Author's Note: A quicker update for all the readers and site user neha borkar who has been very generous with her reviews, comments and suggestions for this story. :D
The next update might take a little longer though. And thank you for all the lovely feedback. It makes my day every single time.

Feedback: buggyeye: Thank you! I am truly very glad that you like the story. And I am proud that you feel I improve with every chapter. I hope, you will like this chapter too. :)
Daksha: Thank you! I know, I am putting Shinji through a lot. But, that's fun for me. :P I am glad you like the fic and I appreciate your support. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from City Hunter. They are solely the property of Hojo-san. And I just thought that I would mention the song 'Without You' from City Hunter, as it's a really great song and I love it very much. But I have no ties with the singer or songwriter. It is mentioned just for nostalgic purposes.

CONFESSION OF A SWEEPER: JEALOUSY ALWAYS WORKS

[Ch. 7]

Kaori was waiting at her apartment. A distinct knock was heard on the door. She opened the door and saw Shinji, all suited up and looking very good indeed. Kaori smiled, "You look great, Sh…". She was interrupted by a loud gasp. Shinji's jaw hit the doorstep and he stared at Kaori like a love struck fanatic. Kaori turned red under his gaze. She hesitated, "Do I look okay?". Shinji pulled himself together and smiled, "You look stunning. Very stunning". Kaori simpered, "Thank you. Shall we go?". Shinji nodded and Kaori locked the apartment before walking down the stairs with him. He kept stealing sideway glances at her. He said, "You don't like gaining attention, do you?" . "Not really", Kaori looked at him as they continued to walk down the staircase. "The way you look today isn't really helping", he said and watched Kaori smile and blush at the same time. She slapped him lightly on the shoulder, "Stop it". But that led to clumsy Shinji losing his balance. "Aaaghh!", he tumbled down a few stairs and landed right in front of the exit. Kaori hurried down the flight of stairs and crouched down to help him get back on his feet. "I am fine. I am alright", Shinji said and stood up. He dusted his clothes and held the door open for Kaori. She gave him a nervous smile and walked to his car. "Kaori-san!", a female voice greeted her. She saw Reika walking towards her with a big smile. "Reika-san?", Kaori said. Reika looked admirably at Kaori from top to bottom, "Wow. You look beautiful! Is Ryo taking you out on a date, hmm?". She winked. Kaori tried to smile, "No, no. It's nothing like that. Ryo is not even here". Shinji stood behind Kaori. Reika saw him and looked at Kaori questioningly. She replied, "This is my friend – Shinji". "Good evening", Shinji said to Reika. She nodded and smiled. Kaori said, "Uh, we have to go somewhere. Sorry". Reika assured her, "It's fine. I just thought I would drop by for a little chat. See you later". She watched them get in the car and speed off onto the street.

"WELCOME" – a grand arch was raised at the entrance of the Yamashita estate to welcome the guests for Shinji's event. The place was illuminated with gala lights and traditional Japanese lanterns. Guards, ushers and other staff could be seen carrying out their tasks with politeness and expertise. The guests entered the venue in pairs or groups. They were all dressed in a lavish fashion. Admiring the grandeur quite audibly, they walked on the well lit path to the foyer where the event was to be held. The foyer was spacious, sparkling clean and elaborately decorated. A circular stage was set along the Northern wall of the room. Less than fifteen feet from the stage, was the seating arrangement for the guests. Comfortable ebony chairs padded with the softest cushion were aligned with sturdy tables of the same wood. Each table was marked with a small stand that carried the names of the guests to be seated there. All the windows of the vast hall were latticed, tall and resembled those of Georgian architecture. The room was set to a comfortable temperature, thus not making the guests wearing sleeveless, backless and low-cut dresses shiver.

