Finding Him
Chapter 19 : The Final Battle
by : Sakeena deathstalkker@yahoo.com


Legal disclaimers apply to all anime.

The time had come when they decided to put an end to the Inoue syndicate. It was on Thursday night, probably a month after my return, that the plan to destroy all of Inoue and the littlest trace of their existence to ashes was conceived. We talked about it at the basement - me, Ran, Kudou, Hidaka, Tsukiyono and Erinko. It was going to be tough job. Though Ran asked me not to go, he really could do nothing when I have decided. "I will do what I want when I want to," as I had put it. He will just have to accept that I was as equally stubborn as he was. The next day will be the Inoue syndicate's last.

The plan was then made. They needed all of what I knew and what Erinko knew and sum up all the information they had in order to weave a good plan, something not just counting on chances. On Friday night, we set forth for the port to execute our plan, all six of us. We will burn the whole port if we had to.

The plan was to cause commotion that will distract the people there. Distracted and in panic, they will have harder time dealing with us. It should make things easier. According to Erinko, the one in the lead was that male guy with long slick hair who attacked us with chains not that long ago. According to her, he was the trusted adviser of Masako's parents and was pushing Masako to continue the job. When she refused to, however, he decided to take over and lock up Masako. This guy, called as Shogo, was heading the Inoue syndicate like a dictator. Who could have thought he was that powerful?

What we should do was split up in a groups of two. One pair would head for the storage house, start fire with the ammunition, the other pair to the 10 storey building and do the same and the last one on the other nearby store of resources. Once everything was in chaos, the fire department and cops would be alerted, they would have to find Shogo and kill him before anything else. That was all enough to collapse the syndicate. Without a leader and without resources, it would be as hard as getting a blind man to see. Plus, the poor workers who would have to die or be arrested for their doing. Shogo would die. Erinko predicted he would be at the building though this prediction was not a hundred percent accurate. He was Shogo. He could be anywhere.

The actual thing was not as easy as we planned, though. Just before we split up, Jun the biker attacked me. Ran tried to help me, but Hidaka who had recognized his woman, tried to help her, and ended up fighting with Ran. Omi tried to get in between while I tried desperately talking senses to Jun. Shogo attacked us, praising Erinko for her good work. Each one of us had been caught off guard with his chains, even Jun.

"What do you mean by this?" Erinko demanded as the chains wrapped all around her, even her arms. She had dropped her weapon down on the ground.

During that time, Kudou was busier watching her than paying attention to the chains holding each one of us.

"I have no more use for you, woman. I hate traitors." Shogo chuckled. Turning to us, he asked smugly more meaningfully at Yoji. "Don't tell me you believe this slut's story? She works for me from the very start and you fell for it!?!"

"What?" Yoji and I asked at the same time staring at Erinko. She can't be. She..she saved my life..

"I didn't work for you from the very beginning. I betrayed you, didn't I?" Erinko reminded him icily.

"Oh sure. But as I had anticipated, you would come crawling back to me. And you did when I threatened to kill your friends here. But now I change my mind. I have no need of you anymore. So you will die, Erinko. With your so-called friends, and even the slut friends of yours, Rika and Midori! You'll all die!" Turning behind him to Ran, he punched him at the stomach, glaring angrily at him. "And you nosy boys. I will kill you all! You should know from the very beginning when you messed with us at the syndicate." He walked to Ken, did the same, to Jun, Omi and Erinko and Yoji until it was me. Yoji didn't look like he felt the pain though. His eyes were glued to Erinko who was looking down at the ground. Even I could not believe it. Erinko...betrayed us...But she did it for her friends, didn't she? But what were we to her?

The face of Shogo before mine told me I better worry about it later. He did the same to me, and my stomach pained, causing me to throw up. "Who are you girl?" He slapped me twice or thrice when I didn't answer. "You are Kanzaki's daughter, aren't you?" He slapped me again. "Where is your father? He kidnapped Masako!"

"He did not kidnap Masako," I corrected him bluntly.

"He did. Do you know where they are?" Another slap when I said nothing. Then he ordered for us to be taken to the basement of the storage house where he claimed we will "breathe our last."

Our plan was ruined.

Some fellows lead us to the dark basement, shoving us to walk. Me, Yoji, Erinko, Omi, Jun, Ken and Ran. We were for some minutes left alone in the darkness with the two others of Erinko's friends, Rika and Midori, tied with chains thrown to the cell we were in. That made nine of us.

Jun was the first to speak up. "Where is your father, Kanzaki?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" she demanded.

