Author's Note: Next chapter. I am not sure yet how many chapters this will end up being, but as soon as I figure it out, I'll put a number out there. :) Suffice to say that it may be about as long as my Red Thread fic...if not a little longer...
I do not own City Hunter or any of its characters.
Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/reviewing this. It is always appreciated. :D
Eve: Thank you as always. I completely agree that the Silver Fox incident was an important one as far as Ryo's relationship with Kaori goes. I think he was really forced to realize not only how much danger she continues to be in as his partner, but also how important she has become to him personally. My thought about the mokkori incidents he had toward her in that set of chapters/episodes were always that it had to do with an overwhelming sense of relief (relief that she was ok, relief that she wasn't going to leave him) making it impossible for him to hide his feelings the way he normally did...Well I like being able to put out fast updates. :) Hopefully I can continue to do it for a while. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
FRH91: Thank you. I think Ryo has it in him to be very affectionate and romantic, it's just that he's really shy most of the time...and until Kaori came along, there hasn't been a woman he could commit to long term...As for what happens when he meets with the client, well...things will get interesting as you will see in this chapter. :) Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this latest update.
Chapter Three
The next morning, Ryo woke up and blinked his eyes several times before yawning. He then stretched in bed, his muscles a little sore from the blow that he finally received from Kaori's hammer last night. He was about to get up when he noticed that, once again, a part of him was already fully awake. Ryo groaned and pulled the sheets up over his face.
'My body is entirely too honest,' he thought to himself ruefully. 'Even if I make the decision to not touch Kaori that way, I'm not going to be able to stop myself from feeling mokkori around her.'
Ryo wished that he could go back to hiding it from her like he did before, but he knew that it would be impossible. Before, he had made it a point to deny his feelings for her, and now they were out in the open. Plus, previously, there had been little physical contact between them other than mostly platonic touches and a couple of kisses. Now, there were plenty of kisses and affectionate caresses between them, which only served to ignite his passion.
He closed his eyes and listened carefully. He could hear Kaori moving around outside his door and the sounds he heard, along with knowledge of her routines told him what she was doing and how much time he probably had before she would come to wake him up.
'She's heading to the bathroom to take a shower, and then she'll probably make breakfast before waking me up. That's plenty of time to calm my body down before she gets here. I'll even have some time to focus my mind so that….'
'Wait…she's going to take a shower now…'
Ryo knew that thinking about that was a mistake, but once the idea popped into his head, he couldn't get rid of it. His mind was swiftly filled with all sorts of fantasies and soon he felt a trickle of blood falling from his nose.
He became so preoccupied with these thoughts that he didn't notice the passage of time and suddenly he heard Kaori's footsteps approaching the door. Ryo flinched and turned over onto his side, pretending to be asleep.
"Ryo, get up," Kaori said as she walked in. "I want to check the board again before we go meet with our client." Kaori pulled at his shoulder and turned him toward her, gasping the sight of blood running out of his nose and the prominent bulge in his blanket.
"Yes Saeko…Reika…take them both off," he slurred out, his eyes still closed. Seconds later, Ryo was pinned to the wall with one of Kaori's maces.
"Clean up your face and get dressed," she ordered as she stomped out of the room. Ryo slid down the wall, groaning.
'Maybe Kaori's arsenal isn't such a bad thing,' he told himself. 'After all, it is pretty effective at putting a stop to my mokkori….Maybe I should just envision her hammers all the time….'
After getting ready and sharing a quick breakfast with Kaori, Ryo went out with her to check the Shinjuku station board. Finding no messages waiting for them, the two of them left to go to the designated meeting place.
"There wasn't a name," Kaori said, reading out of her notebook as they walked. "Just a time and place: noon at a table near one of the front windows at Café Snack Castle."
"No name?" Ryo replied. "Then how do you know that it's a woman?" Kaori frowned at him.
"Oh, I know all right," she said. "The handwriting always gives it away."
"That's some gift you have," Ryo laughed. "Too bad it's not all that useful."