"Gabimaru-san", the escort greeted Shinji at the entrance and checked the guest list, "Miss Makimura, welcome. This way, please". He signaled an usher to lead Shinji and Kaori to the event hall. The usher bowed and walked ahead of them on their way to the foyer. Shinji was dressed well in a violet tuxedo, complete with a bow tie of the same colour. He glanced at Kaori's hand on his arm and then at her face, "Have I told you that you look stunning today?". Kaori blushed and suppressed a giggle, "Thrice". They followed the usher on the path to the foyer. The doors were open wide and many guests could be seen around, more on their way. A lady dressed in yellow was singing 'Without You' by Jennifer Cihi near the stage. The orchestra sounded soothing and added to the subtle yet rich environment around. The usher led Shinji and Kaori to their table. It was right in the centre of the complete seating arrangement. Kaori lifted her dazzling skirt a little as she took her seat. Her burgundy hair cascaded down her soft, slender neck. As if the gorgeous attire wasn't enough, Kaori's beautiful face embellished by light make up and a blood red lipstick garnered attention from all the male guests, much to their partners' dismay. Shinji seemed hypnotized with a relishing smile plastered on his face. Kaori was observing the interior when her eyes met Shinji's enchanted gaze. She blushed, "Shinji-san, stop it, please". He stopped gaping and smiled again at her. Just to make sure, he checked the inside pocket of his coat. The .38 semi he had slipped inside before getting out of the house was still there. Kaori had no idea that Shinji was carrying a gun close to his abdomen. Neither did anyone else in the room.

"Good evening and welcome, ladies and gentlemen", Naomi greeted the audience from the stage. Dressed in pure white, she spoke in fluent Japanese, "I am Sasaki Naomi, your host for tonight. I would like to thank you all on behalf of Gabimaru-san and Yamashita-san for being present here…". Kaori was clapping along with the audience when two ushers walked an elderly gentleman to her and Shinji's table. Shinji stood up and Kaori did too. The man smiled at them and took a seat. "Sit, sit. No need for formalities here", he seemed friendly to Kaori. Shinji introduced them to each other, "Kaori-san, this is Yamashita-san – my late uncle's best friend and sort of my godfather. Ojisan, this is Kaori-san – a very good friend of mine". Yamashita smiled at her, "Nice meeting you". Kaori tried to smile, "N-nice meeting you too". He looked at her with admiration for a while. She was startled when he said to Shinji, "So, Shinji, do you intend to marry this beautiful lady? You would have to be a fool if you didn't". Shinji laughed, "We are just friends. That's all". His smile disappeared and he looked at the stage to avoid any further discussion on the topic. Kaori noticed that. 'Poor Shinji. I am so sorry', she lowered her eyes. Drinks were being circulated at the tables and a waiter brought drinks to the centre table. "Uh", Shinji looked at him, "One Bloody Mary". "I will have a martini. Thanks", Kaori said. Yamashita ordered, "Go, fetch me some lukewarm sake". "Right away", the waiter bowed and went away. Kaori almost choked on her drink when she heard a familiar voice whispering sharply, "Behave yourself, Ryo!". It was right behind her. She was right. It was Saeko, dragging Ryo by her side to their table. As he always did when surrounded by attractive women, Ryo was drooling and ogling the women present there. He was still looking perversely all over the place when Saeko pulled him by his coat to make him sit on a chair. Their table was three tables away to the left and one up from that of Kaori, Shinji and Yamashita.

