Thank you once again for the fantabulous reviews, I live foryour kind words! Ahem. Anyway, enjoy the chapter! I'm sort of busy right now, so another quick update isn't so likely.
Warnings: Extreme violence and blood, adult language, adult drugs, and implied adult smex.
Enjoy!
There's heavy metal coming from your truck
Detective Yukino Kikukawa kept a diligent eye on the road, steering the unmarked police cruiser through Fuuka's heavy late afternoon traffic. She was praised in the Academy for having a discerning eye, but often such admiration was followed by a light reminder that she didn't have to keep every thought to herself and it was okay to run off at the mouth once in a while. Okay for her, of course. Her partner was a different story.
She stole brief glances at the blonde riding shotgun beside her, deciding now would be a good time to start running off at the mouth. "Haruka-chan," she started as the cruiser sat in traffic, "I know you're excited about the promotion, but…perhaps you could have chosen a more discreet outfit."
"What? This is professional apparatus—"
"Apparel."
"Apparel, Yukino." Haruka defended her choice of tan trench coat and matching deer slayer hat. She looked over Yukino's much more modest slacks and button-down shirt. Frowning she removed the hat and threw it in the backseat. "I wouldn't want to spoil it on a quadruple homicide anyway," she explained to her partner's amused smile.
Yukino pulled over in front of a building on a street already crowded with cruisers. "It's going to be gruesome," she reminded herself aloud, preparing herself to actually see what HQ had only briefed them on.
Haruka put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on Yukino, we're detectives now. Kazehana gave us this job for a reason."
She wanted to ask what reason that was, since the promotion had been decidedly out of the blue, but there was no more time to try and run off at the mouth; Haruka was already making her way into the apartment building.
She caught up to the blonde right as she was set to barge into the crime scene, a second-story apartment, tearing through yellow tape as she went.
"Detective, be careful!" A uniformed officer warned her just as she crossed the threshold, stepping into a pool of blood and slipping. Yukino opportunely appeared behind her to steady her flailing body as she lost balance.
"For God's sake," Haruka shouted, eyes finally open to the grisly scene. She felt Yukino let go of her and heard a retching sound from the shorter woman. "Hold it in."
Yukino nodded, covering her mouth with a handkerchief. She followed Haruka deeper into the living room, careful not to slip on the puddles of blood staining the hardwood floors. Drops of the red liquid drizzled intermittently from the ceiling, making Haruka wish she had taken the hat with her as a drop landed on her blond bangs.
She crouched down to examine what was left of the first body; on the floor, entrails pouring out of the seamless cut from groin to throat. "Gutted like a fish," she remarked to Yukino, whose hand trembled as she took notes.
The second and third bodies were nearby, mutilated in much the same manner, intestines spilling onto the floor. The face had been sliced horizontally on one, the jaw hanging off to reveal a severed tongue.
They moved warily to the apartment's bedroom, the location of the final body. Naked and sprawled out on the bed, he had been gutted too, and the detectives could see his hands as well as his testicles had been chopped off. The severed hands were nearby, but as they looked about the blood spattered room, the testicles were not found.
"I wonder what this poor fuck did to deserve that," a male officer commented, grimacing.
Haruka frowned, "Watch your mouth. Did you find any weapons?"
The officer rolled his eyes at her, before thumbing through his notebook. "None. No sign of breaking and entering either, so it was probably someone they let in. Seems to me like a prostitute or something."
Yukino looked around the room, the fat wallet on the nightstand indicating to her that robbery was not a motive. "I don't think so." She took a deep breath before venturing closer to the corpse on the bed, squinting over her glasses. "This neck damage… He may have been strangled first."
"If he died of strangulation, then what was the point of chopping his balls off?" The officer asked, quite innocently.
Haruka flashed an annoyed look on him. "Can you possibly say something without being so obscene? You're at work!" She reminded him, as Yukino lifted a part of the corpse's shoulder with her pencil.
"Tattoos," she stated as if answering an unasked question, "This was probably Yakuza related."
"We found firearms on the kitchen table," another officer supplied, "The killer had to be pretty charming to get them to disarm."
"And really good with a blade," Haruka added, "This guy was probably first, the other three quickly afterwards." She looked to Yukino, "Remember a few years ago there was something like ten cases like this."
Yukino nodded, "Right. All men murdered similarly and found without…"
"Scrotums?" The male officer suggested, smiling cheekily at Haruka.
"Uh yes," Yukino continued, "But these specific killings tapered off around two years ago. Could it be the same person?"
