Author's Note: This is going to be my main focus point until I finish this fic, which should hopefully be wrapped up in five long chapters...or more and Law Crazy should be finished some where in summer. I'm going to have to do the pasts of most of the characters and that's going to take a while, so don't expect me to update any other fic except for this one.
Oh yeah, and every thing in this fic is real except for the company and the characters. The jet is real and the mansion that Hiko and Kenshin share is real; the one in Nevada is real as well, just that it's not located there. The one that's supposed to be Kenshin's private mansion is based on my uncle's house. So I'm doing this out of memory and pictures that I've taken over the years when I went to visit him. The house is over 22,000 square feet so it's going to be quite the task to detail the house for you guys, but it should be fun to decorate the house! If you guys have any ideas, then please review them! ^_~
Chapter 27: The Race
"Dang, this place just keeps getting bigger and bigger! If I had known that this place was so huge I'd have asked you to add a theater in here!" said Sanosuke as he led the group on their tour of the huge mansion that seemed more like a maze than a home.
"There is one, it's on the second floor, in the second grand room," said Kenshin with a grin as he watched his childhood friend stare at him in disbelief.
"What other rooms are there?" Kaoru asked as she looked up at the redhead who was standing beside her.
Kenshin stopped the group when they walked up a few marble steps into the foyer and pointed to the cherry oak twin doors on their right and left.
"To your left is the library; and then to your right is the dining room," said Kenshin as he then walked a little farther from the center of the foyer and pointed to the two set of stairs on either side of him.
Each set of stairs went up on both sides so that the stairs came together to make a semicircle and were covered in red carpet. The one on the left side led up to the fourth room and the other semicircle staircase led to the fifth room.
"The room deeper into the house is the grand room, on this floor, and right above it, on the second floor, is the second grand room," said Kenshin as he turned his back to them and led them towards two doors that were made of glass and covered with green velvet curtains.
Opening the doors, Kaoru's eyes widened as she saw the large bar that was located at the far end of the room and a huge circular leather couch, stretched out on the left wall, and a large screen TV covered the right wall. Within the center of the room was a huge circular poker table, like those in casinos. A large stained glass window in the shape of the face of a rose was placed above the bar and gave the room a colorful look along with the dim lights on the walls.
"It's...just wow," said Sanosuke as he stared at the room and the various paintings on the walls.
"There are plenty of other rooms around here, like a hexagon shaped kitchen, a separate place to eat your breakfast, besides the dining room, and the master suite, my room, is down here as well," said Kenshin with a smug smirk as Sanosuke rolled his eyes.
"So...that means that I share the upstairs with Missy then?" asked Sano with grin towards Kaoru who only cocked her head in his direction.
"Sano," warned Kenshin dangerously low.
"I was only joking!" said Sanosuke as he raised his hands in defense with a nervous laugh.
"Joking? About what?" Kaoru asked as she blinked at the two.
"Never mind him, let's go upstairs to the theater before heading towards the third floor, to the bay. It has a nice view of the country side," said Kenshin with a smile as he led them out of the grand room and up the steps on their right, which led to the fourth room.
"Do you have a computer somewhere?" Sanosuke asked as he trailed after the shorter man.
"Yes, it's in the West Tower's second floor; the study," said Kenshin when they reached the top.
"Internet?" asked Sanosuke when he stood next to his friend.
"Yeah. Oh yeah... I forgot that I promised to call Uncle Hiko when we got here. You two can look around, I'll go write him an e-mail. Thanks for reminded Sano," said Kenshin as he patted the taller man on the back before heading down a hallway on the other side and vanishing behind a white wall.
Looking back at Kaoru who was merely blinking after Kenshin's figure, Sanosuke coughed loud enough to get her attention. He smiled when she blushed.
"Well, we might as well go choose our rooms. If you get lost, just whistle," said Sano with a grin as he walked into the closest room to their left.
Sighing, Kaoru only followed did as he said and went to explore the home in which she'd be staying for a while.
~*~
"Anata! Wake up quick! One of your men has just called about Kamiya Kaoru..."
"What about the wench? There's no need to worry koishii, she's out of our lives as well as her new boyfriend."
"But dear, one of your men said that she fainted at the exact same time that we left Tokyo! What if she saw you?"
"There's no possible way that she could have seen me.... She doesn't know that I planned that whole...."
"Listen to me! You know that man...the blind one?"
"Yes...Uonuma Usui. I hired him because due to his lack of eyesight; his hearing is marvelous."
"He was the one that called! He said that he heard that Kamiya girl telling Himura who the killer was, before she suddenly fainted, and was driven to the hospital. But luckily, she didn't get the name out to Himura."
"Impossible! The whole thing was perfectly set up, there's no way that she could have found out."
"Well obviously she did!"
"Your sister must have..."
"My sister has been loyal to us. She wouldn't have told and risk having her future nephew or niece living a cruel life without a father."
