Title – Destined Together
Disclaimer – I don't own Cardfight! Vanguard or any of its characters… Only the OC's in this story.
A/N – Hello, dear readers and friends! Thank you for reading the story and liking it so far and thank you for all the reviews, favs and follows! I hope you'll keep loving the story till the end! Sorry to keep you waiting! I'll keep updating the story but the updates will be slower coz of some circumstances. And I won't abandon it. Besides, it'll be getting more exciting ahead (for sure!). Just keep sharing your thoughts through reviews (Or pm) which gives me encouragement to keep writing. Enjoy the long awaited chapter! Peace~ ^^
RnR! Happy reading! ^^
'…' - Thoughts
"…" - Speaking
Chapter 17
The sky had turned dark as the sun had completely set and the streetlights were glowing now as Naoki drove the car. Akari glanced at her phone. She was sitting with 'The rescue team' namely, Miwa and Ren who sat beside Akari on the back seat along with Naoki and Kai who were in the front. She insisted going with them for her best friend, much to Kai's dismay. Ren was busy talking on the phone with Aichi with a serious face and Miwa kept glancing at Akari beside him, thoughtfully. Kai was speaking on his cell phone with someone. At least, Naoki had a thought of bringing Kai's one of the big cars.
"You seem familiar… Oh! You own that café! Now I remember!" exclaimed Miwa.
"Yes… And I remember we had once bumped into each other!" Akari recalled.
"Oh, yeah! You guys serve really delicious food, by the way! Since we're friends from now on, I'll be your frequent customer, Yotsue-san!" Miwa chimed. "Oh and these are my best friends Suzugamori Ren, Ishida Naoki and Kai Toshiki" he introduced, pointing at the said men.
"Wonderful! Thank you, Miwa-san. And since we're friends, please call me Akari" said Akari with a smile and continued, "I didn't knew Misaki-chan is surrounded by such wonderful people! Well… isn't it great that we both can talk about our best friends? So tell me-…"
"I am thinking of dropping you both off if you don't shut up now" Kai cut in.
"Uhh… I don't think it's the right time to discuss such things, Akari-san…"
"Uh… Right, Miwa-san"
"Kai… The car's already full so… where'll Misa-Q sit?"
"Shut up, Ren"
No One's POV
"Y-you are…" Misaki sputtered in shock.
"Surprised? You should be, Tokura-chan"
"W-why…? Why are you doing this, S-Shigeo-san?" she voiced out in disbelief, almost chocking that the man in front of her is the head of the accounts' section of her Oracle corps.
"You guys made me so impatient that I had to resolve to this. You are so naïve, Tokura-chan… You thought no one knows about your whereabouts?" Shigeo taunted. "Anyway, I'm not here to chit-chat. Knowing him, your little caretaker must be on his way to save the damsel in distress. Well… this will be the end of him and unfortunately… you have to go with him if you don't do as I say" he smirked in triumph. Misaki frowned in confusion and distress.
"How could you do this to… to the people you work for? And what do you have against Kai? He has nothing to do with… all of this! He did nothing-…"
"He did! Kai Toshiki is a despicable person who destroyed everything! He destroyed everything! I used to work for him before and he's such an undeserving brat! He stripped me out of my title and kicked me out! ME! After everything I went through…" he shouted. "And then you and your uncle! He almost got me! And for that I had to take some drastic measures" he added, making Misaki stare at him in disbelief.
"You… attacked S-Shin-san…? Why?! For money? He trusted you with accounts! He even treated you-…"
"That's where you're wrong. I wanted him to trust me. The time he was attacked, he thought I was there to save him but he was wrong. He almost found out about me. Your corporation served as a cover for my alias. Your uncle is easy to fool… Actually, you both are"
Misaki stared at him as he spoke with malice. She then laughed ruefully causing the man to look at her in slight astonishment. Instead of feeling afraid, she felt anger surging through her as she stared at the man who seeks revenge.
"You're sick. No wonder Kai kicked you out" said Misaki with a sneer.
The next thing she knew, she was backhanded for the second time that day…
Meanwhile…
"Guards are stationed all around the area" Miwa said, looking through his binoculars and sighed. "So what's the plan?" he asked, looking at his companions while the others wondered where he got the binoculars.