There was little time to think on it as another officer rushed into the room, "Detective, I just got off the phone with HQ. The description of one of the victims matches that of a driver of a taxi that was reported as speeding and driving recklessly last night. According to a traffic officer on duty last night, a black sports car, also well over the speed limit, was being followed by the taxi. The traffic officer was only able to pull over the taxi. He reported nothing suspicious, other than the driving. The license plate number, driver's license and vehicle registration all match the victim. The taxi was found parked around the corner, with six bullet holes in the front bumper and side panels," The officer finished reading off the points listed on his notepad with a huff.
"What are we doing about finding the black car?" Haruka asked.
"Um, nothing ma'am."
She stepped over to him, inches from his face. "Why not?"
"W-we can't possibly pull over every black sports car in the city—"
"We can do whatever we want," she cut him off, watching him wince at the shrill volume of voice she was able to use without actually shouting. "Four people were killed and their murderer is still out there. Is that okay with you?!"
"No ma'am," he squeaked.
Satisfied, she moved past him and took off out of the room. "Then find that car! Come on Yukino!"
Detective Kikukawa followed her out, hoping her juniors didn't notice the amused smile on her face.
A broken record runnin' low on luck
The lines of blue powder didn't provide the feeling Natsuki was used to, but dulled the pain in her thigh nonetheless. Youko had advised against Natsuki's preferred method of pill consumption when she gave her the pain medication that morning, after checking and redressing the wound.
"Your nose hairs will burn off, if you have any left," she had said. Natsuki crushed up a pill right in front of her.
Kumicho had been contacted, and after asking about the safety of his wife, gave Natsuki the day off to rest. She had sat in her bed receiving phone calls most of the day, one of them from Shizuru. She told her she had been sleeping and hung up rather quickly.
She tried not to feel bad about it; after all it was Shizuru's distraction that caused her to not notice the suspicious taxi in the first place. Had she been more alert, those motherfuckers would've been finished right then and there.
The strong smell of burning weed infiltrated the creases of her door and hit her nostrils, indicating Nao's presence in the house. The younger girl had been in and out of the house since Natsuki came home shot and leaning on the Kumicho's wife, sketchy and terse with her explanations.
"Oi Nao," she called out, only waiting a few seconds before the redhead entered her room.
Natsuki eyed her curiously as she wavered in the doorway, puffing on a tightly rolled joint. She handed it to Natsuki slowly and asked, "How do you feel?"
She motioned to the bottle of painkillers Youko had given her, "Better now. Where've you been all day?"
"Here and there," she leaned against the doorframe as Natsuki reclined in bed, resting her head on one folded arm. "I had to junk my car."
Natsuki sat up immediately, choking on smoke. After a fit of coughing she looked to the younger girl incredulously, "What? There were only a few holes in it, you could've gotten it patched up!" She was bewildered by Nao's shrug, more so by her lack of anger, or any discernible emotion. "You loved that car. I… Sorry."
She took the joint back, letting Natsuki's sentence linger while she smoked. "I talked to Kumicho."
Natsuki lay back again, not knowing what do with the change of topic. She looked at the girl critically for a few seconds while she disregarded her. "You did?"
She nodded. "He called me. I was surprised as you are," she addressed Natsuki's expression, "He told me to tell you not to worry about the guys that ran up on you. They were Sugiura's people, close to Nagi. It's been taken care of."
There were many questions Natsuki needed to ask about that statement. "Who took care of it? I wanted to get those assholes myself," she asserted, sitting up again.
Nao released a chimney of smoke slowly from her mouth, clouding her face. It seemed that she wasn't interested in answering Natsuki's questions at the moment. "Did you fuck her?"
Natsuki squinted at her, wondering just what the hell was wrong with her today. "Who?" She asked, scowling.
"You know who."
A low sound vibrated in Natsuki's throat as she glared at Nao. The younger girl crossed her arms and squared up to the saiko defiantly.
"You better watch what you say to me," Natsuki told her menacingly, rising out of bed. Nao watched her try to walk as normally as possible without limping as she grabbed her jacket and a handgun from the nightstand, storming as fast as her injury would allow her out of the house.
I wanna leave but I just get stuck
"Closed until further notice," Haruka read the sign, rather irritated. "She was tipped off," she concluded, kicking at the diner's entrance. "This is the place right?"
Yukino didn't need to check the file to answer her. Chemical odors could be detected yards from the establishment. "Has to be. We should take a look around, maybe someone's in the basement. Synthesis may still be taking place."
The detectives trudged around to the back of the building, finding an open cubbyhole. The wide open doors were invitation enough for Haruka to step down, but she was quickly stopped by her partner.