"We'll have no choice but to return to Tokyo then."
"I've already called the airport."
"Koishii, you're so brilliant. That's why I love you so much."
"Yes, but we have to make sure that the Kamiya girl is out of our hair."
"I know just the men call for."
"It'd be better if you called my brother."
"Your brother? I thought he was in the states."
"Yes, but the blind man that you hired has gotten more information than the media does."
"What other information has he told you?"
"Apparently the Kamiya girl has lost her memory and Himura is trying to bring it back. He brought her to the states to relax and remember again. We have to get rid of her before she goes squealing to the police."
"Where is she?"
"He doesn't know yet, but he's having other men get the data that we need."
"So why'd you get plane tickets back to Tokyo if she's not there?"
"Because darling, she's going to have to go back to Tokyo some day, and we'll be there waiting for her if my brother fails."
"I love you koibito."
"Kiss?"
"Mmmm...."
~*~
"You can stay here, Mr. Kamiya, until Mr. Seijiro comes to pick you up," said the warm voice of Magdaria as she opened the door to her home and allowed the older man to step in with his luggage in hand.
"This is a nice home," said Okina as he smiled at the blushing girl who quickly locked the door behind her.
Scolding herself for being so messy, the 24-year-old went about fixing the magazines that littered the coffee table that was placed inside the family room, which just happened to be to the right of the front door. She had been in such a rush to pick up Kaoru's grandfather that she didn't have enough time to tidy the house and organize her brothers' papers that lay scrawled across the kitchen table and living room floor.
"I'm sorry that the place is such a mess," Magdaria apologized, a blush forming on her cheeks as she straightened the room and offered the man to sit down on one of the couches near the window beside the door.
"I'll admit that this isn't exactly the neatest place that I've been in, but you're a lot neater than Kaoru was when she was younger," said Okina with a whole hearted chuckle as his eyes took in the house.
Smiling at the man's words, Magdaria wiped her hands together before heading for the kitchen that was separated by a swinging door to the front door's left.
"Shall I make green tea for you, Mr. Kamiya?" asked Magdaria as she turned around to face Okina.
"Yes, please. One more thing Magdaria, just call me Okina; Mr. Kamiya makes me sound old," said Kaoru's grandfather with a grin, causing the girl to blush and nod before entering the kitchen.
Looking around the house, Okina noticed that the narrow hallway that was only a few meters from the entrance led to three rooms and a single bathroom in the back. Eyes scanning the living room, he saw that the small TV in the oak wood stand was one of the older versions and smiled as he saw the flowers that were decorated around on the shelves just above the built-in DVD holder. As his eyes roamed the room, he stopped when they fell on a picture that was placed right over the mantle of the fireplace straight in front of him. His breath caught as he saw a golden cross necklace that was placed over the small frame.
Standing up slowly, Okina walked over to the mantle and stared at the photo. With a shaky hand, he lifted the golden cross with his index and middle finger of his right hand and allowed the last of the sun light to touch the gold. The light shimmered and reflected against the room in a cascade of yellow and sparkled as brightly as the sun's rays.
"That was Mama's favorite photo; Shougo told my brother and me that we should have buried it with her, but I think that it wards off the evil spirits out of the house," Magdaria's voice floated in from the kitchen doorway, causing the older man to turn and face her.
Okina looked at her holding the tray of tea and smiled at how similar she was to her mother. He only chuckled as he mentally slapped himself for not realizing why she looked so familiar when he saw her at the airport.
"You're just like mother," commented Okina when the girl walked over and placed the tray on the coffee table.
"You knew my mother Mr. Okina?" asked Magdaria as she stood up straight and looked at him through widened eyes.
"Knew your mother? You'd be my granddaughter if things had worked out like I first planned it."
~*~
"Where are we going again?" asked Yahiko for the umpteenth time that day as he sat to the right of Tsubame in the taxi that they had pulled over and gotten into. He wasn't able to hear where Tsubame had asked the man to go to.
"We're going to your house," said Tsubame calmly as she sat back with a smile to her friend.
"What? Why?" Yahiko asked confused as he shifted in his seat so that he met her eyes.
"That's where Mr. Kamiya is going to be," stated Tsubame.
"Wait...I'm confused..." said Yahiko as he looked at her perplexed.
"You know that Kaoru was taken to the hospital today, right?" inquired Tsubame, looking deep into his eyes seriously.
"What about it? Why would her grandfather be at my house for?" demanded Yahiko.
"Well you know that I sometimes do errands for Mr. Seijiro, and today I heard him talking to Mr. Kamiya before he left to go to the hospital. Apparently Kaoru's lost her memory and they want to bring her grandfather to help her remember again, but Mr. Makoto and a few others want him as well for other reasons. Your sister was sent to pick him up, and now it's a race to see who gets to him first," said Tsubame as her bangs covered her eyes, giving the teenager a grim look.
"Hold up! I thought that we were going to find out why our brothers are acting so weird for," said Yahiko.
