"So…what are we dealing with?" Miwako asked as they both buckled their seatbelts.
"Not sure exactly. From what Megure-keibu has told me, the president of All Nippon Air was found dead in his corporate office less than thirty minutes ago." He answered as he started his Skyline.
Satou's brows furrowed, "ANA is a large airline…there could be any number of people wanting to off the president." She said as she tapped a finger to her bottom lip thoughtfully.
"Yes, this case will be huge. I can tell the inspector is already dreading the inevitable rush from the press."
Satou nodded firmly. "Such a huge pain. I can barely get by them sometimes."
"The place will probably be swarmed by the time we get to Shiodome City Center-." Takagi was cut off as his phone started to ring.
"Would you mind?" he asked his partner as he kept both hands on the steering wheel as he merged onto the freeway.
"No problem." Satou quickly fished into his suit pocket and pulled out his cellphone before answering.
"Hello, Takagi's phone."
"Satou-kun? Takagi already picked you up?"
"Uh…" Satou stuttered, not sure what was the best answer to give.
Megure's voice quickly changed from shocked to very serious, "Forget it! I need the two of you to head to the IC highway. NOW!"
"Keibu?" She prompted, eyes narrowing.
"Listen, an SUV transporting the CEO of the Mitsui Group has overturned on the highway. I have unconfirmed reports of shots fired! The two of you get there ASAP and check on the status of the CEO and his wife!"
"Yes sir!"
"Back up is on the way, be careful!" Miwako hung up the phone and turned to her partner.
"Takagi-kun, change in plan. We're heading to the ICH. Apparently the CEO of Mitsui Group has been targeted and-."
"The Mitsui Group! Are you sure about that?" Takagi suddenly cut her off.
"Yeah, apparently someone managed to flip the CEO's SUV. The inspector says we have unconfirmed reports of gunfire." Satou answered briskly as she turned on the siren and placed it on the hood.
"At any rate, we need to get there fast."
Just as she had finished rolling up the window Miwako was suddenly thrown back as the Skyline accelerated forward. Takagi gripped the steering wheel tightly as he maneuverer past other vehicles swiftly. Satou took a quick glance at him as she checked her gun making sure it was ready for use.
"Are you okay?" She asked as the vehicle continued to accelerate down the highway. He didn't answer as she slipped his cellphone back into his pocket. Not too concerned she turned her attention back to the road. Satou was prepared for almost anything but she was still surprised when up ahead they saw an overturned SUV with two other matching armoured vehicles parked around it protectively.
As they approached men dressed in dark suits hailed them down. "What the hell?" Miwako spoke under her breath.
Takagi pulled his Skyline up directly behind the overturned vehicle and quickly jumped out making sure to keep behind the cars.
They each held up their badge as several men approached the detectives.
"What happened? Where's the CEO?" Satou asked seriously as Takagi dashed to the overturned car.
"He's not here, we were only escorting his wife when the transport exploded, and we were immediately shot at." The large, dark suited man answered as other men dressed similarly rushed around them.
"We?" Satou asked with stern curiosity.
"That's right. We are the CEO's personal guard. Good thing you showed up, the shooting stopped as soon as we heard your siren."
Satou nodded her understanding as she surveyed the scene. "Did you return fire?"
"No, we had no idea where we were being shot at from."
Miwako's next question was cut off as she heard her partner shouting.
"Help me pull her out, watch the glass!"
Satou turned to look as Takagi with help from two of the armed guards, pulled a woman out of the overturned SUV through the back window. He quickly wrapped the woman in his blazer and held her upper body.
"Mitsui-sama!" the guard Satou had been talking too shouted as he ran to her side. Satou followed, confirming with one of the other men that an ambulance had already been called.
"Are you alright?" Takagi asked her as she slowly opened her eyes.
For a moment she blinked in shaken confusion before she smiled up at the man holding her.
"I'm fine…Detective." She spoke quietly.
Satou was a little surprised when the two seemed to be staring intently at each other before the woman's face contorted in pain.
"What is it?" Takagi asked concerned.
"Her arm may be broken." The head guard said as he stepped forward to examine her.
As if on cue, several squad cars followed by an ambulance pulled up, sirens blaring. Satou did a quick sweep of the area surrounding the bridge they were on. The sniper could have been anywhere. She thought frustrated as she gazed out at the many lit skyscrapers backed out against the night sky.