The so called rescue team was currently hiding at the entrance of adjacent building, behind the wall. At Miwa's question, Ren, Akari, Naoki as well as Miwa turned to look at the brunette. This part of the town is scarcely populated and the area where they currently stood was abandoned. Kai gave them a skeptical look before answering.
"There's no plan… except we wait till the others arrives. I can't put you all in danger" Kai stated and thought 'Why did they insisted on coming anyway…'
"…" Miwa, Akari, Naoki and Ren stared at him, bewildered.
"You can't just barge in there alone without us!" Miwa exclaimed. "They didn't even call for ransom yet" he added with a frown.
"Poor Misaki-chan… I hope she's alright…" muttered Akari, worried for her best friend.
"In any case… I hope they will be here on time before anything happens" said Ren, looking at his cell phone. "Aichi texted me they'll be here in few minutes" he added.
In the next moment, Kai's cell phone started ringing. He frowned when the number displayed on the screen turned out to be Misaki's new cell number. He picked it up while the others kept quiet and stayed put.
Phone Conversation…
"You seem relaxed. Not gonna ask about her?"
"You sound like you know me"
"Who doesn't know you? The infamous Kai Toshiki"
"It seems you have something against me"
"That's not the issue right now, is it?"
"What do you want? How much?"
"Oh? How much can you give, Kai?"
"Say it"
"I want you here in ten minutes or she dies"
With that, the call ended. Kai's frown loosened and his eyebrows rose up contemplation. 'So that's how it is…'
"What did they say?" asked Naoki.
"Did they ask for ransom?" enquired Akari.
"They asked me to be there in ten minutes… or she dies" Kai replied to them.
"…"
"Guys… I don't think they want ransom money…" Miwa said.
"I know" Kai said as he turned to leave.
"Hold on! You can't just go like that! We're coming too" said Miwa. Kai sighed.
"That's called killing two birds with one stone" muttered Shigeo as he flipped shut the phone.
Misaki glared at the man in rage. Her yelling was muffled as her mouth was tied by a cloth along with her hands. She glanced at the exit of the room, hoping that Kai wouldn't be foolish enough to come alone after that call. Some men, were stationed around and above her on second floor and some even held iron rods and baseball bats. Kai will surely be outnumbered, she thought. Besides, Akari had texted her about a 'rescue team' so he won't be alone anyway. She turned her attention to the man when she heard a clicking sound and her eyes widened when she saw a gun in Shigeo's hands.
'This… looks really bad…' Misaki thought, sweat dripping from her forehead.
Few minutes passed by but it seemed hours to Misaki as many thoughts ran through her jumbled mind. She felt lost and stared at the pieces of broken glass and shards scattered around some parts of the floor. Just the thought of Kai coming there gave her a sinking feeling and that feeling doubled when it occurred to her that he was coming there because of her and it was a trap for him. Would he had come if he know this was a trap and I'm a bait? She wondered. He wouldn't.
'I know he won't hesitate to go through any trouble to help you either' Rukino's words rang in her ears and she shook her head. Now she was feeling more anxious and she felt panic rose within her. She stared at the entrance while praying.
'Please don't come…'
"He's here, Sir" one of the goon informed, entering through as he opened the door wider.
'No…' Misaki's breath caught in her throat when she saw Kai enter after the man.
Kai watched as Misaki stood still when they made eye contact. His mouth twitched downward and his frown deepened at her disheveled look and his glare turned to the man beside her.
"Glad you made it, Kai Toshiki" greeted Shigeo and smirked.
"Do not say my name. You're unworthy, Shigeo"
"How nice of you to remember me. I wouldn't show such arrogance if I were you" stated Shigeo as he took few steps towards Kai while pointing his gun at Misaki. "You thought if you keep her hiding in your house, no one will be able to get their hands on her?" he taunted.
"So you attacked Shin-san to get her out. You're pathetic" Kai threw an insult.
"Watch it, Kai" Shigeo glared at Kai. "Anyway, here's the deal, Misaki-chan… Sign the papers and… I'll reconsider killing him considering he came all the way here just for you" he said, now pointing the gun at Kai.
