Wow... Just, WOW! You guys are amazing. We're over 5,700+ reads and I've already had quite a few of you really interested in the last few chapters and how they will turn out! After reading the reviews and seeing your points of views, I've concluded that we're all perverts (YAY! ;D) and that I have a lot of typing in my near future. LOOL :D
While I was waiting for the service to be done to my car, I managed to compile a list of how these last updates will go and so far it seems like it will be a lot of smut going on... And maybe some romance. LOOL It's all good though, my rubber arm has been twisted. ;)
As for the order the remaining updates will be in, only I will know~ Muhahaha! I won't be putting a blurb at the end to tell you guys what's up next, so I can give y'all the element of surprise! ;)
Also, as for all your reviews up until now, thank you so much! I felt as though it would be better to say the same thing to you all as a whole just this once, and to express just how much you all mean to me! I know it's cheesy when I writer types these things, but I really do mean it. :)
By the way, just a warning that this chapter is a little on the violent side!
CH XXIX: KOSUKE FUJISHIMA
Shape of a Man's Heart
"Eric, if you don't stop going on and on about what Kian made you for supper last night, I'm going to fucking lose it," Kosuke, who was usually very level headed and could take a lot before his boiling point, felt as though that point had been breached and his temper rising at the blond.
Eric cast him a pitiful look, "I thought you enjoyed hearing how Kian and I are doing?"
"Normally I don't mind, but not every single day, Eric! I mean, I know more about her personal routine than I know about you," Kosuke glared, "You don't understand the concept of too much."
Eric's lips suddenly pulled into a sly smirk, "Could it be that Fujishima is a little jealous? You can be honest."
"..." Kosuke turned to face his blond partner with a completely blank expression, "I'd rather cut off my own dick and feed it to a dog than to get all lovey-dovey, kiss-kiss, like you and Kian are."
Eric huffed, "You don't have to be rude about it."
Kosuke broke into a small smile and chuckled, "You're right, I'm sorry. Just tone it down, okay?"
"Fine," Eric flagged his hand as if to dismiss the older of the two.
...
On their way back to the small apartment both Kosuke and Eric mostly stayed in on their free time, Eric received a somewhat worried phone call from Kian and took off to go to her aid, leaving Kosuke to stand there and stare.
With a shake of his head, Kosuke continued his walk until he was minutes away from the apartment building. Deciding for a change in plan, he made a left turn and headed down the street towards a small section of home-owned small businesses to see what would pick his interest for dinner.
"Hello Kosuke!" An elder man greeted him as he walked in, "Will it be the usual today?"
Kosuke smiled and nodded his hello as he walked to the counter, "How about a number four instead? I'm feeling a little dangerous today."
The elder man nodded and punched in his order before handing it to one of the kitchen help. He engaged Kosuke in idle chit chat until his food was ready, and waved him off when he'd offered the man his money.
"You come here often enough and are always prompt, so don't worry about it," He grinned and waved as Kosuke bowed several times before leaving.
On his way home, he noticed there were several guys that went into an alley with smirks on their faces. Normally, Kosuke wouldn't have minded if it didn't involve HOMRA, but today it seemed to capture his curiosity. With his brows furrowed, he tightened his grip on the plastic handles to his bag and walked towards the alley. When he got to the entrance, what he saw made his eyes go wide.
Surrounded by the men that had gone in was one petite young woman (most likely around his age) that had her back against a wall and was breathing heavily with wide uniquely colored purple eyes. She was quickly looking from face to face and Kosuke could see her arms trembling even against the solid brick wall. Her short dark hair was sticking to the the flesh of her forehead and the back of her neck
"Hello, beautiful," One guy smirked and reached for her, only to have his hand slapped away, "Hmm, she's got balls. I like that in my women."
The other guys standing with him chuckled and smirked, even as they watched their leader stand close enough that he was towering over the defenseless girl.
"So, do you have a name, honey?" He smirked down at her.
There was a moment in time were Kosuke felt his flames pulsate, but it was instantaneously gone when her hand shot out and pierced the man in the chest.
The men standing behind their boss went wide eyed and backed up at the sight, watching a small smirk slowly spread on her face.
It was then that Kosuke realized that the girl wasn't just a girl, but a strain. A very powerful one at that.
When she ripped her arm out from the man's chest cavity and watched him fall to the ground, she turned and looked at his companions with the same smirk, "Which one of you boys would like to play now?"