Takagi, with more authority in his voice than Satou was used to, addressed the large group "Alright, as an official member of the police I'll go with her in the ambulance. Satou-san, take my car and escort the ambulance."
The head guard stepped forward. "Agreed, as long as half my men are permitted to follow you. We are still responsible for Mitsui-sama."
"Fine." Takagi nodded resolutely as he helped place the injured woman on the stretcher that was brought up beside them by two paramedics. "But the rest have to stay for questioning." He added motioning to the other officers that were quickly streaming onto the scene.
The head guard nodded before he started directing the others. Satou made quick notes of the names of the guards and which ones were coming along. Within a minute the ambulance, one of the black SUVs and silver Skyline were on route to the hospital.
Satou took the shortest route, relieved that traffic was minimal now that it was past 2:00am. This wasn't the first time she had escorted an ambulance but for some reason her stomach was tied in a nervous knot.
The CEO himself hadn't been in the car but that didn't mean that whoever planned this was aware of that fact. It seemed too much of a coincidence for two high profile business men to be targeted within an hour of each other. It was very likely that the murder and attempt were related. Satou turned into the hospital emergency sector and pulled the Skyline up out of the way.
By the time she got out the CEO's wife had already been taken in for treatment. She glanced around and when she didn't see her partner she figured he must still be with her. Satou walked past the black SUV that had parked behind her and followed four of the guards into the building. After a quick surveillance of the area they stood back in various places without a word to her.
Sighing slightly, the female detective walked over toward where the head guard was standing and dialled the inspector. He gave her a curt nod and did another sweep of the waiting room to make sure her conversation would not be overheard.
"Inspector, the CEO wasn't in the SUV." She explained quietly once Megure picked up on the other end.
"I know. I managed to get in contact with him just now. What's the situation?"
"The CEO's wife was injured, doesn't look like anything too serious so far…I can confirm that the SUV was flipped and that there were shots fired."
"What about the scene?"
"Backup has it covered."
Satou heard her superior sigh tiredly, "Alright, I'll have Shiratori-kun head down there while I coordinate the murder investigation. You and Takagi-kun stay with the wife, she could still be in danger. Keep me posted. If anything happens I want to know about it immediately." Megure finished firmly.
"Sir." Satou hung up her phone.
She crossed her arms thoughtfully, turning her attention to the man beside her.
"You're the one in charge of these guys right?" she asked coolly.
"Yes Ma'am." He said roughly. "You were awfully cooperative with my partner. I mean I know we're detectives but…"
The man chuckled dryly as he straightened his suit. "Well actually, I knew I could trust Takagi-san. He used to work as a high profile guard."
"What?" Satou looked at the man in surprise. He had never mentioned anything about it to her before.
"Oh yeah, he was working for some of the most powerful business families in Tokyo when he was just 18. I'm sure you'd know being his partner and all, but he's one hell of a shot."
Miwako folded her arms again and leaned against the wall. That may explain how such a wealthy woman would seem to recognize him.
"Not that I've removed you from suspicion… but how sure are you that none of your men have a hand in this?" She whispered her voice dry and professional even as she glanced at the others warily.
The captain leaned closer to her, "Very sure. These men are chosen through a rigorous selection process from private companies, and please don't be offended…but they probably have more training than the average cop."
Miwako simply leaned back and nodded her understanding, hoping she didn't seem too irritated.
"You can always ask your partner for more details on that later."
She nodded again. Don't think I won't…she thought.
"Do you have a contact number I can reach you at? I think it'd be best if we work together for the next little while." Satou said quietly.
"That…I agree with." He answered as he took her phone from her and input his number.
"Feel free to call anytime, even if it's not business related." He smiled and winked at her to which she gave a bored stare.
"I'll keep that in mind."
She just wasn't in the mood.
Three hours later Satou and the guard captain whom Satou had learned was named Ise, were redirected to a room in the recovery ward. With a brief policeman's knock the two entered the room to find the two occupants talking intently.
Upon the sound of them entering Takagi ceased speaking and looked up. Satou stepped beside him to address the woman who couldn't have been more than a year older than herself.
"Mitsui-sama, I am Detective Satou from the Tokyo metropolitan police… how are you feeling?"
The woman smiled softly at the officer, "I'll be fine." She said, glancing briefly at her bandaged arm.
"That's good to hear. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"
"A-actually detective…Mitsui-sama would likely prefer to be moved to a private health care facility."
