water bed. My back ached, it was something chronic in my family history, and the way that mattress molded to every curve of my back put me in nirvana. Having a warm, muscular, familiar body next to me was another little bonus. He was so fucking rich, the sheets were silk and whenever I went over there I felt like I had died and gone to heaven, even if my chances in heaven were incredibly slim.
When I was with Saitou, everything worked out great.
Really, really great.
I was practically set for life with all the money I had; however, Saitou had assured me time after time that I should have more, and that my work should have paid more. With this in mind I continued this underground gamble.
Most of the time I felt so dirty about it. I knew it would never wash away. The dirt was practically tattooed to my flesh. That was something no number of 'hail Mary's could fix. I frowned as I looked upon the report, this was what I was supposed to be doing, not thinking about what type of a situation I was going to be in.
The report, damnit!
I groaned and pulled a pen to paper, filling out all the required areas quickly. His full name, how he died, what caused the suicide. It all seemed to flow through my mind like a twisted poem, kind of like something Edgar Allen Poe would write. His stuff is so morbid, it makes me wonder if he ever got the damned calendar as well.
I sat there, scribbling my thoughts on that paper for over two hours. I never once looked to see if Saitou was still there. There was no point in doing so. He was never near where I worked, I think he knew he would distract me too much. God damned son of a bitch. He knows everything about me, even stuff he really shouldn't. I decided to make a move and go to see him. So I walked into his office.
"So when do you think you'll end up getting home?" I asked nonchalantly, sitting on the edge of his desk with an impassive look on my face. He looked just as stoic as I did.
"When I'm done working."
"When do you think that'll be?" I asked, leaning closer to him as I did.
"Later."
I groaned, sliding off of the desk. If he hadn't told me by now he didn't want the company. "I'll be heading home now... see you later."
"Wait." His commented slowly and I turned around in anticipation, this had to be it.
"Your other mission for this month." He stated, extending a folder. Damnit, I just knew that something else would come out.
"Next mission, huh?" I drew out slowly, looking over the other sheet. Two people this month. Another one to do.
"And Sanosuke?" Saitou said as I turned around away.
"Yeah?"
"Head over to my house tonight. But I'll be a little late."
I grinned to myself, letting some of the painful tension leave my shoulders.
"Where's the key?"
"Underneath the mailbox. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, babe." I drew out and left the office.
Saitou's house was so huge, I practically got lost every time I set foot into the thing. But I -did- know my way to the bedroom with my eyes closed. The water bed... the silk sheets... the warm, muscular body laying right next to mine.
But at that moment, that warm, desirable body was not there with me. I decided to use this time to take a shower, maybe substitute that warmth.
Once I was done, I wrapped myself up in his towels, then dressed in some of the clothes I left in his closet. I loved smelling like him, it boosted my self-confidence for some reason. I don't really know why, and I don't think I want to go into it. Just something I want to stay away from, go figure.
I didn't really want to sleep just yet. I wanted to stay awake and wait for him to come home. After a hard day at work, I knew one thing he always went for. I grinned as the thought came to mind. I walked into his bedroom and fell back onto the squishy waterbed. It cradled my head and body so well. Like an embrace that didn't quite reach the whole way around. But the only reason it was warm was from my body heat... that made it more like some kind of corpse...
I frowned and rolled onto my side, reaching out and embracing the crushed liquid velvet pillows that matched the crimson bed sheets so perfectly.
I must have drifted off, because when I awoke again Saitou was walking into the room.
He glanced at me, and I wished I could see his eyes. It was a little too dark for that though, and I had no way of knowing what kind of a mood he was in.
I watched his body as he walked around the room, getting rid of the clothes he was wearing. I never moved my head, but he somehow knew I was awake.
"Move over. You can't sleep all over the bed like that." I shifted a bit, but I didn't say anything. You never argue with Saitou, it's a fact of life I learned almost as soon as I met him. But of course, that doesn't mean I do the smart thing all the time.
"Move more." Saitou commanded, I had moved only an inch. I grinned into the pillow.
"Make me." I grumbled as I closed my eyes.
I felt the bed move as he sat down. I waited, wondering just how he was going to make me move.
It came as a swift kick in my side, but it was placed as a kick that pushed me and knocked the wind out of me. It wouldn't bruise.
I hope.
I clenched my side as he slipped in. I wasn't going to say anything, I asked for it. "Damn, Jime, next time say please."
