Chapter 3: Untitled
A/N: Me again! Hope you enjoyed the previous chapters! I enjoyed writing this one, and this is where the story begins to define itself (I believe, anyhow). If anyone has any questions, drop me a line in a review or email me. My addy is in my profile. I'm too lazy to put it here, so you can't stalk me.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original storyline. I'm just shamelessly exploiting them for my own selfish reasons.
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"So what do you think" Kaoru asked, leaning forward in her chair as she finished telling her best friend last night's fiasco. "What am I going to do"
Misao raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me that this guy randomly walks out in front of your car, you swerve to miss him and end up in the woods stuck in the mud, which you later pull yourself out of, the guy talks to you while hiding in the woods, for some unknown reason you DON'T pull out your cell phone and call the cops, he corners you against a tree and practically rapes you and you still didn't call the police, then afterwards you go back to your car and he's traced some satanic symbols on it, you STILL don't call the police, but instead drive home and call me the next morning."
The ceiling fan whirred silently overhead in the few seconds before Kaoru responded. The two girls sat facing each other, Misao on Kaoru's blue and silver futon, Kaoru in her favorite ragged recliner. This was how they often worked out their problems, face to face and together. They'd been friends now for nearly a decade; since that fateful day they'd met each other in grade school. It had been hate at first sight, but because of all the fights they'd gotten into, and because of the fights the detentions they'd spent together, the girls eventually put aside their differences to become best friends...and chronic troublemakers. They'd calmed down a bit, now that Kaoru had turned 22.
Kaoru's ancient chair made various popping and creaking noises when she moved, and seemed to punctuate her sentences. "I wasn't stuck in the mud! And he didn't practically rape me. He didn't even really touch me, except for my wrist. And they weren't satanic symbols. Just words." she said in her own defense.
"Just words! Kaoru, you are insane. Plain and simple. Absolutely loony, nuts, wacko, IN-SANE. I'd think you were pulling some stupid practical joke on me but you're way too into it. Why do you have a cell in the first place if you aren't going to use it when you're in trouble!" Misao said, flopping back down into a prone position from the ramrod straight pose she'd bounced into when Kaoru defended herself.
Kaoru sighed and rubbed her hand down her face, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Misao I wasn't in-"
"If you weren't in trouble, then what do you call it" Misao demanded, sitting up again. "You're the one that's always making me lock my doors at night because more buglaries happen in the city! You're the one that won't let me pick up hitch-hikers! You're the one who says that those people under the overpasses are bad news! Why didn't you use your cell"
Kaoru shrugged. "I don't know...I guess I just really didn't think." she said, picking at a loose thread on the arm of her trusty recliner. She hated being wrong. "I'm allowed that once in my life, don't you think" she shot back. "It's not like you're perfect." Misao scowled. "This is some seriously wacked out stuff, Kaoru" she said. "I still think you should call the cops, but let's go look at your car, first." she said. "What did you say these words were"
Kaoru sighed. "He traced them on my hood. It says 'My presence haunts your footsteps'. " she said, knowing it would incriminate her villian further. Misao huffed and stood up. "This guy is wacked out. This is not good Kaoru. Not good at all. Why didn't you call the police" "BECAUSE" Kaoru paused a fraction of a second to gather her composure and the shards of her temper. "They wouldn't have believed me anyhow." she finished more calmly. "Officer Fujita would have laughed me out of the station. I've been in there so many times because of..."
Kaoru turned her head away and started again. "I've been in there so much with Aoshi continually getting arrested and with the" "Kaoru, it's ok, I understand." Misao said, cutting off Kaoru's painful stumblings. Kaoru nodded. "Well, he's particularly vicious with me for some reason. I don't think he believes a word of what I've told them about my father." Misao shot Kaoru a sympathetic smile. As Kaoru stood up, the color drained from Misao's face. "Kaoru..." she said, her voice quivering a bit.
"Yes" Kaoru said, her eyes full of confusion and concern. Misao swallowed, her eyes wide. "Tell me where those words came from...you know, the ones on your car." Kaoru frowned and looked down at the floor. She shook her head. "Misao, that's not important." her voice came out as more of a plea than a statement. "Kaoru, it is very important. Tell me where they came from. I've heard them somewhere." Kaoru opened her mouth, but closed it again, tears shining in her eyes. "No. Come on, let's go look at my car."
