DISCLAIMER: CLEARLY, AFTER TEN CHAPTERS, I DON'T OWN MAI-HIME.
CHAPTER TEN: RED HERRING
Cold sweat rolled to her spine as she brushed off Shizuru's clothes to check if she was really shot. Her mind went blank—her hands started to shake uncontrollably as she swept the hair that clung to the older woman's face. Natsuki wanted to ask her—to voice out her concerns—her fears, but she can't find her voice.
"Ara…" Shizuru shook her dizziness away as the young agent that's cradling her body tremble. All she could remember was the sudden horror that etched at the handsome face of Natsuki when she was making her way towards her. Then a moment later, Natsuki jumped towards her to shield her body from whatever danger that suddenly threatened to hurt her.
"Natsuki…" She whispered to the frantic agent—still checking her body for any wounds but her voice was drowned by the frenzied sobs emitting from the agents' throat. Natsuki was chanting under her breath—telling herself that she needed to be fine, that she can't risk losing Shizuru again for the second time and Shizuru felt herself crying. If she wanted proof that the woman really feels the same way to her, then this was it. Seeing the sudden vulnerability displayed by Natsuki was enough to make her melt inside. She grasped Natsuki's face to stop her from losing her mind.
"Shizuru…" Sobs wracked her body as she watched Shizuru's glassy eyes. Her whole body trembled and her stomach sank at dread. Just when she finally got her forgiveness from Shizuru then this happened.
"Where did you get shot? Oh, god. I'm too late—I'm always too fucking late!" Even in a disoriented state, Shizuru could see the woman gripping her hair.
"Natsuki…" Shizuru shook her head to clear it. "I'm not shot…hey," Shizuru gripped Natsuki's shoulder hard and it took seconds before the young agent finally realized what she's trying to say.
"Y-You're not? But—," A recognizable voice caught her attention and she whipped her head to see for herself.
"You good for nothing son-of-a-bitch!" To her utter surprise, her usually calm mother—Mashiro, kicked a moaning Nagi. A pool of blood spreading beneath his body as her mother kicked the man again in the stomach. "Nothing new from a pedophile like you," Kick. "Shooting a woman who turned her back on you." Kick. "Fucking coward!"
The agents watched helplessly as their director continuously kicked Nagi. Natsuki cradled the woman in her arms closer as if trying to reassure herself that the older woman was completely unharmed. "I thought I was too late…" Her body sagged in relief—the adrenaline that was pumping through her veins has finally drained and she could feel herself trembling from the sudden weakened state. Her emotions were in shambles at the thought that she almost lost Shizuru.
Tears gathered beneath her lashes and without thinking—Natsuki buried her face into Shizuru's neck. Relief coursed through her body as she breathed in the familiar lavender scent of the woman and sobs racked her chest. If it wasn't for her mother, Natsuki wasn't sure if she can save the woman in time. She was given another chance to be with Shizuru and she'll do everything in her power to protect her.
Natsuki was still trembling uncontrollably when Shizuru hugged the woman. "I'm okay Natsuki…I'm not going to die," Shizuru combed Natsuki's dark tresses to console the wrecked agent. "I'm sorry… I wasn't thinking…" But the woman shook her head vehemently. Her breath was caught in her throat as she watched Natsuki grasped her face and pressed her forehead to hers.
"Please…Don't leave me…" Shizuru's own heart constricted painfully at Natsuki's begging eyes. She knew how hard it was for the young agent to admit that—to tell Shizuru how much she feared to lose her.
"I won't. I promise…" They held gazes as promises were clearly seen in each other's eyes—Shizuru grasped Natsuki's face to check if she was real. After years of being alone, changing persona one after another, trying to forget the only woman who captured her heart, finally—Shizuru was finally home.
They tore their gazes from each other when someone shouted. Both women saw Nao held Kazahana's arms to stop their sensei from hurting Nagi further. Their director relented but she "accidentally" stepped on the man's hands and they all cringed when they heard a crunching sound of breaking fingers. Nobody said a word when Nagi shouted police abuse—the man was seriously a pedophile, who preyed young flesh and yet, here he was complaining about a few broken fingers. Pity.
"Your mother is…forceful, huh?" Natsuki snorted at her. Shizuru smiled softly as the young agent wiped her tear-stricken face and she was glad that Natsuki finally stopped crying.