"Hn."
I lay there grumbling about my abusive lover, until I felt I could move without gasping in pain.
"Are you pouting now?" He asked, laying close enough to me that I could feel his breath on my neck, but not close enough that we were touching. I knew that once I admitted I was done being a brat, he would either move closer, or pull me over. Which one it was really depended on his mood.
"Are you done kicking my ass?"
"Stop being immature. It was not your ass, it was your side."
"Damn you and your practicality."
"So are you done?" He persisted again.
I sighed. Decisions, decisions.
"Yeah, I'm done being a brat."
I wanted his warmth...
"Good."
I really had to give in. I wanted him.
His arms fastened around my waist, head resting in the crook of my shoulder. His chest fit against my back perfectly. Flesh against flesh.
I smiled and moved my head to his face, swiping my tongue across his cheek. He tasted like cigarettes, not that I've ever tried to eat them. It's just a taste that I've come to associate him with.
He pulled away from me when I bit his ear, probably a little harder than I should have. I tasted his blood in my mouth, and knew right then that he was bound to get aggressive again...
"That was a bad idea, ahou."
"Have I ever had any good ones?"
He growled and in the dark I could not see his actions, but I could definitely feel them. I could feel his hands running over the scar from when I'd gotten shot, and his teeth sinking into my skin. I moaned, which caused him to change his attention from my neck to my chest.
"I was not aware that you possessed any ideas of your own."
"And I wasn't aware that you wanted to talk."
"Hn. I don't. I was merely making a point." Saitou told me in a low voice, holding my wrists tightly and moving above me. I was pinned.
"Then shut up." I said, and then mouthed with a smirk slapped on my face, 'prick.'
He covered my mouth with his, wiping the words away with his lips. I chuckled against his mouth and lowered my voice.
"At least this is better than that fucking desk at your office..."
"You don't need to be pampered. You're a big boy."
I winked. "Sure am."
He nipped down my neck after revisited my mouth for a deep kiss.
"No one likes a braggart." He added, as an after-kiss after thought. My mouth was open to complain when he spoke again. "No one likes a whining brat, either."
"You don't even know if that's what I was gonna say!" I managed to say, although it was hard to get the words out with Saitou moving his lips in tantalizing patters over my chest.
"I highly doubt you would do anything else."
I mumbled prick again, and got bit in the shoulder for my trouble. He has this fascination with my shoulder and my scar. I have permanent bite marks there from him. It's how he punishes me.
The flesh was so sensitive there and he knew that it really got me. I groaned loudly and arched my back as his tongue plunged into my belly button.
"Damnit, Saitou!" I shouted as his fingernails raked along my flesh. It burned and sent a pleasure down my body, strangely enough.
"Your two new assignments will have to be discrete, you-know-who might have caught wind of our little business." Saitou whispered along my moist skin. He looked up and met my gaze, stopping in the most agonizing way.
"Well, I'll be more cautious." I stated, annoyed that he was doing something OTHER than fucking me.
"You do not understand the extent of seriousness. I was hesitant about whether I would give you that assignment or not." He admitted and I just frowned.
Did he actually think that I couldn't handle it? Saitou never had anything but faith in me. For him to suddenly doubt me like this is disturbing. He must have gotten really close to the truth.
"C'mon, Jime, I know what I'm doing. You know that."
"I also know you've come close to blowing a few of the more profitable assignments."
"But I didn't. So why the hell are you so damn prissy about this?"
He growled, pushing me hard into the mattress, holding me down, his palms on my chest.
"If he comes back, we are both going to have problems."
The intensity of his gaze is what stopped me from arguing any further. "So be careful." He stated once more, voice low and deadly.
I shrugged it off.
"Enough whining, more fucking!"
"Gladly." He stated calmly and leaned down once again, going in for the kill that was me.
Shit, I was sore. I mean, usually I was, but it was nothing like this. He really let me have it... in more than one way...
I groaned, shifting over in the waterbed. I hurt... and the warmth that was Saitou had disappeared. I froze as I smelt cigarette smoke.
... was he still here?"
"Saitou?"
"That is it, moron?"
"What time is it?"
"Either very early or very late, depending on how you look at it."
"Oh. I see."
I didn't really want to just ask him why he was sitting there in a chair, smoking. But it looked like my only choice. He certainly wasn't going to tell me anything otherwise.
