Disclaimer: I still do not own any of the characters used in this story…unfortunately.
Author's Note: Hi there! I apologize for not updating in about two weeks or so, but as I've said before, I've been busy with schoolwork. And praise everything in the world because I've just finished my midterms for the week! And because of this, I thought I should reward myself – and you guys as well – by finally writing up the fifth chapter of this story. So here is the product! I hope you will all read and review this chapter. And don't hold back! Well then, enough talking from me; Enjoy!
Chapter Five: A Failed Attempt and Another Connection
Fumiya Takani adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses as the large elevator came to a halt on the fifth floor of the company headquarters, its silver doors opening to reveal a beige-carpeted hallway sandwiched between a white-washed wall filled with paintings and a glass divider on the right. Weaving his way through the group of people congregated in the lift, the CEO of Takani Enterprises silently exited the elevator and made his way towards the double mahogany doors at the end of the hallway, nodding at various employees who bid him a good morning. With a gentle smile towards his secretary – a woman in her mid-50's clad in a pink business suit – Fumiya turned the doorknob and entered his office, closing the door behind him with a faint click.
Sighing, he removed his gray coat and hung it on the antique chair situated next to the entrance, then made his way towards his desk. Setting his briefcase onto the small chair in front of the table, he rifled through the papers and mail that had accumulated on his desk. "Invitation…paper to sign…paper to sign…paper to sign…" muttered the CEO as he thumbed through the stack. "I really need to get a li—" Before getting the chance to finish his sentence, a familiar pink envelope fell out from the stack, catching Fumiya's attention. Cautiously, he opened the envelope with trembling hands, extracting a dirty-white stationary with singed edges. Slowly, he read the written message, his eyes widening in panic with each word: Fumiya-san,
By now I am sure that you are used to my constant threats. And surely, before even finishing with this letter, you will have already shrugged this off without a question. But have you ever stopped and asked yourself: should you?
Be mindful of your younger sister, Takani-san. And this time, I suggest that you DO take this threat seriously. I know I will…
The young CEO quickly dropped the paper onto the desk, his hands balled into shaking fists as he gazed at the paper menacingly. Sharply inhaling, he grabbed the phone sitting on his desk and dialed a number, groaning in frustration when the phone rang three times. He was about to hang up when someone suddenly answered on the other line.
~~*~~~*~~
Sunlight glinted off a neatly polished silver sedan that silently pulled to a halt in front of the 3-story library, the building entryway a long mosaic path of red and gray bricks. Silently, Aoshi Shinomori opened his door and made his way towards the other side of the sedan, stepping back as he opened the door for Megumi Takani.
"You really don't have to do that every time, Aoshi-san," said the raven-haired woman, a small hint of annoyance evident in her voice. Noting the bright sunrays reflecting off the library windows, Megumi gingerly removed her cream-colored coat and smoothed her clothing, adding, "I am fully capable of opening the door myself."
"And yet you remain seated every time I come around and do the task for you," Aoshi mused, a small smirk etched on his lips. The smile immediately faded, however, when Megumi threw her coat onto the backseat and huffed past her bodyguard, her leather purse slung tightly on her shoulder.
Closing the door behind him, Aoshi nodded at the young man seated behind the wheel – whom he silently asked not to go anywhere – then followed the woman as she walked down the ornate path. He suddenly stopped in his tracks when the raven-haired woman sharply turned around, a hand on her hip and an eyebrow raised. "Are you going to follow me inside as well?"
"It's my job."
"You take your job too seriously," said the woman offhandedly, waving a hand in dismissal of her bodyguard. She turned around and resumed walking. Before she got far, however, she added, "I'm a big girl, Shinomori-san. I'm sure I can handle walking around the library by myself."
Nodding his head in understanding, Aoshi remained rooted to his spot, watching the woman as she entered the building. When she disappeared behind the frosted sliding doors, he made his way back to the silver sedan, his face expressionless as ever.
