Part 4

Kari felt terror pulse through her body as Takeru began to drag her roughly across the dirt and gravel, his knife digging deeper into the skin of her throat. She struggled to dig her feet into the ground to try to pull herself free, but more she tried to escape, the more sharp the pain at her neck became. A fierce desperation rose within her, a strong desire to escape the clutches of a man who had often haunted her dreams. If she let herself be overwhelmed by Takeru, then she could kiss her new life in Mt. Thomas goodbye. She had her gun, but it was no use to her if she couldn't get her arm free for long enough to grab it.

In one horrible rush of noise and commotion, another car pulled up nearby and a pair of feet raced over before strong arms closed around Takeru's body, sharply jerking him away from a terrified and shaking Kari. She drew back, drawing her gun in trembling hands as she came face to face with PJ, who was holding Takeru in a tight grip and dragging him off to the CI car which was parked at an odd angle nearby.

She began to slowly lower her weapon as PJ locked Takeru in the back of his car and approached her, sympathy shining in his kind blue eyes. He gently helped Kari to her feet, watching her as she tried rather unsuccessfully to dust the dirt from her uniform. "Are you okay?" he asked her quietly, noticing the fear and shock passing through her face.

She nodded weakly, raising a hand to her neck and pulling it away to see the bright red blood smeared over her palm. PJ gently placed a hand on her shoulder, guiding her over to the CI car. "We'll get you back to the station," he told her soothingly, opening the passenger side door for her as she climbed inside.

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PJ sat down opposite Kari in the mess room, watching her with curious eyes as she held an old red tea towel to the cut on her neck. It was still bleeding, forming large red stains over the fabric. "Are you sure you don't want to go to hospital?" he asked, earning a distracted nod in reply.

"Yeah," she replied, wincing in pain. "It's nothing major. Just a cut." She paused, looking away from the man sitting opposite. She used her free hand to brush a dark strand of hair back from her face. "I don't want him charged for this."

His eye's widened, surprise passing across his face. He leant in, lowering his voice instinctively. "Why not?" he demanded softly. "Is it because he attacked you…"

"It's got nothing to do with Takeru attacking me," Kari interrupted, her voice carrying the stress and frustration of that day's events. "I just don't want him charged."

PJ thought through Kari's words, trying to decide what to say. Finally, he just shrugged. "Okay," he replied. "We'll let him go. We don't have enough evidence to hold him over the fraud and embezzlement claims and we can't go ahead with this unless you want to." His expression became sympathetic as he reached out, giving Kari's hand a friendly rub. "But if you need to talk about your mother…"

"Let me guess, you're more than willing to listen?" she finished for him, earning a nod in reply. "I'm okay, PJ. Really."

He climbed to his feet, shooting her a distracted smile before disappearing from the mess room, leaving Kari alone. She lowered the tea towel from her neck, staring thoughtfully into the blood-stained tartan fabric. The more she thought about things, the harder it all seemed to get…

"Okaasan?" Kari demanded, storming down the beautiful hallway, noticing for the first time all the expensive extravagancies that she had always taken for granted. Now, it made her wonder just how far this fraud went. "Okaasan!"

Her Okaasan finally, stopped, raising her arms in the air and waving them in defeat. She spun to face Kari, the tears of fear and frustration welling in her eyes. "I shouldn't have told you, Hikari-chan. I shouldn't have told you."

Kari waved the pile of notes at her mother, letting the silence hang over them momentarily. "We need to go to the police," she explained in an almost squeaky voice, "we can't just keep letting this go on."

"We can't," her Okaasan replied, reaching out and taking the notes from her daughter. "Your father has thought of all of that, Hikari-chan. I threatened to report him when I first realised what he was doing, but he's put my name on documents. He's pulled me so far into his web that I have no escape. If I take him down, I go down with him."

Kari's eyes widened at her Okaasan's words. The older woman looked over the notes, before offering them towards her daughter. Kari took them hesitantly, turning them over in her hands. "Okaasan?"

"Take them."

"Why?" Kari asked quietly, watching in confusion as her Okaasan pushed past her and back into Kari's bedroom. She pulled a suitcase down from the top of a wardrobe and began stuffing clothes and other random objects inside. Kari grabbed her Okaasan's wrist, meeting her eyes reluctantly.

Her Okaasan spun to face her, snatching the bundle of notes from Kari's hands and pushing them to the bottom of the pile in the suitcase. "You have to get out of here," she told her, reaching out to stroke Kari's cheek with her soft hand. "You're my beautiful baby Hikari-chan and I love you very, very much. You have to leave here, find somewhere free of your father."

