Chapter 9: Mistaken Identity
Sango Hanamoro entered her parked black car, inside was her waiting younger brother, Kohaku who had just put away his phone. Kohaku flicked his gaze to his now exhausted sister. She seemed frustrated and at the same time sad. Concerned, the younger Hanamoro placed a hand on her shoulder then flashed Sango an encouraging smile.
"We'll find her sis', don't worry."
Sango shook her head solemnly before turning to Kohaku. "I just hope you're right. Every day I wake up, throw my clothes on, and hope and pray that I'll live to see the day that crime is erased from the world." Sango knew such a wish was Ludacris, but she still had to hold onto her optimism somehow.
Kohaku nodded his head, and then looked out the window once again, before Sango turned on the car and drove away from the neighborhood.
…
Thursday morning arrived and Koga was feeling bittersweet. In his hand was a tiny box wrapped impeccably donning an emerald green bow – the color of Risa's eyes – at the top. He was excited to give the gift to Risa however he would be a little early. Saturday would mark Risa's twentieth birthday, but since Sesshoumaru had laid claim to that day, Koga would have to ask for her time on Sunday in order to have a meaningful celebration. It burned the romantic wolf to the core knowing that that slime-ball in the elegant disguise was going to be with his Risa all night. He'd probably use his charm and wit – or whatever clichéd romantic crap girls loved – to win over the Honey-haired maiden. With the present in tow, Koga left for Risa's house in hopes that she wasn't completely swayed into Sesshoumaru's arms.
Turning onto Risa's street, the wolf could see his object of affection's dwelling sitting just ahead with his competition's home looming over the quaint two-story home. It was as if Sesshoumaru's house was preying upon Risa's.
'Heh, perfect symbolism…' Koga thought to himself, cringing after visualizing the scene.
As Koga came closer to the two homes, Koga noticed the sly dog emerge from his house and look left and right, before entering his car. Keeping a suspicious eye on Sesshoumaru, the wolf then pulled into Risa's driveway. Koga looked through his passenger's window to shoot a hateful glare at the other man who was now smirking as he pulled away from his home.
"Little prick." Koga whispered to himself as he reached for his car door. "What makes him so damn special?"
As Koga pondered this, an uneasy feeling struck him. His intuition was on high alert. There was something not right about Risa's so-called date.
With that, Koga backed out of Risa's driveway, taking one last look back as he followed after Sesshoumaru's car. Keeping up with the dog's car, dodging extra traffic, and navigating through a few unfamiliar streets, Koga was surprised that he was able to tail Sesshoumaru for as long as he had. Seeing that the car he was following was turning onto an empty street, Koga decided to park his car just before reaching the intersection. He kept his back to the brick wall as he peeked around the corner to observe Sesshoumaru slip into yet another alleyway. Suspicions were spiked. What could he be doing in this part of town? It wasn't often that handsome yuppies like him would step foot onto the rough streets of downtown Hartman.
Koga, who was quite the distance away from Sesshoumaru, jogged toward the direction of the alley, but peered inside to see what the dog demon was up to. To the wolf's surprise, Sesshoumaru was nowhere in sight, but a large bouncer with his arms folded across his chest stood at attention in front of the door. Above the guard, was a large neon sign reading Skins, and Koga could only raise an eyebrow in question of the sight. Was this a strip bar? Could it be possible that even a composed man like Sesshoumaru could succumb to scantily clad women begging for attention? It almost angered the wolf to see that his love rival would visit such a place all while selfishly keeping the beautiful Risa to himself. Ready to confront the dog, Koga was able to go through the entrance, but upon entering Skinz, Koga saw Sesshoumaru pass through a set of double doors with a V.I.P. sign hanging on the wall above them. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to get past the two bouncers guarding the doors, Koga went to investigate by interviewing the coworkers.
…
It just another busy day at Skins and Kagura had been hard at work – harder than she normally worked – serving the patrons glasses upon glasses of alcohol and cleaning up after them. Though it may have seemed like Kagura had turned a new leaf by demonstrating this type of work ethic, truthfully, Kagura just wanted to get through the day so she speak with Rin. This time around, the demoness hoped that the human would have better news to report in regards to Sesshoumaru's progress with the drug.
Walking out of the bar area, a drink platter in hand, Kagura scanned the dimly lit room for the customers when she noticed a young man with black tresses that were pulled back into a ponytail. Though she didn't make it her job to learn the names and faces of every low-life that dragged themselves through the front door, Kagura was thoroughly surprised to see someone unfamiliar walk to the bar. Watching him closely, she saw that the man was constantly pulling the other waitresses aside to ask them questions. Curious, Kagura set down her drink platter – uncaring of the rowdy customers who pounced on it – and stepped toward the strange man. With closer observation, she could see that he was of demon blood but Kagura couldn't tell what type of demon he was.
"May I help you?" She asked him.
The man flicked his gaze to the woman calling for his attention. "Yea. I have some questions about Sesshoumaru. Apparently he's the owner of this place?"
"Yes. Yes he is, what business do you have with him?"
"I just want to know if you have any information about him. What's he like? Have you seen anything suspicious?"
Kagura then gave him a sideways glance. Why was he asking such things? Could he be a cop undercover? The wind demoness had to act fast before any other law enforcement came to make arrests. Placing a right hand on her right hip and leaning against the nearby counter top, Kagura cocked an eyebrow and scoffed.
"Suspicious? What would you consider suspicious? If you haven't noticed, cutie, this is a bar. I've seen plenty of shady characters pass through here." She said. "But, if you must know, the boss has been good to me and the rest of his staff. Good pay and benefits is all I get, unless being a good boss is now illegal?"
Koga sighed before looking down at his feet sheepishly. He couldn't believe he had been jealous enough to follow Sesshoumaru to a downtown club – which he owns – only to find that the dog has done nothing wrong, but he's also considered a great boss among his employees. With a sigh, he thanked the woman before him and turned to leave the club intending on visiting Risa to give her his gift.
…
It was now night time; Koga didn't realize he was in the club for so long. He would need to hurry before it got too late. But as he began his trek down the alley, he sensed the presence of someone following him. Picking up his walking pace, he quickly turned the corner and pressed himself against the wall, noticing that the presence was moving faster towards him. Suddenly a figure dashed from the alley, and Koga quickly went to detain whoever it was that was following him. However, a huge gust of wind blew between them, forcing Koga to backflip away from his pursuer.
When the wind died down, the figure that emerged from the gust was none other than Kagura, still dressed in her work uniform and in her hand was her fan, opened and ready for use.
"Alright cop, I think it's about time you came with me…" She said; her smirk hidden behind her fan.
Hey hey! Just wanted to drop in my regular author's note! The next chapter is going to be dedicated to a fight scene (so this is why this chapter is rather slow :p) But I still hope you liked it and keep on the lookout for my next installment!
~Happy Reading/Writing!