~~*~~~*~~
The automatic glass doors behind Megumi closed with a silent whoosh, cutting off the warmth of the bright sun shining outside. Megumi ran a hand through her exposed forearm as she made her way through the silent study area towards the rows and rows of bookshelves. "I should have brought my coat with me," she muttered, mentally slapping herself for making such a minor mistake.
Trying her best to ignore the cold, Megumi scanned the volumes situated on the shelves next to her, trying to find the books she was looking for and maybe finding another title that may prove useful for her research. After ten minutes of quiet but quick searching (so quick that she accidentally bumped shoulders with a tall man with gravity-defying blonde hair), the raven-haired woman returned to the lobby to check out the four books stacked on her arms, waiting patiently as one of the librarians scanned the four titles. With a nod of gratitude and a smile of thanks, Megumi took the books onto her arms and turned to walk out of the library, her purse hanging limply on the crook of her right elbow.
Frustrated with the uncomfortable weight added on by her purse, Megumi shifted the weight of the books onto her left arm and adjusted her bag to a more tolerable position, all the while continuing with her trek out of the library. Unfortunately, with her attention directed towards her purse, Megumi did not see a woman who had entered the library at the same time. And before she knew what had happened, the books Megumi held in her arms were sprawled all over the ground, her hand clutching at her upper arm as she knelt on the floor, a pulsing pain coursing through her body.
"Oh, I am so sorry," apologized the woman, a flustered look on her face a she bent down to help pick up the books on the floor and a few objects that flew out of Megumi's partially opened purse. "I was in such a hurry – you never know when someone else might check out the book you want!"
"It's alright," replied Megumi with a smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she balanced a book on her knee. She accepted the book being handed to her. "I was in a hurry myself a few minutes ago."
The two women stood up, both straightening their clothes.
"I'm so sorry again," apologized the woman with a sheepish smile, bowing as Megumi made to exit the library.
She gave the woman a friendly smile, then moved past the automatic doors, noting that her bodyguard stood halfway through the brick path, ready to meet her. Rolling her eyes, Megumi made her way towards the man slowly.
"Excuse me!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Megumi turned around to face the woman she had earlier ran into. The raven-haired beauty tilted her head to the side as the other woman approached her spot, confusion etched on her face.
"I'm sorry for bothering you again," apologized the woman, slightly bowing. She hand Megumi a red leather wallet. "I don't think you realized that you dropped this earlier when you ran into me."
"Arigatou."
"Iie, it's nothing," said the woman, waving a hand to dismiss Megumi's gratitude. "I'm sorry, but are you a student at Todai?"
"Yes, I am."
"I thought so! I've seen you around campus," explained the woman, her index finger perched lightly on her pointed chin. She extended her hand towards Megumi with a friendly smile. "Yumi Komagata."
Balancing the books once again onto her left arm, Megumi accepted the offered hand with a light smile, her purse sliding down to the crook of her right elbow. "Megumi Takani."
"Takani…you're the daughter of Ryusei Takani, are you not?" asked the woman, her hand still clasped onto Megumi's, not showing any signs of letting go.
Megumi silently nodded at the woman, her chocolate eyes slightly widening as the woman's grasped tightened on her hand. She tried to pry herself off the woman's grasp, but failed.
"Tell me, do you take the threats against your life seriously?" asked Yumi, her lips etched into a triumphant smirk. The grin widened when she saw Megumi's silent no. "Well you should."
With those last three words, Megumi's expression changed from friendly to surprised to terrified. And before she knew what had happened, the raven-haired woman felt her hand releasing from Yumi's deadly grip, chocolate eyes closed tightly as she felt her body gently fall to the ground with a light thud. After a few seconds, piercing screams now echoing in the once silent air, Megumi opened her eyes to stare at the dark-jade gaze of Aoshi Shinomori, his eyes narrowed in an expressionless stare.