"Wait till you see her interrogating him." Shizuru chuckled at the idea. "As much as I would like to remain to Natsuki's arms, I'm afraid that I have to collect myself. I think you colleagues saw enough of us to get the idea."
Natsuki blushed furiously when she saw the agents around them trying to watch them without being noticeable. Shizuru chuckled at the obvious discomfort of the woman but she was surprised when Natsuki muttered under her breath. "At least, they'll know that you are off limits."
"Up," Natsuki pulled her up and she was glad that her dizziness has receded.
"Are you okay agent Fujino?" As an impulse, Shizuru straightened her back and she snapped into a salute. The director of FBI nodded to her and in an instant, Shizuru relaxed her stance.
"Yes, Ma'am. I'm truly grateful to you and agent Kuga for literally watching my back." Shizuru watched the corners of Kazahana's mouth twitched in amusement.
"Good, we don't really want to see agent Kuga bawling like a buffoon." Natsuki protested profusely while Shizuru chuckled. The director turned her back on them and barked orders.
"Gather those fools and read their damn rights even though they didn't deserve it. We don't want them slipping out of the system and take that SOB last. Make sure that you treat his wounds," Kazahana grinned devilishly. "I'll deal with him later."
Shizuru watched the agents round up Nagi's party. All of them were wounded and she could see them being dragged outside. She felt Natsuki left her side and she approached the trembling girls that they saved. Her heart momentarily stopped as the young agent kneeled in front of the girls. She watched in awe how the usual gruff woman softened her face and spoke in her most delicate voice.
"It's amazing how she can easily talk to children then piss adults faster than anyone," Nao said in an amused voice. Shizuru smiled—acknowledging her presence but her gaze never left Natsuki. Both women gasped softly when one of the crying girls threw her arms around Natsuki and Shizuru could feel her tears lingering around the corners of her eyes. The danger surrounding their job was worth it. Their eyes met when Natsuki looked back to them and she saw how the young agent struggled to restrain her emotions—her dark emerald eyes were swirling with powerful emotions but mostly—gratitude.
"Are you done?" A voice suddenly spoke behind her and her crimson eyes crinkled. Shizuru crossed her arms and she glimpsed behind her back.
"Yes, you?" Shizuru ran her gaze at them. The man in the middle nodded and he took in the scene in front of them. Her eyes narrowed when the man whistled appreciatively and grinned.
"Yep, we rounded them up pretty good. They didn't even have the chance to follow Nagi here." Takeda said without taking his eyes off Natsuki. Shizuru's heart thudded painfully when the man's smile grew when Natsuki bid her goodbye to the children as they were ushered by Kazahana. A moment later, Natsuki was standing beside her and she was smiling at her.
"Is everything okay?" Natsuki asked them while she nodded to Shizuru's company but before Shizuru could answer—Takeda offered his hand.
"Hello, I'm Takeda. We finally meet." Takeda beamed at her. Irritation flared at Shizuru's chest and jealousy stabbed her heart. The man actually believed that he could charm a woman with that creepy smile of his? Well, not totally creepy but Shizuru still thought that his charms sucked.
Before the confused agent was able to answer—Shizuru interrupted Takeda. She gave the man her most innocent smile and she internally giggled when Takeda paled. Shizuru grasped Takeda's thumb—she slowly twisted it and all of them watched the man cringed.
"I appreciate your," Twist. "Courteousness but," Twist. "I would appreciate it more if," Twist. Loud groan. "If you'll stop and consider before hitting my girlfriend." Silence reigned and Shizuru felt her face heating up. Never in her life had she lost her wits to jealousy and she was so caught up with it, that she actually threatened someone. She, the one who was always calm—the one who held her emotions back like a pro poker player lost her composure because of some twit who tried to hit with her girl. Shizuru glared to Natsuki when the young agent chuckled at her.
"Something funny?" Shizuru raised her right eyebrow to the woman as if daring her to question the seriousness of the situation.
Natsuki's humor disappeared and she grimaced at her. "No, no… nothing's wrong. I was just admiring how you twisted his finger," She threw an uncomfortable look at Takeda's squirming face. "You should teach me that prime move…you know, for your admirers."
Nao snorted loudly at them and she threw her hands to the back of her head. "Whipped, whipped and so whipped." Her sister singsong and she walked away laughing at Natsuki's flushed face.
"That's what you get for being a womanizer," Miyu said in a reprimanding voice. Mikoto nodded with her and she threw a toothy grin at Shizuru.