"What're you doing?"
"Nothing aside from smoking."
"And nothing else?"
"Nothing that concerns you."
"I see." I twisted a bit more in bed, trying to find a position that didn't hurt like a bitch. One was not forthcoming.
"So... I start the new assignment today, huh?"
"Yes, I want you to meet with Kaoru Kamiya today at breakfast."
"Where am I heading?"
"The Big Boy on 27th street."
"Gotcha."
I paused for a moment, looking over the man for a second more. "Come're, Jime."
He raised an eyebrow, but didn't hesitate. He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. I reached up and stroked along his cheek, just wanting to touch him.
"Come're, Jime." I stated again.
He was being rather obedient this morning, or evening, didn't exactly know which it was, still. Maybe it was because he fucking -pounded- me last night, and he was in a good mood... although I can't say I wouldn't be happy if I got to fuck him...
"Would you like to inform me where exactly I am to come?" He asked me, looking at me with faint amusement in his eyes.
"Here." I pointed to the little bit of space between us, he shifted just enough to fill it up.
"Now give me a good-bye kiss." I ordered, knowing that I was pushing my luck.
"You seem to be very aggressive today." He observed, not kissing me like I had told him to.
"So? I thought you liked it when I played with you."
"I do, but not when I feel you're doing it because you want something."
I scowled and turned away, pouting like a little boy.
I heard him make an annoyed sound from behind me and the next thing I knew was his strong arms wrapping around my waist, and his lips on my neck... sucking and moving lower. I moved my head to kiss him straight on, our lips collided in a mind-numbing way. After I was much more than breathless, I pulled away, but I was still held tight in his warm embrace.
I watched him over my shoulder for a moment, catching my breath.
"Thanks for that kiss, Jime..."
"Now get to work, ahou."
"What?!" I demanded, still not knowing what time it was. "This early, or late?"
"You have things to do, things to prepare. Go back to your house and do the research you need to do." He ordered gruffly.
But something that I noticed was the fact that he still hadn't let me go from his arms. I leaned back and captured his lips with mine. "Can't." I replied when that was done.
His eyes narrowed, and he pulled me closer, hands hurting my shoulder.
"And why is that?"
"I have a previous engagement."
"What?" He growled, eyes angry.
"Laying here, recovering after a long night of having my ass abused." I grinned at him as he tossed me back on the bed.
"Are we going to have to abuse that ass a little more to remind you just what a sore ass really is?"
I leaned up, smiling all the while and nipped at his neck. "I think a reminder may just be in order..."
"You're just a horny little brat."
"So what if I am? You're the one that seems to keep me around."
"Of course." he leaned down and kissed me roughly. I smiled. Here came another rough pounding...
"Mmm, 'Jime."
"I told you, don't call me that." He growled
I nodded quickly, "Slip of the tongue."
"Then I'll have to control that tongue." Saitou quickly snapped, stealing another deep kiss. I groaned against his touch and felt my grip on reality slip away slowly.
When I was with Saitou, he was all that I knew, and all that I wanted to know.
He was my life, nothing else mattered. I didn't care about the calendar, the suicides, the victims, or even myself. He's always been able to do this to me, and I guess I should be angry about it, but I can't be. He was my warmth. It's cold warmth, but it's warmth.
It wanted more, and he knew that. But he enjoyed teasing me, and I knew that if I went along with it, I could get what I wanted. Saitou's nice to me in that way, he enjoys playing, but he never tortured me and held out.
He's always been there, to hold me, to listen to me, to fuck me when I needed to be fucked. Always there...
I curled up next to him as he continued to kiss me, holding me tightly, and roaming his hands over my body. He claimed me once again.
Like every night... I was his... I belonged to him, and him to me. Like an unspoken bond... but there was no love. We were strong, love was for the weak, and would lead to death... something that we lived next to every moment.
"God, Saitou." I bit my tongue as I nearly called out 'Jime'. He noted that in my voice, and claimed my lips, drowning my words with his mouth so I couldn't slip again...
Whenever I opened my mouth, I had a problem, not able to contain the stray 'Jime's that begged to slip.
But there was Jime, watching my back.
Eeh... Saitou.
I don't mean to call him that, it just kind of slips out. I never call people by their real names, I always have to give them nicknames. He knows that, but he still forces me to call him Saitou.