"We can't go inside Haruka-chan, we don't have a warrant," Yukino explained.
Haruka looked at her for a moment, questioning the necessity of piece of paper to allow her to barge into meth labs and kick the daylights out of every drug-making delinquent she found. Sighing, she threw her hat on the ground, "Well what was the point of coming here?"
Yukino put a finger to her lips, her ears picking up voices from the interior. The detectives stiffened as the voices drew closer. Two figures suddenly emerged out of the cubbyhole, each carrying one sealed cardboard box.
The young woman looked at them strangely, dropping the boxes in front of them. "You're here early," she said, "I was expecting Chie-san and Aoi-san. No big deal, I guess they're busy."
"Yes, quite," Yukino said quickly, asking with a glance at her partner for her to play along. "How much is there?"
The brown-haired girl shrugged, looking to her male companion, "About twenty-five bricks in each box, right Kazu-kun?"
He nodded, "Good stuff this time, too. Not that peanut butter crank. Thanks for getting us the right ingredients this time."
"Kazu-kun!" The girl admonished him quickly, turning to the detective apologetically, "He didn't mean it that way! Whatever you choose to supply us with is fine."
Haruka and Yukino looked at each other, then at the young couple. They had obviously been roped into this vocation; they were in no way career criminals.
"Where's the, eh, what is it? The chef? Where is she?" Haruka asked after a beat of silence.
Akane's eyebrow raised for a second, before she noticeably forced herself to remain stoic. "Ah, Mai-san didn't come in today. She closed the place yesterday after that incident with the saiko. You know what I'm talking about."
Their blank faces all but confirmed her suspicions. She pulled on Kazuya's sleeve, who timidly asked, "Um, who are you again?"
"Oh," Haruka flipped her badge out simultaneously with Yukino, "We're the police—Oi! Where are you going? STOP! Yukino get 'er!"
The couple had taken off sprinting in opposite directions, with no intent to stop. Yukino had spared herself the physical exertion, only standing by while Haruka chased fruitlessly after Kazuya. She instead, loaded the boxes into the cruiser's trunk for safe-keeping in the evidence locker. She waited only a few minutes for her partner to return, winded and empty-handed.
"You… didn't get... her either?" Haruka panted out.
Yukino shook her head, her eye focused on the concrete in front of the building. She leaned down next to a single drop of blood on the sidewalk. She looked to Haruka, "I wonder what she meant by 'that incident with the saiko'?"
"I don't know," Haruka replied, her breath returning to her, "But we have descriptions on those two punks. Let's get back to HQ so we can find out who they are and get the warrants. They're not getting away this time."
Beneath the heather lies the meadowlark
The mansion was quiet; the way Reito intended it to be when he sent all the guards out of the house. His exhausted wife admitted to being wary of seeing anymore guns, especially in her home. She was a touch more fatigued than he was accustomed to seeing her; she was a master of concealing emotions, as was he. They were similar in so many ways, he had been in awe when he met her on that Hawaiian beach. Whether his heir took on mostly his traits or hers, Reito was sure he would pleased.
She was at the moment the most relaxed she had been since he returned home. A foot massage and the empty syringe on the nightstand had seen to that. He smiled as he continued to press his thumbs into one of her deep arches, watching her toes wiggle in delight.
"It was Sugiura's people," he began to explain, as her eyes fluttered close. "She's more idiotic than I thought, retaliating even after she busted in here like a barbarian. Perhaps I should've taken care of Tate myself."
Shizuru sighed, taking away her foot and extending the other one. "Was it so imperative to get rid of him that you risked starting a war?"
She pouted when he smacked her foot away, leaving the bed. She leaned up slowly on one arm, watching him light a cigarette. He was still in his business clothes, a shirt and slacks. She thought he looked better in traditional garb; his Western clothing seemed out of date, the pants too high and the cuffs too large. Then again, he was a man often described as being from another time.
"He was getting in my way, he had to go," he finally replied, going to the window, "Anyway, now they're after Natsuki. I don't understand how they got her. She's usually not so careless."
Shizuru's mind flashed to the taste of the saiko's bottom lip on the tip of her tongue. "It could've happened to anyone."
Reito glanced at her curiously. "I suppose," he said. A smile lit up his face despite the heaviness of his thoughts as he thought back to a recent phone conversation with Kazehana. "Nao-chan, that reckless little girl. She started a war."
"I'm sure it won't get that out of hand," Shizuru mumbled quietly, turning her face into a pillow.