"Can we go now? I'm hungry…" Shizuru scowled first at the man before finally, releasing his trembling arms. Takeda tried to smile but everyone could see that what Shizuru did to him was really painful so he ended up grimacing.
Shizuru smiled sweetly to Mikoto as she ruffled her hair. "Let's go." Mikoto skipped merrily ahead of them and Natsuki shook her head—still uncertain that Shizuru's company belongs to CIA. Natsuki stopped when she saw the older woman watching her and she tilted her head. Her heart automatically skipped a beat when Shizuru's crimson eyes softened.
Warmth swelled in her belly and Natsuki could feel her mouth breaking into a smile. Now she could finally look forward to their future. Life is good. Everything finally fell into place.
Walking side by side, both women listened to the group that was walking ahead of them. They could occasionally hear the director of FBI barking orders and few agents checking out the warehouse. Natsuki reached out for Shizuru's hand and she wrapped her hands around hers. She could feel her cheeks heat up when Shizuru intertwined her into hers.
Who could have thought that Natsuki, the lone wolf would blush like a teenager in a simple gesture of holding hands? Nao hooted at her sister, making the bluenette more embarrassed at getting caught. Natsuki tried to glare at her, but despite fighting her smile—they could see how much the younger agent was happy.
"We can talk later after I wrapped everything in our base…" Natsuki nodded to the relaxed CIA agent. Reluctantly, she let go Shizuru's hand but before fully releasing the woman—to everyone's surprise. Natsuki pulled Shizuru into a tight hug and whispered something to her.
"I won't let you get away again…" To everybody's chagrin, Shizuru blushed. Unshed tears from Shizuru's crimson eyes were the first thing Natsuki saw after she released her from the hug. "I love you so much…" Shizuru's breath lodged hard in her throat.
Natsuki's declaration walloped her like a punch in the stomach and Shizuru was well aware that her emotions were running so close to the surface that would most likely get out of control. Shizuru swallowed hard but tears brimmed around her eyes. "I love you too…" Shizuru whispered wholeheartedly and despite the audience—she grasped Natsuki's collar and she leaned in for a kiss.
Breath whooshed out of Natsuki when they parted, and she slowly grinned when she watched Shizuru lick her lips with hungry eyes. "We could talk to my place after…"
Shizuru smiled wickedly and her eyes glimmered with mischievousness. "Are you asking me to spend the night with you?"
Natsuki blushed but she grinned boldly. "We'll just talk…for the mean time." The latter past was whispered sensually. Before Shizuru could tease the woman, a gunshot echoed and everyone dove to the ground. In an instant, everyone was speechless when they saw Nagi's corpse dropped to the ground—a gaping hole in his forehead was screaming in blood as he stumbled. A roaring sound of an engine tore Natsuki from her trance and she quickly leaped into action—she quickly reached out for her gun.
Natsuki opened fire when she saw a motorcycle flew in the darkness ahead of them. "Damn it!" She kept shooting at the fading shadow of the motorcycle light, and a click followed when she emptied her clip of ammunition. "Some sort of fucking sharpshooter I am, fuck." She muttered angrily and she glanced at the vehicles at the area.
She made a mad dash to a nearby car and she opened the driver's seat—she barely glanced at her sister when Nao threw her the keys. Natsuki quickly reversed the car and the tires screeched when she accelerated the car. The young agent knew that the motorcycle rider had been long gone but she still it couldn't hurt her to check the surrounding area.
After twenty minutes of driving in circles, both women decided to come back. As soon as the car stopped, Natsuki frustratingly smacked the steering wheel. A hand grasped her shoulder and after a few seconds, the hand vanished and her sister opened the passengers' door to leave. The bluenette released a ragged breath and she followed Nao outside. Kazahana's grim expression greeted her.
"DOS, what a clusterfuck…" Kazahana muttered angrily. Natsuki gritted her teeth as she neared at the man's corpse. No doubt, in his wound he died on the spot. Nagi's mouth hung open in a ghastly manner—blood was dripping from his mouth and from the huge hole in his forehead. No matter what he's done, everybody deserves to stand in court—and the victims deserve justice, not an easy way out like this.
Anger flared in Natsuki's chest and her mind whirled with endless possibilities. The case is not yet close—somewhere out there, a real mastermind was weaving lies—snapping off some loose ends to cover the truth and not even the CIA agents knew about it. Her thought snapped when she heard Shizuru barked at her companions.