"And now, I would like to call upon stage, the man of the evening, Gabimaru Shinji-san", Naomi announced with a smile. Shinji stood up and smiled at Kaori and Yamashita. The applause surrounding them increased as he walked to the stage. And then, he stumbled into a waiter while adjusting his glasses. Fortunately, the well trained waiter didn't allow the cocktails to tumble or a single drop to spill. Yamashita and Kaori sighed in unison. Kaori grabbed another drink from a waiter passing by. Everyone's eyes were on Shinji, but hers were on Ryo. Ryo tried to touch Saeko's thigh, exposed through her long slit dress. She slapped his hand away. Kaori fumed, 'That jerk. Look at him going crazy over all these women and Saeko. He hasn't even noticed me yet'. She finished the drink, 'He is comfortable bringing Saeko along on a mission, but not his own partner. He trusts her more than he trusts me. I will show him today. He seems to have forgotten that I am Makimura Hideyuki's sister. Hmph!'. A waiter came over to pick up the glass from the table. "Give me that green drink. What is it?", Kaori scanned the tray he was holding. The waiter placed the drink on the table, "It's called Midori Meadow, Miss". Kaori finished the drink in one gulp. Yamashita noticed that and continued to sip on his lukewarm sake.
Kaori's eyes darted back in Ryo's direction again. He was wearing a black dinner suit. Unlike everyone else, he wasn't wearing any tie. Instead, the top buttons of his shirt were open to show off a little of his brawny chest. Kaori blushed and looked away angrily, 'If he wiped that stupid grin off his face, he would look a little sober'. She glanced back at him and indeed, the stupid grin was not on his face anymore. He was calmly enjoying his drink. Kaori looked at him gloomily, 'Here I am. Trying to prove myself to a man who will never believe in me. Even if he does, will it be worth the work?'. Ryo was smiling and chatting with Saeko. 'Why', Kaori thought, 'Why do I feel this need to prove myself to this man who doesn't even care about me? I… I know why. But still, why? Why couldn't I fall in love with someone else? Or maybe just not him'. The loud clapping brought her attention back to the stage. Shinji had finished his speech and was now walking towards their table. 'Great', Kaori smiled at him, 'I missed his whole speech! What am I going to say if he asks me if I liked it or not?'. Yamashita said, "That was very well put what you said up there, Shinji. Good job". Shinji flashed Kaori a quick smile and resumed his seat. "Thank you, Ojisan", he said, "I hope, my speech didn't bore you to sleep, Kaori-san". She could tell that he was joking. She laughed a little, "No, no, not at all. It was… it was very… inspiring". "Really?", Yamashita still hadn't finished drinking his sake. Kaori nodded, "Yes. It was very touching and inspiring". Shinji stroked his neck nervously, "Thank you. I thought you weren't even listening". "Wh-what? Whaaat? I was listening. I was listening throughout your speech", Kaori said defensively. Shinji whispered into her right ear, "My eyes were on you all the time, but yours were not on me". Kaori felt embarrassed. Shinji winked, "It's okay". Naomi said into the mic, "Thank you for the inspiring words, Gabimaru-san. I would now like to request all of you to proceed to the exhibition hall. We have one hour before the auction begins. Thank you and have a great time".

"This is the only non-spicy thing Mexico has given me", Shinji joked. He was personally showing Kaori around the exhibition. "This guitar was made by one of the finest musicians in Mexico. It is almost 270 years old. A very valuable antique", Shinji told her. Kaori teased him, "How do you know it's an antique? Might just be an old, rusty guitar someone fooled you with". Shinji grinned, "I had it dated. And it smells like a cat lady's cupboard". They grinned widely at each other. "Did he see us yet?", Shinji whispered. "Uh-uh", Kaori whispered back. Shinji looked at Ryo who was strolling around, more interested in the ladies than the things on exhibition. "Come on", Shinji took Kaori by the hand. "What are you doing?", she asked. As soon as they were near Ryo, Shinji locked his arm with Kaori's. He said aloud, "You see that shroud, Kaori? It was found in the rundown palace of… Saeba-san? Good evening. I didn't expect to see you here". Ryo said with a laugh, "Well, my girlfriend insisted that I accompany her". Kaori gritted her teeth, 'Is he talking about Saeko? This jerk…'. "I am bored", Kaori rested her head on Shinji's shoulder and wrapped her arms around one of his. "Can we go see those weapons over there?", she pouted at him. He tried to process this sudden action, "Sure, w-why not? Please excuse us, Saeba-san". 'Ryo called Saeko his girlfriend and I got close to Shinji. We are even', Kaori smirked as she and Shinji walked away. Shinji was telling Kaori about how he had found those weapons buried in an ancient burial ground. Suddenly, people began to gather around them. "Gabimaru-san, I am very impressed! I…". "I am so glad that you invited me…". "I am so excited about the auction, Gabimaru-san…". Too many voices and faces – all of them trying to have a talk with Shinji. Kaori took a step away from him, with an assuring smile on her face. He smiled with gratitude and mouthed to her, "I will be with you in a while".