Kosuke stood still as they all ran screaming from the alley, watching them as they shoved passed each other to put as much distance between themselves and this girl as possible. When he turned back around to the scene, she was right in front of him looking up at him with a neutral look on her face.
"What are you doing here?" Her brow rose, "You're neither a rapist nor a cruel man, so what business do you have here?"
Kosuke frowned, "I came to see what was going on and was going to offer my help but you seemed to have taken care of the situation yourself," He dug into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a handkerchief, "Here."
She blinked and looked at the piece of cloth in his hand, "Why?"
"It wouldn't be good for you to walk out of this alley with blood on your hand," Kosuke pointed out, "My apartment is nearby if you wanted to clean up and then head home?"
Her eyes narrowed, "Do you think that by offering me this piece of material that you've got an instant ticket into my pants?"
Kosuke's brow twitched, "No, I'm just trying to be polite."
"I don't need your help," She shoved passed him and made her way out into the open.
He turned to watch her for a moment and sighed, "Why do some women have to be so difficult?"
When he turned to leave the alley, he'd noticed that she had taken the cloth from his hand.
"Don't need my help, do you?" A small smile pulled at his lips.
- x -
Two days later, a similar incident was published all of the news about another strange murder in an undisclosed alley outside of a small section of the city. This had caught Kosuke's attention since he'd been a witness to a previous murder very similar to the one they were currently showing on the television, and even more so when they'd stated that it was either rapists or drug dealers that were being targeted. It made his belly drop when it was later revealed there were a total of seven deaths so far, but no one had any leads on who was behind it all.
"Good," Reina huffed and crossed her arms, "About time someone gets all those sick perverts."
Yata nodded and slung his arm over her shoulders, "No kidding. Let's just hope that the person responsible doesn't get caught by the Blue's, though."
"I doubt they'll be the ones to get involved in a murder case," Kusanagi looked over to them, "Unless there's evidence that suggests it was supernatural, then Scepter 4 won't be involved."
Kaori looked over at the screen as she exited the kitchen with a platter in her hands, "Are you guys talking about those strange murders going on around town?"
"Yeah," Reina looked over, "Should we start watching for anything suspicious on our turf?"
Kaori shook her head, "Mikoto isn't worried about it, so to avoid any unnecessary work I'd just stick to the normal patrols."
"What if this person kills in our territory?" Yata frowned, "We have every right to kick ass if that's the case."
"That's true," Kaori giggled, "But until then, just keep things to a minimum. We don't need the investigation heading our way for whatever reason."
Kaori walked over and set the platter on the table in front of Reina and Yata before heading back into the kitchen to help Akira with what she was doing, while Kosuke sat off to the side of the two on the couch with his mind wandering.
Could it have been that same girl from before? His brows furrowed, If so, she's going to be in a lot of trouble if the Blue Clan catches on to her.
At that thought, he felt a jolt of guilt sting him from the inside-out. Would he be partially responsible if she got caught? He had found her and could have prevented her from killing that man and starting a chain reaction, being if it was her doing these killings or not.
I should go find her and warn her.
"What's got you so preoccupied?"
Kosuke blinked and looked over to Yata, who had his hand held out to offer a paper plate with two sandwiches on it for him, "What?"
"Is there something bothering you?" Yata's brow rose, "You usually don't get too bothered by this stuff, but since we started watching this shit on the news you've been way out in left field somewhere."
Kosuke took the plate and thanked him before setting it down on the table in front of him, "It's nothing. I just haven't been sleeping good."
"Having girl troubles, are you?" Reina pointed out.
He cheeks tinted a light pink, "What makes you say that?"
"It's obvious," She took a bite of her sandwich and grinned, "Besides, I'm a girl. It's programmed that we pick up on these things faster than you."
Yata grinned, "You finally get yourself a chick?"
"Nothing like that," Kosuke said slowly before he could stop himself.
"There's no shame in being gay, Kosuke," Reina blurted out with a charming smile, "I know several gay people I could introduce you to–"
"What?! NO, I'm straight!" Kosuke glared while Yata laughed hard, "The hell gave you that idea?!"
Reina held her hands up in a submissive state, "Sorry! I just assumed! Bad habit, I know!"
"Well, don't assume!" He snorted and looked away, "No, there's this one girl... She's in a bad place, and I just can't help the fact that I want to save her."
Yata calmed down long enough to hear his words before looking at him, "Is she in trouble?"
"You could say that," Kosuke sighed and stood up, "I'll be back later."