Soemwhere in the house, one of his clocks chimed, telling us it was going on five. We must have lost track of time... or he hadn't been telling me the correct time... As soon as he heard the damned bell, Saitou pulled away, leaving me unhappy and unsatisfied.
I hate five in the morning. I sometimes think of it as my own, personal curse. Five is when he get up, officially, nothing can keep him in bed. Not me, not an injury, not an illness. Nothing.
Five, every morning. At this point, I didn't even procrastinate. I could never win. The day I could get Saitou to stay in bed with me was the all the rogue suicides came to claim my soul.
Both were impossible, and I knew that.
I groaned as he left and I prepared myself for a cold shower. I was slow to leave the warmth, the comfort of the water bed, but it was almost painful to stay here with the hard-on I had.
By the time I finally got out of bed, Saitou had called from the other room, "Go ahead and help yourself to breakfast."
And then he was gone.
I nodded to myself and hopped into that cold downpour of water. It felt even worse than before, but that would soon be over. After all, pain is only temporary.
Even if the water was cold, it felt good. Washed me clean of whatever traces of the last victim were still clinging to me, and it cleared the smoky smell off of my body. That's the only thing I dislike about Saitou, how much he smoked. It seems like overtime I end up just about breaking though his walls, he starts smoking again and my brain fogs up with all that damn smoke.
I left after my shower, not bother to eat, I'm usually not awake this early in the morning, and when I am, I'm not hungry. I'll get something to eat later, probably with the Kaoru girl. I as supposed to eat breakfast with her anyway, wasn't I?
His house loomed behind me when I drove off. It was still too early to head to the meeting place, I couldn't show up and just sit there until she come. It would look like I was stalking her. Saitou would kill me if I got arrested for something like that.
But that didn't mean that I couldn't wait outside for her to arrive... If I hung out in the car I'd be all right. And that's what I did. I sat back in the car, cranked up the radio and waited. She would be there sooner or later. It didn't say in the report just how much of an early bird she was... I yawned, and sung along with the song silently.
I fiddled with the files, looking over her picture a moment later. That was when I car pulled in.
A small, little blue Chevy. It heard the clicking of heels before I actually saw her. She was walking out of the car in a white and pastel-trimmed suit. She gripped her purse tightly to her shoulder as she walked towards the restaurants.
I turned the car off, locked the doors, and behind the girl in no time.
I had a little date book in my hand.
I jogged over, "Miss Kamiya? Kaoru Kamiya?" I asked, and she spun around with a slightly startled expression on her face.
"Yes? What is it?"
"Thank god I found you! I found your planner yesterday and I thought I should return it!"
She smiled at me, "Thank you very much... "
"Sanosuke."
"Thanks, Sanosuke!"
I smiled at her, opening the door to the restaurant. She was a pretty girl, and if I had been interested in girls, she would have caught my eyes.
I slipped in behind her, noting how nice the place was. Good thing I liked the place, I had a feeling I would be there often.
Now, I had to figure out what I could say to get her to stay with me.
"Um... I'm sorry for being so forward, but when I was looking through your planner for a name, I couldn't help but notice that you had an appointment with Doctor Gensai. I was thinking about changing doctors, could you give me a referral?"
She blinked. "Oh, that wouldn't at all... would you like to eat with me?"
Score! And here I thought it was going to take a couple of tries!
"Oh, if you would let me, I don't want to sound strange, or anything, but--"
"Oh, no! It's all right! Have a seat!"
We sat at the table, I opened the menu to scan for something to eat. It was still too early for me to be hungry, but I had to order something. If I didn't, it would look funny.
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did you know who I was? There wasn't a picture of me in my planner, and I don't think I've seen you before."
I was wondering when this question was going to come up.
"You dropped it in the parking lot, so I asked a coupla people if they knew you. From the description, I knew it had to be you. After all, how many beautiful girls like you there could there be?" God, I was making myself sick with all this shit.
But then again, I always could flirt, if all else failed I always had my undeniable charms to fall back on...
She blushed softly and looked down at the floor.
"Thank you for the compliment. I don't know what to say, but thank you." She paused and then cleared her throat to bring up something else. I could see she was a girl who handled compliments well. That was cute.
"Now what exactly were you wondering about Doctor Gensai? Where do you go now?"
"Doctor Takani. At least I did until... /that/ happened..."
"Oh... you mean her suicide...?" She spoke in a low voice.