"I'm fine here Ise-san." The young woman said plainly, "And it's no trouble Detective, I'll try to answer your questions as best I can."
"In that case…" Satou said pulling out her memo while giving the two men a look.
Understanding, Takagi stood from the chair he had been sitting in and motioned for Ise to follow him. Takagi closed the door behind them and paused.
Inside the room, Satou's eyes widened in confusion as the woman seemed to follow the men out with a longing look in her eyes.
"Mitsui-sama…shall we begin?" the female detective asked cautiously.
The woman quickly moved her gaze onto the young officer. "Yes of course, you'll have to excuse me Officer I'm…a little disoriented." She said apologetically.
Satou smiled gently, "That is completely understandable."
Outside the door the two men stood silently before Takagi spoke without facing the other man .
"…Long time no see Ise." Takagi grinned wryly as they struck their knuckles together.
"Three years to be exact." The other man answered returning Takagi's grin.
"Has it been that long?"
"Fraid so. Not going to lie, the guys are still pissed at you for leaving."
"Heh, I'm sure you've been managing without me, tonight's mishap aside." He grinned cheekily, even though he hardly held the incident in such a light regard. When did you start working for the head of the Mitsui Group?"
"About a year after you embarked on your policing career."
Takagi nodded, his mood darkening. "So…a bomb strapped to the underside of the SUV. How did that get past you Ise?"
The older man mimicked the detective as his eyes narrowed. "No idea, but I'm confident none of my men had anything to do with it. Thank god for the heavy under-plating, she would have been killed for sure."
Takagi grit his teeth. "Don't be too sure of that Captain. I know you're good at what you do, not just anyone could get near those vehicles and plant a bomb without you knowing."
Ise growled in anger revealing how furious he really was about the attack. "Yeah." Was all Ise said as he glanced at Takagi. He was surprised at how angry the young officer looked.
"Can I ask you something?"
Takagi nodded, his facial expression relaxing.
"Why are you so worked up? Do you have some connection to Mitsui Group?"
"Of course not. I'm a cop Ise, attempted murder kinda ticks me off." Takagi huffed.
Ise leaned further back against the wall. "If you say so…I just thought it was odd that the CEO's wife knew you were a detective."
"That is a logical conclusion giver her situation at the time."
When Takagi said nothing else Ise got the message that he wasn't going to elaborate.
"Anyway, if you get tired of all this police crap you should come back to the group. You know I'm making a hell of a lot more coin than you are." Ise said, his joking attitude returning. "Oh, and bring your partner along, she is one smoking hot-."
Ise trailed off when Takagi shot him a seething glare.
"Oh…sorry Detective." He offered as his hands rose in defense.
"You're lucky we've been friends for a while." Takagi muttered.
"Always knew you were a ladies man Wataru." Ise dared to push his luck.
"Shut up."
"Do women still call you Puppy-chan?"
"Ise…"
The two men were silent for a few moments, the only sound was Satou's muffled voice from inside the room.
"Hey Ise, try not to act like you know me in front of Satou-keiji. I don't want her knowing-."
"She already does."
Takagi whipped his head back to look at the other man in disbelief. "How?"
"Don't blame me. She's very perceptive. She noticed how easily I cooperated with you and called me on it." Ise ran a hand through his short hair thoughtfully.
"You wouldn't want me to lie to a police officer would you?"
Takagi said nothing as he fumed silently to himself. This could cause some problems.
A little while later Satou stepped out of the room and Ise went in to speak with Mitsui. Takagi looked her over quickly, it was almost 6:00am and despite her alert posture he could tell she was exhausted.
"Go home and get some rest. I'll stay here until the Inspector calls." Takagi said gently to her.
Satou shook her head. "No, Megure-keibu wants us both here besides, I want to talk to you."
Takagi's trying smile slipped off his face, he wasn't quite sure what he was in for.
His partner stepped right up to him and whispered into his ear. "Why did you allow so many of them to leave the scene?"
Takagi regarded her facial expression. It was obvious that she wasn't pleased. He took a minute to choose his words wisely. He hadn't called upon her opinion either when he had made his decision.
"I felt it would have been a good idea to have them with us if something else were to happen." He whispered back, almost entertaining the idea of letting his lips brush her ear 'accidentally'. Though he knew he couldn't get away with charming her now. That didn't really work much under normal circumstances.
"One or more of them could be responsible for this." She whispered though her voice seemed harsher.
