Catch Me Before I Fall
Chapter 02
Doppleganger(s)?
Kishi Mamoru's POV
"I-I choose…"
Hearing the hesitation in her voice, I only turned my eyes her way, seeing the conflicted expression on her face when her eyes met mine. Oh no…I made eye contact…
"I would like to choose you," was what she said that night.
Author's Note: Good evening there, I'm very sorry to interrupt but I would like to make a quick announcement regarding this update. Actually, I began to feel that I should inform you all, those who have decided to read this fic here, that I have completely lost my way from when I first began in the beginning. Or, I don't know how to word this, but I knew exactly where I wanted to go with this story, but because I took this route and then I completely based the first chapter off of the prologue, I couldn't find it in me to continue writing because I knew…in my own heart, I don't want to rewrite and paraphrase already written work that the lot of you have probably already read tons of times prior to this.
So I want to make the announcement that the lot of this chapter will be a brief reminiscence until the real story begins, the story I wanted to carry on instead of the story we've all read had we purchased the Kishi Mamoru's main story route.
Hopefully, I do not get carried away and write a ton before I reach the point where I want to begin the real story. I'm writing on a whim here (like always) and most likely won't come back to edit this author's note because I want to update this story as soon as possible. I want to thank all you are waiting for this update and the coming update and that I hope you look forward to what I have in store for you all. And I want to personally thank the guest for reviewing and reminding me that Catch Me Before I Fall still exists and that I still have feelings for it (because Mamoru's my husband, but I don't mind sharing) and to the person who sent me a message. I know it took a very long time, but I'm taking this first step back into it now.
Thank you for reading and supporting me and I hope that you all have a wonderful evening, morning, or after noon wherever it is that you are.
There are these words she once told me, I don't think I'll ever forget them at all either…
"Don't you feel like it's your duty to protect people?! Pft, 'protect', if I was your mother, I'd be disappointed in myself for giving you such a name. ("Mamoru" means "to protect/protection".) Don't you even have one shred of integrity?"
…because…
I'll never forget everything I had put her through…
"HOW COULD YOU! HOW YOU COULD DO THIS TO ME?! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"
…I'll never forget the pain in my chest when I watched her cried, heard her scream, and saw her weep…
…I don't think I'll ever forget that at all…
After having this kid forced upon my care, I could have never imagined the opportunity that came with it. She was sold to me by the AID and now they wanted her back, a chance I could have never expected in this lifetime. Almost immediately, I sold her back.
It's not like I wanted her in the first place anyways…
And besides, I had a plan…
If only I… If only I had done a better job of protecting her…
She's right…if I was my own mother, I'd be disappointed at myself as well… Because even I, a man named Mamoru, don't have the right to this name…
"I don't want you to touch me…" She wouldn't even let me comfort her anymore… And even as we escaped the compound together, she wouldn't even let me hold her hand. And when I carried her out of there, I could feel her shaking and crying. "…Just the thought of you touching me pains me…"
I was too late.
I lost her before I could even have her…
I will never forgive myself for the pain that I had put her through because, because of me…
It disgusts me to even think about it…
…she was taken by Aida…and disappeared with a child in her womb…all without telling me.
"DON'T TOUCH ME! DON'T TOUCH ME!"
And now…it's been seven years since I last saw her.
Grumbling from being awoken from my name, I groggily answered the buzzing phone.
"What?"
"Hey, Mamo!" I sighed out in annoyance at the sound of Baba's cheerful voice. "I got a thief down here, mind coming down to arrest the guy?"
"Huh? That's funny comin' from you. What're you callin' me for? Call the cops!"
Baba only laughed at me before continuing on, "Well, I figured, you might wanna come down and see who the criminal is yourself."
I sighed out, opening my eyes to the light of day, rolling them. "Give me the short of it, who is it?"
"It's a surprise!" he exclaimed, "Come and find out!"
And with that, he hung up on me.
"God dang it!" Grumbling and groaning out, I stretched on the couch before getting off of my ass, making various complaints and I left my penthouse room.
"Alright, what do we got here?" Lazily trudging into the empty convenient store, I looked around and saw Baba and a child sitting in the corner. "Where's the perp?"
"Welcome, Mamo!" called Baba as he gestured to the small child, "This here is the criminal." My eyes narrowed suspiciously at the child. At the word "criminal", the child's head dropped lower. What kind of sick game was he playing with me? Approaching the counter, Baba took out what looked like a grade schooler's backpack and flipped over a contact information card. "Obviously, I wouldn't have actually called the cops on a kid, but when he wouldn't speak, I took a look at his bag and thought you might wanna see this too."
I took a look at the contact information card. The child's name is 篠宮貴志. "Shinomiya…Kishi…"
"Haha, right?" Baba beamed at me, "I mean, there's no furigana, but I read it that way too. You should take a look at the mother's name."
