Author's Note: Another chapter. :) This one turned out to be kind of a long one...and yet, I've decided to add one more chapter after this one, so this will be the next to the last chapter. :D I hope to have that one up by the end of the week at the latest.
I do not own City Hunter or any of its characters.
Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/reviewing this. It is always appreciated.
Kim: Thank you for your lovely reviews. :) As I mentioned elsewhere, Ryo/Kaori is one of my favorite couple in the anime/manga world (if not of all time). I agree that there just isn't enough fics on this site for City Hunter. Thus, I am glad that you are enjoying my fic work with them...I also agree that Ryo is clearly (and deeply) in love with Kaori, despite his protests to the contrary. He spouts a lot of nonsense, but his actions speak far louder than his words. :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy these last couple of chapters.
Chapter Eight
Mitsuru looked around cautiously with the boss close behind him. They had been able to hear the sound of gunfire as others tried to take Ryo out, but were certain that none of them had succeeded. The area was quiet now, and the two men crept about stealthily.
"Boss, what should we do?" he asked. The other man shook his head.
"We have no choice," the boss answered. "We are going to have to retreat and re-group back in Osaka. There is just no way we can do business in this town with a man like him living here."
"Boss…." Mitsuru said, stunned. The boss shook his head again and looked to see a couple more of his subordinates running up to join them.
"We are going to regroup at our usual place in Shinjuku. Make sure to spread the word to any other members who manage to escape," the boss told the men who had arrived. The boss then turned to Mitsuru.
"Let's get out of here," he said. "We are going to have to abandon this job."
"But Boss," Mitsuru said. "The client…."
"I'll deal with them," the boss said. "They knew going in that there were no guarantees. Besides, I am sure that they would be more than willing to overlook it if I were to tell them that City Hunter was interested in knowing who had hired us. Now, let's go."
The men snuck carefully toward the cars, all of them on the lookout for Ryo. As they approached, a jeep roared onto the scene, blocking the cars' path. The jeep then came to a stop and Umibozu got out of it, a machine gun in his hand.
"I heard that there was something interesting going on here," Umibozu said. "Looks like I missed out on most of it." The boss rushed toward him.
"Umibozu, please reconsider our offer," he said. "We will pay you twice…no three times what we offered you before. Just help us leave Tokyo and join us in Osaka." Umibozu began to chuckle as he moved closer to them.
"Looks like you are desperate to get away from here," he grinned. "I suppose I could help you out with that." The boss' eyes lit up.
"You will?" Umibozu laughed again and moved even closer.
"Certainly," he said. "Besides, I had a feeling that we would be running into each other again."
The boss began to smile in relief as did many of the others. Unfortunately, none of them noticed the way that Umibozu began to smirk at them.
'Yes, I will help you get away from here,' Umibozu thought to himself. 'After all, that's what Saeko is paying me for: to take you some place where you need to go. Looks like you are going to owe all of us another one, Ryo.'
Meanwhile, Ryo was trying to resuscitate his partner. He had panicked when he realized that she wasn't breathing, but soon another part of his mind, the part that had been trained to survive in any situation, took over. Now was not the time to panic, panicking could cost Kaori her life. He had to put aside his feelings and do what was necessary to bring her back. He began to administer CPR, by pressing his hands against her chest.
"Wake up Kaori," he said as he pushed. "I've taken care of things here. It's time for us to finish this job."
He then bent down to breathe into her mouth. As his lips touched hers, he couldn't help but think about all of the times he had fantasized about kissing her. It was true that he had given her a couple of chaste, but tender kisses to her forehead in the past and had even kissed her on the lips once when her mind was being controlled by the Black Army, but Ryo knew that none of those moments could qualify as an actual kiss. He had longed for the chance to do it, but had been too shy, too afraid of what would happen next if he were to kiss her that way.
Another chance for his lips to touch hers had finally come…and instead of it being the fulfillment of a dream, it was the realization of a nightmare.
He firmly pressed his mouth against hers and breathed into her a couple of times before continuing with the chest compressions. Soon he fell into a rhythm of alternating the chest compressions with mouth-to-mouth breathing. He did this for several moments, but still Kaori showed no sign of life.
"Kaori," he said. "Come on, Kaori. It's over. You're safe now. Everything's fine."
