Chapter II: Love Knows No Lies
As soon as he set foot in Japan, Raiha rushed to see Fuuko. The old man, whose name was Keita Arashita, was being dressed for his funeral.
Raiha took a deep breath and walked to the door of her apartment. His hands suddenly felt clammy and a huge lump had formed inside his throat. She told him to return with the antagonist screaming for mercy. But it was the victim who cried for mercy, and he played a part in his death. Kurei would have sneered. If Raiha showed concern, Kurei would have been disgusted. Then he would find a way to wean away any emotion that got in the way of killing out of his right hand man. Raiha felt a shudder run up his spine.
But this was not abut Kurei, this was about Fuuko. To expect mercy from her… when he did not give it to someone else?
He somehow got up the nerve to ring her doorbell.
A minute later footsteps were audible and he found himself staring face to face with the girl who had captured his heart, her bright smile making him wish he were anything but welcome. It didn't escape him that Fuuko looked pretty, as usual, in jeans and a dark blue tank top that accentuated her eyes.
She smiled and he gathered her in his arms.
"I missed you." He whispered. What have I done…
"I missed you too." She answered back, tilting her face to kiss his cheek. She drew back quickly and took his hand, leading him to her apartment. "You took longer than I expected. Mission accomplished, I presume?" she quirked her brow in a confident manner and he was disarmed by the smile that toyed on her lips..
The question he dreaded. Raiha shook his head. He patted the space next to him.
Fuuko accepted the invitation and sat down beside him. There was a look of inquiry perched on her eyes.
Raiha sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, relating the stressful chain of events that took place during his journey. He inhaled and steeled himself for the final blow. "There's something else, Fuuko. I discovered that Kiro pressed charges against me; murder, and I'm due in court a month from now."
"The nerve of that man! He's a coward!" Appalled, Fuuko balled her hands into fists and gritted her teeth, all but fuming. "Raiha…" she detected a sad glint in his eyes. The girl suddenly turned to a shade that matched her hair. "I swear, when I see that guy's face, I'll smash his nose in."
Raiha smiled, and took her hand. "I need your help."
She looked at him sideway, as if reading his mind. "You need a lawyer, don't you?"
He rolled his eyes and nodded. "Fuuko, it would be part of my nature to hunt him down and slit his throat. But that's not how you settle the score around here. There are such things as trials. Ordeal has to be solved in the average human way. Kiro is sly because that way, he has the advantage."
"All the while knowing you could take him out of the flesh any time you desire. The Uruha will have a fit when they find out you're putting yourself through trial. Raiha, you don't have to do this."
"I know. I just feel like playing around. To see how normal people deal with these kind of things."
"This isn't a game." She insisted.
Raiha raised a brow at her, touched by her concern. "Fuuko, I'm confident that with the right kind of representation, this thing will be a walk in the park. They are not, in any way, going to incarcerate me."
"You want me to get Mikagami to defend you." she deduced.
"What defendant wouldn't?" he snorted. "No one can equal him in his field. With his sharp mind and eloquent speech, he can twist, turn and impress fear on a person without even trying. He possesses the elements that will level the playing field and eventually defeat Kiro Hamada."
"You sound like a hardcore fan. I see the Mikagami charm has captured you." Fuuko pointed out.
Raiha smiled ruefully. "I got it from you."
Fuuko looked so horrified that he retracted his statement.
"There is a problem, though. I don't think I'll be able to deliver the request in person. Uruha duties. Besides, I doubt a friendly visit would work. Much less the telephone."
Fuuko looked disturbed. "I'll ask him."
Raiha smiled. "Arigato. I doubt Mikagami would refuse you."
"Don't be so sure." Fuuko replied, looking away from him and remaining in detached silence for the rest of the morning.
………………………………………………………..
Mikagami took one look at her firm set jaw, pleading eyes and naively clasped hands and uttered one word of strong conviction. "No."
Due to reasons she could only speculate upon, Fuuko was hoping for an optimistic answer. She had gone to his office, setting her mind to believe that he would at least yield, if not agree to lend her a hand. Especially after seeing her… or rather Raiha's… desperate plight.
She had been wrong, of course. He seemed unsympathetic from the very start. She opened her mouth to protest, risking a glance at the most sought-after lawyer in Japan. The look on his face told her he was going to great lengths to keep from dicing her to pieces.
She clamped her mouth shut, thinking the better of it. A cold feeling of dread washed over her. Raiha's reputation and safety was at stake and all she could do was stare at their "ally" in defeat. Never had she felt so disconcerted in her whole life.
