A/N: This chapter is dedicated to site user and a friend, ScriptAngel, who has been helping me with my other stories too. Thank you so much, girl! :D
Thank you for reading my story. Any kind of feedback is always appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own City Hunter or its characters. But, I own all the OCs. :3
Glossary: 1) wa-shitsu – Japanese style rooms
2) Ojiichan – Japanese for grandfather
3) Obaachan – Japanese for grandmother
4) 'Kaori' – the name means 'fragrance'
Ryo: It Is Typical
I am sitting on my bed, with my head clasped in my hands. Another nightmare did the courtesy of visiting me when I was deep asleep. I broke into a sweat at the shrill cries from the dream and jolted in bed. Now I am wiping that sweat away with my shirt which was lying on the floor. I sigh and look up at the ceiling. It is one of those nights when my old wounds ache and I begin to give in to the haunted memories – memories of the people I have killed, wounded, hurt, left to die and brought death upon. For years, my only solution to get over that feeling of self disgust was alcohol. I would drink so much that my brain refused to let anything seep in. It would be all silver streams and candid seams then. Not anymore though. The best solution to my nightmares is asleep in her room on the ground floor.
I put on a shirt and take some binoculars with me. In case, I get caught, it would be better to be beaten with a shirt on. The binoculars would provide a good excuse for entering her room under the pretext of peeping at the neighbors. I walk down the stairs and keep walking till I reach her room. I slowly turn the doorknob with the expertise I have gained at doing it. The door makes a slight creaking sound and I see her stir in her sleep. To my relief, she becomes motionless again. I approach her bed. Why did she have to sleep with her back facing me? Now I have to tiptoe to the other side. I do so and come to a halt as I see her sleeping face. It looks so peaceful. A smile makes its way to my face as I lean towards her. She snores, very lightly, like a baby. Her mouth is a bit open and her little nostrils flare subtly as she inhales the cold air. Her chest rises and falls with every deep breath. Her chest…
'Don't think about her chest', I shake my head vigorously. I try to concentrate on her face. Her lips are puckered into an O shape. So kissable… I shake my head again and look away. Little Saeba is up already. "Damn you", I mutter and look at it. I take a deep breath and look at Kaori again. My frown disappears immediately. I wonder why she had to be so adorable. Just looking at her assures me of a better tomorrow. It soothes my anxiety and my fears. It does seem creepy to come and watch her sleep when I need to, but I wish, there was a better alternative. I move closer to her face and touch my forehead to hers,
'Sleep well, gorgeous'.
I move away and see her small mouth curl up into a smile. That's all the therapy I need.
It is morning and I am lying awake in my bed though my eyes are closed. We have to go meet Miss Saki in the afternoon. It's such an unexpected mystery. Makimura was good at keeping secrets but, it never seemed like he had such a big one. The thought of him having a girlfriend would have seemed ridiculous to anyone who knew him. But, Miss Saki has enough evidence to prove that she had a relationship with him, a romantic one. He was not someone to laugh haughtily or kiss a girl in public, but the pictures say otherwise. To be completely sure, we need to hear the whole story of how they met, how they kept meeting and how they fell in love. Reika has disappeared too, all of a sudden. If only she were here, we could have some more insight into this story. But, she went out of town the same afternoon we met Miss Saki. Moreover, Kaori was crying after Miss Saki left. It's only natural. She has never had the chance to mourn freely over Makimura's death. Whenever someone mentions him, it's hard for her to stay in control. I wonder if there's anything I can do to help her.
I hear Kaori's footsteps getting closer. It's 11:00 am now; she must be coming upstairs to wake me. I pretend to be snoring and sprawl freely across the bed. She soon enters my room,
"Ryo, wake up. We have to meet Miss Saki at 1:00 pm. It's 11:00 already. Come on, wake up"
I don't move at all. She walks to my bed and shouts,
"Hey! Ryo, wake up. We have work to do. Wake up!"