"Actually, I find it very useful," Kaori said with a grin that held more than a touch of malice. Ryo laughed again and thought about saying more, but decided that the best course of action for now was silence.
After arriving at the café, Kaori sat down at one table while Ryo sat down at another with a drink and magazine so that he could watch the meeting in secret.
To kill time, he started to watch the women passing by the window, his mind giving each one he saw a 'mokkori rating.' Despite his current situation, Ryo continued to be fascinated by women. Spending time with them had been the most effective way to stave off his loneliness with each casual date and each rendezvous at a hotel acting as a respite for his soul. Ryo always felt affection toward the women who provided this gift to him and toward the women who potentially could give him this gift in the future.
Ryo watched a pair of women walk by the window and he let out a short laugh with a smirk. While it was true that he was still enraptured by women, he knew that his fascination and affection for them existed only at the surface of his being. The fact remained that there was only woman he had been able to allow into his heart, and she was sitting at the table next to him.
Ryo glanced over at Kaori to see her absentmindedly sipping at her drink while looking around the room, and he marveled at how different he felt inside when he looked at her. Fascination gave way to admiration, affection grew into love and Ryo relished these differences. He gave her a brief smile before hiding behind his magazine.
A couple minutes later, a young woman wearing a flowing skirt and a silk blouse approached the table where Kaori was sitting. The woman stared at Kaori for a moment, swishing her long hair to the side, before leaning close.
"Excuse me," she said. "I heard that you could get an interesting drink at this café. XYZ? I think that's what it's called."
"Indeed," Kaori nodded, her expression serious. "Please sit down and state your business." The woman sat down in a chair across from her and took a deep breath.
"My name is Emi Kushida," she said. "Until recently, I worked as a secretary at one of the largest law firms in Tokyo."
"Until recently?" Kaori replied.
"You may have heard a news story a couple months ago about a law firm that was indicted due to ties with a large drug syndicate," Emi continued. "I used to be an executive secretary with that firm."
"I had heard about that," Kaori said. "But, if this is about that, why aren't the police protecting you?"
"Because I don't know anything about any of the drug related dealings within the firm," Emi said. "I was assigned to one of the senior partners, yes, but he was old and had become senile of late. My job mainly consisted of making sure he could keep his appointments and clients straight. As a result, I have no evidence to offer for a trial. The police interviewed me, but since I knew virtually nothing about the crimes being committed, they didn't think that I would need protection, but…."
"But?"
"Recently, I've been followed," Emi continued. "I keep seeing a green car wherever I go. It drives by me slowly when I walk down the streets. Plus, I've been getting phone calls where I would pick up and there would be no answer. At first I thought it was some stupid pranks, but two days ago, that green car tried to run me down while I was crossing an intersection. I managed to jump out of the way, but….And then when I got home, I got this note."
Emi pulled a piece of paper out of her purse and handed it to Kaori.
"We know that you know," Kaori read from the paper. "Old Man Iwadate can't protect you now."
"I was Iwadate-san's secretary," Emi added. "He died a month ago. I just know that this has to do with indictment. I don't know anything, but someone thinks I do. All of the other secretaries who worked there are under police protection, but the police won't believe that I am being targeted too. I…I don't know what to do."
Ryo watched Emi through a hole in his magazine while he listened to her story. On the surface, her story sounded credible, but Ryo couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
'What is she hiding?' he asked himself. 'She is clearly agitated about something, but is it really just because she's being targeted? Or is it something else too?'
"Please," Emi said, leaning even closer to Kaori. "I don't know who else to ask. If you are worried about money, don't be. I have a plenty of savings from when I worked for that firm and my parents left me a trust fund that gives me more than enough to live on. Please, I am begging you."
"Emi-san…." Kaori started. Suddenly, Ryo jumped up from his table and ran over toward Emi.
"Leave it to me," Ryo said as he grabbed her hands. "I, Ryo Saeba, will be your personal bodyguard."
"Ah, ah, Ryo," Kaori said as she stood up. "I haven't decided if we are going to take on this client."