The "ally" had reached for one of his case files and was browsing through it half-heartedly.
Mi-chan is simply heartless… she thought. Well, not THAT heartless. She could recall an instance where he took in a penniless client who was who was due in court three days. But why was he making it so difficult for her? She resented the fact that he showed much more sympathy to the stranger than he was showing her now.
Fuuko had to resort to a pathetic amount of whining, but Mikagami paid her no heed. "Fuuko, first of all, it is standard operating procedure for the client to be the one to ask for representation. Next, I have five pending cases, all requiring careful study and investigation. I can't attend to Raiha right now."
Five years ago, given the same predicament, she would have subjected him to death threats and a couple of bruises. This time it was both her pride and her respect for him that restrained her from doing so.
She knew… in his own subtle manner, he had turned her down. Perhaps there would be other lawyers, others who were not as smart as he but available nevertheless.
He didn't care about her. He rejected Raiha, not knowing he rejected her as well.
Fuuko drew herself to her full height, thanked him, and left hastily.
………………………………………..
Mikagami straightened his tie as he stepped into the elevator, which, thankfully, was devoid of its usual share of load. The average person would have spat out a multitude of curses after discovering they were relegated to put their faith in the speed of a pulley, but Mikagami merely stared composedly at the lightened buttons of the elevator, in a manner that implied time was on his side.
It was dark outside the skyscraper, and Mikagami, if not for his keen vision, would have abandoned his quest. Contrary, something inside him decreed that even if struck abruptly by blindness, he would be prohibited to discontinue. He felt stirred by the demand of such mandate, it irritated him front and back to be following. And following what? He wondered.The very organ that kept him alive? Fuuko always said he didn't have one.
The stark confusion that neutralized him vanished when he saw her lithe form, crossing the street to get to the other side. His instincts took over. He was behind her in no time, and when she stepped off the pedestrian lane, he was at her side.
"Fuuko…" he began softly.
Startled, the girl gasped and almost tripped over her heels. Tokiya let out a wry smile and watched in amusement as the girl sputtered inanities about personally executing his demise. She shot him an aggravated look and sighed, brushing back her hair. "If you want to take a few years off my life, I suggest you try a more original method."
"Why would I want to kill you?" Mikagami asked sarcastically.
Fuuko shook her head hard. Then, looking stonily at him through half-closed lids, "What do you want?" she asked.
He stared at her in an intense manner. "The assurance that no one took advantage of you—unaccompanied—at this hour of the night."
Heat was starting to rise to her cheeks. "You know I hate being treated like a spineless child." She stated in a dry tone. Mi-chan—Mikagami should be thankful she didn't make him the target of bodily attack.
He smirked. "Is it relevant? If I let that knowledge stop me, you might be dead by now."
She lifted her chin at him. "Oh wow. You're actually arguing on the grounds of probability." Fuuko rolled her eyes. "If you think you can read me that well, why can't you figure out that I'm not exactly in the mood to talk to you?"
"That's a defense mechanism, Fuuko. You're just trying to avoid confrontation." He said with a sly inflection.
Fuuko stomped her foot. "Mi-chan, this is getting annoying. Why don't you just cut the crap right to the chase?"
He looked away, but he knew he had her attention. "Compromise. If I finish with the other cases before Friday next week, I'll represent Raiha."
Her jaw dropped open. "You changed your mind?" she scratched her head in disbelief. "so… what's the catch?" she asked, devoid of anything else to ask him. The tumult in her mind had not faded yet.
"There is no catch. My actions are not determined by a price." He gave her a thin-lipped half-smile and turned his back. "Good night Fuuko." Not that he was already regretting it, but the anvil that weighed down on his heart indicated he was feeling anything but pleasant about his decision.
Fuuko intercepted his escape and without thinking, reached out and held on his hand to stop him. Mikagami stopped at the volts of electricity that ran up his arm and arrested him. Sensing his discomfort, Fuuko quickly let go of his hand.
He stood rooted in his place, not wanting to move, waiting for her to speak.
"Thanks, Mi-chan. Sometimes I think you don't deserve me, but actually, it's the other way around." she told him.
He sighed. At least her humor was back. He turned to walk away.
"Where are you going? You're walking me home, remember?"
He retraced his steps back to her, rolling his eyes.