Her fragrance lifts my spirits. They didn't name her 'Kaori' for no reason. I swear if it weren't for the obvious reasons, I would have grabbed her by the waist and made love to her then and there just for smelling so sweet. But, I can't. So, I growl and put a pillow over my head to drive away the scent. She pulls away my covers and snatches my pillow.
"Get up, I said!", she hits me with the pillow.
But she covers her face in embarrassment when she notices the regular morning bulge in my briefs. She throws the pillow at my head and yells,
"Get your sleazy self out of bed soon or you won't be getting any breakfast!"
I turn over to the other side when she exits the room. She doesn't seem in a very good mood today. I guess it's because of our current case. I get out of bed nonetheless, as it would be a waste of a day if I missed out on a delicious breakfast. If you are having the worst day of your life, eat something made by Kaori Makimura. It will help a great deal. Kaori would make a great wife with all her skills and attributes. 'Shut up. Just, shut up', I sigh.
Our ride to the Nogawa House is disturbingly quiet. Kaori just keeps looking out of the window. There could be many reasons as to why she is so quiet since yesterday. Maybe it is because of this unusual revelation or fraud, whichever it is. Could it be that Carol told her about us? I mean, there was no 'us'. It was just a one-time thing. We were young, she was hot, and like a true gentleman, I backed away when I thought it could get serious. My timing was very bad though. Carol said she loved me and I… just left. I even said hurtful things to her which I shouldn't have. But, it was needed. If she had to get over me, she would have to hate me. It's hard to explain, but, I respected her enough to help her stop loving me.
I relax a little as we pass another traffic light. Kaori is still not talking. As much as I know her, Carol wouldn't gossip or bad mouth someone like that. She would call that person a thousand foul things, but she wouldn't poison someone's mind. And Kaori has not been acting different, she is just quiet. It is bugging me a lot though. If not the visit to Carol, it has to be Makimura's memories. The possibility of Maki-chan not sharing something as important as that with his only sister was very low. Kaori has taken it pretty badly. But, what comfort can I provide her with except for words? I say,
"Kaori"
She glances at me. I say, looking straight ahead,
"Whatever this is, a lie or a bitter truth, we will figure it out together"
"I know, we will, Ryo. But, that's not what I am worried about", she moves away from the window and looks at me, "What are we going to do when we get to her house? I am pretty sure it won't be an ambush or something. Still, what are we going we to do?"
"We will go to the house, act casually for a while and when it's time, we will ask her to let us in on her and Makimura's story"
"Yes. That sounds fine", she looks away. I say,
"You could have stayed at home if you wanted to"
"No. I have to hear what Miss Saki has to say", she looks resolute and sad too. The last time I saw her this way was when I told her about her brother's death. I am just hoping this is all a sham. It will be easier for us both to recover from a physical assault than an emotional one.
We reach the given address and get out of the car. Kaori shades her eyes from the sun with the back of her hand,
"Is it that old one near the beach?"
"Maybe. There are not many houses around. That must be it"
We walk towards the big, old house. It seems ancient and looks like a typical Japanese house. The walls seem to be made of wood, not painted. And the roof is made of tiles. There's a huge cherry blossom tree in the front yard. I bet, it has wa-shitsu style rooms too. The house is at a walking distance from the beach. But, the beach is isolated and no bikini wearing beauties are around. Damn.
We keep walking and see Miss Saki coming out of the house.
"There", Kaori notes.
We see Miss Saki pouring a bucket of water around the cherry blossom tree. She looks up and sees us approaching. She sets the bucket down and walks briskly towards us. She bows when we are two feet apart,
"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez"
That. I had completely forgotten about that. I say sheepishly,
"No need for formalities, Miss Saki. Feel free to call us Richard and Rylie"
"Kylie", Kaori whispers. I say,
"Rylie… as in Richard and Kylie. Ahahaha! You may call us whatever you want"
"Sure. Please, follow me to the house"
She walks ahead of us. Involuntarily, my eyes move downwards. Her maxi dress is not well fitting below the waist. I crane my neck for a better look at her butt and Kaori pulls me up by the ear. She shoots me a deathly glance. This is another reason why I would have preferred for her to stay at home.