"Yeah. Until... that."
She was another one of my victims... a victim that fell hard, running into oncoming traffic. Wasn't always the best way to go... I think she realized that a little too late...
Across from me, Kaoru's eyes became watery, and she took a deep breath to calm herself down.
"It was so sad She was so happy. Did you know she had recently fallen in love? She thought the guy was gonna propose. But he didn't even show up to her funeral. He's such a jerk."
Yeah, that would be me too.
"Hm, do you know anything about the man that did that to her? That's terrible..." I coaxed my voice in worry and let it drip...
"Not as much more than the average passer-by. All I know is that no one has heard of him or seen him since."
"What a bastard."
I really tried to keep my lips from forming a smile as I spoke.
It was kind of funny, now that I thought about it I could remember Megumi talking about a college friend named Kaoru. I just hadn't made the connection 'til now. And although I hadn't, I knew Saitou most likely had.
"What about you? When you were in her office, did you ever see a picture of him or anything?"
"No... I asked her about it one time, and she said that he really didn't like cameras... She kept protesting to him this he was gorgeous, and I guess he was, but he always politely declined... He seemed like the perfect guy, really."
"Hmm, what did she say about him?"
This conversation was not going the way I wanted it to.
"Umm... she said he was gorgeous, funny, and sexy. That's all I really remember. But why are we talking about all this morbid stuff? What about you? Ever had a love of your life?"
She blushed and hung her head, cheeks glowing. "Once, quite a long time ago. His name was Kenshin. I loved him so much."
"He?" She asked, blinking.
I nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, he. We were prefect for each other, really. I was a hot head, he was laid-back, I was loud, he was quiet. I was feisty, he was so sweet..." I sighed and then allowed my face to take on a hurt one. "But we had to end it..."
"Oh, why?"
My stomach crunched as I remembered that. I had buried it a long, long time ago, but it never went away. It was still there, hurting like a bitch
"There were... problems with our jobs. Our schedules were different, and there was an outside... force that didn't want us to be together."
Yeah, Saitou can be a real jackass when something doesn't go his way.
"Job conflicts? What do you do for a living?"
Shit. I hadn't thought of this problem. Shit. Shit. Shit.
"Actually, he worked for the government, and he couldn't always tell me what he was doing and when he would be back. I work as a photographer, and I go all over too. It was just hard to deal with and then when I got hurt..." I had to stop from smiling at the pity in her eyes. Pity is a wonderful thing.
Pity gave me an opening for even more pity. If she didn't like me, she would pity me, and this was genuine pity that I would be able to use to my advantage.
"When I got hurt, you see... he couldn't deal with it. He was never there to help me, and then he had to leave, his work took him away from me."
"I'm sorry... how long ago did this happen?"
"Two years."
"I'm sorry, has there been anyone else in your life since then, if you don't mind me asking..."
"Well... one other guy, but that went badly too."
"How so?"
"He held my relationship with Kenshin against me. After a while, I couldn't stand it anymore. He would ask about our relationship at the dumbest times, like during sex. I just got fed up with it."
Her eyes reflected her sympathy, and I couldn't have been happier. I had to look into my coffee cup, cause if I looked at her I would have burst into laughter.
"Why would he do something like that?"
I shrugged.
"I don't know, he was always like that. I always had to explain everything I did to him. He's always unsatisfied with what I do, so I decided not to try anymore."
"Oh, I see."
Silence for a bit.
"You said earlier you were hurt. What happened?"
"I got into an accident. I was at a crime scene taking photographs and well... the murderer decided to come back. It was a lovers suicide, or at least that's what it was supposed to be, but the gun only had two bullets in it and one misfired. He came back to kill himself along side his already dead lover. Really messy business. He shot himself at pointblank. It tore through him, and then pierced right through my chest, rupturing one of my lungs. Kenshin was never there for that... I spent three months in the hospital. And do you know how many times he came to visit me? Once, at the very end. While I was there, they found some sort of cyst in my body. They had to remove that too... easy to say those three months weren't the greatest... but that was when I met Saitou."
She blinked.
"Saitou? That sounds familiar."
"How so? I guess it's a common last name."
"Why don't you call him by his first name if he's your lover?"
"He doesn't let me."
Her eyebrows rose to the top of her forehead, and she blinked a few times. "He doesn't let you? How long have you been together?"