The Oyabun was certain his bride was grossly uninformed on underworld politics, but when attempting to respond he found that sleep had already overcome her. He frowned and slapped her hip, disappointed when she didn't respond. Even though he sedated her, at the moment he wanted to talk his thoughts out some more.
The serendipitous vibration of his cell phone returned the smile to his face, which soon faded when he read the caller's name. "What is it now Kazehana? How many more did Nao-chan slaughter?"
The voice on the other line was, as always, unaffected by his attitude. "Yuuki-san is in the clear, as long as that vehicle is never seen again, Kumicho. I'm afraid you have a new problem, one which I can not turn a blind eye to."
"Do tell," he prompted uninterestedly.
"Your shabu makers were arrested."
"Mai-san?"
Chief Kazehana paused to register his suddenly concerned tone of voice. "Akane Higurashi and Kazuya Kurauchi were apprehended this afternoon."
Relieved, he went to the bed and laid his head on Shizuru's butt. "Well those are the risks. Sacrifices have to be made in this game sometimes."
"1200 pounds of crystal methamphetamine were confiscated and the building, a diner I believe, has been quarantined. I'm sure my detectives will be making inquiries into Mai Tokiha as well."
"What the fuck Kazehana?" He shot up, furiously pounding on the mattress. Shizuru stirred slightly. "What the hell do I pay you for? Keep your pigs out of my business!"
The voice on the other line raised one decibel, the highest he had ever heard it, "My hands are tied right now. I suggest you administer your business with a level-head."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"It means, the fact that Tokiha-san came to me for help suggests a serious lack of managerial skills."
Although he was silent, Kazehana could hear him seething. "Bite your tongue, Mashiro," he said in a menacingly low voice. "You keep your detectives out of my way. I'll deal with Tokiha."
I'm slow to finish but I'm quick to start
Am I dreaming?
Shizuru's crimson eyes opened slowly to the sight of a bleary figure hovering above her. She tried to rise, but found that her body was too lethargic, despite the imminent danger she could be facing.
"I didn't mean to wake you," a gravelly voice that somehow put her at ease, came from the retreating figure.
"Wait," the lady heard her own hoarse voice say, summoning all her energy to sit up, "Natsuki?"
The saiko nodded as Shizuru's eyes gained focus, noticing that she had forgone her customary black suit for a white t-shirt and jeans, "I was just looking for Kumicho. It doesn't look like he's here."
Shizuru's mind became clearer faster than her body could keep up with. She wondered what business was so urgent that Natsuki would venture into the couple's bedroom. Not that she minded. "He was," she said, looking at the clock, eyebrows furrowing. She had been out for only a few hours, and now her limbs refused to listen to her. She didn't want the saiko to see her in such a state. "Lock the door."
Natsuki wavered, "What?"
Mustering as much grace as she could, she swung her legs off the bed and stood. "Please," she said, going to her dresser.
Natsuki watched her sit at the dresser in her plum satin night gown, uncovering a familiar silver tray with a rolled up ¥10,000 note lying next to it. She locked the door.
"How are you feeling?" Shizuru asked, cutting up some lines with a platinum credit card, her back to the saiko.
"Fine," she replied, "I've been hit before." She considered taking a seat on the disheveled bed, but went to the large windows instead. "I was wondering how you were doing with it."
"I too, have been in such situations," the lady stated quietly while Natsuki fingered the fine embroidered curtains. After a moment she drew them closed.
"Really?" Natsuki smirked, turning to see the honey-haired woman sighing contentedly, inhaling deeply with her nose in the air. "Where did Kumicho find you anyway?"
The saiko waited as she vacuumed up another line. After two more, her body had caught up with herself. "He found me on the beach," she finally replied in a more recognizable tone of voice, grimacing as the bitter drip assaulted the back of her throat. She smiled through it, turning to Natsuki and offering the rolled up bill.
She went to lie on the bed again as Natsuki took her place at the dresser. Now equipped to talk and share whatever thoughts passed through her, Shizuru decided to indulge the other woman's curiosity. "It's a sweet story, actually. He was looking for my former employer, but found me instead. He meant to take me as collateral. We married in Tokyo, in between flights."
"Romantic," Natsuki commented dryly, after a long blow.
Shizuru turned onto her stomach, leaning up on her elbows. "Quite," she chuckled.
Natsuki looked at her smiling that beguiling smile of hers, swinging her feet in the air on her marital bed. "Do you regret it?" The question left her mouth before she could consider its repercussions.
"I haven't a reason to," she replied simply.
"Do you love him?" Another question she was likely to regret asking. Shizuru, however, didn't seem angry or perturbed.
