Disclaimer: I do not own, in any way, Rurouni Kenshin. Watsuki-sama does. I'm only borrowing his characters for a while.
All my gratitude to Kamorgana, for her wise comments and corrections. Also, I want to thank Firuze Khanume, for her kind comments about this chapter.
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Chapter 3 – The second disturbance
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June 30th, in the morning.
Hajime Saito woke up at the habitual hour the next morning. Feeling a weight on his torso, he slightly raised his head from the floor to see the cause of this. Oh yes, Tokio Takagi. Shinomori's sister.
He had enjoyed last night very much. It had been a relief after more than a year of abstinence. His work had just been too exigent to let him time to fulfill those basic needs. And Takagi was definitely not a novice in bed, he thought, remembering the nail marks still burning the flesh of his back…
He looked at the sleeping form right next to him for a while. Even if he had enjoyed last night, he would remain true to his words: he would not call her back. He wished to leave the place without further delay before the girl woke up, but he couldn't. In her sleep, she was clinging to him. Frowning, he said, without any tact.
"Takagi, move your ass. I want to get up."
At the rude command, Tokio slowly opened her eyes and, meeting a pair of hostile amber ones, she obeyed, now totally awaked.
Saito got up and began to look for his dispersed clothes while Tokio did the same thing. Casting sideways glances in her direction, he reflected that the girl had been really worth it. She had a well-defined body, she was tall, she had the most incredible pair of legs he had ever seen and she was, in a way, unique. But it didn't really mattered now. He still had to dismiss her.
"I hope you don't think I'll call you back. Because I won't." he said, sharply.
"It's okay." she simply answered, not paying him much attention.
Saito was a bit surprised. He was used to encounter a little bit more resistance.
"We'll have to see each other occasionally anyway if I work with Shinomori. I hope you will be discrete about this."
"Yes, sure." answered Tokio, zipping her skirt.
She finally turned around to look at him while he put his jacket on. Once finished he hesitated for a while. The girl seemed to have brain, but had she really understood his words?
"Well then, I'll leave."
"Okay."
Saito left the private tea room, hours after he had first come in. A strong feeling of uneasiness was slowly submerging him. That had been too easy. He should have been happy, but he couldn't. He was under the impression that something very wrong was about to happen to him.
***
July 1st, the Aoiya.
"Aoshi…" slowly began Tokio.
Aoshi stopped filling last night investigation report and questioningly looked at his sister standing in the doorframe.
"Hum?"
"Our financial situation… It's worst than what you first admitted, isn't it? We are running directly toward bankruptcy." said Tokio as she closed the door behind her.
Aoshi leaned back on his chair and blankly stared at the ceiling for a while. Tokio was too clever to be fooled. Yes, they were running directly toward bankruptcy. Another few months and it would all be over.
"Yes." he answered, simply.
"How bad is it exactly?"
"Well, I suggest that you start searching for a job and for an apartment now…"
"More precisely…?"
"It's a total disaster. In order to be able to fill the restaurant every night, we have to offer prices bellow the ones the Shirobeko offers. But like that, the restaurant's incomes can't cover our expenses. It was never a problem before, as the Oniwabanshu's incomes could cover the difference. But it's not the case anymore: the spying business is almost dead."
"How long can we go on like this?"
"At the actual rate, I think that we'll be able to survive four months before running completely out of resources. My predecessor managed to put a considerable amount of money aside. But during the last two years, it completely vanished."
"You can't cut on the expenses?"
"Believe me, I already suppressed everything that wasn't totally vital. We only have to pay for the taxes, the building reparations, the food we serve, the staff salaries, the salaries of the four remaining spies, my personal expenses, Misao's expenses and now, we also have to cover yours."
"And you absolutely can't ask for higher prices at the restaurant?"
"No. I tried it and practically no one came anymore. We are not in the right district for that."
"How can the Shirobeko survive then?"
"Simple: they don't have someone named Misao at their charge and they don't have to pay for spies' salaries."
"So, that is why you're looking forward to job assignments for the police?"
"Yes. Some work for the police is the only thing that could save us now. But you see, even the work Saito gave us two nights ago can't do much for us. It will only allow us to survive a few days more. We need something bigger than that."
"What are you going to do, then?"