"Close to two years."
"Close to two years, and you're not allowed to call him by his first name?"
"He's a control freak. But enough about me. What about you?"
"I've never really had a love interest."
"Never?"
"Not really, no. I've been too busy going to school and taking care of my younger brother. He's really troublesome, but at the same time, he's sweet."
Great. She had a little brother. Looks like I'm going to have to deal with that too. I hate kids.
"You have a little brother? That's great! What's his name?"
"Yahiko." She said quickly, and took a sip out of the cup seating in front of her. "He's not what you would think... in fact, he was adopted into my family. His parents were killed in a drive-by and we knew his family. He always acts so tough, and independent, but he's really afraid, I know that."
Heh, sounds like someone I used to know.
"Kids are all like that, those little buggers." I said, chucking, while inwardly cringing. This was proving to be more of a chore than what I thought...
"Kaoru, is that all you do? You don't have any interest of having a love interest at all?"
"Well... I think it would be nice, but I'm not really going to pursue it or anything."
"True love is always supposed to come to you, you know."
She looked at me, eyes wide in confusion. "Do you mean to tell me that you still believe in true love after those two men?" He eyes were opened wide, coffee cup held in her hand.
I waved mine in front of me, like I was trying to push her suggestion out of the air. "I never said that, missie, yer the one that came up with that idea."
"But do you believe in true love?"
Damnit. Why the hell did she have to ask me that. That was one of the questions I didn't know the answer to. Damnit.
"I don't know. What about you? Ever had that feeling?"
"What feeling?"
"The feeling of you and that person being the only two people in the universe... that light-headed feeling you get when you think about them. That feeling inside that gives you the giggles for no reason whatsoever. The feeling you get when you can't do anything but think of them, you know. That feeling."
Kaoru blinked.
"I'd say that you've been in love, Sanosuke. Which one of the two was it that took your heart?"
I faltered. Where the hell had that little story I just gave her come from?
Oh well...
Better not to think about it now. Hook, line, and sinker.
"I don't know..." I admitted, for once telling the truth to this poor girl. I try to do that at least once with the victims. It's one quirk that I have, but one I have yet to tell Saitou about.
"How can you not know? It's love, Sanosuke! How do you not know who you're in love with?!"
I shrugged, "It's complicated."
"You could always tell me about it."
"I'd rather not. it's still kinda painful to talk about."
Silence overtook the table, both of us finishing off the little left in our coffee cups. The silence made me uncomfortable, but at least she'd stop with the questions that made me so damned confused.
"May I take your order?" A perky waitress greeted with a smile. "Oh, hello Kaoru-chan!"
"Hello Tae! Um, I'd like a breakfast number 5, please."
"And you, sir?"
Shit, I hadn't thought of what to order.
"I'll have the number five as well." I was glad she broke the silence, even if we'd revisit it again...
This gave me time to think...
"And what would you two like to drink?"
"Milk!" Kaoru ordered quickly and once again, I stated, "Same."
They must have thought I was some weird kind of stalker...
The waitress quickly exited and I was there to looked at Kaoru. "Sorry I copied your order... I didn't mean to. Actually, it's funny. You ordered just what I was going to order. We must be connected psychologically, huh?" I said with a smile, laying on the charm once again.
She laughed, a really sweet laugh and then nodded. "We must be. How else would you have found me here at this exact moment, right?"
"Yeah, destiny sure has a weird way of working things out, doesn't it?"
I nodded, and look out the window.
"Damn, I love fall." I commented over to Kaoru who nodded.
"The colors are really beautiful. But I prefer spring. Things are so alive then... it's not like they're dying, in fall. But those leaves in fall give everyone their last glimmer of life."
"It's always good to go out with a bang, huh?"
"Oh no, we're on the topic of death again, aren't we? So, tell me a little bit about yourself, Sanosuke."
Hm, I didn't even steer it toward death this time. I guess death really follow me like a dog.
"Ummm... what do you want to know?"
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-three."
"Okay, when's your birthday?"
"February twenty-seventh."
"Family?"
"None."
"Really? No one?"
"Nope."
She looked so sad for me, it was pathetic. Especially considering the fact that my family was not dead, there was just an ocean between us.
"Oh. I see. Where are you from, originally?"
"Tokyo." Yeah, then I ran away when I was ten, joined a gang, and came over here as soon as I got the money. But she didn't need to know that.