"Um, who is this?" Emi asked. "Is he…?"
"Don't worry," Kaori said. "He's the sweeper. I'm his assistant." Emi turned her gaze toward her, her eyes pleading.
"Please, Miss….?"
"Kaori Makimura," Kaori replied. Ryo noted a brief flash of emotion he couldn't identify in Emi's eyes before she spoke again.
"Please, Makimura-san," Emi said. "If you don't help, I don't know what will happen to me. Please." Kaori sighed and put her face into one of her hands for a moment before looking back up with a smile.
"Of course we'll help," she said. "Don't worry, Emi-san. You can count on us."
"Then it's settled," Ryo said. "Now first things first: we need to find a safe place for you to stay while we figure out who exactly is after you right now. Naturally, the safest place is at my place, so…."
"That's the safest place, huh?" Kaori scowled at him. "I'm not so certain of that." Ryo gulped, but continued to smile.
"Sure it is, Kaori-chan," he said. "If she's at my place, I can keep a close eye on her at all times. Plus, you know about all the safeguards we have there." Ryo then turned toward Emi and rubbed her hands with his thumbs.
"Emi-chan, you have my personal assurance that nothing will happen now that I am protecting you," he said.
"Really?" Emi said, her eyes lighting up. "Thank you Saeba-san. You have no idea how relieved I am." Emi then grabbed Ryo and embraced him tightly.
"Wow!" Ryo replied, shocked at her reaction. He patted her back lightly in an attempt to be reassuring, and she responded by moving even closer to him.
"I already feel safer knowing that you're here," Emi said, snuggling up to him. Ryo's eyes grew big and he laughed nervously while he watched Kaori silently fume from behind Emi.
'I'll probably have an appointment with a hammer before too long,' he told himself. Ryo cleared his throat and backed away from Emi.
"Right, so let's run by your place so we can get some things," he said. "You might want to pack a good-sized suitcase. There is no telling how long you might have to stay with me."
"Whatever you say, Saeba-san," Emi smiled at him. She let him go and swished her hair off her shoulder. She then reached for one of Ryo's arms and wrapped her own around it.
"And thank you again, Makimura-san, for taking on my case," Emi said with a smile. Kaori swallowed hard and did her best to smile back.
"Ah, no problem," she said. "Really. And please, feel free to call me Kaori if you would like."
Ryo watched the way Emi continued to smile at Kaori and it bothered him.
'Even though she says she's fearful for her life and is grateful for our help, it's as if Emi is getting some kind of pleasure out of Kaori's reaction to her hugging me. Is Emi just the type who likes to stir up trouble?'
'Or is it more personal than that?'
As the three of them walked toward Ryo's car, Ryo made sure to maintain his cheerful expression. As much as he wanted to shield Kaori from anything unpleasant, he knew that it was best to let her take care of herself when it came to personal disagreements with people. Kaori had her pride, and Ryo did not want to demean it by stepping in every time she faced any sort of conflict or difficulty.
Still, that did not stop him from wanting to make sure that any conflicts Kaori faced did not escalate into something more problematic or dangerous. Ryo figured that, in this case, the best way to make sure that that did not happen was by staying as close to the situation as possible. Even if that meant taking on a client whom he had nagging doubts about.
'Besides, if anything does happen, I will be right there to make sure that it's nothing that Kaori can't handle herself.'
"Saeba-san," Emi said as she tightened her grip on his arm. "About your payment, would you like me to make a deposit now?" She pushed herself even closer to Ryo, giving him a clear view of her cleavage. Ryo goggled at her, unable to stop himself from drooling.
"No need to do that right this second," Ryo replied. "We can wait to get back to my place and then we can…."
He was interrupted by another blow from Kaori's hammer, dislodging him from Emi's grasp and slamming him into the pavement.
"And then what?!" Kaori yelled at him. "Make some kind of mokkori deposit?" Ryo slowly sat up and brushed bits of concrete out of his hair.