Ryo successfully didn't show any kind of reaction to what Kaori had just done. He walked away right after she and Shinji did. 'She did tell me that they were seeing each other. It doesn't take much time to be used to touching someone we love', Ryo bitterly pondered, 'Stop that. Stop thinking about her. Damn. Where is a distraction when you need one?'. Ryo caught a fleeting glimpse of Saeko through the corner of his eye. He hid behind a wall and giggled lecherously, 'She is walking in this direction. When she comes here, I will jump and then…'. He tried to muffle his laughter. Saeko was walking when her sandal slipped a little. The tiny belt was off the buckle. She stooped down to take care of that. Meanwhile, Kaori walked up behind her. She was busy eyeing the place and didn't notice Saeko yet walked right past her. 'Here she comes', Ryo thought to himself as the footsteps grew closer. "Aah!", a gasp escaped Kaori's mouth as someone grabbed her breasts. "Mokkori bust!", Ryo's grin vanished as soon as he saw it was Kaori he was fondling. He pulled away in horror. "You…", Kaori shook and clenched her fists. Her hammer was about to appear in her hand but she heard Saeko's voice, "What happened?". Saeko asked on seeing a burning red and enraged Kaori. Kaori looked back at Saeko and then at Ryo, who was by now on his feet with both hands placed on his head. 'He was waiting to do that to her', Kaori derived a quick and apt conclusion from the situation. Her anger turned into jealousy and pain. Ryo looked up, 'Why hasn't she smashed me into a wall yet?'. Kaori looked at him with disgust and walked away. He stood up, remembering that Kaori didn't even bother to hit him anymore. Saeko kept looking at Kaori as she walked out of the room. "What hap…", she stopped when she saw a visually mortified Ryo looking at his partner till she was out of sight.

An hour had passed. The guests were heading back to the foyer for the auction. Kasumi saw the crowd getting thinner. She waited in a corner until it dispersed completely. Once they were all gone, the guards turned off all the lights in the room and left, as Ryo had told them to in the afternoon. "You have two minutes", Ryo said to Kasumi. She nodded and slipped out of her evening dress. Ryo's tone was mischievious, "Too bad I can't see your leotard in the dark". "Saeba-san! Hand me the replica. Be quick", Kasumi whispered sharply. Ryo handed to her the small idol to his left and picked up the scepter to his right. Both of them replaced the originals with the replicas as fast as they could. "The vase! Hurry", Kasumi stretched her hand for it. But someone took her by the arm and twirled it behind her back. The man put a gun to her head and asked, "Who are you?". Ryo turned on a light, one hand on the switch and the other holding his gun which was pointed at Shinji's head. Shinji gasped, "Saeba-san?! What…". Ryo stopped pointing the gun at him, "Shinji, listen to me. We don't have much time. Let her go". Kasumi struggled to get out of Shinji's firm grasp. He was still in shock. He exclaimed, "No! First, tell me what is going on". "Shinji…", Ryo became aware of someone else's presence. He quickly pounced on Shinji. He grabbed the gun he was holding and dealt a sharp chop on Shinji's neck. The lad slumped into unconsciousness. "That should hold him for a minute or two", Ryo whispered, "They're here". Kasumi moved to a corner with Ryo dragging Shinji along. Not even footsteps could be sensed. A female voice at a very low tone, "Are we supposed to do this in the dark?". "Not really", another voice. A third female voice whispered, "I was expecting the room to be guarded well". "Looks like we're dealing with amateurs", another feminine voice. Shinji tried to sit up straight as his neck hurt like hell. Ryo immediately placed his hand on Shinji's mouth and poked him in the rib with his gun. Shinji didn't make a sound and stayed still. "Ssh! I hear something", yet another womanly voice said. 'Oh no', Kasumi blinked as the lights were turned on.