"Why did you travel here?" She asked, right as the waitress brought our drinks back. She took a sip and I thought for a moment... I was going to have to think up a really good lie for this one... the truth was simply out of the question.
"I wanted to study abroad, at Harvard."
"Wow! Really!?" She exclaimed, folding her hand together.
"Yep." I replied easily.
"What are you majoring in?"
"Majored." I quickly corrected.
Her eyes widened, "Did you drop out? Why?"
"Well, my major was in law, and after two years I just realized that I didn't want to do it anymore. It didn't speak to me."
She blinked, "What do you do now?"
"Free lance stuff, whatever I can find. But my boyfriend supports me, over all."
"I never thought that would happen, from the way you talked about him. But that's okay. I'm glad he's doing something for you. What does he do for a living?"
Oh, he just tells me who to stalk so I can get their inheritance when they kill themselves.
"He's... a financial advisor."
"Really? No wonder he can support you. Where did you two meet?"
"We met at the hospital. One of his clients was there, and we kinda ran into each other."
"That's interesting."
"I guess. I dunno, I never really think about how we met. I tend to think more about what we're gonna do next."
"That's a good philosophy."
Too bad it wasn't true.
"Thank you." I said quickly and it was then that the food was set in front of us. It was time to eat, and at least this way I could think when I was politely chewing my food.
-------------------
I quickly walked out of the Big Boy with a frown slapped on my face. Not only had I graciously footed the bill, I had talked with her non-stop about some really boring shit. I hated acting this much. With the guys, I didn't really have to act that much, but girls always had to be pampered, praised and right.
It was hard to please someone that early in the morning with your body about ready to go to sleep, another appointment to keep, and a sore ass.
I hopped back into my car and pulled out of the parking lot. I flipped on my cell phone and punched in a familiar number.
Saitou number.
It rang no more than five times, and then Saitou picked up.
"How did it go?" He asked quickly.
"Sickeningly well."
"How so?"
"She bought it all. Every last thing, right down to my sob story about how I ended up meeting Megumi."
"The doctor from last year?"
"Yeah, I guess they went to college together or some shit like that."
"I see. And did she seem suspicious at all?"
"No, but I need another hundred bucks."
"A hundred dollars? Why? I hardly think breakfast cost you that much."
"It didn't, but I'm gonna take her back out later tonight. I need money."
"I see. Come back to the office and I will give you all you need."
"Kay. See you in twenty minutes."
I hung up the phone and pressed my foot to the gas, getting back to HQ faster than I ever had before. After all, if I got there a little earlier, that would mean more time to talk to Saitou, and now that I felt glazed by sap I needed to get rid of it...
And that was one thing that Saitou never hesitated to do.
He never looked a gift horse in the mouth when it came to sex. I had no idea why either...
When it came to everything else, he had this icy shield of control that no one could penetrate.
But why sex?
It never made sense to me. But for a old man, he sure seemed horny. Guess he was never going to need any Viagra in his old age. That was definitely a plus.
I sped up the car as I neared the building, skidding into the parking lot. I had the best luck with traffic lights today.
All green.
I was speeding, there was no doubt about that, but there were no cops. That was probably for the best too, Saitou would kill me if I showed up with a ticket. It was hard enough for him to explain how he got such a shit load of money, when his job shouldn't even give him half of that.
Ten minutes, and I was parking the car.
After eleven minutes I was heading up the stairs.
Twelve minutes and I was greeting his secretary.
Then, about twelve and a half minutes I was opening the door to his office not bothering to knock. I never did, he always got pissed, but he always knew it was me. You've gotta love those telepathic abilities. But they suck when you're trying to plan a surprise.
"Hey, Saitou. I wasn't sure if you were going to give it to me now, or use my card to wire it into my account."
"Why would I need you here if I was going to wire it to you?"
"Because ya wanted to see me," I said, giving his a saucy wink, sitting on the edge of his desk.
"You flatter yourself, ahou. Tell me about the Kamiya girl, how do you think she will break?" He asked, pulling out his wallet.
I shrugged my shoulders, what a way to think about it. How will this one kill herself. "I'm thinking that, since she's one of those quiet one, she's going to do something drastic. It's always the quiet ones, ya know."
Saitou pulled out a twenty dollar bill. "From her background information, I can see her downing in her bathtub."
"Why's that?"