"You heard me. I said I don't know."

She turned to glare at me. Though it was dark, the hostility in her eyes were clear. "Liar!"

"I said I don't know and I really don't know!" I retorted hotly. How dare that woman accuse me of lying! "Why are after me anyway? What have I done to you?"

"Oh you didn't do anything," she said sarcastically. "Only that father of yours who's ripping my mother apart. And I figured if I could not go after him, I might as well go after the daughter!"

"Well you should know I can't give a damn about my father's affairs!" I snapped at her.

"That's not the answer I want to hear. You should know it took quite long for me to find you, and some more time before I realized it was Kasumi Kanzaki, the daughter of Kanzaki who's stolen my mother away!"

"How can you do this to me, Erinko!" Kudou was asking. It was only then that I realized we were not the only ones shouting at each other. Kudou was blaming her, and while the other two girls were blaming themselves.

"You should know," I began at her using the same sarcasm. "That me and my father are two different people and I can not be responsible for his actions as he can't be for mine! And who is your mother anyway? Tell her my dad's met someone else he's happy to be with her."

"My mother is Nishida Reira," she answered stiffly. "And your dad has stolen her away!"

"Reira?" I repeated.

"Yes. I don't assume you know her. She's a good woman, but all your father did is break her heart."

"I'm sure my father didn't mean it," I said defensively.

"That's no excuse!" she insisted.

"Hey it's your mom's decision to love my father and I think as mature individuals there's nothing much that we can do but respect it, or is there?"

"Ha!"

I sighed shaking my head preparing to say something more. "Will you two quit it?" Hidaka snapped both of us in frustration. "This is not the time and place to fight among ourselves!" We were all cut short when the door opened to let in a flash of light too bright for us that we narrowed our eyes.

Some men came in, probably to do us the favor of ending our lives. But not that first. They tried making me answer their questions and using their might to force something out of me. In a short span of five minutes I was sprawled down to the ground, taking all their beatings, coughing blood.

"I said I don't know!" I shouted at them. A kick in my stomach. Better not say anything. I didn't know how it happened, but the others began to resist, headed by Ran. And they succeeded in getting out of their chains to fight of the guys beating me.

Blood was all over the floor I was lying down on when it was over. Ran freed me of the chains using his sword. I didn't know how he got it back, but the others got their weapons too. Omi tossed to me my daggers and guns which were rid of me when we were thrown in.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me.

"It hurts of course," I answered, holding my stomach. I tried to stand up on my own but I ended up leaning on him anyway.

"Stay here," he advised me, but I did not listen to him. That syndicate - all of them will pay.

"I'll do what I want when I want to," I told him firmly. He had no option but to let me be.

We decided to go on with the plan. The nine of us split up into four groups. I really could not give a damn about Jun or Erinko, whether they'd betray us or do something stupid, but all I could do was, really, just trust them. It was all just trust.

Kudou, quiet and fuming, went with Erinko anyway, while Jun and Hidaka separated themselves, and three others - Rika, Midori and Omi remained together. As for me, I was stuck with Ran who kept his eyes on me. I could not really care less who I went with, because no matter what, I will get Shogo. If killing him insured the safety and happiness of my father - not to mention getting my sweet revenge, I will do it and there was no doubt about that.

The storage building with the basement was our destination. Unlike my previous visits, there were no folks in white working, only several armed people guarding it. There was no Shogo either. While we intended to set it on fire, we realized we were spared of the hard work : there were time bombs set to go off in a few minutes. The people guarding, it however, was doomed to be Shogo's next victims, apparently ignorant of their master's treachery. Shogo, judging from his ways, never valued his employees' loyalty and hard work. All that mattered to him were himself and his own personal goals. Nonetheless, it was too late when I came upon these realizations, and all that was left was barely a minute, thanks to Ran who noticed it, and yes, who saved me again, dragging me along with him as we ran for our lives. Five seconds later, just as we stumbled outside, some fifteen meters away, the whole storage building exploded. What shocked me was to find all other buildings surrounding it, all set to go off and had set on fire exactly at the same time. What about the others..?

The impact sent us reeling down on the ground. Atop of me, Ran had covered me with his body to protect me. Even the nearby mini-storage house, barely five meters away was not spared and had exploded. It was good fireworks, no doubt but my heart was beating wildly to even appreciate its beauty.

He helped me stand up. Seeing my face, he assured me. "They can't be gone." I stared at him doubtfully. But he was firm. "Trust them."

And I did.