"Well, there are two options. First, I could dissolve the Oniwabanshu. Like that, I could save on salaries. It could slow down our fall. But we would fall anyway one day or another, as our expenses would still exceed our incomes. And besides, if I dissolve the Oniwabanshu, I'll sabotage our only chance to survive as we wouldn't be able to work for the police anymore…"
"And the other option?" asked Tokio expectantly as Aoshi paused.
"The second option isn't really one. The second option is to do nothing but wait. Then, once we run completely out of money, we sell the Aoiya and buy a smaller restaurant in a better district."
"And what would you do with the Oniwabanshu in that option?"
"I don't really know. I don't really like the idea of having to dissolve the group. But if I don't and if the spying business isn't going any better, we will run directly toward disaster once more."
"And Misao?"
"Whatever happens, I'll have to pay for her studies… She needs me."
They both remained silent for a while, thinking of the dark future awaiting them.
"Did you tell anyone about this?"
"No. I think that I'll keep hoping until the end."
"I understand."
"And also, when they began to suspect that the business was going down, some members left. Beshimi… Hyottoko… Shikijo… Hannya… So, I'd better not officially announce the news to the other ones. They might as well begin finding jobs elsewhere…"
"Oh! I see."
Tokio nervously lit a cigarette. She suddenly felt like if she needed nicotine badly.
"Did you know that they were coming tonight?" asked Aoshi.
"Who?"
"Misao, Kaoru, Megumi and Kenshin. They will eat at the restaurant. Normally, I would have given you your evening off so that you could have joined us. After all, it's your last evening at the Aoiya. But I kind of guessed that you would still prefer working than eating with us…"
"You guessed very well…"
***
July 1st, seven o'clock in the evening.
Tokio was busy, working. From time to time, she would cast sideways glances toward the small group chatting vividly and realised the luck she had not to be there. The girls' lively conversation would have been way too much for her poor nervous system to endure.
Of course, she could have smoked, to evacuate the stress a bit. But the full pack of cigarettes she had with her would probably not even have been sufficient to go through the entire evening.
She tried to ignore the high-pitched voices as the phone rang. It always rang. People were trying to make reservation for the night or for the next day. She began filling the reservation book when she suddenly felt closely watched.
She looked up to discover Megumi standing right in front of her. She was even leaning on the front desk. Apparently, she wanted to have a small discussion with her.
"Yes, Meg…?"
She had spoken as kindly as she could, remembering that, in the park, she had understood the girl's feelings. And that she hadn't got on her nerves like the three others had.
"Is it true that the girls missed classes the other day to come here?" sharply asked the other girl.
"Yes, but I sent them back to college as soon as I could. They had just found out about that girl's murder and they thought that they could have helped." answered Tokio, as she finished filling the reservation book.
"You did the right thing. They often act too fast and are unaware of potential sources of danger. And, as both have no parents, we have to do our best to look after them."
"You are worried about the relation between Kaoru and Himura?"
"I don't think that a relation between a seventeen year old girl and a twenty-eight year old man is very appropriate…" Megumi shortly answered.
Megumi paused and looked in the red-hair man's direction. He was chatting and laughing with the two girls. The complicity between the three of them was evident. But, as Meg had pointed out, he was twenty-eight years old…
"What is he doing in life?" asked Tokio.
"He is working in a community centre in the district where he lives. He is really good hearted and he loves helping people. He personally had a couple of problems in life. He spent ten years in a rehabilitation centre after his girlfriend died… He is feeling better now, hopefully
"But I guess that you would prefer it if he had stayed a bit longer in the health centre and hadn't met your little sister…"
Megumi's eyes widened as the thoughts she had been trying to banish over the last few weeks were suddenly brought to light.
"I don't really wish him any harm…" she started.
"I know, I think I understand how you feel… And don't worry, I don't like gossiping much: as far as I'm concerned, we only talked about the weather."
"Thank you." answered Megumi before proudly regaining her seat between Kaoru and Himura.
Tokio looked at her for a while. Yes, that girl was probably one of the few human beings that didn't get on her nerves…
***
July 1st, nine o'clock in the evening
"How was business today?" asked Aoshi to Tokio.
Misao and her friends had left the now empty restaurant only a few minutes ago.