"Call it a hunch."
"How much of an inheritance could I get from her?"
"Enough. Believe me."
When Saitou says believe me, I know I've hit pay dirt. In fact, the last time he said that, we brought in ten million, from one man. We went on a two month vacation after that one, that consisted of more fucking than sight-seeing.
"Saitou, what did you mean about the bathtub?" That was bothering me, he could normally predict these things pretty well, and he always had a reason for saying what he did. This time I didn't want to wait until she was dead. I wanted to know now.
"Her father did the same, a few hours after her mother died. It appears that if something were to happen to her brother, she would follow in his footsteps."
My eyes widened, and I took a step closer to the desk. "You want me to kill her brother?! What the hell are you thinking?! I can't do that! The kid's, like, ten!"
"And as so, does not have a place in this world, or a following of people to mourn him."
I stood there, mouth hanging open. He was so damned calm about this, but it made me sick inside. Absolutely sick.
"What the hell am I supposed to do?! Poison the kid?"
"He has a history of running into the street without looking for cars. He has narrowly escaped with his life quite a few times. Eventually, his life has to run out."
"I couldn't kill a kid!"
"How long have you been in the business? How many people's deaths have you aided in? How many life times do you have in prison if the authorities ever found out about the calendar? Do you have any idea what would happen? What's one more, you want to continue to live like you are, as one of the strong people that actually deserve what they get. Are you backing out?"
"Damnit, Saitou! A kid is different!" I expelled, scooting off his desk and placing my hands on my hips. I glared at him and then quickly crossed by arms, walking over to the window Saitou had over the city. This wasn't right... you couldn't murder a kid... you just could... it didn't bother me to slip in a little too much medicine to older people to cause devastation in the family, they had lived. They were going to die anyway.
And that sort of situation made people's guard's drop. At that point they go for whatever kind of comfort that they can get, and I was just the man they needed. That's what had happened with Megumi. I met her grieving over her family's death in a terrible car accident. People never really knew how frequently those things happened. But I did, I was an inside source.
I could hear Saitou's chair slide backwards and him get up. He walked over to me and closed the blinds, I could no longer see the city. But I didn't turn away from the blinds. I waited for him to say something worth hearing before I turned around.
"Are you going to do it or not?"
I turned around, looking at him. "You're the background investigator. You don't know how it feels to be the one to cause all the suicides."
"You know nothing of that, Sanosuke. Before you joined me, I did everything. I have been in this game longer than you'll ever know. You have no reason to whine about this assignment."
I glared up at him, and spat out quickly, "I am not whining!"
"Then quit pouting. An assignment is an assignment, no matter what the requirements are. And to complete the assignment, you must complete all the requirements. Do you understand that?"
"Yes!" I shouted. I didn't care if I drew attention to him. "But he's a kid, Saitou! When I started here, you said it would go in tiny steps, that I wouldn't have to do anything drastic right off the bat! So first you started me off doing background shit! Then it went to poisoning people, to create the suicides! Then it went to actually doing the suicides! Now you want me to kill a ten year old kid! There ain't no way in hell I'm gonna do that! It'd be like killing my little brother or son! You're TWISTED to kill family!!"
Shit. I should not have said that. I forgot about what happened to Saitou... I forgot and I'm going to die because of it. His son, Okita, his wife, Tokio... Shit!
"Saitou, I didn't mean it how it sounded." I pleaded. How could I have been so stupid?! How?! Okita died before he was even five years old, Tokio went nuts, drowned him in the bathtub... killed herself... Saitou was at work... he still hated himself for not being there. How could I mention family to him?
"You said that I have no idea about what's going on. You're fucking wrong." His voice was low and I hung my head, wishing that I had a filter between my brain and my mouth. This was the event that started him in on the calendar... and the thing that made him so bitter... I didn't know him then, there was no way that I could have. I would have been a little older than Okita.
"I'm sorry. I had no right to say that." I said. That was the only thing that I didn't want to harass Saitou about. I respected him, and I might give him a hard time once in a while, he did the same. But I had crossed the line...
He didn't say anything but turn his back to me. Great, the silent treatment. This was so much worse than what he could have done. I would have rather been yelled at or beaten then given the silent treatment. I walked up to him, his back was turned to me. I wanted to say something... anything...
I looked down to the ground once more and then spoke up.
"Where is the kid now?"
----------------------------
End of part two