Ran's eyes were somewhere. I admired him for still being able to think straight even amidst all just what happened and what was happening. Or he was just so used to it. "Shogo. He's there."

I followed his gaze. A large ship, seemingly a carrier vessel was slowly moving slowly away from the port. Of course. Impulsively, we went there using a little boat we found docked nearby, and my mind let go of worrying for the rest of them temporarily. Now we had to deal with Shogo -- just the two of us.

There were no guards there, unlike before. Having guards would draw suspicion, aside from the fact that Shogo had betrayed his guards and killed his loyal workers himself, except probably those other more useful workers of his. The upper floors of the ship was designed just like the one for tourists, but looking closely and deeper down the lower floors, it was proving itself worthy of suspicion. Ran's hunch was right. Some more floors down, was where we were compelled to use our fists once again. We hit them unconscious if not dead and wore their clothes, then we were off to find the devil himself.

We need not find hard. In fact, it was easier. Just some more down were the folks in white, and there the setting was even quite similar back to the basement : some folks in white in the middle of their busy work, some guards left, guarding the place.

However, some minutes later, after strolling around as a 'native', we drew suspicion and an armed guy asked what we were doing at the basement. "Get back there," he barked at us, shoving at us with his gun. Obviously, Ran was irritated by his mere presence, and so used his sword on him. Then we were off the hook temporarily.

But it was just a quick span of time. Not a minute later, somebody spotted us hiding the armed guy's fallen body, alerted everybody else, and not even ten minutes later - voila! We were surrounded, leaving us not much of a choice but to fight back, use our real strength to kill them. It was bloody struggle, but we had to do what we must.

Later, we realized we had companions on board - Kudou, Erinko, Omi and Midori. They had minor injuries, but unlike Jun and Rika who had stayed on the shore with Ken. Omi was able to get his hands on a computer and was using it to look for Shogo while Midori acted as a look over.


With Kudou and Erinko, we managed to defeat the rest down and cause turmoil for those unarmed workers at the basement. But it was just the beginning - the familiar groups of Shogo and his five to seven men came live to deal with us.


"Welcome aboard!" he greeted us cheerfully, holding his whip-like chains. The battle began. The lab, and most the folks in white were inevitably drawn and killed. In two minutes, the whole place was a mess.

What he gave us was less easy one. In fact, considering the numbers, it was quite unfair. But as they say, it's in worth, not in number, and we were ready to prove it.

Their chains were lashing at us in all directions. Constantly, we were being caught up in it, but with each other's help we were able to free. Omi and Midori came to warn us that he was able to play with the bombs but was unable to reprogram it - it will set off in half an hour with others setting off in a quicker time. However both of them were dragged in to the furious battle going on.

I had Shogo first, but his chains snaked up all around my neck, choking me until Ran came to my rescue. This action proved something to the clever Shogo and while I was on my knees, gasping for breath at a corner, he decided to use me against Ran. His chains caught me all up, threatening to crush my bones until Ran gave up his sword.

Some minor bombs surrounding us had gone off just as Omi had warned. Erinko and Yoji were another battle with the remaining of Shogo's men when fire began to spread out. Meanwhile , the battle between Ran and Shogo remained even until the chains got me and Ran threw his sword aside.

"No!" I tried shouting at him. The chains were too tight. But I could care less. I only wanted Shogo to pay for his crimes, and I could die doing just that.

The fire had surrounded the three of us. Shogo was laughing madly while Ran kept his composure, staring back at the lanky guy furiously.

"Let go of her," he ordered Shogo sternly.

Shogo went on laughing, not letting me go. I was running out of air. I could not even speak.

"I said let go of her," Ran said, with more authority this time.

"I will, I will," Shogo said with his same wicked smile. He released me quickly so that his chains could catch Ran. I fell on the ground, gasping for breath, very weakly as if all my energy had been absorbed from me by the chains.

Ran was caught up his chains, and the guy laughed more and more menacingly. I tried clearing my mind, taking deep breaths. My chest felt weak, my knees wobbled, but I tried thinking anyway for a way to save Ran just as he saved me. Then there was Ran's sword, thrown aside only some meters from me. I had not used a sword for a while, but since I was a kendo teacher, I knew I could still help somehow. Without being noticed, I crawled to it, and when my hand had grabbed the hilt, I stood up quickly with all my remaining strength, facing him and slashed his chains. He saw me too late, but reacted violently. The remaining of his chains got me, but I managed to release Ran. I threw him his sword. Another explosion came from behind Shogo.