She had now turned onto her back again and stretched her arms over her head, pinning the saiko with a mildly curious look. Natsuki wondered about the purpose of such an alluring pose.
"I didn't marry Reito because I love him." She paused as Natsuki joined her, sitting on the very edge of the bed. "But I believe you know that."
Natsuki saw her own hand reach out to touch the short hem of the lady's night gown. Shizuru sat up, drawing closer to her, but the hand retracted itself quickly. "What happens when he decides the same thing about you?"
Shizuru was surprised by this peculiar inquiry, eyebrows furrowing together. "Natsuki is full of questions."
The saiko grunted, looking away. "I don't think you really know who you're married to," she said matter-of-factly.
The corner of Shizuru's mouth twitched as she held back a scathing reply. "You underestimate me. I'm capable of taking care of myself. And you, being the honorable saiko that you are, know that it is not your place to question me."
Natsuki could clearly detect the annoyance she had caused in the lady, but was infuriated by her attempt to remind her of rank. Scowling, she pushed herself close enough to touch noses with Shizuru. "Yeah that right, I'm the fucking saiko that's here for you enjoyment, but when he gets a son out of you and ships your ass back to Hawaii so he can be with that chef, I'll still be here," she spat heatedly.
Shizuru's crimson eyes flashed, the only indicator that Natsuki's provocation meant anything. Upset with herself for having wasted time and spilled secrets, she tried to pull away to storm out, but was caught by Shizuru's hand on the front of her t-shirt.
She flung Natsuki onto the bed with surprising strength and whipped her night gown off seconds later. "It's not going to happen that way," she stated, but with the sight of the Kumicho's nude wife before her, Natsuki had already forgotten the argument.
I love the feeling when it falls apart
"Pocket fours? Pocket fucking fours?" Nao slammed her fist on the green felt covered table, causing stacks of chips to tumble and golden-brown drinks to spill. "You can't beat Ace-King with pocket fours!"
The other four players in the private poker room of the Kanzaki's "Paradise" casino rolled their eyes at her theatrics.
"I just did," Chie stared at her over the top of her glasses, raking in Nao's lost chips. "Settle down now. I think you should go home, you've had a shitty attitude all night."
"Did you fight with Kuga or something?"
Nao turned to Masashi Takeda, "How the fuck is it any of your business?"
"I saw her at the estate on my way out," the spiky headed buttonman said, "She seemed pretty mad, so I didn't talk to her."
"What was she doing at the estate?"
He shrugged, "Don't know, but if she was looking for Kumicho she's not going to find him. Maybe she had to baby-sit his wife again—hey!"
Takeda was cut short as Nao kicked his chair over. He scrambled to his feet as she grabbed him, fist poised to connect with his face. Chie caught her arm quickly before she swung however, and managed to twist it behind her back.
"Alright, you're done for the night. Go home and cool off," she told the younger woman, gently shoving her out of the poker room and into the casino's crowded main room.
"Fuck you too Chie," Nao spat. Irritated, she lit up a cigarette and pushed her way out of the noisy place and into the refreshing night air. She paced around angrily, thinking on what could have kept her missing oyabun at the Kanzaki mansion while the boss was out. She gritted her teeth, coming to a quick conclusion. Flicking her cigarette away, she decided to do something about, but realized she was without a vehicle due to her hasty early morning actions. She hadn't stolen a car in years, but she looked around for a suitable target anyway.
Her eyes caught sigh of a familiar busty strawberry-blonde, staring up at the Paradise and looking as out of place as a foreigner. "What are you doing around here?" Nao called to her.
Startled, she took a few steps away from the building, but stopped upon recognizing Nao. "I'm looking for the saiko. Is she here?"
Nao narrowed her eyes, wondering what the chef could possibly want with Natsuki. "No. What, is she fucking you too?"
Mai was taken aback by this notion. It seemed the information she planned to use on the saiko with was not so much of a secret after all. "No, no, I just need to talk to her. But I guess it's pointless now."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean…" Mai looked at the redhead skeptically, "Wait, who are you again?"
Nao grinned, "I'm the saiko's little sister," she said in a way that seemed to Mai too innocent to be coming from her, "Come on, anything you can trust her with, you can trust me with. Let's go upstairs, you look like you need a drink." She swung an arm around a bewildered Mai, leading her back up into the casino.
I doubt they play Texas Hold Em in Japan, but I really don't know what they play in yakuza casinos, exceptfor kick-ass Fatal Fury slot machines. More A/N on profile page.
Chapter 4: Nao's agreement, Shizuru's boldness, and Mai's face-off!