Reina and Yata watched as he exited the bar and turned to look at one another in confusion when Kusanagi chuckled softly, drawing their attention to the man across the room.
"He's got a heart of gold, that one," Kusanagi smiled, "I hope she doesn't break that part of him."
- x -
Kosuke wandered the streets just on the outskirts of the Red Clan's territory, hoping to find some sort of lead as to where the mysterious girl from before might be. He would ask people from the underground that were walking in broad daylight if they'd come across a petite woman with short dark hair and piercing purple eyes. He'd figured the best way to locate her was to go in the same social circles she could have been targeting, and eventually he'd found a group of men that had been effected by one of her murders.
"Last I heard, the bitch was near the East district by those creepy bastards that are trafficking prostitutes from overseas," One guy said, "Are you hunting her down, too?"
Deciding to play along, Kosuke nodded, "She went after a good friend of mine so I'd like to return the favor."
"Heh," He smirked and took a haul off his cigarette, "Good luck. She's a sneaky little bitch."
Kosuke fought the urge to narrow his eyes at the man and took that as his sign to take off, so he thanked the man for his information before heading out on the hunt. Eventually when he reached the last known area she'd been sighted in, he caught sight of a large group of men pulling someone into a vacant building. The individual in their grasp looked as though they were unconscious as they didn't move much and their head was hanging low and lolling underneath the burlap sack shoved on top of their head.
He slipped through one of the openings and managed to hide himself fairly well when the men shoved the unconscious person onto a metal chair and chained them up from their neck all the way down to their ankles. He could hear the snickers from several of the men and watched as they began to pull out a various selection of metal rods and bats, as well as a machete and two nine-inch long knives.
When the sack was pulled off the person's head, Kosuke's breath caught in his throat.
"Here she is," One of the guys smirked, "The little slut-faced bitch that's caused us some major problems. Shall we teach her a lesson, boys?"
"Yeah~" They all cooed out darkly, each grabbing a weapon and chuckling.
Knowing he had to wait until the last possible moment, Kosuke gripped a metal railing tightly and felt his entire forearm shake with anger.
"Wakey wakey, sleeping beauty!" The leader of the group smirked and kicked the chair hard enough to jolt the girl in her seat, "Hello, beautiful. How nice of you to join us."
Her purple eyes went wide for a split second before narrowing at each and every one of the men, "You're making a big mistake, I hope you realize that."
"Boldly spoken for someone strapped down like an animal caught in a trap," He chuckled and bounced the metal bat in his hand off his shoulder tauntingly, "We injected you with a new substance my men have been working on to temporarily disarm whatever it is that makes you freaks strong."
She shifted slightly a flexed one of her hands, instantly grimacing and muttered something to herself at her confirmation of the man's words, "Is that so? Well then, have at 'er, boys."
"You think being compliant will grant you mercy?" He smirked and leaned down to face her eye to eye, "We're going to take our time with you and make sure you understand the gravity of the situation you're in. You see, you hurt us by killing my men. They were some of my best guys, and they were like brothers, you see."
She eyed him with narrowed purple orbs, "You think I care?"
"You should," He leaned closer so he was merely a few inches away, "Because we'll be enjoying this, and we hope you do too."
She flinched and looked away from him, "Mind stepping back? Your breath wreaks."
Kosuke almost lunged forward when the bat he was holding was swung and gave a hard strike across her face with a sickening crack. The guys all laughed and watched as her head spun so far back it was almost passed the safe point before it would snap.
"I wouldn't be insulting anyone if I were you," The man chuckled darkly, "Although, the more you do the nicer I'll be. So go on, say whatever it is you want."
Kosuke watched as she spat out a huge wad of blood from her mouth before looking up at the man with her own smirk, "Is that it? I'm disappointed. Here I thought the branch leader of the Yakuza would have more to offer to little 'ol me."
"Don't worry, we have all night doll," He chuckled and motioned to his men to step forward, "Just don't pass out on us, okay?"
He could hear a lofty giggle come from her as she gave him a look of defiance, "I'm not so worried about me passing out, as I am about you all losing interest when you get nowhere."
Another crack of metal to bone was heard as she shot forward on the impact of another bat to the back of her head. Kosuke watched in agony as the blood trickled down the exposed flesh of her neck from the wound on the back of her skull and felt his aura rising.
"I wonder how tough you'll be once you're bleeding and broken," The leader taunted, "Should we spread those legs of your and find out what exactly it is you're capable of?"
Slowly, she looked up at him and smiled, "Go fuck yourself."