I looked at the contact info and saw that his mother's name was listed as 篠宮梢. When I saw that name, it felt as though my heart had stopped. I took a look at the child and if Kozue had the child, the age range was just right… Somehow…looking at that bastard child made my angry…
"I don't know about you, but I read it as Shinomiya Kozue," Baba added as he placed the bag back next to the child. "I even checked her employment history back at the hotel and, though there's no furigana, her name is written with the same characters. Of course, I could be wrong too. I already contacted the mother, should be here soon."
Bee boh!
"I'm so sorry, I rushed here as soon as I could!"
My ears twitched when I heard that voice, heaving in and out as she tried to catch her breath. Somehow, I was afraid to turn around and face her. The fact that Baba's eyes widened in shock didn't help me as the child rushed past me into the arms of his mother.
"Mommy! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"
"How could you!" …that voice… I suddenly remembered when that voice and those words were directed towards me. "Atsushi! What in the world were you thinking?"
'Atu…shi'? Slowly, I turned around and stared down at the woman who squatted down to her son's level in order to scold him. Her hair was different, in fact, it was an entirely different color compared to the woman I remembered. Rather than straight black, it was more of a dark copper color… Her hair style was different too. It was shorter and she looked more professional. She looked like a regular office woman in that pinstriped suit of hers and her designer purse.
"You knew better than this! I know you did! What in the world made you do this? Who taught you to steal?"
With pins and needles pricking at my face, I only simply watched as Aida's kid's face contorted with tears and boogers before hiding himself in his mother's embrace, apologizing for what he did wrong. I almost gasped out loud as I backed up when Kozue stood up with her child in her arms, bowing to Baba and I, apologizing on behalf of her son. "I'm so sorry, I don't know how this could've happened. I am willing to pay for anything and everything he took. I'll make sure this never happens again." She bounced up and down on her feet as she patted the boy's back, staring at Baba and I in concern.
Baba only stared at her with a serious expression on his face before pointing to himself. "You don't…remember me?" His eyes narrowed, confused by the not so sentimental greeting he probably expected. "Or him?" Baba pointed at me and Kozue only looked at me with those brown eyes of her. Her eyes narrowed in confusion before she shook her head at Baba.
"I'm sorry," she apologized with a concerned expression, "I'm not sure any of us has met before."
"Kozue…" I accidentally blurted out her name and she looked at me with widened eyes.
"Oh!" My eyes narrowed… "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have introduced myself. I get that a lot actually, but my name is not Kozue. I'm Shinomiya Katsuya. If my arms weren't full, I'd hand you my business card. I have no excuse for what my son has done so I am willing to pay whatever I need to in order to get past this incident."
Baba only smiled in confusion before waving his hand, "Oh no, actually, I don't mean any trouble. I'm just glad that the boy was caught by me and not by some big bully instead. He's free to go."
"Are you sure?" she asked. But that voice of hers… "I don't mean to turn down your kindness, but I have more integrity than that. Please let me pay for any damage my son has done."
Integrity…
"Well, he didn't really do anything wrong besides trying to shoplift some candy, but he can have it. It's on me. Looked like he really wanted it."
"Oh, no. It's not your job to spoil him, but mines. Just let me pay for it. It's actually perhaps my fault he got carried away. My mother-in-law has been in the hospital nearby for a while and I can only assume my son got tired of always being there to watch after with me."
"Oh? Where's your husband? I noticed that there wasn't any contact information about him."
I eyed Ko…this woman, waiting to hear the words from her lips, as she reached into her purse for her wallet. She smiled bitterly, breaking eye contact with Baba before paying for some candies for her kid. "I lost him a couple years ago in an accident…but that's none of your business."
Baba winced and handed her the candy in a bag and her change. "You're right, I'm sorry to pry."
Katsuya only shook her head slightly as she took her items, "It's alright. It's not a big deal. I'm sorry for the trouble. I'll make sure it won't happen again. Thank you."
"Thank you for coming. Please visit again."
I watched as she nodded her head to Baba and for a moment, our eyes met again and she smiled to me…just the way Kozue used to…and nodded her head before walking away with her son.
"Well…" Baba spoke as he crossed his arms, watching them go. "Even I don't know what to say about that either…"
I sighed out and grabbed a pack of cigarettes before leaving the shop.
"Hey!"
"You owe me a pack for wastin' my time."
No matter how I look at it, there's no way that could've been her. Kozue disappeared in order to have an abortion. …but that child has Shinomiya's name. Or could I also be reading that name wrong too!
Rubbing my entire face with my hands, I sigh out and popped my neck and shoulders.
"Atsushi, you know that stealing is wrong, right?"
"Yes…"
"I need you to tell me why."
"…because…" I stopped and leaned against the corner of a building, eavesdropping on the conversation. "…I'm sick of being in the hospital! I hate being there! Everyone's pretending to be nice and cheerful but it's full of sick people who are dying! I hate that place!"
