Onna: *looks around warily* Is it safe?
Yaone: It is.
Onna: Phew! Don't own Saiyuki. That's for sure.
*****
"Lirin-chan...?"
"Toufa-chan!" Lirin cried in relief as she flung herself to the bed. "You're all right!"
Toufa hugged back, tears coursing down her face. "So scared... I was so scared..."
"I know, I know..." Lirin murmured, gently stroking her hair. "You just get better, okay?"
Toufa nodded, swallowing painfully before being wrapped in another pair of arms. "Goku-kun..."
"I'm so glad you're okay," he said, grinning at her. "I'm missing those lunch boxes you made."
The familiar voices and faces were such a comfort to her, and to hear her closest friends trying to cheer her up, who had been worrying about her, she couldn't have felt more grateful. She smiled softly. "Goku-kun!" she playfully snapped at him. "Don't you think of anything but food?"
His grin widened and he laughed, looking pointedly at Lirin. "Lirin-chan's just as bad. She's been demanding for your onigiri for weeks!"
Lirin glared at him. "You were the one who's been asking for her fried pork chops since last month!"
"Lirin-chan!!!"
Toufa giggled. Those two haven't changed a bit. "When I finally get better, I'll cook some good food for you both."
"Honto ni?" both pairs of eyes widened with hope.
She adjusted the sling around her neck and smiled at them. "I promise."
"In this game... the advantage is mine..."
Yaone watched as the gun was raised to Houfa's temple, watched as the finger pulled the trigger. Yaone barely heard the shot, she could hear nothing, she could only watch and see. She screamed, but no sound came out. She tried to reach for her gun, but her hands refused to move. Houfa fell, blood spilling down the side of her face, hitting the pavement awkwardly.
He grinned at her. A toothy, evil grin, before he pointed the gun at her. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Houfa... no...
Hakkai...
It wasn't Houfa lying there anymore... It was Hakkai...
She didn't hear the gunshot. Didn't feel the bullet pierce her body. She just knew he had fired, and that she was hit.
Yaone fell back at the impact, and she finally found her voice.
"Yaone-san! Yaone-san!" Hakkai shook her as she continued to whimper in her sleep, tears leaking through her tightly shut eyelids. "Yaone-san! Wake up!"
Her eyes flew open and she looked around in panic. Her gaze focused on him for a few seconds before she finally seemed to recognize him. "H-Hakkai-san...!"
He immediately scooped her up and settled her in his lap, rocking her, stroking her hair as he whispered words of comfort. Her sobbing gradually ceased to soft shuddering breaths as she rested her cheek on his chest.
"You all right?" he murmured.
She shook her head. "This is going to haunt me for the rest of my life," she moaned softly.
"You're going to have to get over it, you know..."
"Yeah..."
"It's ok... It'll be ok..."
"I know..."
He gently settled her back in the bed and tucked the sheets around her. "Anything you need...?"
"Yes..." she whispered. "You..."
Hakkai smiled at that and brushed her hair from her cheek. "I'll sleep here, on the floor tonight..."
"Okay..."
He leaned over and brushed his lips with hers briefly, before getting up and headed out to get the sleeping bag.
"How is she handling it?"
"Not good," the caller sighed as he sat down on the couch. "Are you sure we should continue with this operation? Already too many people have been killed."
"Many more will die if we don't do something about this, detective. When Kougaiji got Yaone assigned to this I was worried that she was going to ruin everything."
"But she's smart. And she has actually been more helpful than anyone, even Dokugakuji and Gojyo."
"So she has. She actually confirmed the mole within our ranks. Keep the watch on her, I don't want anything to happen to Yaone. She's too valuable to this procedure."
"Understood."
"Better stop using the radios. I just received a fax that our frequency has been tapped."
"They're onto us."
Shufa smirked. "So they know that their radio's bugged?"
He nodded. "Not much good that's going to do for them. Our spy has been updating us with what steps they'd be taking next."
"How did you manage to get so much information ahead of time?"
He laughed, shoulders shaking. "He's got a high position in that station. Not to mention that we have someone else spying on the girl detective and her buddies."
"Two moles, huh?" she grinned. "Pretty smart move on your part, Qing Yi Se."
"Yaone's dismissal has no basis, Kou! Forensics have proven that she did not even put a scratch on that man, let alone kill him!" Dokugakuji insisted as he dropped the folders on his superior's table.
"My decision stands, detective! Yaone is in no condition to continue this investigation!"
"You assigned her to the case knowing that she has no experience in cases such as these! You took the risk of having her become emotionally unstable!"
Kougaiji glared at him. "Yaone became emotionally involved with the subject! You and I both know that detachment is the key to this case!"
"But detachment won't get you to find out anything! Yaone is in a position where she can learn all from Hakkai, learn the information we need about this gang!"
"You are not going to get her to do that!" Kougaiji ordered as Dokugakuji turned to leave.
"I can and I will. Seriously, Kou, I think something's been messing with your brain."
"Shut up!" Kougaiji snarled and drew his gun, firing above Dokugakuji's head.
He ducked. "Oi! Have you gone mad?!"
"No." The gun fired a few more times. Dokugakuji ran out of the office, barely missing the bullets.
"Oi, Dokugaku! What's going on?!"
"Kou's just turned on me," he answered, gritting his teeth.
"What?!"
He faced his brother as he ran. "Let's just get out of here!"
"I don't think so..." a voice murmured coldly before pain exploded at the back of his shoulder.
"Dokugaku!!!"
Yaone woke to cold fingers gripping her throat, covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Her eyes flew open as her supply of air was cut, and she struggled to fight off her attacker. But he had her pinned to the bed, not giving her a lot of movement or leverage.
She choked, coughed and wheezed, trying to fight the blackness that was slowly overpowering her vision. Her legs and nails continues to kick and scratch him, managing to tear some flesh of his arms. He howled in pain and glared at her before grabbing a pillow and pushing it against her face.
She tried to scream, to fight. All to no avail. Her thrashings slowed, the blackness slowly blinded her, her senses started to shut down.
The last thing she remembered hearing was the sound of the door opening and Hakkai's shout.
*****
Onna: *wipes forehead* Okay, I hope I'm building up tension here. How am I doing?
Hakkai: You're doing fine. Japanese terms follow.
Onigiri- rice ball
Honto ni- really
