In the Absence of Memory
by mikan
Chapter Six: Recovery
"Shigure. There is something you must know."
They were on their way to the headquarters of Tokyo police, the car speeding smoothly towards the city. Hatori's eyes were fixed on the road, his expression the usual inscrutable calm mask. Yet Shigure detected an undercurrent of urgency in his words.
Hatori did not wait for him to reply. "Tohru is pregnant with Akito's child."
"We have traced them to an island in the south, near Okinawa. The local police have already been alerted. They have set up a discreet surveillance perimeter around the house."
"House?"
"Yes." Kiba Hiroyuki, chief of Tokyo police, glanced once more at the report on his desk. "It's beachfront property, recently purchased by one Okishima Akito. If you will recall from the transcript I showed you earlier, that same name was given by the unknown male caller from the condo in Sendai."
"Yes."
"At this point, we are certain beyond any doubt that the caller was Sohma Akito. From photographs we presented, the airport shuttle driver was able to positively identify the couple he had picked up from the condo as Sohma Akito and Honda Tohru. According to the driver, Sohma appeared to be quite agitated, while the young woman seemed somewhat ill and weak, since she had to be transported in a wheelchair..." Kiba paused. "I'm sorry, did I miss something?"
Sohma Shigure had barely shifted in his seat, but Kiba could tell that every line of his body had tensed.
"I was never told about a wheelchair," came the cold reply.
Kiba frowned.
"Is that so." He flipped through the report, pausing on the third page and skimming it quickly. "Yes... the caller had requested a wheelchair from the shuttle service. It was used to transport the young woman from the apartment to the van, and from the van to the inside of the airport. It's a relatively minor detail "
"It is not minor by any means."
Kiba regarded Sohma Shigure's grim face in silence.
"You are right," he said after a moment. "I apologize for the omission."
The clock on the wall ticked loudly in the pause.
Finally Shigure spoke.
"I appreciate the assistance your department has given my family, Kiba-san. You may be assured that you will be amply rewarded for your efforts. However, there is a need for urgency which I cannot explain in detail at the moment. We must move quickly."
"Talk of reward is uncalled for, Sohma-sensei. We have merely done our duty."
"And you have done it well. But there is one thing I must ask of you "
"I assure you this will remain a private matter," Kiba said, anticipating his request. "That was made clear by your family, and understood from the start."
"Yes, but by private I mean completely in our hands. There is to be no arrest, no prosecution, no demand for the satisfaction of law. I will leave for Okinawa within the next hour. When I arrive there, I will collect my cousin and Honda-san, and together we will return home. There will be no trace of this investigation ever having occurred. I trust that you will be able to enforce that among your men?"
"Unquestionably."
"Thank you for your understanding."
"I will relay the order to the local police to have the two of them placed under custody. Of course, it "
"No."
The abruptness of the reply startled Kiba. "I beg your pardon?"
"There is to be no action taken until I arrive. Surveillance will be maintained, but that is all. This is very important, Kiba-san. Please make it clear to your men."
Kiba's brows knit. "I'm sorry, but I do not understand. I thought you said there is a need for urgency."
"There is. Our jet needs to be cleared for travel as soon as possible. Furthermore, we will be requiring some medical equipment, which we will be taking along on the plane."
"I see."
"However, at the scene, I will be the one deciding what will be done. The police will be present only to ensure that everything goes smoothly according to plan."
Kiba was hesitant.
"In that case... " he replied, "if that is what you wish, then I suppose... the local police will have to be told to await your instructions." He fell silent again, weighing his words, his unease clearly visible. "The surveillance is very discreet, and it is still night, so the situation should remain stable until your arrival. Although, if I may make a suggestion... considering what a dangerous man your cousin is, it would perhaps be wisest to let the officers subdue him first."
Shigure rose from his chair. "No need to worry." He smiled down at Hatori, who was still quietly sitting in the chair beside his. "Sohma Hatori-sensei will be accompanying me. And Akito... "
Hatori reached for his briefcase, slipped the investigation reports inside, and stood.
Shigure's smile thinned bitterly. "Akito always listens to him."
It was just as he had said. The sea was a glittering wave of gold.