"Look! We'll all die! All die!" Shogo was shouting madly. He roared with laughter, his chains still around me.

"You'll die alone!" Ran retorted, then slashed his chains. I was released. When his chains had been completely torn useless, he resulted to his last weapon : a sword like that of Ran's. They battled furiously. Another explosion.

"Kasumi! Aya!" I heard a voice from above me. It was Omi with Yoji, Erinko and Midori. "Let's go! This boat will sink!!" Omi was shouting.

Another set of armed men came from behind them before I could respond. They had no choice but to fight back.

I turned my head to the two battling figures. The fire was getting bigger and bigger every minute, smoke was blurring my sight.

The images around me suddenly began to swirl. Oh no. not now, Reira. Not now. But Reira was furious of something.

I screamed at the top of my lungs. Some glass tubes shattered at the intensity of my scream.

What are you up to, Reira? I tried talking to her. Can you do this some other
time?

You..woman..I hate you!

I know.

I'll kill you.

Why?

You..you..you made me..

Made you what Reira?

Your heart, Kanzaki. Your heart is cursed.

I don't get it.

Your heart is cursed! Your raping my whole mind and body..

What? This time I was so confused. There she was using her extra-ordinary ability to use me. And then..she would accuse me of the crime she was behind of. The nerve that woman had.

You're cursed. And you're done for. I will kill you!!

Will you at least tell me why?

You wanna know why, Kanzaki? Because I'm in love with Ran Fujimiya. I love him to death. And I don't want you in the way.

Though I did not completely understood anything, I was shocked. But Reira was too angry to let me just stay shocked. She was serious. She wanted me dead. I was still able to see, blurry vision, but my body did obey only Reira's orders. My hand began feeling for my weapons and found a dagger kept in my waist. Ran. I need you now!!

Omi and Yoji was shouting from above but I could not even turn my head to look at them. Ran and Shogo was still engaged in the battle. Another bomb had set off. I tried fighting off Reira, but my hands..there was blood all over it. I had wounded myself. And it was not just gonna stop there.

I was sitting up, holding the dagger before my chest.

"What are you doing, Kasumi?" I heard Yoji shout. I could not answer. "Oh no. I think it's happening again!" I heard him tell Omi. Then I heard some stuffs falling, missing me by inches then I was not able to hear their voices again.

Ran! I screamed out in my mind. I realized I didn't just think of it. I did shout. Nonetheless I tried fighting it.

The ceiling seemed to be falling down on us suddenly, probably because of the bombs. I managed to lose the dagger. I was walking. I could not see where. It was already so hot. I knew wherever I go there would be flames.


The whole place was littered. I found myself limping my way out. I heard no one and saw no one. Except for a figure sprawled on the ground. I could no longer grasp of the time. It felt as though I was asleep and had just woken up. on the other hand, it felt just like a dream. All a dream. There was this wave of deja vu and I could not stop my mind from thinking if it had happened before.

The figure was that of Shogo's. But Ran? Where is he? Desperately, I veered my head to all directions trying to catch a glimpse of him but no Ran. I walked to Shogo, hoping to find Ran somewhere near him. I only saw the glass tube filled with a green liquid nearby, its mouth the level of the floor I was on.

"Kasumi!" I heard a voice calling me.

"Ran!" I shouted back, recognizing his voice. So he won. God, I was so relieved. Accidentally I stepped on Shogo's lifeless hand. I saw Ran's figure, wading through the flames towards me.

He came nearer, but it seemed forever. Until he was barely 5 feet away. But something went wrong. It all happened so fast. Again I had lost my guard. I felt a stab to my side. From behind me.

Shogo's laugh. No. It was Reira's laugh.

"Die, Kanzaki. Die!" Shogo was laughing wildly. But it was Reira. Shogo was gone.

Shogo's arms came around me, and he brought me to the nearby glass container filled with chemicals , strapped my hands on a metal plate which he pushed to sink deep down to the glass. The metal plate sank along with me.

I saw a part of the handle of the metal plate wrecked by the center, letting lose some wires. Oh no. The liquid was up to my chest. If I wont die by the chemicals or by drowning, I will surely die by the high voltage. I tried wriggling free but all my strength had dried up. Also, my wound by my side was hurting. I felt my blood mix with the liquid in the tube.

Another battle had begun. Between Ran and Shogo. Or should I say Ran and Reira. What I did not get was if Reira was truly in love with Ran, why would she want to kill him?