Five women, dressed in tights and wearing masks, were standing in front of Ryo, Shinji and Kasumi. Ryo lost his composure on seeing the voluptuous women dressed in tights. He exclaimed, "Waaha! Leotards!". The women adopted a fighting stance. Shinjuku Phantoms – it was written in bold letters right above them. Special effects. Ryo looked at Kasumi and then back at them, "Look, Kasumi-chan! Just like yours!". Three of the women sprinted towards right and ran to grab the items they were ordered to. The other two threw poisonous darts at Ryo and Kasumi. They quickly jumped out of harm's way in opposite directions. A dart was thrown at Shinji too, but he dashed into another direction. They were now holed up in the adjoining room. Shinji tried to make a go towards the thieves but Ryo pulled him back in. "What are you doing?! Let go off me!", Shinji said and struggled to get out of Ryo's strong hold. "Trust me on this and just stay put!", Ryo growled at him. "They are stealing my possessions!", he jerked out of Ryo's hold but the women were already on the go. One of them said, "Shouldn't we get rid of those witnesses?". The other one said, "We were paid for stealing. We are not killing anyone for free". "Let's get out of here!", they said in unison.
Kaori was bored with the auction which seemed like it would never end. She got out of her chair as Naomi was announcing, "Let me remind all of you again that the items here on the stage are replicas whereas the items you saw in the exhibition are being well guarded for you to take home. Let's hear the bid for this amazing…". Kaori trudged along the hallway. It was next to the exhibition room. 'Where is Shinji? I am so bored. Maybe he's in there', Kaori thought as she moved towards the exhibition hall. She pushed the doors open and saw Shinji standing in one of the other two doors of the room. Before she could call his name, a smoke bomb exploded in the room. 'He is in danger!', Kaori coughed and rushed inside the room. Two guards who were chatting far away saw Kaori rushing inside the exhibition room. "Miss! You can't go in there! Come back, Miss!", they called to her and rushed to stop her. Shinji was coughing due to the smoke too. Ryo and Kasumi were affected by it as well in the other room. One of the Shinjuku Phantoms turned around for a second, "Takahara did mention a prize if we can make his friend bleed". She threw a stiletto knife at Shinji and fled with her partners. Ryo sensed the weapon and yelled, "Get down, Shinji!". Ryo leapt out of hiding to help him. But before he could shoot at the dangerous dagger, Kaori sprung into action. She saw the stiletto on its way to plunge into Shinji's chest. And as she always did, Kaori thought with her heart, not head, and jumped in the weapon's way. She leapt and pushed Shinji to the ground. He was now safe, yet the damage had been done. "No!", Shinji shrieked. "KAAORI!", Ryo's cry was the loudest. The stiletto dropped to the floor, with the girl's blood on it.

*****BANTER TIME!*****

Takahara: (triumphantly) Ha! Look what I did to that Shinji!
Me: You didn't, punk. The Shinjuku Phantoms did.
Takahara: I was the one who hired them!
Me: Yeah, with mortgage money.
Takahara: Hey! You don't even know what I am capable of.
Me: Nothing, right? You are broke, sadistic, a loser and a cry baby. And what's with the peacock hair-do?
Takahara: (smug face) That's not my fault! That's how the writer of City Hunter designed me.
Me: (smirks) Pff. You are an OC character, fool. I designed you.
Takahara: (stunned) Wh-what?! Why did you make me so pathetic?
Me: (shrug) Too many characters to handle. Adding a dynamic villain would seem extravagant.
Takahara: (sobs) You monster! I'm wearing crocs, for god's sake! Why me?!