"Not too bad. We managed to make a small profit for the first time this week. For that, we can only thank the man who ordered an expensive bottle of wine."
Brother and sister silently stared at each other for a while, thinking.
"What did Megumi want?" finally asked Aoshi.
"Small chat about the current weather."
"No, really… What did she want?"
"She's worried for Kaoru." Answered Tokio, knowing that until she spitted it out, she wouldn't hear the end of this story. And after all, mentioning this to Aoshi was gossiping: he was silent as a grave.
"Himura, I guess. There was a lot of animosity in the air." deduced Aoshi. "But I don't really see why she's that worried about Himura. He's fine with me. He treats the girl with respect…" began Aoshi before being interrupted by Tokio.
"Of course, we can't expect you to understand what is wrong in a relation between a mature man and a college student! You have some experiences in the domain…"
"I don't have any experiences in that domain." answered coolly Aoshi. His way of protesting.
"We'll call it hopes, then…"
"You really won't leave me alone with that?" he said, with a touch of annoyance in his voice.
"Of course not! It's rare that I can find something to nag you about. So I certainly won't miss this opportunity."
Tokio looked at her half-brother and laugh. A wrinkle had appeared on his forehead. The subject must be a very touchy one…
"Anyway… Will you help me close the restaurant for the night, romantic-boy?"
"If you stop calling me that, yes I will."
Tokio faked hesitation for a while and then said.
"We have a deal."
They both began cleaning the tables, in silence. After what seemed to be an eternity, they were done. Aoshi went to his room while Tokio locked the doors and closed the lights.
She looked outside for a while. It was the hour of the day she preferred. Everything was calm, the city was already asleep. She sat down near the window and lit a cigarette to fully enjoy the moment. Tomorrow, Nanami would be back at work. She wouldn't have to host anymore. She would be free to do whatever she wanted with her days.
She was more tired than she thought she was. She slowly slipped into sleep.
And it wasn't a peaceful sleep. Until then, the murder of the other day had not affected her imagination much. Of course, she was wondering who had done it and why, but it was the first time that she had nightmares about the inert body sinisterly laying on the ground. In her sleep, she could still hear the screams of fear. She could see distinctly the girl's hysteric friends crying. And, mostly, she could remember the girl's body. She was seeing it now, and in her dreams, the girl's eyes were fixing her. Like if she wanted to tell her something.
Tokio woke up abruptly. Her head was spinning and she had perspired heavily during her sleep. She got up, on still shaky legs to get a cold glass of water.
She took a few steps toward the restaurant's kitchen but was stopped in her attempt by a fearful cry that sent a shiver down through her spine. Remembering more vividly than ever the events of the park, she ran directly toward the window to check what was happening.
There, in the middle of the deserted street laid an inert body. For a while, she believed that she was still dreaming. She blinked her eyes once or twice, but the body was still there.
In the buildings near by, lights began to be lighted as people began to react.
Her heart almost missed a beat when Aoshi spoke. He was now standing next to her, but she hadn't realised it before.
"Did you saw anything?" he questioned on a neutral tone, as if nothing really special had happened.
"No… I looked out and the body was already there. No one was around."
She observed her brother as he unlocked the door. He seemed to know exactly what to do. She followed him without hesitation as he started running in the street, to see if something could still be done. Other people were also begining to fill the street. In the growing commotion, Aoshi knelt down beside the body and searched for a pulse. But it was already too late…
It was another young girl. Tokio recognised immediately the savage cuts that had been on the first corpse. No other apparent injuries had been caused to the poor girl.
Tokio looked at the unknown girl for a while. She was beginning to feel a bit nauseous, but she couldn't stop fixing the girl's face. Her eyes, still wide opened with fear, were looking directly at her. Exactly like in her dream.
"It's alright…" murmured Aoshi, who had noticed his sister's apparent distress.
He had understood her, as always. He put his arm around her trembling shoulders, in a reassuring way. It was one of the few times that he had done such a gesture. Tokio felt immediately better at his comforting contact. In the distance, police sirens could already be heard.
"I know, I'm being silly… It's just that in my dream…"
"I understand. You don't have to explain if you don't want to. Go inside the Aoiya, you'll feel better away from here. I'll talk with the cops."