"I'd rather fuck you," He returned her smile with a smirk, "Boys, incapacitate her enough so I can release the clamps on her ankles. I want to have some fun with her and make her scream before we kill her."
That was enough to make Kosuke's temper escalate to the boiling point.
He was seconds away from revealing himself when a hand clamped down on his shoulder. Hastily, he whipped his head back to look at who had found him and noticed it was Yata. Behind him, Reina stood watching the scene unfolding and had a look of disgust on her face as she watched the men beating the girl bound to the metal chair.
"We got worried when we tried to call and you didn't answer, so we had Anna find you," Yata whispered and looked over to the men slamming their bats into the petite woman, "Not saying you aren't capable of doing this on your own, but you don't need to lose yourself over this situation so we're here for back up."
Kosuke took a moment to inhale a shaky breath before exhaling slowly, "Thanks, guys."
"How do you want to go about doing this?" Reina kept her eyes on the scene, feeling her own blood boil as she watched them attack the girl, "Can we just go in and destroy them?"
"Sounds good to me," Yata cracked his knuckles, "What do you say, Kosuke?"
Knowing how the girl reacted the last time he'd seen her and offered his assistance, she wouldn't be happy with him when she realized they were here to save her.
"Let's just get this over with."
...
It seemed like an eternity while the Yakuza men beat into her with their weapons. She could have taken the pain had they not been so messy and hit her without precision. She could already tell that her left knee was shot, and that the right side of her collarbone was broken. Her spine had taken minimal damage due to the back of the chair cushioning all of the blows aimed for there, but she could already tell that one more blow to the base of her neck would paralyze her from the base down.
Not to mention all of the bruises and bleeding she was experiencing from both of her arms and the possible internal bleeding from the blows they'd gave her to the stomach and sides.
She'd blocked out most of the pain they were inflicting on her, but when it came down to her lower body hurting too much to even threaten to kick their leader, she felt her pride shrivel up as he reached for her shorts.
He's just managed to unzip her shorts to remove them from her when the sound of a metal bat hit the ground to announce its entrance.
"Hey, fuck face!"
Slowly, she turned her head to look over in the direction of the voice and immediately noticed the man from before standing there with a shorter male in a white long sleeved shirt and green capri shorts and a young girl in a baggy t-shirt and a pair of short-shorts.
"Hmm, look what we have here, boys," The man smirked, "HOMRA has entered the building. Have fun with them, boys."
"That little lady they have with them looks delectable," One guy smirked and licked his lips, "Can we have her, too?"
The leader chuckled and nodded, "Of course."
She watched the girl bristle and guy beside her snarl angrily, "You think I'll let you violate my girlfriend with your disgusting hands?! Think again, fucker!"
The boy charged forward with his weapon raised, when suddenly it was consumed by flames.
Her purple eyes went slightly wide as she watched both the familiar boy and the girl also burst into pink flames, lunging forward to pummel the men into the floor.
She couldn't help but notice that the one wearing the beanie and the girl made sure to take care of each other, always having their backs together so they had each other covered. The guy that she'd encountered before was attacking the Yakuza's branch leader, throwing punch after punch with his flame-engulfed fist.
With each hit, she could hear a similar cracking sound from the ones her own body made on impact.
"So her valiant knight in shining armor has come to save her," He smirked while Kosuke had pulled him up off the ground by the front of his shirt, "Think that this will be the end of the attacks against her? If you kill me, there will be more men that come after her. She messed with the Yakuza, HOMRA douche bag. She's a target and we won't stop until she'd dead and gone."
Kosuke stared down at him, "Obviously she had reason to do the things she did."
It was then, that Kosuke slammed the branch leader into the ground hard enough to split his skull.
- x -
Reina helped the fragile girl stand as she supported her with an arm wrapped around her waist and the other over her shoulder, "We've got you," She gave Yata a nod of appreciation when he went to the girl's other side and gently pulled her arm over his shoulders to help support her.
"I didn't ask for help..." Came the weak response, "The drug was almost worn off..."
"What drug?" Reina frowned.
Kosuke walked forward, "She's a strain. They injected her with something to temporarily dissolve her power so that she was basically a human girl."
"That's horrible!" Reina help her heart break, "How could they do this to her?!"
The girl narrowed her eyes at the ground while her rescuers talked and explained what had gone on, feeling her body quake with emotion. She didn't know whether to be thankful that that strange man from before had followed her and found her, or to be angry with the three for stepping into business where their noses didn't belong.