Misao jumped up as Kaoru practically ran from her bedroom. "Kaoru" she called, frustration creeping into her tone. She just knew she'd heard those words somewhere! Misao followed Kaoru at a more sedate speed, giving her friend time to calm down. From the way Kaoru'd looked, those words had something to do with her father. Misao mulled as she silently walked through the wide hallway of Kaoru's house. There wasn't that much to look at even if she hadn't been so deeply lost in thought. The walls of the hallway were curiously devoid of any pictures besides the occasional nature scene.
Kaoru lived here alone; she'd lived here all her life, but until last year her father had lived here with her. Then one day Kaoru came home from work to find the house in shambles. Blood smeared all the walls, even in her bedroom. Tables were overturned, dishes broken, it all pointed towards foul play. And of course Kaoru became the prime suspect. Because of her father's insurance policy, Kaoru suddenly found herself quite well off, though not half as rich as many suspected after the trial. The police department didn't need any more evidence. A search warrant was easily attained and they ripped Kaoru's home apart from top to bottom.
Still they found no evidence that Kaoru had done anything. The search produced no murder weapon, nothing strange. Then Officer Fujita made a startling discovery. Upon entering Kaoru's bedroom, every smear on her white walls had numerous crosses, obviously drawn by fingertip or something of a similar size. There were thousands of them, only in her room. Every mirror in the house had been broken, but for the large full-length mirror in Kaoru's bedroom. Besides the blood on the walls, her room had been untouched. The police dusted for fingerprints on the walls. There were none.
To the police, this meant nothing; the crosses could have been drawn with gloves. Pending further investigation, a pair of bloody gloves were found under Kaoru's bed, however, the gloves were too small for Kaoru's hands. Forensics found no traces of skin inside the gloves. Still believing they had evidence against Kaoru, the police department arrested her. Two days later, a potential murder weapon was found. In the large den, a mirror had stood against the paneled wall in front of the bar. This mirror had been smashed, and one particularly large shard of the mirror, when examined by the forensics department, had pieces of her father's tissue imbedded along the edges. Fingerprints on the mirrored glass were found, and they did not match Kaoru's fingerprints. She was released.
The case had never been solved; it was nearly impossible, with no body. Her father simply faded away, leaving only his journal and what memories Kaoru had inside her mind. Those few things were all that had kept her clinging tenaciously to life for the following months. Misao had been a lifeline to the girl, but then, that's what friends were for. She knew Kaoru would have done the same for her. She just wished that she had been able to convince Kaoru to leave this house, for many of the memories it held were not good ones.
It had taken weeks for the trio, Kaoru, Misao, and Aoshi, to even finish the beginning of cleaning up the house. Each wall had to be scrubbed with bleach and disinfectant before being repainted. It was a hard job for Kaoru, who was reminded with each scrub that these walls held her father's blood. Holes caused by the struggle had to be patched; mirrors would eventually be replaced. Once the scrubbing was finished and the wreckage was picked up or trashed if it was broken or irrepairable, Kaoru requested that Misao and Aoshi leave the rest to her. Misao reluctantly complied, and Kaoru repainted the house alone. It was definitely a time to mend her heart and put her father's spirit at rest.
Misao sighed. She could understand why Kaoru didn't want to call the police, after all, she'd been there through the grueling interrogations and through all the statements, but there came a time when safety mattered more than old grudges. If Kaoru needed police protection, Misao was not above making sure she got it. Coming out of the hallway into the den, there was no evidence that it had once held such turmoil within the placid deep green and mullberry wine purple. Kaoru stood waiting for Misao. "Are you coming" Kaoru asked her friend. Misao nodded, still chewing her lip thoughtfully.
"Spik" Kaoru called, clapping her hands together loudly. "Spik! Come girl" The jingle of a collar preceded the arrival of the brown boxer. The female canine practically wiggled with joy; her short, stumpy tail wagged frantically as Kaoru patted her with affection. "Good girl, yes you are..." she cooed. Misao ignored the pair for the moment, her eyes instead finding the ornate aviary of Span the parrot. Span sat sullenly on his perch, but when Misao approached he slowly but surely turned himself around so that his back was to the girl. He fluffed his wings and settled in a manner that clearly read 'Hmph.' Misao rolled her eyes and looked back at Kaoru. "You mean you still have this dumb bird" Span's head twisted around, as if he knew he was being talked about.
Kaoru looked up from scratching Spik's belly. "Yes, and he isn't stupid. He keeps Spik and I company." she replied, standing up and brushing herself off as she walked over to Misao. She pointed at the mass of blue feathers on the bottom of the aviary. "He's molting, or he's pulling out his feathers again." she said. Misao frowned. "Why do you keep such a troublesome bird? Have you got him to talk yet" Kaoru shook her head. "The shelter told me Span suffered a lot of abuse. It's going to take time, Misao. The healing process isn't instant."
