Identity

Sorry guys that it took me so long to update. Got exams and everything :(. Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter and thanks for reviewing so far. Will try to get next chapter up hopefully nxt wk… or not… *sigh*

Chapter 2: Tales

The sun was beginning to rise in the grey morning sky. Many people were waking up, groaning as they got ready for another day of work. Apartment 2B however, was as still as could be. It would have seemed empty, deserted had it not been for the motionless figure sitting on the floor.

Fuuko was leaning against the wall, a mug of coffee which had long gone cold cupped in her hands. Mikagami had left for his motel over three hours ago, but she had not slept a wink since then. How could she? All she could think about was the news Mikagami brought - and what had led him all the way to Kobe, right to her apartment door.

There was no embellishment - Mikagami had gotten straight to the point. "Someone tried to kidnap Yanagi a few days ago," he said after he had settled (Fuuko noticed) disdainfully, on the floor. His face betrayed no emotion, but Fuuko couldn't suppress hers.

"WHAT?!" she burst out before she could check herself, "WHO-"

"I'll get to that," Mikagami said simply, as if he was speaking to someone with very limited intellect, "it was very well thought out. Yanagi-san was walking home by herself because Hanabishi had a meeting to go to and I –" Fuuko heard his voice tighten, "I had a law revue that night.

"Fortunately, Hanabishi's meeting was cancelled at the last minute. When he went to catch up with Yanagi-san, he heard her screaming. He fought and defeated the guy, but before he could get anything out of him, he killed himself."

"A pro," Fuuko said softly, and Mikagami nodded. "So this is something big." She stared hard at him and said apprehensively, "Yanagi was hurt, wasn't she?"

His silence confirmed her fear. "How?" she asked quietly.

"There were two of them," Mikagami said slowly. "When Hanabishi let his guard down at the end, the one hiding in the shadows threw a blade. He was gone before Hanabishi could look for him.

"Yanagi was still in hospital when I left. The doctor said that she'll have fully recovered in a few days. But had the knife hit three more inches to the left…"

Both of them were silent for a while before he continued. "Hanabishi and I searched the body of the kidnapper and found an address – your address -"

Fuuko's mouth opened in utter bewilderment at the flimsy connection and was going say so, but Mikagami hadn't finished.

"and we also found this." He tossed something to her. It was a plain black card. There was nothing on the front, but on the back was a sequence of numbers and a metallic strip.

It looked like some sort of an access card, but it wasn't. Fuuko knew that because she had one exactly like it.

Mikagami looked at her closely as she stared at the card, unmoving. "Do you know what it is?" it was more a statement than a question, but Mikagami wanted to see if she would deny it. She didn't.

"It's the badge of a secret organization," she replied woodenly, "and I should know because I'm in it – but I still don't know why the kidnapper would have my address in his pocket."

Mikagami drew a long breath. It was quite late and he had stepped off a plane just a few hours ago, but he wasn't feeling tired at the moment. "Well the connection to you is there either way. I think it's time you told your part of the story," he said.

And it wasn't a happy tale to tell or to listen to, but Mikagami had sat there, his face an emotionless mask as she began.

"They contacted me, just after graduation," she said, a faraway look in her eyes. "It was just a simple message saying that they wanted to offer me a job.

"I thought that idiot Recca was trying to play a joke on me at first, but after I beat him up for a while, I believed that he really had no idea what message I was talking about.

"They contacted me again the next day and told me that they had seen me fight at the Urabutousatsoujin. They wanted someone young – and the fact that I was female was a bonus. They told me that they had many clients, all of whom paid very well and that they would provide me with all the data on my targets. All I had to do was pull the trigger. They'd pay for all the travel expenses and my fees if I chose to study. It was too good an offer to refuse."

"So you took it?"

"I took it."

"They didn't threaten you?"

"If you're trying to ask if they coerced me into taking it the answer is no. I did it out of my own accord," Fuuko said, her face unreadable.

Although a thousand emotions were running through him at the moment, Mikagami kept his features still and cold. "Who gives you the orders?"

"I don't know. They send me everything through email. No signature, fake sender's address –you won't find anything that way."

"Are there any clues you can give me about this organization?"

"I can do better than that. I can give you the name. Kinta."

"Kinta?" surprise showed on Mikagami's face, "As in Kinta Corporations?"

"Yes," Fuuko replied. "On the façade, it's a successful, business giant, but it's what you don't see that provides their sources of funds. A secret assassin-for-hire business set up for all their rich clients who might have people they want to be rid of."

"So, one of their clients might have paid them to kidnap Yanagi-san."

"From what I know, Kinta is assassination-only – taking people alive makes it harder to cover your tracks. It must be a really rich or a really exclusive client, to have asked for a kidnapping. My guess would be a really rich guy who's Yanagi for her healing powers – in a word - like Mori Kouran. I think you'll have to go all the way to the top to get a name, though."