~~*~~~*~~
Ten minutes of silence passed since Megumi entered the library, punctuated only by the light conversations of people passing thru the mosaic path. The automatic window of the driver seat suddenly rolled down with an electric hum, breaking the comfortable silence. "Ano…are you sure that was a wise idea?" asked Soujiro, poking his head halfway out of the window, his curious dark eyes gazing at the man leaning casually against the sedan.
"Megumi-dono was clearly hinting that she needed some privacy," answered Aoshi, his eyes never meeting the young man's.
"Demo…what if something happens to her?" questioned the younger man, his lips upturned in a curious smile. "We are in a public area – anyone poses a threat towards Megumi-san."
Aoshi craned his neck to look at the young man, his eyes piercing behind his bangs, a dark brow raised in question. "Are you insinuating that something will, in fact, happen to Megumi-san?"
"I-Iie," replied Soujiro, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips as he scratched the back of his head, slightly cowering at the older man's scrutinizing gaze. "I was merely commenting on the—"
A faint ringing cut off the young man's sentence, prompting both Aoshi and Soujiro to look at the source of the sound. Immediately, the older of the two men opened the backseat door and searched every pocket of Megumi's cream-colored coat until he found her mobile. Glancing at the number displayed on the small screen, he immediately answered the call. "Hai, Takani-san?"
"Shinomori-san?" said his employer, shock evident in his voice. "Where is my sister? Why did she not personally answer my call?"
"Megumi-san asked to be left alone," Aoshi simply replied, his voice an air of casualness. With a serious look, however, his tone suddenly changed. "Takani-san…is there a problem?"
"I received another letter," answered Fumiya, his voice strained. "Please find Megumi right away…I do not wish for any harm to fall on her."
"Neither do I," said Aoshi, ending the conversation and throwing the mobile phone onto the backseat, silently flopping on the cream-colored coat that was haphazardly thrown inside the car. Without closing the door, he silently jogged down the brick path towards the library, noting that a woman clad in a red coat had just activated the automatic glass doors. Aoshi slowed to a stop when he caught a glimpse of the subject of their conversation, who was currently adjusting the position of the purse hanging on her arm. He groaned inwardly, however, when Megumi suddenly collided unexpectedly with the woman in red, the books she held in her hand flying out of her grasp and a few items from her purse jumping out of the bag.
Fighting the urge to walk towards her and help – mentally noting that Megumi might once again condemn him for giving her aid for such a simple task as getting up from the floor – Aoshi remained rooted on his spot and watched silently as the two women gathered the items off the floor, the one in red apologizing to Megumi profusely. After a minute of conversing, the two women finally bid each other a good day, each going on with their own business. Choosing to ignore the way Megumi rolled her eyes at the sight of him, Aoshi waited patiently for the raven-haired woman to reach his place, his eyes glued on the woman a good fifty feet in front of him.
His watchful gaze was broken, however, when a man with blonde hair – amazingly gelled to defy gravity – appeared from within the library, hiding behind a corner. His brows furrowed slightly when he noticed that the man handed the woman in red a leather wallet, whispering to her something Aoshi had obviously not heard. Suspiciously, Aoshi began to walk towards the approaching Megumi, closing the gap between him and the woman. His eyes narrowed, however, when the woman in red called out to the woman he was protecting, the leather wallet held gingerly in her hands as the frosted doors slid to a close.
Stopping in his tracks, his eyes still narrowed in suspicion, Aoshi watched as the woman in red extended her hand and gave Megumi the wallet, her face a mask of fake apology. He was close enough to hear the ensuing conversation between the two women and, locking his gaze on the raven-haired woman, chose to listen with slight interest.
"Arigatou."
"Iie, its nothing," Aoshi heard the woman say, watching as she waved a hand in dismissal of Megumi's gratitude. "I'm sorry, but are you a student at Todai?"
"Yes, I am."
"I thought so! I've seen you around campus," explained the woman. Aoshi stared the woman in red intently as she extended her hand for Megumi to shake. "Yumi Komagata."
A small scoff escaped Aoshi's lips as Megumi gingerly extended her hand, balancing her books on her left arm, her purse sliding inconveniently down her right arm. "Megumi Takani."