Miss Saki asks,
"Did you have any trouble finding the house?"
"Not really", I say.
She says, still looking straight ahead,
"D-did you find any information?"
I say,
"We are working on it"
"Thank you"
"You don't have to thank us over and over again", Kaori says. I glance at her to make sure she is fine. She looks like she is.
We enter the small gate to the big house after Miss Saki does. I am looking up at the cherry blossom when I hear the sound of cheerful laughter and giggles from behind the house. There are children playing near the beach. And they all look like they are having a great time. I look back at Miss Saki as she says,
"Welcome"
We remove our shoes dutifully before entering the house. The drawing room is a wa-shitsu, after all. Kaori is eyeing the room while I notice an elderly couple sitting on a tatami mat. A beautiful young girl is sitting next to them. She has opaque eyes and she seems… different. Miss Saki does the introductions,
"Mr. Gonzalez, Kylie-san, these are my grandparents. Ojiichan, Obaachan, they are Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez. And this is Nadoko"
Nadoko turns around and bows in a direction to our right. The old lady says to her gently,
"A little to the left"
The four people bow to us,
"Welcome to our humble abode"
Kaori and I bow too, in embarrassment, of course. These people are too formal. It doesn't take me much to realize that Nadoko is visually impaired. Miss Saki signals to the mat in front of her grandparents,
"Please, be seated. I will be with you shortly"
With their narrow eyes and wrinkled faces, I am guessing that the old couple has been alive since World War 1. Miss Saki's grandfather is a bit darker in complexion than her grandmother. Nadoko is beautiful though. The three have one thing in common – they look very homely and hospitable.
We are sitting in front of the couple and Nadoko. I can still faintly hear the noise from the kids at the beach. I take a deep breath. This place seems so fresh and peaceful. A cool breeze blows in when Nogawa-san says to me,
"Saki told us about your detective agency. We really appreciate you helping her"
"It has been five years. But, she hasn't lost hope", his wife says.
I say,
"It must have been very hard for her and for you too"
Nogawa-san says,
"Hideyuki-kun is a very fine young man. We knew his father too. He passed away when Hideyuki-kun was only 13"
Kaori asks all of a sudden,
"You knew m… I mean, his father?"
"Yes. He was a friend of Takayuki – my son"
I ask,
"So, Makimura-san used to visit you with his family?"
"Yes. His wife passed away when Hideyuki-kun was just six or seven years old. He and Hideyuki-kun used to visit us. But…", Nogawa-san seems hesitant, "Something happened and their visits became rare"
Kaori asks,
"What happened?"
"A family issue", he clears his throat, "Hideyuki-kun continued to visit us even after his father passed away. He has always been such a polite young lad"
Mrs. Nogawa has kept quiet all this time. She says meekly,
"You will find him, won't you?"
I am surprised by her sudden question. I look at Kaori who seems speechless. I say,
"We will do our best"
"Please, find him", Nogawa-san joins his palms and bows. I plead,
"Nogawa-san, please don't embarrass us. I promise you, we will try to find him, whatever it takes"
Mrs. Nogawa has already begun crying by now. She says weakly,
"Ever since he went missing, our Saki has been so different. You know how they say, 'when you leave someone's world, you take a part of their world with you which can't be replaced'. Hideyuki-kun did that to my Saki when he disappeared. We beg you, Gonzalez-san, please find him"
Kaori is on the verge of crying. I put a hand on her shoulder. She looks at me pleadingly. I shake my head lightly. It does make me feel guilty for lying to them, but, there's no alternative.