But Kaori remained still and silent. Fear began to creep into him again, and Ryo was powerless to keep it completely at bay. His movements became more frantic, his heart felt like it was being squeezed.
"Wake up, Kaori," he repeated, his tone demanding. "Dummy, what are you doing? You're supposed to be my partner. You need to wake up and help me finish things. Come on!"
Despite his efforts, Kaori still did not respond. Ryo's movements began to slow. The rational part of his mind was telling him that it was too late. Having spent so much time on battlefields, he had seen this scenario many times: a close friend or a loved one would fall and then there would be someone else clinging desperately to their corpse, unwilling and unable to accept their death. The sight would always sadden Ryo, but he had also always reminded himself of the danger of succumbing to that kind of grief. There was no place for it in his world. Death was an ever-present threat, and it was best to accept it as the flip side of life instead of deluding oneself when it struck.
Still, none of that was any comfort to him now as he looked down at the body of his partner on the ground.
Ryo put his hands on either side of Kaori's face and leaned close.
"Kaori," he said, his voice finally starting to crack. "I'm sorry. I ruined the gift that you made. I was the one who made you cry. It is my fault that things ended up this way. Please forgive me."
Ryo's eyes burned as he talked to her, his chest tightening even more.
'Why didn't I apologize to her before?' he asked himself. 'It's not as if my words will mean anything to her now.'
'Now that she's….'
Ryo gasped, unable to complete that thought. Instead his mind flashed back to hundreds of other memories, other words spoken between them: the sound of her yelling at him to get up in the morning, the careful tone she had when she explained their latest job to him, the cheerful voice that accompanied him when they went out shopping or for a leisurely day out, the gentle words spoken to him when he felt pensive or melancholic about the world and his place in it.
Ryo moved his hands and went back to giving her CPR.
'No, I won't give up. I can't,' he told himself. 'Kaori can't die.'
'I made a promise to Makimura.'
'She's my partner.'
'I need her.'
Yumiko carefully snuck out of her hiding place, making sure to watch her surroundings carefully. It had been quiet for a while now, and she figured that Ryo had taken care of things. At one point, she saw Umibozu tossing the boss and other members of Black Orchid around like dolls.
'I guess it really is over then,' she laughed to herself nervously. 'Umibozu-san is kind of a scary guy….but I guess he's a good person.'
'Speaking of which, where are Saeba-san and Kaori-san? Is Kaori-san all right?'
Yumiko's pace quickened as she looked for them. She was about to call out, but was stopped by another voice.
"Kaori!"
'That…that sounded like Saeba-san. Did something happen? Kaori-san, is she….?'
Yumiko ran in the direction she heard the yell come from. Seconds later, she saw Ryo a short distance away from her. She was about to say something when she saw Kaori lying on the ground, motionless. She dropped to her knees and put a hand to her mouth.
'Kaori-san…'
Yumiko started to cry as she watched Ryo work desperately to revive his partner. Her tears soon flowed down her face as she continued to watch this scene unfold in front of her.
'How could I have been so blind?' she asked herself. 'I prided myself on being able to see into the hearts of others…and I couldn't even see what was right in front of me.'
Yumiko tears blurred her vision, but she could still see Ryo's frantic motions start to slow down and the way he touched Kaori's face. Even though she couldn't hear what Ryo was saying, she could still sense the emotions behind it.
'Kaori-san is not just Saeba-san's working partner…She is much more than that to him.'
"I still believe in him. I believe in his heart."
Kaori's words echoed in Yumiko's mind, and she realized that the feelings Ryo had toward Kaori were not one-sided.
'How could I have not seen the bond between them? I was so blinded by everything on the surface; I couldn't see the truth in their hearts. If only I had…maybe I could have said something to them. Maybe I could have….'
Yumiko sank down further onto the ground and turned away. She buried her face in her hands as she continued to grieve over the tragedy she was witnessing.
Ryo kept trying to resuscitate Kaori, but the feeling of loss was starting to overwhelm him. He did not want to give up, but deep down he knew that there was little chance at this point of her coming back to life.
He bent down to breathe into her mouth one last time, one last attempt to bring her back.
As he moved his mouth away, he was startled by a flicker of movement…followed by a violent cough which brought up some water.
"Kaori!?" Ryo said, his eyes lighting up.
