Ch. 3. Well, nothing much to say. DISCLAIMER: I Dont own StoPani.
Yaya Nanto's Apartment, 11:50. Yaya sat on the small couch in her living room, the small home occupied with only two people. Although lavishly decorated, she had little more that a few amenities, living on her budget. She was trying to get a few hours of sleep, the pain medication helping her do so. Her head was lying across the lap of Tsubomi, who had come over the minute she heard from her girlfriend. She was stroking her hair, softly singing.
It had been over seven hours since the shootout, six since Nagisa, who hadn't been injured, split from her to investigate the two assassin's house. Yaya, after losing the cops, went home and fell asleep the instant her body touched the couch. The wounds were healing quite nicely, partially thanks to Tsubomi's help. The bullets had gone directly through her, leaving a nice, profusely bleeding shoulder. After applying a few bandages and pressure, they stopped. Every now and then, the pink-haired girl would check each wound, and disinfect them as well.
Tsubomi gently set the sleeping girl's head down and walked to the kitchenette to prepare a little coffee for the two. A small TV set sat on the counter next to the small oven. Quietly flipping it on, she scanned for anything interesting or involving the one on the couch. The normal news programs were over, nothing else grabbing her. The pot beeped, the signal the strong water was done. As she walked to get it, her phone, lying on the glass table in the middle of the living room, started vibrating.
Kaname Kenj's Apartment, Six Hours Ago. The door opened, silently, into the darkened apartment. Being Fall, the sun wouldn't rise for a few more hours. Nagisa un-hosltered her pistol, slowly tip-toeing into the darkened main room. Nothing stirred. She mentally wiped her brow as she unclipped the small flashlight off her belt. The light illuminated the room. The unit was quite big, including a full kitchen and two bed rooms. They even had a patio, accentuated with a hot tub and a table, complete with matching chairs. A small, manila envelope caught her attention.
Nagisa grabbed it, and looked for a lable. "Nothing." She flipped it over, looking for a piece of tape holding it together. A small metal piece held the two, Nagisa carefully twisting it without bending it. Proceeding to spill the contents, she shuffled through what she found. It was filled with pictures of people, familiar people. She picked up the image of Hikari, a note clipped to the picture. "Assassination instructions... This must be what they sent the two. No address, though."
Another picture caught her eye. The title above said Kagome Byakudan. She was a small girl, in the same business as Hikari. They were considered partners, the two never leaving each other's side during work. A small schedule was also written, dates circled with advantageous times. Nagisa took a few photos and put the pictures and notes into the envelope, sealing it with care. One of the girls had left their phone, the device sitting next to the folder. It was on, Nagisa touching the dialpad. Scanning through messages, she yielded nothing. The two were meticulous, leaving not a trace. She checked the contact list, a few, she found odd. They had Yaya's, Shizuma's, even Hikari's.
"What is Yaya's number doing in here", thinking out loud. Her suspicion rising, she went to search another nook of the house.
Yaya's Apartment, 11:53. Yaya quickly woke, her sleep easily startled by the buzzing phone.
"Sorry, Yaya. I had forgotten to silence it."
"Do you want me to get it?" Tusbomi nodded and turned back to her coffee. "Hello?"
"Tsubomi Okiwaka? Is that you?" The voice was suspicious, as if trying to be masked.
"Who wants to know?" She wouldn't settle for anybody fucking with her. Both of them had their plates full that night.
"A friend, if you will. But, this is important, as it regards both Yaya Nanto and Nagisa Aoi. I suggest that you listen closely, especially for their sakes."
"Well, you happen to be speaking to Ms. Nanto, right now."
"Oh, wonderful! There is something important at the docks, something regarding the murder case. I suggest that you get down there quickly. One could come and swoop away, leaving you clueless."
"What are you talking about? Stop speaking in riddles."
"Ha. Sorry, but I'm not at the liberty to say anything more."
Yaya was getting impatient. She wasn't in the mood for games. "At least, tell us who you are. It will give us some sort of evidence, anyway." The other end didn't say anything. A loud noice sounded, then the call ended. Tsubomi walked over and set the mugs on two coasters.
"Who was it, dear?"
"Nobody that I knew. They wouldn't give me a name, let alone anything other then tell me something about the docks."
"The docks? Why did they tell you about the docks?"
"They say something important to the case is down there. I don't know, some shit like that."
"Do you plan on going there?"
