By: Skittlez and OtakuSailorV
Yuka heard the phone ring. She picked it up with a groggy 'hello?' "Yuka. Uhm, cant stay on the phone long, all I can say is I've done something bad. You should know in about a minute and it's all over the news. Bye." The voice was hoarse but she recognized it, then the line cut off.
Frantic by the strangeness of the call, Yuka felt her eyes widen as she went to the nearest TV in her house, the phone still clutched in her hands. She felt a cold, frightened sweat break out on her as she flicked through the channels to the news.
Then the phone rang again. She almost didn't want to answer. The news was on commercials though.
Her palms were sweaty as she turned the phone over and studied it for a few short seconds as it rang loudly in her hands. Licking her lips a little, she pressed a button on the phone and slowly pushed it to her ear. "Hello?" She asked tentatively.
"Is this Yuka Yamamoto?" A very professional voice asked, with a slightly solemn tone.
"I-it is." She replied in a worried and confused tone. "Who is this? What's happened?" The questions poured from her mouth, desperate to know what was happening out there that no one was telling her yet.
"I'm the police chief, your...boyfriend, I suppose it is, has been murdered, or something of that nature." He replied slowly.
He felt her grip slip on the phone in her hands. Her heart had plummeted, and her mind had gone numb almost. But the instant that the phone had started to slip, a shriek had erupted inside of her, bringing a wake of powerful anxiety with it. "H-he. . ." She started shakily as tears started to form in her eyes. "He's been. . ."
"Miss Yamamoto?" The voice of the police chief was still on the line. "We'd like for you to come down to the scene...I would like to talk to you."
Yuka shook, using both hands to support the phone. "I. . ." She started, but immediately pulled herself together before a wracking sob filled her voice and body. "I'll come. Where is it?"
"By the park."
"I-I understand. I'm on my way." She spoke like a drone, like a cold, emotionless robot before she hung up the phone. Tears rolled down from her empty eyes and every once in a while she would take in a deep breath to suppress some wracking sobs. Slowly, she put everything in it's place before wiping underneath her eyes and heading for the door.
She got there in about 15 minutes, she tried to look calm, but her mascara was running. She looked around and her eyes widened in shock. Lingering behind a tree not 100 feet away...the guy on the phone. She knew him. She'd know that coat from a mile away.
Her eyes softened again as if in understanding and more tears rolled down her cheeks as she turned her head away. She stood still in her place, surveying the area until she saw a short, rotund man spot her and come waddling her way. 'The police chief.' She told herself in her mind, but there was no real recognition on her face as he approached her.
"Miss. Yamamoto?"
She inclined her head slightly in a nod, her hair falling around her face, masking it from his gaze temporarily. "Are you the Police Chief?" She asked an emotionless tone. She still felt like a robot as she spoke to him, as she walked around. She kept telling herself that it was all a bad dream, that none of this could really happen, but still here she was. There was no denying reality, even such a harsh reality.
"Well...what do you want to know, first of all?"
"Just tell me everything as it happened." She droned, her eyes not on the short man, but staring off into space somewhere over his head.
"Well we suppose he stopped here, maybe to meet someone or something. And...well, the next person he came across...killed him, we suppose."
Yuka's eyes finally wandered down to him, and when they met his gaze, he felt like he was looking into the eyes of a dead woman instead of a fully alive young teenager. "My boyfriend came here, and was murdered?" She stated more than asked. "Who. . .?" She left the question unfinished as a knot formed in her throat, threatening to let loose tears if she dared speak another word.
"We have no idea. It was an intense scene to come across. We think it had to do with Naraku." He told her, she looked away over to the tree where she had seen him. He was gone.
"Naraku. . . ?" She asked aloud. The name held some familiarity to it, along with some form of hidden dread, but she could not place a name with a face in her current state of mind and was thus lost completely.
"The local crime lord. Uses others to do his dirty work. Now dear, you look dead on your feet. Go home and get some rest. Happy Valentines Day, I suppose."