"I thought you managed to round up every single conspirator with Nagi? What the hell happened!?" Fury and a small flicker of pity flashed at Shizuru's dark eyes.
Tension vibrated around the CIA agents and Takeda answered with a determined face. "We did, every person that was tailed in the last two years were arrested…"
"Someone must have slipped past up in our investigation…" Miyu's usually calm face was dark and Mikoto whimpered beside her. Shizuru pulled out her phone and she dialed angrily—after a few rings, someone picked up from the other line.
"Nagi's dead," Her crimson eyes automatically ran to the man's corpse as if expecting to find some truth behind it. Natsuki tore away her attention from the frustrated CIA agent and she kneeled at the dead man. She reached out to Nagi's face and she closed his eyes—she mumbled a brief prayer even though the man didn't deserve any remorse.
Natsuki glanced back when Kazahana called her attention. "We need to book them up," She nodded at her mother.
"How's the kids?" Natsuki brushed off her pants as she stood away from the corpse.
"They are okay," Kazahana briefly glanced at the bleak expressions of the CIA agents. "I assigned a whole squad to escort them in one of our safe houses. We need to notify their parents."
Natsuki nodded at her mother. Natsuki waited for Shizuru to finish her phone conversation before she stepped up to gain her attention. "We need to go now and wrapped things around here. I'll call you later for the address," Shizuru nodded to her and she hugged Natsuki briefly.
"I'll take Mai and Reito home first and settle things in the base before following you in your apartment." Natsuki's right eyebrow rose at her.
"How did you know I live in an apartment?" Her heart fluttered when Shizuru's genuine smile returned.
"I have ways," And that sultry playful crimson eyes winked at her—Natsuki had to stop her jaw from dropping when Shizuru sauntered away.
"You have one handful woman there kid," Kazahana started to walk away from her gaping agent. "Let's go," After throwing one last look to Shizuru, Natsuki followed her mother to their car.
Natsuki gulped down the remaining awful coffee as her sister yawned beside her. It took them all night to notify the parents of the children, to book their prisoners and to write their reports from the incident. It was already past one in the morning when they finally finished their share in the case. Natsuki decided to let their prisoners stew in their own cell—to let them wait until morning. She wasn't really in the mood to interrogate them now. All she wanted was to go home and talk to Shizuru.
Shizuru. Natsuki's featured softened at the thought of the CIA agent. They are on their way to patch things up—to talk what happened in the past, then… Natsuki grew pensive. She wondered now, how could they juggle their relationship with their demanding jobs? Yeah, she loves her undercover assignments and she could easily leave it. She could apply a teaching profession to one of the FBI's academy but she wondered what Shizuru would think of it? Would she continue her job as a CIA agent? Would Shizuru concede to Natsuki's requested for her to retire? Can she accept it if Shizuru decided to continue her job?
"Ouch! What the?" Natsuki rubbed at the spot where Nao flicked her and she glared at her sister.
"You're thinking out loud," Natsuki grunted when Nao rolled her eyes. "You should be happy now that you got the girl," Nao watched her sister resumed her staring contest at her mug.
"I am happy but…" Natsuki paused. "I can't help but get worried about how can we make our relationship work? We both have demanding and dangerous jobs—what if something happened to one of us? How—" Smacked. "Fuck?! What is your problem?!" Natsuki angrily stood away from her laughing sister.
"Both of you just got back together so before jumping into lots of conclusions, why don't you talk to her first? And by talk—meaning honestly, not some mumbo-jumbo sort of talk. So you can avoid misunderstanding things where you're usually good at," Nao snorted at the stunned woman beside her.
"I'm the single one yet I'm the only one who makes sense here, geez," Nao muttered to herself. She grimaced when Natsuki kicked her shin and she scowled at her when Natsuki plopped down beside her.
"I can't believe that I'm saying this but I think you're right," Natsuki said exasperatingly.
"I am always right," Nao said smugly.
"Because I let you think you're right," Nao scoffed at her and they both released a sigh of relief. Natsuki twirled the mug in her hand.
"Don't you think it's strange?" She absentmindedly said.
"That you could actually smile like a normal person?" Nao said in a teasing voice.
