For the person who asked who Takahashi-san was...apparently I didn't make it clear enough. He was the guy that gave Ruki her apartment.
Chapter 3: Complications
"Hello? This is the Kochi police station. How may I help you?" An officer sitting at the front desk of the Kochi Police Station.
"Yes, well this is Police Chief Kuro from Shinjuku. There's a girl by the name of Makino Ruki in your city-"
"We know of her. In fact she was seen by many witnesses killing a citizen here. We're looking for her at this moment."
"We suspect her of murdering two other people as well and have a warrant for her arrest. Anyways, we traced a phone call from her originating from west of Kochi Park, and if you help us capture her we'd be very grateful."
"Very well. We'll post a bulletin for her on TV. Someone will come forward and report her exact whereabouts."
"Before I let you go, I have a question to ask you. The man that she killed, was one of his index fingers missing?"
"Y-yes there was...how did you-"
"It seems to be her trademark. Were any long hairs found on his body?"
"Yes. We have them cataloged away for when we catch her so we can run a DNA match against her."
"I'm going to send an officer over to Kochi to check it against the hairs we have."
"Ah! Good idea! I'll be waiting for him, and perhaps we'll have caught her by then."
The next day, Ruki and Ryo were watching the news on TV when an emergency announcement appeared on the screen.
"This is a Breaking News Bulletin...Police are searching for the whereabouts of Makino Ruki. She is being held responsible for the recent murder of Takahashi Shiro and two other murders in Shinjuku. Police are looking for concerned citizens who know where she is hiding..."
Ruki looked over at Ryo.
"I won't let them get you." He said.
She smiled at him until a slightly fuzzy security video started playing on the screen. A figure in a long coat and long hair pulled back in a ponytail. The figure pulled out a knife and the whole murder of Rumiko was played out before her eyes on TV.
The announcer continued speaking. "...Police have released the footage, shown here, from a security camera in the Shinjuku Hospital parking lot where she killed her own mother...We now return you to this station's originally scheduled programming."
"Hey Ryo we're outta food!" Kai said coming into the room.
Ryo quickly turned off the TV, and he and Ruki both turned around.
"Oh. Was I...interrupting...something?" He asked
"No. We were just watching TV." Ryo said.
"Who is she? She looks...familiar."
Ruki fidgeted a little.
"Well Kai, she's a friend of mine, and she's been staying here lately due to...problems...at her apartment. You probably saw her around here."
"No, that's not it...Wait! Didn't I see your picture in a fashion magazine?" Kai asked Ruki.
Ruki sighed in relief, and smiled a little.
"Probably. I've done some modeling like that with my mother." She said.
"Cool. Would you give me your autograph, since you're here?"
"I guess so."
"Great! I'll go get the magazine." He said and went off to his room to get it.
"Ryo. Talking to him gave me a really weird feeling," Ruki whispered to Ryo once Kai was gone.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"It's probably nothing...forget I said anything."
"Here it is!" Called Kai as he ran back into the room waving about a page that had been ripped from a magazine.
He practically shoved the page and a pen into Ruki's hands. She stared at him for a moment then quickly scribbled her name and handed it back to him.
"Thanks. I'll treasure it and put it on my Wall of Fame." He smiled and left out of the room again.
She felt a shiver run down her spine. There was something about him that rubbed her the wrong way, but she couldn't put her finger on why...
Kai came back into the room and started out the door, but stopped
"I'm gonna go to the store. Wanna come with?" He asked the two of them.
"Why not." Ryo said and went with him.
"I'd better stay here." Ruki said and bid them a safe trip as they left.
Ryo and Kai headed off to the store and picked up some food. As they were headed back Ryo's attention was attracted by a window display from a clothing store.
"Kai, I need to stop in here." Ryo said.
"A woman's clothing store?" Kai asked and looked at Ryo strangely.
"I want to get something here...for Ruki-chan."
"Okay...Who's Ruki?"
"The girl that's staying with us."
"Heh heh. Should've known that."
So the two of them went in the store to get something for Ruki.
They came out an hour later with only two shirts, a pair of pants and a hat. With the few items they had, plus the groceries from before this stop they went back to the house.
Even if they had run back they would've been too late to save Ruki...
Not even twenty minutes after Kai and Ryo left Ruki was summoned to the door by loud pounding.
She'd been taking a bath when it happened.
"Hold on! Let me get dressed!" She yelled pulling her clothes back on.
Yet the pounding continued.
"I said hold on!" She cawed.
"You boys need to learn a little patience or put some of the bags down first-." She started lecturing as she opened the door.
Instead of Kai and Ryo standing there with full hands she saw a couple police officers standing there.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I thought you were my friends."
"Clearly we're not." One of the officers stated clearly annoyed.