Mikagami was silent for a while as he thought this over. "Looks like I'll be paying Kinta Yoshida a visit," he finally said, standing.

Fuuko stood with him. "Mikagami," she said, looking down at her hands, "I... I won't be going with you."

There was a pause, then – "Suit yourself."

Fuuko looked up, but he had already turned away. "I'll be off then," he said, walking to the door.

"Mikagami, I – "

"There's no need," the ensui-wielder said, not looking back, "just… just come visit us sometime." Then he was gone.

******

The room was cleaner than he thought. The floor had been vacuumed and the bed-sheets were freshly washed. Someone had forgotten about the cobwebs hanging from ceiling though. It wasn't too visible, he conceded, but when you've been staring at the ceiling for a few hours, you noticed.

The bed creaked as Mikagami sat up. His neck cracked as he turned his head gingerly. Okay, so the bed wasn't exactly therapeutic. He pulled on a sweater over his singlet and stood up. He picked up his bag, which was already packed, and walked out.

Not surprisingly, the old, creaking elevator was still out of order, so Mikagami took the stairs down.

"Please come again," the woman behind the counter called wistfully after him.

Not very likely, he thought as he walked out. Man, his neck was killing him!

"What's the matter, Mikagami?" a dry voice asked, "You look like you had a bad night."

Mikagami whirled around, and winced as the bones in his neck cracked. Surprise, then annoyance showed on his face. "You don't look so crash hot yourself," he retorted. And she didn't. There were bags under her red-rimmed eyes – it looked like he wasn't the only one who hadn't gotten any sleep last night.

Fuuko shrugged. "I've decided to come with you," was all she said.

"Suit yourself," Mikagami said shortly. Then curiosity got the better of him and he asked, "How did you find me?"

"It's amazing what a couple of phone calls can do," Fuuko replied. "And I kind of guessed your budget would be limited." Her eyes flickered toward the run-down motel Mikagami had just emerged from.

"Hmph."

"Come on," Fuuko said, flagging down an unoccupied cab, "the plane's leaving soon."

"What plane?"

Fuuko frowned at him impatiently as she loaded her luggage into the trunk. "Aren't we going to visit Kinta? You weren't thinking of training all the way to Hiroshima, were you? The plane's faster. Don't worry, I'm paying for the fare… what?" she asked exasperatedly as he stared at her.

Mikagami just shook his head and placed his bag beside hers. Some things just weren't worth arguing over.

******

"Can I get you a drink?" the tall, busty blonde asked flirtingly.

"No," Mikagami replied shortly, wishing the flight attendant in her tight uniform and heavy perfumed scent would just leave him alone. His neck was beginning to hurt. Badly.

What made it worse, though, was that Fuuko was watching all this in open amusement.

"Are you sure?" the woman asked, bending over so that her cleavage stared him straight in the face.

"Actually," Fuuko piped up, causing the woman to glare at her, "could you get my brother a drink?"

"Huh?" the woman said.

"Huh?" Mikagami echoed.

"My brother here," Fuuko said patiently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't you remember, Mikagami? It's time for your medication."

"Medication?" the woman asked.

"What medication?" Mikagami repeated, knowing he was about to feel very sorry for asking in a moment.

"Oh dear, it has affected your memory. We'll go see the doctor when we land, don't you worry." Fuuko said, patting his hand reassuringly. Mikagami felt like jumping out of the plane.

"What is wrong with him?" the blonde asked Fuuko, throwing a fearful at him.

Fuuko leaned forward and whispered lengthily into her ear. When the woman straightened, her face was deathly pale. "I'll have someone get you your drink," she said, and left without once glancing at Mikagami.

"What exactly did you tell her, Kirisawa?" the ensui-wielder asked irritably.

"Oh, just that you suffer from one of the most horrible conditions you could ever imagine. Luckily for you and the rest of humanity, it also doesn't exist - at least, not in this world." Fuuko didn't even crack a smile as she said this. "What? Don't you know this is one of the most successful ways to get rid of unwanted affection?"

"It's nice to see that you haven't lost your sense of humour these past few years," Mikagami said sarcastically.

"Nor you your manly charms, Mikagami," Fuuko countered. "It sure is comforting, though, to see that you can still draw your own fan club wherever you go."

Mikagami could have sworn the last statement had been said with affection.

******

"Do you want them followed, sir?"

"Oh, there's no need to do that, Narumi," the man replied, the smile on his face as keen as ever. "Sai is keeping close tabs on them. Besides, We already know where they're headed, don't we Sai?"

"Closer and closer," came the reply.

"That's right. Soon they'll be right at our doorstep." He took a long puff from his cigar. "But before they arrive Sai, there's something I want you to take care of."