………………………………
She felt it. All day long, the ambience never left her. She was being watched, and she knew whoever it was wanted something from her. Cold eyes would follow every movement, narrow when she would wander away from the vicinity, and widen as they spotted her. Then she would feel as if she were being trailed her again. She did not fear, for they ought to be the ones to fear her. She had handled the fuujin, one of the world's deadliest weapons, didn't they know?
However, while this kick-ass attitude of hers gave her an extra dose of adrenaline when facing an opponent, or an extra surge of confidence, today, it betrayed her. The days passed and she got used to the stares, nicknamed her stalker "blacky" (because he was always in the shadows) and reduced him to nonexistence. She did not even mention him to Mikagami. Why should she? He would not worry about her anyway. She was capable of looking after herself.
She forgot that he was still watching her every move.
And he brought on the siege when she least expected.
With a katana in tow he followed her when she had left her office to the woods for a dose of fresh air. She sensed, and turned just in time to witness the blade slice through the air where her head had been a second ago. Adorned in black, the enemy lunged at her, only to find his face buried to the ground and bound to it by her shoe.
"Relax, little girl. I only want to know something about your friend, Recca Hanabishi." Raspy voice seeped from the black clad stalker.
Fuuko's eyebrow twitched. "I am not Recca Hanabishi, you dolt. Neither am I a search engine. But know this, I will not contribute to whatever sordid plan you conjured up against my friend."
He grabbed the hilt of his sword and drove it upwards, and a second before it hit the spot between her thighs she jumped out of his range. Two things proceeded. He caught the hilt and he was on his feet. Fuuko started running towards one end of the woods, aware that she had better chances escaping than spending time eluding attacks from the deranged psycho.
Deranged was an understatement. He was chasing her, and he aimed the katana at her back and released it in her direction in an attempt to disable her, and whenever he failed (which was very often), he would pull the sword out of a bark of tree or the ground and repeat the process again.
The chase had gone on for 8 minutes. Fuuko was starting to feel desperate. There was a clearing far ahead and she followed it. Soon, the sound of water falling from a high altitude filled the air. She ran towards it. There was something about the allusion of water to silver… to Mi-chan.
She stopped in her tracks. Her sight beheld the edge of a cliff. Below, the jagged edges of rocks were visible. At eye level, water was cascading down from a lengthy height. Her assailant snickered as he stepped out of the canopy into the light, a sick glint in his eye. In one swift gesture, he aimed the katana at her heart and drove it forward.
Fuuko had anticipated it. She had no choice but to jump off the cliff and into the misty froth of water crashing against the sharp rocks below. Her demise would await her at the bottom.
……………………………………………………
She awoke in the arms of someone. Fuuko was shivering, and her drenched tee-shirt and jeans clung to her body. But she was shivering not because of the cold, nor the thought of hypothermia, but because of the close encounter with death.
Raiha smiled adorably when she opened her eyes. "De ja vu." He muttered and helped her to a sitting position.
Fuuko gasped for air and hugged herself to keep from freezing. "P-pardon? H-how did you find me?" she stammered, closing her eyes as if by doing so, she hoped to reduce the biting cold.
Raiha nudged out of his khaki jacket and wrapped it around Fuuko's shoulders. Fuuko mumbled something incoherent which Raiha surmised was "Arigato". He quickly dismissed it and before she could object, heaved her up in his arms and walked her to where the sun's rays were gravitated. There he gently positioned her on the grassy lawn and sat by her side.
"I was in the area when I saw you jump off the cliff. It was like the last time, Fuuko. The usual scenario… I save you from all that water."
Save you…from all that water… why did the last phrase strike a chord within her? There was a pang of sadness that sliced across her heart.
Raiha stood up to leave.
Fuuko sighed. "Wait. How can I pay you back?"
Raiha was almost covered by the towering trees when he turned around and faced her, his eyes crinkling, and when they did it was only when the fuujin-girl was around. "No. The very thing I want from you cannot be bought. One cannot buy love, Fuuko."
And then she was alone.
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One cannot buy love…
But he was wrong. She could give him her heart. He had asked for it, sometimes subtly, sometimes explicitly, over and over again.
Finally, she gave it to him. Because it was better to give it away than to waste it on someone who didn't care.
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Notes:
I just love the Tok-fuu pairing.
To pratz, my beta reader and more, thanks for bearing with me.
For all your vote(s) of confidence, I humbly extend my gratitude. As always, the notion to discontinue has been defeated thanks to you. Reviewers, many thanks.
I'll try my best to update every week, this will be a fast-paced fic not exceeding 8 chapters. For comments, suggestions, remarks of all sorts… please be kind enough to send me a review. Thanks, happy reading.