"It's very nice of you but I'm already feeling better. I think that I'll stay here."
Aoshi looked proudly at his courageous sister. He smiled a bit and said, while releasing his embrace.
"Well then, I'll leave you with the cops for a while. I have to call Omasu to see if anything particular happened at the parent's house…"
Tokio smiled back and pushed her brother away. A minute passed and, finally, the police cars emerged in the street. They stopped right next to where she stood.
She looked at the cops who were quickly getting out of their cars and almost immediately spotted Saito. He spotted her back.
"You already know what you have to do… So get moving!" he barked, in the direction of his troops.
Then, he slowly began to walk toward her. He waited for a while before saying, almost reluctantly.
"So, Takagi… Do you have anything interesting for me?"
"Well, not really…"
"How come, not really?"
"Well, I had fallen asleep in the restaurant, exhausted from my day of work. I woke up to get a glass of water. On my way there, I heard someone scream. So, I went to look by the window and… well, she…" said Tokio, hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"The girl was already dead. The murderer was gone. It looks like it was done by the same person than the other night." finished Aoshi, who was now standing behind her.
"Is that so…" said Saito, pensively.
Then, without according them another glance, he walked toward the corpse and started examining it. Feeling better, Tokio forgot about the victim and observed him instead. He was so calm; he seemed to be fully in control of the situation. He was looking so damned good and was, after all, so hot in bed. Too bad he had ditched her two days ago… She could have enjoyed his presence a few times more before getting bored…
After talking a bit with some of his officers, he finally came back to see them.
"Yeah, once again, no one has seen anything. And it's true that both crimes look very alike. It could be the same murderer."
"Could be." simply said Aoshi.
"And your surveillance at the other girl's house?"
"Well, nothing weird has been reported so far. They are only getting ready for the funerals. A lot of friends came to offer them their condolences, but that is all. Everyone was at home tonight."
"Continue your work there anyway. We never know…"
"Okay."
"And, next time I find one of you near a crime scene, I'll add you to my suspects list."
Tokio blankly stared at him for a while, wondering if he had been kidding or not. How could he think that the Oniwabanshu would…?
"Your expression was really worth the joke, Takagi." said Saito, now almost fully enjoying the moment.
On those words, he went back to his job. Aoshi pulled Tokio by the arm.
"There is nothing more we can do." he said.
She nodded and they both went back to the Aoiya.
***
Almost July 2nd
An hour later, Tokio still couldn't get back to sleep. She was looking at what was happening outside. Even if an ambulance had just come to pick up the corpse, the third division was still busy.
As Aoshi had asked her, she went outside, carrying a coffee jar and a pile of coffee cups. Everyone looked at her gladly and thanked her. Except Saito. Not letting his attitude discourage her, she filled a cup and decided to bring it to him.
He was kneeling near the place where the body had been found, apparently looking for anything the murderer would have left behind. She kneeled right beside him.
"Take it. It's already late, you'll need it…"
"Thanks." he said.
He roughly took the cup off her hands without directly looking at her.
"You think that there are possibilities it is a serial killer?"
"Maybe. But it is too soon to jump to conclusions."
"Yes."
"It could be a copycat. Those things happen." continue Saito, weirdly feeling that he had to justify himself in front of that girl.
"They do happen, it's true."
He finally looked at her. Really look at her. She was dressed almost identically as the other night. Black skirt. White blouse. Probably the clothes she wore to work. Her hair was a bit messy; adding a touch of provocation to her already savage look.
Under his gaze, Tokio was beginning to feel aroused, again.
"It you're tired, you can come inside. If you want to." she started, suggestively.
At these words, Saito tensed, realising that this would lead him on a very slippery hill. No matter how much he felt attracted to her, he would stay true to his motto: never the same girl twice…
"I'm not tired and I have work to do." he answered, sharply.
"If you say so…" said Tokio, a bit disappointed.
"I'll come back in a few days, to talk with Shinomori." he said as she was leaving.
"That's fine with me. I'll pass the word."
To be continued…
To the reviewers
Special thanks to Wolf of Mibu, L. Sith, IceRain, C.G., Kamorgana, DustyFall and Firuze Khanume, who took the time to review this story. (^-^)
À la prochaine,
Mary-Ann