"You are of Spanish descent, Saki said", Nogawa-san tries to change the subject after his wife has calmed down. Reika must have fed that to Miss Saki. I nod,
"Y-yes, I am. But, my wife here is 100% Japanese"
He smiles,
"Our daughter-in-law was a foreigner - Saki's mother"
Mrs. Nogawa fondly adds,
"She was an Indian - Maya. My son was in the navy. He went to India during a vacation and came back with her. She was so beautiful and elegant. And loving"
"Her family didn't approve of Takayuki and were willing to kill them both for their supposed 'honor'. But, he fled to Japan with her. They got married in a monastery here after she became a citizen, and within a year, our precious Saki was born", Nogawa-san reminisced. I ask,
"What happened to them? I mean, how did they…"
Nogawa-san's smile disappears. He sighs,
"When Saki was 5 years old, the navy men brought a brutally wounded Takayuki home. The doctors said he was counting his last breaths. We were all mourning over my soon-to-be dead son. But, Maya didn't shed a tear. Saki was too young to understand what was going on. I remember that I was holding her. It was painful for everyone… that which happened. It was"
He puts his hands into his kimono sleeves as another chilly breeze blows in. Mrs. Nogawa says,
"She took one last glance at us, at Saki. She held Takayuki's hand and looked at him. You could see her love for him in her eyes. Just like that, she rested her head on his chest and they passed away together"
"We are sorry to hear that", Kaori says. I can see that she is trying her best not to cry. Women and tragedies. This family has a lot of issues though. Parents die together, only child is left alone – it is typical. Nogawa-san says bitterly,
"Saki was there. She saw everything. Ever since then, our innocent Saki has been taking care of everyone. She took care of the children we took in. She took care of us and acted like she didn't have a worry in the world. Always so happy and smiling…"
Happy and smiling Miss Saki? That's hard to imagine. Nogawa-san continues,
"Years later, Hideyuki-kun came into her life. I and my wife may be old, but we are not foolish. We knew that he was in love with our Saki and that she loved him back. And she seemed happier than before. It felt as if all her pain had been taken away. But, god couldn't stand to see her at peace. Hideyuki-kun disappeared and Saki sunk into depression. She waited for him. Five years is not a joke, you know. She still waits. But, she is no more like our happy, little Saki. She is just a glass hearted doll now"
Mrs. Nogawa says,
"She turned 30 years old this year. We have tried to persuade her to move on, to go forth with her life. But, she won't listen! If I see Makimura-kun again, I am going to ask him to return all those years to her. If he didn't mean to stay, why did he make her fall in love? Who knew he could be so heartless…"
"That's not true!", Kaori exclaimed. All eyes are on her. I take control of the situation,
"What she means is – we cannot blame him. Maybe he did not mean to disappear. Maybe he is or was in trouble himself"
Nogawa-san shakes his head a little,
"Five years, Gonzalez-san. Truth be told, we have given up all hope. But, we pretend like we haven't, for Saki's sake. She has a weak heart that child. It's terrible. Terrible"
Miss Saki walks into the room and says,
"Mr. & Mrs. Gonzalez, kindly join us for lunch. Obaachan, Ojiichan, Nadoko?"
We were definitely not hoping for this. I say,
"I am sorry, but we can't…"
Nogawa-san smiles politely,
"We insist"
Kaori tries to smile,
"But…"
"It would be an honor", the Nogawas say in unison and bow to us. I sigh and look at my partner. She gives a slight shrug.
"You have left us no other option, it seems", Kaori smiles. Miss Saki nods and walks to her grandfather. She lends him a hand as he tries to get up. Mrs. Nogawa holds Nadoko's hand as they walk inside. Kaori and I follow them in. We enter another wa-shitsu which has a long table in the centre. There are kids sitting around the rectangular table, too many of them. I am mentally doing a head count when the youngest looking kid runs up and hugs Miss Saki. He barely reaches her waist. He looks up and says,
"Mama, I am very hungry. I am 'furnished' "
Miss Saki gently corrects him,
"It's 'famished'"
Kaori tugs at my sleeve and looks at me in disbelief. We stare at Miss Saki and her son as everyone else on the table continues to chat.
'Makimura's son', I find myself staring at the child who is hopping and asking his mother to 'kish' him. She does so and Kaori grabs my arm tighter. We look at each other as the horror takes over our eyes. It is… my best friend's son.