"Atsushi!" Out of curiosity, I peaked around the corner to see if she was going to slap her kid but watched as she pulled the kid into her arms… …that's…the kind of mother I had imagined Kozue to be… "I'm sorry…" Those pained eyes of hurts… Just seeing them pained me as well… "I'm so sorry…I know it's hard. I know it's difficult. I'm so sorry. But you have to endure with me. I know you that you can do it. You're strong enough. Before we know it, it'll all be over soon."
"Mommy…" That small kid wrapped his arms around his mother's shoulders. "Grandma's not getting any better, is she?"
There was silence between them for a small while before Kozu…she pulled back and smiled at the boy. "Are you kidding me?" My eyes widened, remembering that face and that voice once more. It was all the same. "Grandma's getting stronger every day! Before you know it, she'll be able to come home again. Just you wait and see! Come on, we don't want Grandma to get lonely now, do we?"
"No, Mommy." I watched them walk away, hand in hand. "Mommy, is it okay for me to share my candy with Grandma?"
"No, I'm sorry, A-chan. Grandma's on a very strict diet now. She can't eat that stuff anymore."
"Don't call me that, Mommy! It's embarrassing…!" I almost wanted to chuckle when the boy pulled back in annoyance before trudging along next to his mother. "…even if she doesn't have to chew it?"
"Heehee," her laugh… "Even if she doesn't have to chew it."
I stepped out from behind the corner and watched her walk away happily with her son's hand in hers. I wanted to follow her…
I really wanted to follow her, but I didn't…
I couldn't…
Even if she was Kozue…I don't have the right to…
Especially if, there was that doubt, she wasn't Kozue…
Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep…
"Mommy..." Within the dark hospital room where an elderly woman slept peacefully with a small boy in her arms, a young woman held onto her frail hand in her owns. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry…"
"GOD DAMN IT!" Groaning out in annoyance, I picked up the phone and groggily answered it, "What is it now?"
"Kishi! There's a problem, we need you now!"
"I don't want the case."
"That's too bad, I want you on it."
In the middle of this goddamn night, I approached a tall, shining building that glimmered in the stupid moonlight that was surrounded by police cars and glass all over the ground. Walking past the yellow tape and crowd of officers and other detectives, I met up with my boss. Or should I say…my new boss since the old one took the can.
"Hey, Kishi," he greeted.
"Yo."
Together, we walked into the building where he lead me over to a monitor control room where many other detectives flooded, walking past a group of tied up guys who looked like they lost a fight with a chicken. I pushed past them all with my boss as he explained the situation to me.
"Figured you'd still be chasing after the AID with your history and thought you might be interested with this." On one screen, a couple of video feeds were playing on repeat with sound on.
"What is the AID planning to do with this information?"
My eyes squinted down at the slender figure in the video, towering over a group of tied up men. The voice belonged to a woman, but she was speaking through a mask that even masked her voice… She had her long, blonde locks pulled up into high pony tail.
In the next camera, it had her in very fast paced fight with all four men, awing the guys here as she kicked all their asses until she was kicked out of a shattering window and swung back in.
Wait, what?
I pushed in closer and rewind the video, watching as she flew out and swung back in. I even slowed it down, catching a small glint. She used a line to swing herself back in through another window. I paused the video just as her flew in. Because the video was slow down, what should have been a sharp sound muffled out when I replayed it. She shot the window open right before she burst back in before kicking ass again.
"Well, the guys are out there, where's the girl?" I asked.
"She's gone, don't even know where she went. Couldn't even find a video of her leaving the building."
"That's weird. What floor was this?"
"Wanna check it out? The whole floor was checked and there weren't even any signs of her breaking into the ventilation systems. No surveillance of entrance, no surveillance of exit. She's like a ghost."
"She's dressed like a ninja."
"Hahaha! Come on, let's go."
We went up to the…actually, the fiftieth floor where crew members were still busy at work, surveying the area and taking photos. I stared out at the shattered windows and narrowed my eyes before walking closer to the window that was blocked off for safety reasons.
Looking around, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. Or, at least, nothing that stuck out like an obvious sore thumb.
I turned away from the window and something caught my eye…a woman with thick framed glasses and a black cap walked around, snapping photos. There was a way that she stood, a way that she walked… And when she turned her head, I thought I saw a face I didn't expect to see.
Rushing towards her, I roughly grabbed her shoulder and turned her towards me, watching as Kozue's face looked up at me in surprise. Shocked, I stood there and stared down at her. Immediately, I pulled off her cap and watched as her long, blonde ponytail fell out.
This was a moment I had never anticipated.
"Kozue..."
Author's Note: …I'll be honest. I'm exhausted… I'm so sorry. But for the sake of an update…
I would also like to take the time to reread through Mamoru's route as well. I've had a lot going on as of late.
If I do not come back to edit this chapter, I promise to do better on the next update.