Yuka felt him turn her around and push her away as she wondered about his cheerful mood. How could someone who has seen so much death be so happy and carefree like that? She supposed that after a time, you become numb to such things in his line of work, but still, it surprised her. Without another thought, she followed his orders as if she were a wind-up-doll and walked back to her home.
She got home and there was a message on the answering machine. She absently pressed the play button.
Something inside of her mind clicked as a familiar voice came out of the speaker box. "Yuka? Yuka if you're home pick up the phone. . ."
She deleted the message and curled up on the couch, flipping on the TV.
The first thing she saw was a live news report about the murder and she scrunched in tighter on herself. The reporters must have just missed her. Maybe that's why the Police Chief had been so eager for her to leave. She smiled wryly at the idea that he had in some way tried to spare her some form of trauma from this.
The phone rang, breaking up her thoughts.
She watched it steadily for a few minutes, listening to the long, loud drones of the rings as they resounded through her empty home. Briefly, she wondered if she should get up and answer it, or let the answering machine handle it for her.
She didn't pick it up. "Damnit Yuka, I know your home..." the male voice started. "Pick up!"
She squirmed slightly. He knew? What was he some stalker?! From the pool of emotionless-ness came a solid form of anger as Yuka's focused the rage on the phone, half hoping it would explode under her angered scrutiny. "Why should I?" She demanded, though she knew he could not hear her.
His voice was almost frantic. "Please Yuka, pick up!"
Yuka squirmed once again before finally getting to her feet and closing the space between herself and the phone with two large strides. Picking up, her hands shook slightly as she brought the receiver to her ear. "Hello?"
"Fucking finally." He cursed to himself. "Ya know who this is right?"
Yuka made a face at his tone and cursing. "Renkotsu." She stated firmly.
"Good. Well, fuck my phone's going dead. Can I come over for a few? I need to talk to you."
"Yeah, sure." The words slipped from her mouth before she could stop herself. What did she want him over for? She didn't want to see anyone, not now. . .
He was over in about 20 minutes. He knocked. She opened the door. It was all very robotic. "Hey." He greeted darkly.
Yuka looked at him blankly, her eyes barely moving as she glanced upward at his face. "Hey yourself." She greeted with no exact emotion in her voice.
He grimaced. "Can I come in?"
She stood to one side, allowing him a passageway inside. "Sure." She nodded slightly, ignoring his grimace.
He walked inside. "I...uh...well..."
She looked at him, cocking her head to one side in curiosity as she closed the door behind him. "You what? What did you want to talk about?" She inquired.
"It's about...what happened tonight..."
"What happened. . ." Yuka replied distantly, as if she did not remember what he was speaking of. "What about it?"
He smirked. "It was fun, really."
Yuka's eyes turned on him sharply, some sparkle of emotion shifting through and shining brightly in her eyes. "What?"
He smirked again. "I told you, it was fun."
She felt her shoulders rise in anger suddenly, and she narrowed her eyes at him.
"I don't know why, and I don't remember. But I know it was fun." He added, walking towards the door.
Yuka stared after him. "How can it be fun. . .to kill someone?" She asked hollowly.
"I don't know."
She turned her emotionless eyes on him. "Then how do you know you enjoyed it at all?"
"I don't know."
Yuka seemed to accept that answer and turned her head away again. "Is that all you wanted to tell me?" She asked after a moment of silence.
"I'm leaving. Going to find Jakotsu in California."
"You're just. . .going to leave me here. . .after that?"
He looked away. "Sorry."
Yuka smirked wryly again, her eyes filled with emotion once again now. ". . ."
"I...you don't need to be around me anyway."
Yuka shook her head, dislodging a lone tear, though it fell right into her hair as it swirled around her head. "Where else would I go, anyway?" She half-joked.
"I don't know. I haven't thought about anything but leaving."
Yuka nodded, understanding what he was saying though she wasn't sure how she could understand it. "Why. . .why did you kill him?" She finally asked the question that had been gnawing at her since he had stepped in the door.