Takagi diverted his eyes. "It's because you trust Ise." The young man flinched. She hadn't asked him, it had been a statement.
"That's right." He admitted uncomfortably, hoping she wasn't too miffed with him.
"You never told me you worked for private security companies before you became a detective." Takagi was surprised by the hurt undertone in her voice.
"Well, I didn't think it was really that important…I had a lot of…odd jobs before the Inspector hired me."
He reconsidered his earlier kiss idea when she turned away from him abruptly.
"I don't like this. They're not police officers but they are armed, is that even legal? Takagi ran a hand through his hair, he was glad she continued talking so he wouldn't have to explain that particular loop hole. "…And think about the car bombing. The bomb detonated when the SUV was in the dead center of that overpass right in the open." Takagi nodded as he took in his partner's words. "It seems likely to me that the one responsible knew exactly where the vehicle was."
Takagi sighed before responding, "That occurred to me and you're right, the most obvious suspects are the guards…but, there is also the matter of the shooter and the escorts would have been aware that the CEO was not in the SUV."
"They could have simply decided to kill his wife anyway."
"Doubtful, the main target is the president of Mitsui Group. Why would they do something to push him into hiding?"
"Who knows, maybe the idea was to lure him out with his wife's death."
Miwako was taken aback when her partner snorted. "That is definitely not it." He laughed. Before she could respond the voice of their superior was heard behind them.
"Nice to see you're in good spirits, though I'm not so sure what could be so funny about all this."
Both officers whirled around to face the very tired looking inspector. "Megure-keibu!" They exclaimed in unison. The inspector stepped closer, looking between his two officers.
"Sorry I had to interrupt your time off but I'm going to need both of you on this." The keibu said gravely. The pair simply nodded as they followed their superior into Mitsui's room. Satou stood silently as Megure spoke to the CEO's wife. She glanced to Ise, watching him listen to the inspector. She trusted her partner's judgment but she would still keep a close eye on him. Culprit or not, she would need to work with him. The CEO's wife was another matter. She was quite different in demeanour from the other incredibly wealthy woman Satou had encountered in past cases. She had been very willing to answer questions and seemed to be holding together very well considering what she had been through. She wasn't demanding or rude and she had even expressed gratitude earlier for their help.
It has also not escaped Satou's notice that she was stunningly beautiful. She had long black hair and thick bangs that were just short enough that they didn't obstruct her steel grey eyes. Of course it made sense that a very powerful man would have a gorgeous young wife.
She glanced up at Takagi who was standing beside her. She was a little surprised by how worried he seemed but she brushed it off. She was worried too after all. So far Satou suspected that whoever was behind this was not alone and highly organised. She also doubted that the attacks would stop.
"Eh? The president of ANA was murdered?" Satou focused her attention back in on the conversation.
"Yes, about an hour before you were attacked. Is there any connection between the two of you that you can think of?"
The woman nodded, "Yes there is, ANA has always been tied to my husband's company and very recently they were officially affiliated."
Megure nodded in serious understanding. "That gives us a good starting point."
Satou narrowed her eyes in deep thought as Takagi scribbled the information down. She knew the incidents had to be related.
"What is the relationship between your husband and the head of ANA?"
Matsui took a minute to think before answering, "They were good friends from what I know. I've only met him once myself."
Megure nodded, "Thank you for your time Mitsui-sama. However, I'm afraid I can't allow you to remain unescorted. For the time being these two officers will be your body guards."
Both Takagi and Satou looked to Ise who didn't seem particularly surprised or bothered by the idea. Satou did manage to notice a flash of something in the young woman's eyes as she smiled and nodded at the inspector.
"I appreciate that." She said genuinely.
For the next twenty minutes the inspector discussed the arrangements with the CEO's wife before a few last words to his detectives.
"I'm heading back to investigate the murder so control of this attempt case will be handed over to Shiratori-kun." Both nodded. "You two need to be extra careful, we can't allow anything to happen to such high profile individuals. Not to mention I have a feeling that it's much too early to count out further attacks."
"Don't worry Sir, I won't allow anything to happen to her." Takagi said determined. Satou's eyes flicked to her partner as the inspector left. He had been acting a bit odd all night.
A few hours later Mitsui was discharged and they were on their way to the estate. Satou glanced into the rear-view mirror as she drove. She wasn't sure if it was the Black SUV following behind that was putting her on edge. She had to admit that working with armed men who were not her colleagues was making her a bit tense. Especially considering the high possibility that they were responsible for the attempt on the CEO's wife.