Kaori continued to cough and gag as she spit out more water and struggled to breathe. Ryo tried to help her as best he could by turning her onto her side and guiding her to bend slightly so she could breathe easier. She coughed for another minute before finally turning toward him and opening her eyes.
"Ryo," she murmured her voice hoarse. "Ah…those other men…Yumiko-san…is she?" Ryo couldn't stop himself from grinning.
"It's over. Yumiko-chan is fine and I've taken care of Black Orchid," he said. "Well, with a little help from Umi-chan."
Kaori smiled at him, and Ryo felt his heart become lighter by the second. That happy feeling turned to worry though when she started to shake.
"Kaori…?
"So cold," she mumbled as her teeth started to chatter.
"That's because you continue to refuse to dress appropriately for the weather," Ryo teased, giddiness filling his voice. "A skirt at this time of year? It's ridiculous." He reached over for the coat he had discarded on the ground and wrapped it around her.
"How was I supposed to know that I would end up in the water?" Kaori harrumphed. Ryo smiled again as he pulled the coat tighter around her shoulders.
"How long have you been my partner? You should be ready for anything by now," he said as he got to his feet. "Can you stand?"
Kaori nodded and slowly rose to her feet. She immediately began to shake and feel dizzy, however, and started to fall back down. Before she could reach the ground, Ryo scooped her up into his arms.
"Silly, you should be more careful than that," he scolded. Kaori sulked for a moment, but then leaned over to wrap her arms around his shoulders and neck.
"Hey, hey, what are you…?"
"Idiot, you had to go into that freezing water too," she said. "I'm just making sure that you don't get cold either. What kind of a partner would I be if I let you get a fever?" Kaori then pulled at Ryo's coat so that it covered parts of him as well.
Ryo sighed, his lips parting into another smile. He suspected that the both of them knew that this argument was a bunch of nonsense, but that didn't stop him from relishing every second of it. He adjusted his hold on Kaori and walked toward the car.
Kaori blushed as Ryo continued to carry her, but then she decided to simply enjoy being able to snuggle close to him in his arms. All of the fear that had gripped her heart melted away as she rested her head against his chest.
'I knew that you would come,' she thought to herself. 'I knew that you would be there, Ryo.'
Ryo tightened his grip on her when he felt her rest her head against him.
'Thank you, Kaori,' he thought. 'Thank you for coming back to me.'
'My partner.'
Unbeknownst to Ryo and Kaori, Yumiko was watching them walk away. Moments ago, she had allowed herself one last look at the two of them and was overjoyed to see Kaori stir and sit up. She wiped her tears away and began to smile.
'Kaori-san, I am so glad that you are all right. I am so happy that Saeba-san did not have to lose his partner.'
She wiped her eyes some more and decided to walk back toward the cars so that they could have some privacy, but then something caught her eye.
'Wait…the red thread….'
Yumiko's eyes widened when she happened to detect the presence of the red thread on both Ryo's and Kaori's fingers….and then when their hands touched, Yumiko gasped at what she saw.
'No way…the red thread….So that's where it leads…for the both of them….'
Yumiko smiled and shook her head. She now understood why it had been so easy for her to sense the threads on their fingers, and why the impression had been so strong.
As she walked backed toward Ryo's car, Yumiko Takeuchi was confident that she had not only won her wager with Ryo, but had solved Kaori's problem as well.
A couple hours later, Ryo and Kaori were finally back at their apartment building. The two of them, along with Umibozu, had handed the members of Black Orchid over to Saeko, and then they had arranged for Umibozu to take Yumiko back to her place after they had picked up her things. After Umibozu and Yumiko left, Ryo and Kaori collapsed on the couch, exhausted from the events of the day. A few minutes later, Kaori stood back up.
"I'm going to take a shower and change," she announced. "Maybe then I can finally start to warm up."
"Fine," Ryo nodded. "I think I'll get us some takeout and then do the same as you. I don't feel like doing much else for the rest of the night."
After the two of them showered, changed and shared a light meal, they both decided to retire to their rooms so they could get some much needed rest.
Ryo settled in on his bed, but could not fall asleep. He could not stop thinking about how close he had been to losing Kaori this night and it disturbed him. It was true that the two of them had been in hazardous situations like this before, but it never seemed to dull the emotions that he felt every time Kaori faced mortal danger.