"Maybe, if you would look into it a little for me."
"No. I don't want you to go there. Not in the condition you're in. You will end up hurting yourself far worse, infecting those wounds, or even something worse. Do you know how much pain I'd be in if you were gone?"
"Well, what do you propose I do?"
"Send Nagisa. She could go and verify it for us."
"She hasn't responded in hours. I don't know what she's doing, let alone where she's at. Also, if I did, I would feel horrible sending her alone. If she got killed, I'd never be able to forgive myself. " Tsubomi sighed, her face wielding a frown. "Hey, I'm sorry but it's my line of work, too. I'm responsible for this case."
"Yeah, I know." She sat down very close to Yaya. "Still, stay for a little while longer."
"...Ok, but only for a little bit." She snuggled close to her pink-haired lover.
"You're too bighearted, do you know that", kissing her neck as she spoke. Her arm wandered to Yaya's short shirt, her arms undoing the straps around it.
"Hey, I consider it a good thing that I care about my friends. I wouldn't be able to live if I didn't worry about them." She pushed Tsubomi's sleeve down, slowly caressing her breast.
"Yeah, I know you wouldn't. That's just you." She pressed her lips to the other's and pulled her down on top of herself, slowly working off her skirt and Yaya's shorts. They easily came off, the bare girl blushing as she helped her partner. As soon as they were clothes less, Yaya, her top off, pressed into Tsubomi, who started moving her fingers downward. She moaned in ecstasy, the finger probing her vagina. Tsubomi feverishly grabbed Yaya's breasts, licking her chest. The two continued their lovemaking, their sounds synchronizing with both of their motions.
Kaname's Apartment, Five Hours Ago. Nagisa checked behind her. The wind had started up, banging the large front room windows. They created a lot of noise, surprising the red head. She started rummaging through a bedroom. It was horribly messy. Lingerie was thrown about, articles of clothes laying across everything. The bed wasn't made, odd marks and imprints still in it. A laptop sat among the mess, the screen still on.
Nagisa took it, accessing the documents folder. It was encrypted with a code, one unfamiliar to her. She was horrible with computers, them being more Tsubomi's thing. Leaving the documents, she searched a few other folders, nothing particularly interesting or noteworthy. After she turned it off, she flipped it on its back. Her knife unsheathed, she began to unscrew the screws. The case came off, leaving a mess of wires and circuit boards. She took what she thought was the hard drive, pocketing it. The case was put back on, her trying to screw it together. Suddenly, the front door opened. A light turned on, lighting the main room. A fluorescent glow wafted into the room.
Going prone, Nagisa rolled under the bed. The laptop, although not back together, would be hard to distinguish if someone had tampered with it. A pair of supple legs walked in, stopping to look around the room.
"Momomi! Come look at this." The girl yelled, her voice fraught with anger. The legs ran, leaving the room.
"What is it?"
"Look at this. Someone's been here, they've looked around in our stuff." Nagisa's body became tense. "Search all the rooms. They might still be here." The two assassins started looking around, searching every possible area. Momomi walked back into the room, checking behind the dressers and in the closet. It didn't even dawn on her to check under the bed.
"Did you find anyone?"
"No. There was nothing out of the ordinary, either."
"Hmmm. That's odd, but... It can't be helped. We'll find them sooner or later." Nagisa silently exhaled, her gun slightly lowering. The two sat down and the TV turned on. She slowly crawled towards the front of the bed, her body dragging across the carpet.
"Momomi, I need to see your laptop. Where is it?"
"The bedroom. On the floor, I think." Kaname walked in, searching for the computer. Upon finding it, she picked it up, only to have the base fall out of it. "What the fuck?" Nagisa gasped, giving away her position. A pair of eyes glared at her, a smile spreading across her face. "Well, look. I caught you, you little bastard." She grabbed Nagisa by the hair and pulled her from under the bed.
"What's going on", asked the other as she walked in. "Oh, and who is this?" They both looked at her, as if studying. The dark light didn't help them. Momomi flipped on the lights.
"Ah, Nagisa Aoi! How nice to see you again." Kaname grabbed her throat, slowly choking her. "I remember you. We never got the chance to finish our game." She pulled her close. A few red marks were still evident on her face. "You like them? Well, I don't but still, you gave them to me."
"Kaname! Stop. Just finish the damn thing. I don't want to bother with torturing her, especially now." She grabbed the .357 Desert Eagle lying on the small table.