She rubbed her tired eyes as she moved her gaze to her partner and woman in the back seat. The woman was once again wearing his grey blazer and seemed to have dozed off, her head almost resting on his shoulder.
She turned her eyes back to the mountain road wishing she could just pull over and go to sleep for a while.
"We're almost there." She heard his soft voice from the back seat.
"How do you know that?" she nearly whined, though still managing to keep her voice crisp.
"Just a guess based off the scenery." He answered quickly.
Miwako was incredibly relieved when they reached a high rising gate that bordered a massive estate and property. She couldn't believe how grand it was as she drove in slowly and proceeded down the long driveway.
"Nice..." She muttered under her breath. It seemed that the staff had been informed of their arrival since when she parked Takagi's car one man opened the backdoor and another came to take the Skyline into the garage.
As she stood outside, Miwako felt incredibly out of place as she watched her partner's car disappear around the side of the house. She looked back and jogged to catch up to Takagi and Mitsui-sama who were already being greeted at the door.
Upon entry into the house they were met by several more members of that staff who all bowed respectfully as they welcomed their mistress home. Takagi stood next to Satou as they pulled their shoes off. He smiled at the slightly shy smile on her face as a maid took her shoes from her and placed a pair of slippers at her feet
"Officers, if you would come with me."
Satou felt considerably more at ease as she walked along side Takagi after Mitsui-sama. It seemed that the armed guards did not normally enter the home. She sighed while looking around curiously, the mansion was incredibly beautiful. Despite the tense atmosphere she laughed to herself at the sudden idea of the Detective Boys running around. They could definitely have some serious games of hide-and-go-seek.
Mitusi sat on a comfy looking floral couch when she brought the two detectives into a large sun room. The walls and ceiling were mostly glass and the room was in an optimal position to view much of the expansive property.
She beckoned for the officers to have a seat as a young, uniformed woman silently entered to place three cups of tea on the marble coffee table. "Thank you Saiko-chan." Mitsui said cheerily as the young woman bowed and left. Satou only reached for her tea after her partner took his.
"The Inspector has arranged with me that the two of you will be staying here for the next little while…So in that case welcome to the Mitsui home." She said serenely in an odd contrast to what she had been through.
"Thank you very much Mitsui-sama." Satou said smoothly. The woman brushed Satou's courtesy aside, "No, It's me that should be thanking you Detective."
"Mitsui-sama, for now we will be staying with you on shifts, but this may change depending on your husband." Takagi finally spoke. "Ah, yes Megure-keibu mentioned that to me. The staff has informed me that the guest rooms are ready for your use."
"In that case…" Takagi nodded to his partner who gratefully stared back, understanding what he was getting at. "Would it be alright if my colleague got some rest?"
"Of course, Saiko-chan…" The young woman reappeared almost instantly. "Would you please show Detective Satou to her room."
Satou stood trying not to appear as tired as she felt. "Thank you again Mitsui-sama." She said before turning to her partner, "I'll take over for you in six hours…" Satou thought about her next few words, fearing they may send the wrong message but she said them anyway, "But get me up if you want to sleep before that."
Takagi stood and nodded, wishing her a silent goodnight before she followed the maid out of the room.
Once he was certain they were gone, he very slowly turned back to the other remaining occupant in the room. There was a very uncomfortable silence and the young keiji was very unsure of what to say. Finally, Mitsui stood as well and before he could even react she had walked around the coffee table and wrapped her un-bandaged arm around his waist. She grabbed a handful of the blazer she had recently given back and sighed happily as she leaned into him.
"Wataru…" she whispered against his chest.
Takagi sighed, cautiously placing a hand on her shoulder.
"…Nina."
No matter how hard I tried to make this chapter gripping…I still failed. Oh well, Nina has finally appeared!
A very big thank you to my reviewers! goombablood, Innocent Chiharu, and Kaori! I hope you still like the story.
And Kaori-san I must agree with you! I tend to make Satou-keiji OOC sometimes. You are right! She wouldn't act like that in such a situation... Sometimes I instil a little of myself into Satou-san, I'll have to look out for that! Thank you for your review! It means a lot to me!
I always appreciate suggestions! If there is anything I can do to tighten up my writing and make the story more enjoyable, please let me know!
Please review if you can so I don't feel so bad for procrastinating :3