Aoshi was about to dismiss any suspicions he had of the woman in red, ready to let down his defenses, when her next question suddenly stopped him in his tracks.
"Takani…you're the daughter of Ryusei Takani, are you not?" he heard the woman ask, noting that her face had suddenly changed from that friendly to of silent triumph. Aoshi involuntarily took a step forward when he noticed Megumi's increasing discomfort. He heard the woman continue.
"Tell me, do you take the threats against your life seriously?"
He fleetingly noticed the woman smirk at Megumi's surprised reaction. But before he had the chance to make any further observations, he heard it: the readying of a 32 mm sniper rifle, its base propped gently onto the rough branch of a tree. With Megumi's safety the top priority on his list, Aoshi quickly made his way towards the two women. Briefly hearing a glimpse of the woman in red saying something, he immediately ran past the her and wrapped an arm around Megumi's waist, his other arm slung over her shoulder, a hand cushioning the back of her head as a small wince escaped his lips, the searing kiss of hot lead making its mark onto his shoulder.
With his breathing a ragged escape of air through his lips, Aoshi concentrated his gaze on the woman pinned underneath him, a mixture of concern and pain on his jade eyes. His eyes traversed down to where his shoulder bled slowly onto her white blouse, the fabric soaking in the scarlet liquid like a sponge soaking up water. He returned his gaze back onto Megumi's face when she stirred underneath him, his eyes now devoid of expression as her chocolate orbs gazed back at him, silently questioning the man as to what had just happened.
"A—Aoshi…" she said, the word barely escaping her lips as her eyes traveled down to where his shoulders bled, her chocolate orbs widening in horror. "W—What happened? Y—You're bleeding…"
A light warmth pressed itself onto Aoshi's chest as Megumi placed her palm over his torso, trying to gently push the man off of her to tend to his wound. But Aoshi remained still.
"I-Iie, Megumi-san," Aoshi began, his voice slightly strained. He looked up from the woman and scanned the area around the library, eyes narrowing when all he saw were people standing around himself and Megumi, terrified looks etched across their faces, the faint sound of sirens echoing through the air. "Where is she?"
"Who?"
"The woman in red…and the man with the blonde hair?" asked Aoshi, finally lifting his weight off the raven-haired woman and sitting up next to her, the people around them still whispering amongst themselves. His eyes closed briefly but flew back open when he felt gently hands unbuttoning his blood-drenched shirt. Ignoring the pain on his shoulder, Aoshi gently caught Megumi's wrist. "Megumi-san…"
"You're bleeding, Aoshi…please, let me take a look at your wound while the paramedics take their sweet time in getting here," began Megumi, an air of impatience evident in her voice. Her face suddenly transformed from one of concern to that of annoyance, her eyes holding a look of questioning impatience. "What happened?"
A ghost of a smile crept across Aoshi's lips as he replied, "I was merely doing my job, Megumi-san…"
And before Megumi could reply, Aoshi fell unconscious, his body gently falling forward onto her arms as an ambulance pulled to a stop to where the silver sedan once stood.
~~**~~~**~~
So…that was a rather long chapter, don't you think? How was it? I hope it wasn't too confusing. But anyway, I hope you guys have figured out who the man with gravity-defying blonde hair was. If not, then I'll just have to fill you in on that next time, right? It's pretty obvious now who's pulling Kanryu's string. Atleast I'm hoping it's pretty obvious. Looks like I'm finally getting somewhere in developing the plot. And there's more plot development in the next chapters to come. But as before, it might take me awhile to get the next chapter up. Darn college. But for now, please review this chapter to let me know how it was and if I confused anyone. I don't like making the same mistakes, so if I did something wrong on this chapter, let me know so I wouldn't repeat the mistake on the next chapter. Alrighty then! Have a wonderful day and thanks for reading!
~~:AzaleaFaye:~~
BTW…Todai is Tokyo University, NOT a Japanese Seafood Restaurant.