Misao nodded. Kaoru's words were true, and it was just as much herself she spoke of. Spik rolled herself up off the floor and trotted over, leaning against Misao's leg. Misao mindlessly patted the boxer while still looking at Span. "He's just so...irritating..." she said. Span turned himself around and cocked his head, giving Misao a parrot glare. "You two just don't get along. You should back up now." Kaoru said. Span's glare intensified and Misao jumped back a few feet as the blue parrot shrieked and threw himself at the side of the aviary, beating his wings wildly and making the most God-awful noises man had ever heard.
Misao sneered in the parrot's direction. "Misao, one, Span, zero." she said with a smirk. "Why don't you just let the dog eat him" she said, looking to Kaoru. "Spik's too well-trained for that." Kaoru mused, inspecting Span. "You're letting Spik stay in the house with you, right" Misao asked. "I always have." Kaoru said with a smile. She finally broke away. "Spik, come." she said, heading towards the entrance to the garage. She caught her reflection in the wall mirror behind the small bar and fixed a few hairs that were in her face. "You coming" she asked Misao. Her friend nodded and trailed after her.
Spik trotted happily into the garage as Kaoru opened the door, but before the boxer's back paws left the doorway, her body tensed. A low growl caught Kaoru's attention. "Spik" she asked. Whuffing noises came from the dog as she sniffed intently. Kaoru flicked on the light and caught the doorjamb as her knees threatened to buckle. Misao walked up behind her, unable to comprehend Kaoru's weakness as she surveyed the garage. "Kaoru, what's" Misao's words stopped as her mouth formed an 'O' of sudden understanding.
Both girls stared helplessly at Kaoru's spotless black car. A towel lay on the floor near the left front tire, dirty and rumpled with the wielder's aggressions. There was no dust on Kaoru's car, and thus, no words. A few footprints lead away from the car and towards the window. It hung open, and a gentle breeze wafted through it. What drew both girls' attention was the single red rose on the car's hood.
Spik finished sniffing the doorway and padded into the garage, sniffing and growling at the towel before moving to the window. She placed both paws on the sill and growled there also. Kaoru rushed forward, having finally regained her strength, and gently shoved Spik out of the way before slamming the window and locking it in a frenzy. "Misao." she said softly. "What am I going to do"
Misao remained silent, staring at the drying footprints on Kaoru's garage floor. "We have to call the police." she said. "And tell them what" Kaoru demanded, finally exploding. "Someone was in your house, Kaoru" Misao shouted back. "Breaking and entering! Don't you watch any police shows" Kaoru scowled. "What are we going to tell them, Misao" Kaoru asked, her voice scathing. "That while we sat in my room discussing why my life is screwed up someone broke into my garage to wash my car? Come on, I mean that isn't exactly threatening." she said. Misao glared. "Under the circumstances, I think it may be! Kaoru, this is getting too dangerous to let your stupid feud with the police go on! He could have killed us" she said, gesturing to the car. "What if he was armed"
Kaoru bit back a retort and sighed. "The police will never believe us. We have no proof, Misao." Misao searched the room frantically with her gaze, looking for anything they could use as proof. "We have the rose." she said finally. Kaoru shook her head. "There is no proof he put it there. Could have been someone else." Kaoru said. Misao thought for a minute. "What about the footprints" Kaoru looked at the floor. "Dry." she said. Misao stomped. "This is not cool, Kaoru! Not cool at all! You can't stand there and tell me that you're just going to let this go and not do anything about it! This isn't even me this is happening to and I'm scared out of my wits" she exclaimed.
Kaoru nodded, snapping her fingers to get Spik's attention and heading out of the garage. She locked the door that led into the foyer as she stepped back into the den. "I'm terrified." she admitted. "But this is my house, dammit. I'm not letting some creep run me out of it. I went through too much here. Let's call the police. I don't think it will do any good, but maybe I'll put a little more faith in them than I have before." Kaoru said, being sure that Spik stayed close at her side. Her hands shook slightly as she picked up the phone. A few seconds passed before she tossed it to Misao. "You dial." Kaoru said. "I can't."
Misao nodded, clicking the talk button and holding the phone up to her ear. A puzzled frown spread over the woman's features. "You just got this phone off the charger, right" Misao asked. Kaoru nodded. "Yeah, why" "The line's dead."
>(Oo)
A/N: WOoT! I had no idea what was coming out of this chapter. Now I just gotta figure out what happens next, darn it. sighs and walks off to her 'Wonderwheel of Plotlines'