Hours passed, but still Ryo found himself restless, his mind unwilling to calm down. He thought about going into the kitchen and getting himself a drink but froze when he heard a scream.
'Kaori!'
Ryo grabbed his gun and ran down to Kaori's room, his nerves preparing themselves for battle. He burst into her room and was startled to see Kaori sitting up in her bed, breathing hard.
"Kaori, are you all right?" he asked as he rushed over to her bedside.
"I…I'm fine," she said. "I'm sorry, Ryo. It was just a nightmare." Ryo relaxed and lowered his gun to his side.
"Come on," he said. "It's useless for either us of to try to sleep right now."
The two of them ended up moving to the couch on the floor above her room. Kaori leaned against his arm, and he surprised her by wrapping his arm around her, pulling him close to her. She decided not to question it, however, and rested her head against his side.
"Ryo, I…." she murmured. "My nightmare…I was dreaming that I was back in that car, the water coming in. It was so cold. And…and the car kept sinking and it kept getting darker."
Kaori started to shiver again, and Ryo held her a little closer.
"I don't know what's wrong with me," she sniffed. "It's not like I haven't been in danger before. I have. But I can't stop thinking about it. And when I close my eyes…."
Kaori let her words trail off as she continued to shake. The two of them were silent until Ryo cleared his throat.
"A few years ago, back when I was still working in the United States, I had gotten involved in a case involving some gangs who were trying to get involved in the drug trade," he said. "My luck turned bad at one point and I ended up trapped in a building that had been set on fire by one of the gang members."
Ryo sank back against the couch, and Kaori looked up at him, startled. It was rare for Ryo to willingly talk about his past, and she wondered what had prompted him to share this story with her.
"I don't know how old I was at the time," he added, his eyes fixed on some point on the wall. "I guess I could have still been in my late teens…Anyway, I remember the flames getting higher and higher and the smoke starting to suffocate me. At that point, I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to make it. But, my luck turned again and I was able to get out through a window in the basement."
Ryo paused and took a deep breath. Kaori watched him as he talked, her heart aching at the idea that he gone through something like that when he was so young, even though she was sure that there were many more horrible moments while he was growing up.
"For the next couple of weeks after that, it was hard to sleep and not dream about that fire: the heat, the way the black smoke engulfed me," he continued. "But over time it got easier. I would wake up in the morning, see the sun rise and discover that there was a new day to look forward to. I realized that there wasn't any point in dwelling on what could have happened to me. Eventually, the dreams faded away."
Ryo fell silent again, and the two of them sat quietly for a while until Kaori put her hand over one of his.
"Ryo," she whispered. "Thank you." Ryo patted her arm and bounced back up to his feet.
"We shouldn't stay here," he said. "You're clearly tired and you have a chill. Let's go watch some TV in my room."
"Wait, what?" Kaori said, sitting upright and blushing.
"I'm bored, and I know you could use a way to relax," Ryo said with a smile. "So, let's find something to watch. You can rest under the blankets of my bed, and I can sit on the floor. And maybe there is some mokkori action on the television since it's so late at night."
"Ryo," Kaori sighed. With the goofy grin he had on his face, Ryo seemed more like a hyper kid than the most feared sweeper in Japan. Still, she could stop herself from laughing and nodding in response.
"Ok, let's do that," she said.
An hour later, Kaori was curled up under the blankets on Ryo's bed, fast asleep. The two of them had started to watch a movie that they had found on one of the channels, but Kaori had fallen asleep after only thirty minutes of it. Ryo covered her up and sat back down onto the floor with the remote for a while, flipping through the channels. Eventually, he turned the TV off and watched her sleep. Ryo saw a slight smile on her face, and he wondered what she was dreaming about.
'Well at least there won't be any more nightmares tonight,' he told himself.
He watched her for a while longer, his eyelids growing heavy. Possessed by a need he didn't understand, Ryo went to his closet to pull out a spare blanket and pillow and then moved to lie down on the bed next to Kaori.
'I don't want to sleep on the couch,' he told himself. 'And it's too cold to sleep on the floor…and I'm too tired to go somewhere else….Besides, this way, if she has any more problems, I can be here to take care of them right away.'
Ryo flopped his head down onto the pillow and pulled the blanket up over him. He then turned onto his side and closed his eyes.
'Good night, Kaori.'
Soon Ryo fell asleep and neither of them woke up for the rest of the night.