"That someone knew exactly where to find Nagi…" Natsuki tried to recall everything as she rolled her mug into her two hands. She played different scenarios around her head—inserted few facts that she learned at the end and her hands stilled. The letters were obviously a hoax made by Shizuru's team and the fake kidnapping was a rouse but why would they need to? The CCTV videos were supposed to show past dealings between the two but how come it didn't show anything? And the most intriguing thing about it was the financial statements—how come Kanzaki didn't bother to hide those withdrawals from anyone? And it hit Natsuki—it hit her so hard that she lost gripped to her mug and it shattered to pieces.
Nao yelped beside her and Natsuki stumbled forward—her feral instinct shouted for her to follow it. "Watch it!" Nao shouted at her sudden pale sister.
"Dear god, Nao…" Natsuki gripped Nao's shoulder.
Nao panicked at her expression. "What?!"
"We need to go to Kanzaki's house! They're in danger!" Her mind went blanked as she reached for her holster but Nao stopped her.
"Could you explain me what are you saying?!" Nao winced visibly when her sister gripped her right arm.
"I'll explain on the way damn it! Move it!" The frantic bluenette pushed her sister away and she ran for the door. Instead of arguing, Nao pulled out her phone and speed-dialed their mother. After a few rings, the other line picked up.
"Sensei, we need back up! We're on our way to Kanzaki's house," Nao ran outside to follow her sister. "I don't know the details but Natsuki was pretty sure that Kanzaki is in danger." She craned her neck to try to take a glimpse of her sister.
"Oi! Natsuki wait!" Nao shouted when she saw Natsuki kick start her Ducati. "Mom, I gotta run!" Without waiting for her mother for an answer, she ended the call. She ran the remaining distance but she was too late—Natsuki maneuvered her monster ride and she accelerated like a mad man.
"Fuck you, Kuga!" Flustered, she ran for her parking space and she threw her leg to straddle her own bike. She fumbled for her keys and with a forceful kick—started her own bike. She throttled her bike angrily and she followed her fleeing sister outside the FBI's parking lot.
She could clearly see that Natsuki was almost hysterical as the woman weaved through the traffic like the devil himself was chasing her and her stomach churned with tension. "You better be all right Fujino or Natsuki will…" Nao swallowed her fear. Her sister finally found her will to continue her life, and god have mercy—let Natsuki have a taste of it.
Shizuru smiled softly at the couple behind her. She was glad that Mai finally stopped crying—she could imagine how scared the woman was when Nagi still held her as a hostage. In the corner of her eyes, she watched how Reito hugged the woman tightly to his chest and assured her girlfriend that she's finally safe.
They did the right thing—to go undercover for them when Reito asked for help. At first, she was reluctant to believe the man when she stumbled to him at one of their dealings but after earning Nagi's trust—she almost went mad when she saw Mai Tokiha being held by Nagi. So they created a cover for her to be with the man—Shizuru flirted with the man to make Nagi think that she was interested in him and in the end, Nagi let her live with Reito to keep an eye on the man.
She slowed down her car when she saw the familiar house of the man. Shizuru was tired but she was excited to follow Natsuki—thinking of the woman, Shizuru smiled. They have a lot of things to settle and talk about.
Shizuru threw her arm around her seat and glanced at the couple behind her. "We're here. Let's go, you need to rest now Mai…"
Mai hiccupped but she nodded. The trio opened their door simultaneously and the sound of the door echoed through the silent night. The gravel crunched when they walk towards the door, and despite of fatigue, Shizuru found herself suddenly alert. Despite of the danger being gone, she knew that there were no more reasons for anyone to go after the couple. Someone took Mai to blackmail Reito to use him as a cover for the illegal dealings and now that the dealings have been brought down, there would be no more reason to be worried at all.
The trio halted at the front door and Shizuru gestured for Reito to open it, as the man fumbled for the keys—his arm never left Mai's shoulder, and Shizuru found it adorable. Reito let Mai walked first into the apartment and the two followed. Shizuru breathed a sigh of relief—she can now leave the couple into the safety of their home but before the CIA could open her mouth, a shadow darted from the darkness and a pale arm encircled Mai's neck.
Maybe because of the fatigue but her sluggishness caught her when she found herself face to face with a gun. Her hand automatically flew on her weapon but she was too late. "Drop your weapon, Fujino." Her hand stilled at the shadows' command and she masked her shock when Fumi stepped out of the darkness.