"Let's get her to the bar and get her cleaned up," Reina took a step forward but Kosuke held his hand up to stop her, "Kosuke?"
Yata watched as his fellow clansman walked to them and slowly reached around the girl's waist so he could pull her closer to him before leaning down to lift her up by the backs of her knees. Yata and Reina had released her arms as Kosuke was picked her up, leaving her to fold them loosely over her stomach.
Needless to say, the walk back to the bar had been sufficiently awkward as no one said a word. Even after they'd all arrived, no one said a word.
Kosuke sat off to the side while Kaori and Akira tended to the girl's wounds, having decided to keep him in the room for some sort of sense of familiarity for the newcomer. Kaori had managed to securely wrap her ribs and brace her collarbone. She'd managed to make a brace for her knee while Akira tended to her open wounds that were still bleeding.
"There," Kaori stepped back and smiled softly, "That should do it. We have some crutches that one of the boys needed a while back that should do the trick for you when your collarbone is in better shape. It's definitely not broken, but it's not exactly in good shape either."
Her purple eyes gazed up at the woman as the girl frowned, "You don't even know me and you're helping me?"
"Despite what people think, HOMRA isn't full of cruel people," Kaori knelt down so she was face to face with the girl, "We're a family, and when one of our own is worrisome we pick up on that. Fujishima has been worried sick about you, and when he took off our second in command, Izumo, had Reina and Yata trail him."
"What does that have to do with me?" Her purple eyes narrowed, "I never asked for their help."
Kaori smiled, "You may not have asked for their help, but knowing Kosuke the way I do, he would have helped you either way."
The girl watched as Kaori and Akira packed up the first aid kit and left the room after giving Kosuke a knowing look, leaving the two alone and in a state of silence.
"Why were you following me?" She didn't look at him when she spoke.
Kosuke stood up from his seat and grabbed the back of it so he could bring it over to where she was, sitting it down in front of her, "You know, when someone comes to help you, it's common courtesy to thank them for what they've done."
"Is that what this is about?" He eyes narrowed up at him, "You're expecting gratitude?"
Kosuke sighed, "You're like a female version of Eric..." Running his hands through his spiked tresses, he met her eye and smiled small, "I figured when I watched the broadcast about the murders, it was you so I wanted to be the one to catch you instead of them. You don't seem like someone who would maliciously hunt people down."
"No," Her gaze wavered ever so slightly, "I had a reason for why I was hunting those bastards down."
Kosuke nodded, "Mind sharing?"
"Do I have a choice?" She scoffed slightly and winced when she sat back against the sofa chair the girls had set her in after tending to her wounds, "My mother was a branch leader's wife. She gave birth to two children fathered by him, my oldest being my brother Ryoku and my sister being Katsuya. When she got pregnant with me, it was by accident when her husband was away on a business trip to China's enemy clan."
He sat back in his seat and nodded, "Your father was a strain?"
"Yes," She looked over to the window with her brows furrowed, "Never got to meet the guy, but the man who played the role as my father taught me that most men are ruthless bastards that don't have any remorse or compassion."
Kosuke frowned, not entirely knowing how to respond to her words.
"I don't need your sympathy," She glanced over to him, "It's in your eyes, so stop thinking that way. I'm twenty-one years old and have been on my own since I was six, so save your words."
Kosuke looked at her and nodded slowly, "Well, then," He stood up and crossed the few feet between them and offered his hand, "My name is Kosuke Fujishima, and I would like to offer your my friendship."
"Huh?" She looked up at him as if she didn't know what he was saying, "Why?"
He gave her a smile, "Everyone needs a friend, or at least someone they know will always have their back."
It was something in the way he smiled at her and the look of honesty in his eyes that made her realize that she'd found someone worth talking to. It made the wall she had built and perfected her entire life slowly crack, giving her the opportunity to actually feel as though she could smile again.
It startled her, but she felt as though she could welcome the foreign feeling with open arms.
"I see," She eyed his hand for a moment before reaching out her left hand to place it in his own, "Mia Yumanaki. I still don't trust you, by the way."
Kosuke gave her hand a gentle shake, "Nice to officially meet, Mia," His lips tugged into a small grin, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
I know, shitty ending. I'm good for that, ya know? ;)
Also... Hard to believe after this update, there's only six chapters left to go. SIX. Man, we've come a hell of a long way! :D
As I said before, no notice on what's next but I'm sure you all may have an idea of the order. If not, it'll be all the more surprising! ;)
~ Kayori, out!