Small tears found their way into Kari's eyes and began to slide down her cheeks, streaming down the back of her Okaasan's hand. The older woman soon found herself restraining tears as she returned to her packing. "Get your personal documents," she demanded softly, "I'll stall your father and Takeru-san until you're gone."

Kari remained standing beside her Okaasan for a long moment, before finally nodding and disappearing down the hallway to where she knew she'd find the fire-proof safe and their legal personal documents. She couldn't quite register that she was leaving. Far too much had happened in far too short a time. But she knew she couldn't stay. Not when staying meant remaining in her father's web where her own emotions were fair game if it meant more money in the bank.

Amy watched from behind the charge counter as PJ roughly steered Takeru Yagami down the corridor towards it, handing back his belt, tie and shoelaces. She watched the young man critically as he took much pleasure in hanging his tie around his neck, a broad grin spreading across his face.

"I didn't think Hikari-san would be pressing charges," he told Amy and PJ with a chuckle of pride. "I knew she'd see things our way sooner or later."

"Who's 'our'?" Amy asked, leaning forward over the counter as she passed the book over to Takeru. He leant over it while PJ watched on from over his shoulder, watching him as he signed his name.

He looked up to Amy, cocking an eyebrow at her remark. "Well," he replied with a smile, "looks like you don't know everything about your little Hikari-san, do you?"

Frustrated by Takeru's cockiness, PJ finally snapped. He grabbed his shoulder tightly, spinning the man around and leaning in so that he knew his breath was washing over Takeru's face. "Listen here mate," he began, his voice lowered and cold. Amy watched on with narrow eyes, half-considering pulling PJ up for his behaviour. "You ever touch Kari again – or any of my mates, for that matter – and you'll wish you were never born."

He relinquished his grip on Takeru, annoyed by the lack of effect that his words had on his cocky, self-righteous attitude. However, Amy's critical glare kept him from acting on instinct. "Are you happy with your treatment by the police here today?" he asked, his voice little more than a frustrated grumble.

"Oh, yes," Takeru replied as PJ led him towards the exit. He looked over his shoulder as Amy disappeared from view. "I'm over the moon! Let's do it again sometime!"

As soon as Takeru was out of sight, Amy sank forward, letting her forehead rest in the palms of her hands. She ran them back through her hair, closing her eyes as she let that day's events wash over her. It seemed she wasn't the only one hiding secrets in this police station.

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Kari sank back in a chair at the Imperial Hotel, hiding in a corner as best she could. She closed her eyes, trying her hardest to focus on the noise and commotion of the public bar, rather than the memories and fears rising to the fore of her mind. She was silently praying that Takeru Yagami wouldn't stay around in town, there simply wasn't enough room for the two of them. Their whole relationship had been based on a lie, a promise from one businessman to another to expand funds. She was a deal sweetener.

She couldn't stop thinking about her Okaasan, a strong woman whose spirits had been broken by the web of lies that her father had surrounded himself with. She couldn't have Takeru – and, in turn, her father – charged while her mother was ill. That would leave her to support her and she simply didn't have the facilities. Aside from anything else, the stress of the investigation could be simply too much.

She was suddenly brought back to earth by a firm hand on her shoulder, one that was almost instantly withdrawn after she nearly leapt from her seat in surprise.

"Sorry," Alex Kirby apologised, grabbing a chair nearby and taking up a seat next to her. "I didn't mean to frighten you." He stared at Kari thoughtfully, his eyes softening at her downtrodden demeanour. "What happened?" he asked quietly, reaching out to brush a strand of dark hair from her tear-stained cheeks. "Is everything alright?"

"No, Alex," she snapped, pulling away from his touch and desperately trying to brush at her tears. "No, everything is not bloody alright. Nothing could ever be bloody alright right now."

He paused, looking away uneasily. He dug through the pockets of his jacket, handing her an old, creased and crumpled hankie. Kari smiled weakly, taking it from him and dabbing at her eyes with it. She then handed it back, climbing to her feet.

"How did the exams go?" she asked him hurriedly as she grabbed up her bag, combing hair back from her face.

Alex smiled weakly, letting their gaze meet. "I think I did well," he replied in a hushed voice. "It'll be a while before we know for sure, but it's pretty safe to say that Mark and I passed."

"That's great," she told him, a half-hearted smile spreading across her features. "That's really great. Anyway, I've got to go. Night, Alex."

He nodded in farewell as Kari left, lowering her head so that her hair obscured her face from view as she walked away. He couldn't help but notice how she dropped the 'good' from 'good night'. He leant forward over the table, staring across the public bar thoughtfully. Somehow, he couldn't quite get Kari off his mind.