"Do you know Makimachi Misao, Mr. Shinomori's secretary?" asked Tsubame.
"That weasel girl?" snorted Yahiko as he turned around and leaned back against his seat before crossing his hands over his chest in a huff.
"So I guess that you know her? From what I've caught from Mr. Sagara talking to Shura before, I learned that..."
"They went out for four years in secrecy."
"Exactly, and from living with my brother I have also learned that..."
"He likes Misao as well; so now that Misao is worried about her best friend...they're both affected."
"Yes, and it all comes down to Kaoru losing her memory, which means that whoever gets to her grandfather wins the overall 'war'."
"This is all too confusing...but in a strange way it makes sense. Strange how the workers at M.R.U. are connected," Yahiko joked with a chuckle.
Tsubame moved a hand over her mouth and giggled at his words.
Sighing, Yahiko only leaned up towards the cab driver and patted him on the shoulder until he looked at him in the rear view mirror.
"Do you mind going a bit faster?" asked Yahiko as he grasped the man's shoulder and slipped a bill into the man's front pocket.
Grinning, the man stepped on the gas.
~*~
Misao stared at the house as when they arrived at their destination. She was so busy getting over the fact that she'd be going to into her ex's house that she didn't realize Soujiro getting out of the car and looking around to see if anyone else arrived before them.
"Good, they haven't arrived yet," said Soujiro with a smile and was about to walk up to the front door when he realized that his friend was still in the car.
Confused, Soujiro leaned on the passenger door and stared at the person within the car who still had their seatbelt on. He reached in through the window that was rolled down earlier and moved a stray lock of hair behind the 24-year-old's ear.
"Are you okay?" asked Soujiro with a smile as he opened the door for her.
"Yes," whispered Misao as she quickly unbuckled herself.
Giving her his hand, Soujiro helped her out of the car before slamming the door shot.
"He's not inside if that's what you're afraid of," said Soujiro knowingly as they walked up the steps towards the white door.
"I'm not afraid! It's just that...I haven't seen Mr. Kamiya in a while, and I'm...a bit excited," said Misao as she gave the 28-year-old a smile.
Soujiro only nodded before ringing the doorbell.
No one answered.
Knocking on the door the two stared at each other when again no one opened the door.
"I'm sure that they'd have come home by now...you don't think that..." began Misao as she looked at Soujiro with fear in her eyes.
"They couldn't have gotten here before us..." started Soujiro, but stopped when he saw a yellow sticky sticking out of the bottom of the door mat.
"What does it say?" asked Misao as she looked at the piece of paper.
"Dear Mr. Seijiro, I have taken Miss Myojin out to see something of great importance. We should be back in an hour at the least. Signed Kamiya Okina," read Soujiro out loud as he turned the paper back in case he left a not about where they had gone.
"I'm confused.... Does Mr. Kamiya know Magdaria?" asked Misao as she looked up at Soujiro for an answer.
"I don't know, but we better get going before anyone else arrives," said Soujiro as he pocketed the note and raced back towards his car.
Confused, Misao had no choice to get back into the car, but not without looking back at the house one last time.
~*~
Megumi stared out at her computer screen as thoughts of Kaoru and the last words that she said plagued her mind.
"How did Kaoru find out who the killer was? She only knew as much as everyone else...yet she still found out who the killer was. Unless..." voiced Megumi in a low whisper to no one in particular.
"Do you always talk to yourself?" mocked a voice from behind her that caused her to jump and turn around to glare at Takasugi's amused stare.
"What are you doing here Shinsaku?" demanded Megumi as she formed her lips into a thin line; she was still mad at him for leaving her at the Sakura Ball alone for so long.
"I just came to apologize for not giving you a fun time at the Sakura Ball; gomen. It's just that my stomach wasn't cooperating with me that night. So...do I get a chance to make it up to you?" Takasugi asked, as he stood up and looked at her with pleading eyes.
"Why should I?" Megumi asked, as she jutted out her chin and narrowed her eyes at him.
"Because, I feel really bad for ruining your night, and I don't want you to hate me anymore?" Takasugi asked innocently.
Megumi only looked at him suspiciously, before smiling.
"Great! Let's go!" Takasugi said with a smile on his face, as he grabbed her hand and practically dragged her to the elevator.
"Wait! I'm not even ready yet, and where are we going?" Megumi asked as she stopped.
"Out to dinner! I had gotten a reservation at Winter Paradise just this morning," said Takasugi, with a grin, as he turned around to look at her.
"So, you knew that I'd give in?" Megumi demanded as she narrowed her eyes at him when he gave her a sheepish grin.
"Well... I knew that someone as kind as yourself would be gracious enough to join me," said Takasugi as he laughed, nervously.
Megumi only shook her head before sighing, letting the older man drag her into the elevator.
~*~
A/N: That's all for now, I hope that you all liked it! ^^
Beta-ed by Bob-san.