She breathed in the crisp early morning air. The wind was still, the world perfectly silent. The water really did seem to be liquefied gold placid and heavy, glistening in the light. She turned away from the railing to smile at him.
"It's beautiful."
He looked out at the water. "Isn't it?""Where is Ishigaki?"
"Directly ahead. You'll be able to see it soon."
She could not suppress the giggle that escaped her. "I can't wait."
He smiled at her that faint, gentle smile of his. "Did you make a shopping list?"
"Of course." She leaned back against the railing and pulled a folded piece of paper from her purse. "Let's see. White cotton curtains with pastel polka dots. A big fuzzy lavender rug. A string of little star lights." She saw his perplexed expression and laughed. "You don't approve?"
"Star lights?"
Her smile softened.
"I was thinking we could turn the room next to ours into a nursery."
"A nursery," he murmured.
"Yes. It might be a bit early, but... the star lights would look nice in the window, don't you think? And I was thinking we could also get one of those pretty night lights you know, the kind that fills the room with stars."
"There are such things?"
Her eyes widened. "You've never seen one?"
He shook his head.
Staring at him, she suddenly felt a pang of sorrow strike her heart. He stood before her, so somber in his black clothes, looking so out of place in the warm morning light. She moved closer until she was able to lay her cheek against his chest.
"Then I'll get you one too," she told him. "It makes darkness beautiful. A dark room full of stars isn't frightening anymore. That's why I want to put a light like that in the baby's room."
After a long moment she felt his arms go around her.
"We're lucky to have you, Tohru, " he said softly. "The baby and I."
She could hear the waves lapping gently against the hull of the ferry. She closed her eyes and rested in the warmth of his arms.
The lapping sound grew louder. Yet the boat remained still.
A shuffling sound filled the air. She lifted her face and looked up, expecting to see birds in the sky.
Suddenly she heard a scream.
Her eyes flew open just in time to see the shadow of a man's hulking form at her side. Something sharp and cold pricked her arm. Then a pair of burly arms locked around her and lifted her clean off her futon.
For a moment her whole body was frozen with shock. Then she heard the scream again.
She was being carried away from the room into the darkness of the hallway. Who was screaming? What was happening?
Akito, she tried to say. Akito...
No sound came forth. Her throat had gone dry, the sudden fright choking off her voice.
"TOHRU!"
The scream cut into her consciousness, the agonized wail finally recognizable.
Akito. That was Akito's voice.
"Akito!" she croaked, her voice a hoarse whisper. She craned her neck to see past her captor's shoulder, her arms pushing against his chest. Her eyes searched frantically in the dim light. "Akito!"
Then she saw him.
Akito was writhing on the floor, his arms and legs held down by two men clad entirely in black. A third man knelt at his side and pushed up the sleeve of his sleeping kimono.
She was unable to see any further. The man carrying her had reached the top of the stairs and began to descend.
"Akito!" The cry was a dry, terrified gasp. She started to kick and twist, trying to free her limbs. Strangely, they felt weighted. Her whole body seemed to get heavier by the second, each movement draining more and more of her strength away.
The man carrying her halted. Vaguely she registered the surroundings: the skylights in the slanting ceiling high above their heads, the marble steps of the staircase leading upwards at her side. She realized then that she had been brought to the foyer.
"Shall I bring her to the car, sir?"
The man had spoken. The words came to her faintly, as if from far away.
At that moment, another man's face came into view. She stared up at it.
A chill stiffened her whole body.
She looked at the face, her mind suddenly going blank. The glare of the fluorescent street lamp slanted in through the decorative panels of glass that flanked the front door, casting the face in a stark gray light.
Those brows. Those eyes. The line of that jaw...
"Yes. Thank you. I will be outside shortly."
... That voice.
"Yes, sir."
The front door opened, and she was carried outside. The cool air of early morning brushed against her face. The heaviness that was spreading its weight over her body was now beginning to dull her mind. She fought to keep her eyes open and her mind alert.
That voice... That face...
They were going down the steps, onto the stone walk, past the open front gate. Somewhere she heard a car door open.
After that, she could no longer tell what was going on. As darkness began to slip over her eyes, she clung to one last clear thought:
She knew that voice. And she had seen that face before.
to be continued