She kept her crimson eyes on the gun. Colt 1911-A1. Eight rounds, not enough time to take cover and not enough time for her to open fire. "Drop your gun, and kick it towards me. I know what you're thinking Fujino. I won't hesitate to shoot you."
Shizuru kept her eyes glue to her as she bends down to drop her gun. "Why Fumi? We didn't find any trails at you," She kept her movement slow as she raised her hands in the air; she kicked her gun towards the woman and Fumi beamed at her.
"Ah, that's it…" Without taking her eyes off them, Fumi kicked the gun behind her in the darkness and she roughly shoved her gun to Mai's temple. Reito and Shizuru stiffened when Mai sobbed painfully while Fumi took a step back—completely taking control of the whole situation.
"Fumi…" Reito looked at her helplessly—still unable to hide his surprise, he shoots Fumi pleading eyes. "Why? You are not part of his organization…why?"
Fumi cocked her head smugly at them. "I am part of them—In fact I am the brains of organization. Totally fooled you didn't I?" Fumi smiled thinly at Shizuru. "You had me there, Fujino. If it wasn't for Nagi's surprised exchange, I wouldn't have known that you are a CIA agent. That stupid Tate almost caught me—" Fumi clucked her tongue as if amused but Shizuru interrupted her.
"If you harm even a single hair of him, I swear to you—," A bullet tore her right cheek and Shizuru flinched visibly. Pain followed and her cheek stung.
"You're not really in the position to threaten me, Fujino." Fumi glanced at Reito when he choked in his own tears.
"Why Fumi?" Reito took a step forward, but Fumi pointed her gun towards him.
"And now you ask me why?" Instead of her usual polite expression, Fumi's face morphed into a darker facade. "All I wanted was for you to notice me, Reito…" Her eyes widen and a sinister flicker of emotion crossed into her usual stoic eyes.
"I waited for you to notice me…for years of working, standing by your side." Fumi's breathe quickened, making her look like she was on the verge of losing her control and adrenaline coursed through Shizuru's veins. She needed to calm Fumi or else…
"Fumi…" Shizuru steeled her nerves when Fumi's gun pointed at her. She needed to draw out more, to let Fumi talk, just to let the woman her guard down. "You love him?"
"Love? Love?!" Fumi shouted. Shizuru's breath stopped and Reito stood frigidly. "Love is not enough to describe what I feel for you!" Fumi spat furiously at the man.
"Instead, you took this tramp!" Mai whimpered when Fumi pulled the woman's hair and shook Mai's head. "I let Nagi took her, to blackmail you, to let you see that I'm here! But you chose Fujino!" Fumi laughed insanely.
"Oh, boy you two fooled me," Fumi shook her head continuously as she wrapped her arm at Mai's neck. "I gave you a chance, Reito. You disappoint me…"
Shaken, Reito took a step forward. "I never knew, Fumi... I'm so sorry…" Reito's words snapped Fumi, and the woman shrieked defiantly. She drew her gun and shot him squarely in the shoulder.
Reito stumbled back at the force of the bullet and he sunk to his knees. Shizuru moved like a lightning as she aimed for Fumi's gun to disarm her but the woman was faster than her—she used Mai's body as a shield and before Shizuru could reach out for the mad woman, a gunshot echoed into the dead night. A horrified scream followed.
Just when Natsuki turned off the ignition of her bike—a gunshot echoed and whole body went still. No! Her mind shouted and she started running towards the familiar sidewalk she lived once. A sudden weight stopped her and her sister whispered to her.
"Calm down, Natsuki! We need a plan! We're the only ones who can save them!" Nao whispered vehemently. Natsuki continued to struggle, her mind fixed onto Shizuru alone and she trembled. She needed to help her, to shield her from any harm and for god sake she needed Shizuru more than anything in this world.
"Shizuru…" She stopped struggling and Nao reluctantly let her go.
"Come on," Nao nodded to her and both women took out their gun. As they walk silently towards the house, they moved through the shadows, gravel crackled beneath their boots. Natsuki could almost hear her breathing as she squatted behind the main door. Her emerald eyes widened when she heard voices inside of the room.
"Fuck," She whispered. Natsuki was right—Fumi is the mastermind. Relief flooded her when she heard Shizuru's voice, her familiar accent wavered.