The answer came to me a little later, as though Reira answering my question. She'd rather see him dead that see him with me. Of course, she would love to be with Ran, but that was far from possible. She could not even penetrate through his mind. What more, his heart?

I tried using my mind to talk to Reira. Another several minutes, the boat would go boom. If she can't spare me, won't she at least spare Ran? But it was useless. Or I was not concentrating very well. I saw some large pieces of something fall from the ceiling as another explosion took place. Before I was completely submerged, I managed to shout to Ran. "Leave now!" I shouted at him. Omi and Yoji reappeared from the upper floor, shouting the same thing. Then it was hard to open my eyes in the liquid. But I knew he will win.



I had the same dream. About flowers, beautiful flowers. A rose. A red rose. I never liked roses. In fact, I hated roses. Especially red ones. It was the color of the blood. But probably I loved it all along. Because I always dreamed about it. Or at least, it seemed so. I never noticed it before. Because they all seemed the same. Flowers.

I felt something at my mouth. There was suddenly some movements. Something tugging at my wrists as though trying to let it go. I tried one more time opening my eyes to find him. He was breathing to me and was trying to tear the straps. His kiss had saved me again. Then he rose up to the surface level to breathe again. Oh no. The loose wires. Only some two feet up the level of the liquid. When he sank down again to breathe to me, I tried wriggling him away. Leave or the two us dies, I wanted to tell him. And there's no reason for both us to die. But he did not listen, though I knew he understood what I meant. He went on breathing air to me. I'll do what I want when I want to, he replied.

But the straps..they were too tight. He slashed it with his sword. It might not work because we were submerged in this liquid. But he did not stop. I kept my eyes on the loose wires above our heads. The electricity was clearly visible with blue sparks. Several seconds later, before the wires could reach the surface of the liquid, he had succeeded in letting me go and brought me up with him to the surface to breathe. Coughing, I was gasping for breath. He tried bringing me up first then he followed.

Yoji was some floors above us, but he was looking down, leaning to the railings. "Kasumi! Ran! Let's go! The boat is sinking! 2 more minutes before the final explosions!"

Still out of breath, I was sprawled on the ground. I looked at all around me. There was water already in the lower floor. Ran stood up and pulled me along with him. It was one of those times I felt so damn weak and helpless I hated myself.

But Ran was determined to get out alive. I could not help admiring him for a moment.

He tried carrying me, but I, totally giving up, stopped him both my hands laid out before me. "Why don't you just go and leave me?" I asked him.

Stopping, he spun at me and glared. Raising his hand, he slapped me across the face. Hard. At first, I was at loss of words as I regained myself. Then I stared back at him angrily. Here I was, in totally bad condition, in pain, worried about him to death, and he slaps me? The heck with him. Fujimiya Ran could be the most insensitive jerk ever to walk the face of the earth. "Whadda hell did you do that for??" I demanded irately.
He took one look at me then turned away. "That's better."

WTF?! He's playing with my feelings!! I thought, ready to explode. But the sudden surge of anger pumped me with new energy, and I could say, even new hope. Ran was not so bad after all. While I was reacting, he took the opportunity to grab me and carry me out of the collapsing _and_ sinking _and_ soon-to-explode _and_ still-on-fire boat. It just all happened at the blink of an eye. In no time, we were by the dock, with the others. Ran had slumped me down on the ground and he laid next to me, both of us drenched wet all over, gasping for breath, too drained off of strength.

We had to drag ourselves farther from the boat though. Omi had estimated it would be a really big explosion, and he was right. With each other's help, we walked further away from the boat and from the rest of what used to be the Inoue Syndicate HQ.

Ken was wounded in saving the two girls. However, he refused to leave without us. He wanted to stick with us to the end, if that was the least he could do. Jun and Rika both slumped Ken's arms around their shoulders, assisting him. Yoji was helping Erinko, Omi and Midori helping both of us. The boat exploded. The water splashed wildly.

We barely noticed it before, but it was morning. The sun was rising, its light shimmering beautifully across the now pacified sea. It was morning. A new, beautiful morning awaiting each one of us.

We stopped for a while to gaze at the rising sun in complete silence. Everything looked so much calmer as though nothing happened. The gentle wind rocked us gently, swaying our hair.

A figure came from the far end. A girl. Ohno Yuki carrying a bouquet of flowers. She was smiling, tears in her eyes. Beside her walked Fujimiya Aya. Both of them were smiling. And crying. So beautiful like the sun.

For every dark nights, there is a beautiful morning that awaits each one of us.


April 2000 © Sakeena