"You."
Yuka turned at his simple, one-worded answer. Her mind was not clear enough yet for her to comprehend what he was saying, and she raised her eyebrows at him in question. "Me?"
"Yes. You. Ok?!"
Yuka took a slight step back at his answer. She had not expected him to yell, and it left her bewildered and quite shocked. "Oh. . ." She said softly, looking away.
"Ok. I'm leaving tomorrow."
Yuka nodded again, biting her bottom lip as he heart sank deeper and deeper inside of her.
He closed his eyes tightly, not speaking.
Tears started to well up in Yuka's eyes, despite her fight to keep them hidden. She refused to cry in front of him. She refused!
He sat down heavily and turned the TV off. "Stupid news." He grumbled.
Yuka stood still, watching him briefly before she turned her eyes away, so as not to stare and draw his attention.
He was tired. He was really tired. "Aren't you going to sleep?" He asked her.
Yuka looked to her clock and noticed the time. It was definitely later. With all the excitement, she had not noticed how long of a time it had been since she had first set out from her home. She must have been running on adrenaline to be up this late. She inclined her head slightly. "I suppose." She replied stoically.
He stood up. "You hate me right?"
She looked up at him with one eyebrow raised. "No, I don't." She replied simply, though there was some inner doubt that prodded her mind.
He smiled. "I thought you'd have broken down by now."
She smiled back at him, though it was more a smirk than a smile. "You should know me better." She stated.
"Forgive me then."
Yuka's eyes and smile hardened slightly. "I am not the one who can forgive you."
"Exactly."
She raised her eyebrow again. "Exactly what?"
"You can't forgive me. No one can."
Yuka felt a new wave of sadness overwhelm her at his words. She couldn't help her sadness, she figured it had something to do with her being a girl that she was sad at such simply words. ". . ."
He started to walk away.
"You're going?" She asked simply, trying to mask the sadness in her voice.
"Do you want me to?"
Yuka shifted, uncomfortable speaking her answer. "No. . ."
"Why not?"
Yuka shifted through the number of reasons. She was embarrassed, if her face was not already flushed; she probably would have brightened all the way to her ears. "I don't want to be. . .alone. . ."
"I understand."
He understood? He truly did? Yuka turned her eyes toward him slightly, curious as to what expression he wore on his face at the moment.
He looked bitter, and tired, and a lot older than he really was. She wondered why, briefly.
'Must be from what happened. . .stressful. . .wonder if I look the same?' She shifted again, wishing she could take back the embarrassing statement that she needed some form of companionship.
He was staring off into space. Thinking to himself. 'Where can I go from here?' He asked himself.
Yuka waited patiently for him to say that he had to go, and would simply walk out the door, leaving her alone. She expected him to do that, at least, though she inwardly was hoping against hope that he would not leave her alone. 'I can't force him to stay though.' She told herself. 'What am I going to do now. . . ?'
He turned to her, his expression still bitter.
Their eyes met briefly, and Yuka hoped that she didn't have some pleading look in her eyes. She didn't want to persuade him to stay if he was determined to go. 'I didn't know he. . .liked me that way. . .' She thought to herself sadly as she met his eyes.
He blinked slowly. "Jesus, Yuka, if you have something to say, go ahead and say it."
Yuka made a face at him. "There is nothing that I wish to say." She stated firmly.
"Right."
She folded her arms over her chest. "Right."
"If you have such a damn problem..." he started.
"What?" Yuka demanded, looking at him sidelong. "Go ahead and finish." She grumbled.
"If you've got a problem I'll leave."
Yuka didn't say anything, her mind was having a fit. She couldn't figure out why every time she saw him, she ended up fighting with him, and how she could never say what she truly was feeling. 'I'm too proud, that's what it is.' She told herself angrily before she noticed that he was still waiting for an answer from her. "Whatever."
He turned toward the door. "You really should try hating me. I did kill your boyfriend. Ripped out his throat." He told her, walking out and slamming the door behind himself.
.::End Chapter::.