The CIA agent pressed her wound hard to stop it from bleeding further. Though pointless, Shizuru tried to reason out. "What do you hope to attain here?" Shizuru laughed weakly. "You wanted him for yourself but look what you have done…"
Fumi chuckled blatantly and she shoved her gun to Mai's temple. "If I can't have him nobody will…"
"Wait," Shizuru cringed when pain crashed at her shoulder. She needed another chance—more time, maybe someone heard the gunshots and help is on the way but now she needed more time. Shizuru won't let them die like this. "I want to understand why—"
"Don't make me laugh, Fujino. I know you are stalling and that's why I need to do this fast. Imagine what Natsuki's reaction would be once she found out that your dead, with no suspect, no trace, no evidence to link with me. I would love to see her devastation, her pain. That would be so entertaining!" And to everyone's horror, Fumi laughed heartily.
Those words chilled Natsuki to the bone, and without further delay—the FBI agent rolled on the floor as bullet whirled past her. Natsuki took cover behind the sofa, nodded at Nao to stay put and took aim at the mad woman. She found herself face to face with Fumi Himeno.
"Drop it, Fumi or I'll fucking blow your brains into the sofa," Natsuki warned her.
"You're going to shoot me Miss Kuga?" Fumi mirrored her movements as they circled the room—still dragging Mai with her as a shield.
"Yes, I am." But before she could fire, Fumi opened fire and she ducked. Another bullet tore past her and she rolled away from Fumi to take cover on the sofa. Natsuki couldn't fire back because she was holding a carrot-haired woman in front of her.
"Sharpshooter my ass, you couldn't even return fire!" Natsuki gritted her teeth when a bullet grazed her arm. The woman was seriously fucked up than she imagined.
"Well, you're a bloody coward for using a civilian as a hostage!" Natsuki shouted and she felt blood trickled at right hand—making her gun slippery. Damn, it Nao. Just shoot her already. Natsuki flinched when another bullet ricocheted behind her.
"You're not going to come out? Okay, I'll just shoot, Fujino." Her heart jumped to her throat and before she could think of anything else, Natsuki stood up and fixed her gun at Fumi. Her eyes widened when Fumi's gun was already pointing at her as if she already knew what her reaction would be.
"Gotcha, Kuga." A menacing grin broke at her face but before she could squeeze the trigger of her gun—Nao appeared behind her.
"Not a chance bitch!" And her sister shot Fumi at her back. Natsuki watched Fumi as her hand gave way and the gun fell harmlessly to the floor. The secretary slowly sunk into the floor and behind her, Nao walked towards her to help her hostage up.
Panting with pain, Natsuki straightened herself. Who knew that a scratch of a bullet could bleed so much? She smiled feebly when she caught Shizuru's crimson gaze but her eyes widened when the CIA agent slid weakly to the floor.
Natsuki ran towards her and she yelled for help. Natsuki sank beside her, she quickly searched for the CIA agents' wounds and she stifled her terror when she saw so much blood seeping through her shirt. "Shizuru…" Instinctively, Natsuki took off her belt and tied it around Shizuru's shoulder to stop the blood loss.
"Shizuru, I will say this again, please… don't leave me…" Shizuru laughed quietly to her already tear-stricken eyes. "I won't… I'm just so tired…" Natsuki wanted to stop Shizuru from closing her eyes—to keep her talking but her crimson eyes wavered, and slowly she closed her eyes.
Natsuki listened for her shallow breathing and prayed for the ambulance would hurry. She softly kissed Shizuru's tawny bangs then she held her hands and she almost cried when Natsuki felt Shizuru's gentle squeeze.
To be continued…
A/N:
For anyone who asked me for more action, sadly, I cannot give you that. First, based on the plot of the story, CIA's been tailing and investigating the organization for two years. They have been uncovering paper trails, deals and every member that was connected to them when CIA finally let FBI into the case.
Two, not all ops fail, the rate of successful op are usually high if, and only if, the following government agencies were able to anticipate and plan the whole thing. As you can see at the end of the chapter 10, Shizuru was shot. Meaning Fumi slipped past of their radar because of a major plot twist that I pop in. For more detailed explanation of the case, wait for the epilogue :P
I would like to apologize to my readers if it took me so long to update RS, and if I somewhat failed your expectation, I would like to try again. I've been drafting another Mystery/Thriller story and I'm hoping that my you would be patient enough to read it again.
I'll post the epilogue of RS first before CF so wait for the ending of RS :)
Thank you for your patience my dear readers and see you in epilogue! CIAO!