"I was going to say that we can then discuss the terms of payment, including the deposit, over dinner" he said weakly.
"Oh, ha ha, sorry about that," Kaori said, as she put a hand over her mouth and hid her hammer behind her back. "I was sure that you were going to say something else."
"Hmph, what kind of a person do you take me for, Kaori-kun?" he asked, mock irritation etched into his features. A slight breeze drifted by which lifted up the hem of Emi's skirt. Ryo was then able to get a glimpse of her legs, causing him to grin again. He stopped looking though when Kaori grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away from Emi.
"I think you know what kind of person I take you for," she said, glaring at him. Ryo pouted and dramatically turned his head from her. He got to his feet and was about to continue escorting Kaori and Emi to his car when a familiar sound caught his ear, causing his nerves to fire up.
"Get down!" he yelled. He then grabbed Emi and pushed her to the ground, covering her with his body while Kaori dashed over to crouch behind a nearby car. As they did this, a series of gunshots filled the air. Ryo scooted himself and Emi over behind another car and he pulled out his gun.
"Saeba-san," Emi cried out, trembling against him.
"Stay still," he ordered. "Kaori, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Ryo," Kaori called out.
Another round of gunfire started, shattering the windows of the cars they were hiding behind and causing one of the tires of the car Kaori was hiding behind to deflate. Ryo aimed and shot toward the origin of the bullets. He was certain that he had hit his target when he heard the distinct sound of his bullets hitting metal. The gunfire then ceased and almost a minute later, a green car sped away from a side alley. Ryo waited until it was out of sight before putting his gun back into its holster.
"Looks like whoever is after you is getting nervous," Ryo said as he stood up and guided Emi to do the same. "They must have thought that you were asking for help and decided to try even harder to silence you."
"Oh my God," Emi gasped, putting her hands over her mouth. Ryo patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry," he said. "Everything will work out just fine. We'll take care of this." Kaori walked over to join them.
"Emi-san, are you all right?" she asked. Emi smiled and turned to stare at Ryo.
"I'm fine, thanks to Saeba-san," she replied. Ryo laughed again, putting his hand behind his head.
"Ah, it was nothing," he said. "So let's get going."
Emi and Kaori nodded and started to walk away. Ryo glanced over at the ruined cars and paused to examine them more carefully. He then crouched down beside the car that Kaori was hiding behind and picked up a spent bullet that was lying near one of the tires.
'High powered rifle, and from the look of it, these bullets are not your garden-variety type of ammo. So more than likely we are dealing with a pro. Or at the very least, someone with some experience at this kind of thing.'
Ryo stood back up and looked back and forth at the two cars. He couldn't figure out what was bothering him about their condition at first until an idea struck him.
'The bullet patterns on these cars…The one Emi and I were hiding behind has a bullet pattern that is scatter-shot and too elevated to have any real chance of hitting us…But the car Kaori was hiding behind has a more clustered bullet pattern, including shots that were aimed lower, closer to where Kaori was hiding.'
'It's as if they tried, but were not too concerned with whether or not they hit me or Emi…but then they tried much harder to hit Kaori.'
'Is the same person who is after Emi also after Kaori? And if so, why? What connection could they have?'
"Ryo, are you coming?" Kaori said.
"Yeah, coming," he said, rushing over to catch up with them. Emi went back to holding his arm while they walked and Ryo grinned in response. His mind, however, continued to mull over what just happened.
'For now the best thing to do is not say anything and investigate this like any other case,' he told himself. 'If someone is after Kaori, I do not want them to have any idea that I am onto them. That way I can keep an advantage over them.'
Ryo shoved one hand into his coat pocket and clenched it into a fist even as he continued to smile and laugh. He always felt a surge of anger whenever Kaori's life was threatened and this time it burned with more intensity than it had in the past. He was determined, however, to maintain his cool and remain focused on solving this case and taking care of their client while continuing to protect Kaori.
'If someone is after Kaori…they will learn firsthand what happens when you make me angry.'