"No. We're going to have fun with her." Kaname grabbed the gun and hit her, hard. She fell, her body limp with unconsciousness. One girl laughed as the other sighed and shook her head.
Yaya's Apartment. 12:08.
"Maybe a drink will do me some good. Get the nerves calmed down." She uncapped, with a little trouble, the wide-mouth bottle, peering into it. The brown liquid slushed around, full. A little split off and onto the counter. She wiped it with her sleeve. Yaya closed her eyes and took a long swig, the unfamiliar, bitter taste making her quiver. Gasping for breath, she stop but took another drink, draining half the bottle.
"What are you doing? I didn't think you like alcohol. You hardly even drink wine." Tsubomi stood in the doorway, a towel wrapped around her tight body. Her skin gleamed in the light.
"Oh, sorry. I thought that a drink would help me calm down."
"Yeah, look." She pointed at the half-empty bottle. "I'm sure getting sauced up would really prove beneficial for you. You could crash on the road and kill yourself or fall down the stairs. Honestly, you make some poor decisions, sometimes." Her arms were crossed.
"Hey, it was just a little drink. It helps with the pain."
"Little? That was brand new and you drained quite a bit and we have medicine. Why not take that, instead?"
"Okay, okay. Just, don't worry about it." She took one more quick swig. "That's why I have you, anyway. To help me with my decisions." She handed it to the pink one, wedging beside her. "I'm going to take a shower, also. I think that would be "beneficial" for me." She stuck her tongue out as she walked by.
"What if I'm not here, to help you with you're problems, your decisions?" Tsubomi was often frustrated with Yaya, but she learned that was part of the relationship. She would always be there for Yaya, no matter what happened.
The bathroom was still misty from Tsubomi's shower. She set out a towel for herself and turned the fan on. Gracefully, Yaya opened the shower door and stepped inside. After turning both handles, the water came. It came fast and very hot. She shrieked.
"Yaya? Are you alright?" She looked around, her mind flashing horrible images at her. "Did you slip and fall?" The other girl stood in the shower, her face red with embarrassment.
"N-no, I'm fine. It's just a little hot." Tsubomi was clearly staring at her voluptuous body, the steam exuding from the shower slightly cloaking it. After snapping out of it, she turned away from Yaya.
"Oh. Okay, then." Tsubomi, cursing herself for overreacting, left the room. Yaya continued with her shower, adjusting the temperature accordingly.
Minutes later, she walked out, her long, wet hair coiled around her shoulders. After donning a short-sleeve shirt along with matching pants, she grabbed her keys from the small jar they kept them in. Her jacket was in the car, along with her gun and a few spare clips.
"I don't want you to go, but I guess it's inevitable." Tsubomi was watching, a slight smirk on her face.
"Sorry, but I'll make it up to you."
"Don't worry about it. I'll be able to think of something."
"Hehehe, alright. I'll be back later. Love you." She left, closing the door. The elevator could be heard as the doors opened.
Tsubomi sat down on the couch, ready for a nap. "I really wish you had a normal job." The days were becoming too stressful for her.
East Toyko Docks, 12:20.
"Ms.? Are you okay?" She wandered close to the girl, the odd sight worrying her. The girl didn't respond. An ominous mist was rising out of the sea. "Um, Ms.?" Her hand extended, touching the girl's shoulder. The girl didn't bother to move. Pushing her on her back, she gasped. The girl was one she knew, a Kagome Byakudan. Hikari's partner and another victim of the recent murders. A giant question mark was carved in her chest, the blood dry. "How long has she been here?"
"Someone you know?" Another human came from behind, her voice familiar and cold. She seemingly materialized from the shadows.
"More or less. She was an associate of a good friend. Why?" Spinning around, her face caught sight of Shizuma Hanazono, standing with a calm demeanor. "Shizuma? What are you doing here?"
"Well, Miyuki had been tasked with a certain assignment. One she miserably failed. I'm here to finish what I started, and I tell you, I should have done this ages ago." She pulled a gun, a P229, giving Yaya no time to follow suit.
"I knew you had something to do with it."
"Too bad you didn't do something about it."
Unknown, Two Hours Ago. Nagisa looked around the small room, it devoid of all life save for the person standing in front of her. It was a cell, holding her prisoner. Her hands and feet were tied and her mouth gagged. Momomi stepped out of the shadows, a gun at her side.