"Are you Makino Ruki?" The other asked.
Ruki realized for the first time why they were there.
"It's her alright," answered another officer which she hadn't seen at first. "I would know."
She'd seen him somewhere before and studied him a moment longer. Then it hit her; he was the officer who'd chased her yesterday.
"W-what's this all about?" Ruki stuttered.
"Don't pretend to be so stupid. You know why were here." The first officer stated.
"You're under arrest for the murder of Takahashi Shiro." The second officer said pulling her out of the house, causing her to knock over a lamp by the door.
"I didn't kill him!"
"Tell that to the judge when you see him." The first officer said snapping a pair of handcuffs on her.
"But what about being innocent until proven guilty?!" Ruki cried as they pushed her into the back of the police car.
"You've already been proven guilty. People saw you do it." The second officer said casually as he got in the police car.
"See you back at the station Kenichi." The first officer said getting in the car Ruki was in.
"Yep." Kenichi said and walked away.
The car started down the road and the two officers chatted about how easy it was to catch her compared to what everyone had thought
Ruki heard none of it as she was deep in thought.
When Ryo and Kai were down the street from the house, Ryo instantly knew something was wrong. He dropped the bag he was carrying and ran to the door. It was hanging wide open and the lamp by the door was broken to bits.
"Ruki! Ruki!" He called as he ran through the house, but deep in his heart he knew where she was.
Ryo reached the front door again and found Kai standing there half-smiling.
"Y-you know something about this don't you!" Ryo said angrily.
"I knew I'd seen her somewhere before, and it wasn't just from that magazine. I saw her on the TV before you switched it off. When I went to get that page, I actually went to call the police, and then just ripped it out of the magazine I'd been reading."
"H-how could you?! She's innocent!"
Kai only smiled broader.
"She's a criminal, and she's got you wrapped around her little finger. If you didn't love her-"
"I do not love her!" Ryo blushed
"Pah! Then why are you blushing? It's so obvious." Kai then headed out of the room. "By the way, unless you want glass in your foot I suggest picking up the broken lamp."
Ryo could only stare after his cousin with anger and hatred.
"How could you turn her in?" He asked no one and left the lamp on the floor as he left the house.
It didn't take Ryo more than twenty minutes to reach the police station.
"Excuse me, sir." Ryo said to the man sitting behind the desk.
"Hmm?" The man grunted.
"A friend of mine was recently arrested, and I wish to post bail for her."
"Name?"
"Makino Ruki."
"No bail."
"What? There has to be!"
"What part of 'no' don't you understand boy. She killed three people. She stays in jail until her trial."
"Oh...Can I please visit her then?"
The man looked Ryo over.
"Come with me." The man answered.
He led Ryo through two checkpoints where he was scanned with metal detectors, then to a room with a wall. A panel of clear plastic with a few small holes in it had been placed in the wall to allow prisoners and visitors to talk. There was a desk by the glass and a steel chair behind it.
"Wait here." The man grunted and went to the back of the room.
Ryo sat down and did as he'd been told. A few minutes later a guard and Ruki entered the room. She ran to the window.
"You get five minutes." The man said.
"Ryo! You don't know how happy I am to see you. Tell them! Tell them I didn't do it!" She pleaded.
"I'm not sure it'd help. Besides we only have a few minutes to talk."
He could see tears in her eyes.
"Don't leave me here. For all that is holy, don't leave me here!" She pleaded.
"One more minute." The guard on Ruki's side of the room said.
"May I give her a note? I was afraid we wouldn't have enough time to say all that needed to be said, plus it's kinda personal, so I wrote her a note." Ryo asked the man on his side of the room.
Ryo gave the man the note, and he read it. He smirked, then nodded and placed it in a drawer in the wall so Ruki could have it.
She opened the drawer on her side and took it. She didn't even get a chance to read it as she was led out of the room by the guard on her side of the room. She kept her eyes locked on Ryo's in hopes she'd find some kind of hidden message, but found none.
Once back in her cell she opened the note and read it. The note read:
Ruki-chan,
I'm sorry I can't do much to help you. Ruki, I'm not sure how long I can last with out you, my love. Please forgive me for not doing more. I love you, and I believe you. I always will. God bless you, Honey. Hopefully we'll be able to get married soon.
Hugs and kisses,
Ryo
"What kind of crap is this?! I'm going to kill that punk...why would he give this to me unless..." Ruki said confusedly, and read it again.
The second time through she noticed that some of the letters were underlined.
"Ryo, you're lucky the guard didn't look at this more closely, or he would've read your message 'Coming midnight'." She whispered to herself, and hid the note in her bra so the guards wouldn't find it.
Ruki sat on her bed waiting for the appointed time to come. While she waited, she wondered how he'd do it, and if it would work.
To be continued...