"So. What were you looking for in our home?" She slapped her, hard, across the face. It left a visible red mark. Momomi undid the gag, allowing Nagisa to speak. "I'll ask you again. What were you doing there?"
"Investigation of the recent murders, what else?"
"Really? Where's your partner, Ms. Nanto? You two usually work on stuff like that, together, don't you?"
"Yeah, but she was at home. Her shoulder was shot and she need to get a little rest."
"And, if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you." Kaname had told Momomi to try and trick Nagisa. Apparently, she had looked through her phone and noticed the phone number that they found.
"What do you mean?"
"If she wasn't with you, who else do you think she would be with?" Momomi smiled, showing her teeth. Nagisa was gullible.
"Yaya would never do something like that. She's the one who owns the business in the first place."
"So what? That shouldn't matter at all. We all saw her as a great asset, so we contacted her and made a deal. She was our mole, informing us of wherever you two went."
"Then why did you try to kill her?"
"We didn't. Miyuki's men didn't realize who they were shooting at and they all paid for it. Other than that, we didn't try anything with her. Why do you think we only attacked your place? It's all a facade. She has been helping us."
"No... Yaya can't be working with you. She can't be."
"Believe whatever you want. I shouldn't be wasting my breath, anyway. It's a shame that I can't kill you, right now. Kaname's orders."
"How kind of the bitch." Momomi instantly reacted by slapping her, repeatedly across the face. Each slap hurt more than the last. She lost feeling in her face.
"Don't ever speak poorly of her! She a great person! Just a little misunderstood, that's all." Nagisa held her tongue. The rope coiled around her arms was a little loose. She started scratching her nails against it, the fibers building up in the small spaces.
East Toyko Docks, 12:23. "I knew you had something to do with it." Yaya was feeling sick just looking at the silver haired beauty.
"Too bad you didn't do something about it." Her voice was tired and dry.
"I can't possibly imagine why you would even consider doing something like this. It's illogical."
"No, not at all. Both Hanazona Industries and Sakuragi Shipping are my enterprises, both dealing with illegal activity. I have human trafficking rings, drug traders, anything. You name it. If this were to be openly discussed, I would be ruined. Why else did both Hikari and Kagome over there die?"
"How sad. You even planned to kill Nagisa. I honestly thought you two loved each other."
"Oh, I love Nagisa, very much so. We were going to try and convince her otherwise but alas, things don't always go my way. She knows too much, even if we are in love. Nothing else can be done."
"I wonder, how would you be able to trick her?"
"Putting the blame on you, of course. Momomi, who also works for me, would be able to plant the seed that you were a double agent, working with Miyuki. Something along those lines."
"That's nice but you're forgetting something. That I'm still alive. How is she going to believe that if I'm alive."
"Not for long. Not for long." She chuckled to herself as she brought up the pistol. "You really were a big problem for me. But now, it's all over." Shizuma arrogantly flipped her hair back. "So long."
Unknown, 30 Minutes Ago. Momomi took out her cell and dialed Yaya's number.
"Tsubomi Okiwaka? Is that you?" She was deepening her voice, sounding like a man, almost. Someone on the other end talked with her, the two exchanging words.
"A friend, if you will. But, this is important, as it regards both Yaya Nanto and Nagisa Aoi. I suggest that you listen closely, especially for their sakes." The other caller seemed to be getting mad. "Oh, wonderful! There is something important at the docks, something regarding the murder case. I suggest that you get down there quickly. One could come and swoop away, leaving you clueless."
"What is she talking about, and with Tsubomi? That's an interesting person to call right now."
"Ha. Sorry, but I'm not at the liberty to say anything more." Her back was turned to Nagisa. It was now or never. The rope snapped, the tension too much. Momomi didn't notice. Sneaking up, she slammed both her hands into her neck, instantly knocking her out. The phone fell, hanging up in the process.
"Bitch." Nagisa spat on her and proceeded up the stairs. The door opened, light flooding the dark room. She was on the street, a car nearby. Hopefully, getting to the docks would shed a little light on the situation. After thirty seconds, she hot wired the BMW, the engine loud. Kaname, who was watching the entire time, crept into the back, the engine masking her noice.
She sped down the road. It was only 20 minutes from the docks, the GPS unit on the side displaying where she was at. Yaya was there, waiting. It would be perfect for her to confront the girl.
Ohhhh. suspense. The next chapter is interesting. Thanks for reading and please review.