Few seconds passed… Misaki didn't notice that she was shaking while Kai seemed unperturbed.
"Hurry up" said Shigeo when Misaki and Kai stared at each other.
"She doesn't need to. You're going to kill us either way" stated Kai, digging his hands in his jeans pockets. He took few slow steps ahead while saying, "That is… if you can"
'Don't provoke him, Kai! He has a gun pointing at you!' Misaki wanted to yell but couldn't. She noticed her tied hands were shaking in front of her and her heart was racing when she saw how serious Shigeo looked.
Meanwhile…. Outside…
"D-Daimonji-sama? M-Mitsuki-sama! K-Kaoru-san!" The man guarding the entrance gulped when he faced some intimidating familiar faces of Gouki Daimonji, Jun Mitsuki and Kaoru Komatsubara followed by Miwa, Ren, Akari and Naoki.
"Well then… Yu-kun. Do you even know that you just accompanied 'The Dragon' inside?" said Jun to the man on guard, Yu who gulped at the revelation.
"W-what?! You mean that brunette guy is…" Yu said, shocked and then bowed to them. "I AM SORRY! We didn't know, Sir!" he exclaimed.
"Great. Now let us through" Gouki demanded.
"This isn't your turf, Kai. You can't do anything here" stated Shigeo, glaring at the brunette.
At that moment, without thinking, Misaki pushed herself towards Shigeo and rammed into him causing him to lose his balance. Kai stopped walking at that and kicked the gun out of Shigeo's hands which slid somewhere off on the floor. At the same time, the door opened and the others entered the scene.
"Why you!" Shigeo stood straight, now furious. "Kill him!" he ordered his men.
"Hold on!" shouted Yu who was followed by the rest of the gang. The goons were surprised when they saw Gouki, Jun and Kaoru.
"It's Jun-sama! Gouki-sama and Kaoru-sama!" exclaimed the goons, simultaneously.
"Don't forget that you go against us if you go against him" said Jun, pointing at Kai. "That's 'The Dragon' – The former champion of underground fighting league" he continued which shocked the goons and they lowered their weapons in instance. Most of the men ran off through the exits closest to them.
Shigeo glanced around in shock when no one stepped forward and more than half of his hired men scrambled off. There were murmurs around the room at the new people's presence. Misaki glanced around with wide eyes in confusion and then landed her eyes on Kai who was smirking. This time, his smirk wasn't the familiar one, Misaki noticed and unconsciously gulped. He looked different… very different yet he was the same Kai she knows.
"They won't attack, Shigeo…" Kai stated.
"Y-You mean… you… turned them against me? Why you!" Shigeo swore.
"No, I don't hire men for such dirty work. You underestimated me, Shigeo. Didn't do much homework about me" Kai said, dauntingly and smirked before adding, "Tie him. And free her"
Misaki couldn't believe her eyes and ears or the sudden change in the situation. She watched bewildered when two men from the goons came forward and grabbed Shigeo by either of his arms and he struggled to get free while swearing profanities. On the other hand, Misaki's hands were freed by another man and she removed the bind covering her mouth while walking towards Kai. Kai glanced at her before turning to Shigeo with a deadpan look.
"Feeling betrayed, aren't we? Now you know how it feels" Kai mocked as he came forward to face Shigeo.
"You won't get away with this! I'll-…" before Shigeo continues, Kai punched his face in a swift moment. Blood trickled down from Shigeo's nose and the lips causing his vision to blur for few seconds.
"Kai! Wh-…!"
All the words died in Misaki's mouth after Kai's unexpected punch and she paused in her steps, a few feet away from him. This was definitely not the Kai she knows. She only watched as he straightened his tense shoulders and exhaled briefly. It was like he was furious. Extremely furious coz she could see the impact of the punch. She stood where she was, contemplating as he looked so intimidating. She didn't even notice Miwa and the gang standing few feet away from them who were glancing around. Misaki realized right then that Kai is a dangerous man to whomever he considers an enemy.
"Kai! Why did you hit him?!" exclaimed Misaki, disbelief etched all over her face while Shigeo kept throwing profanities at them as he was dragged away from Kai.
"Don't show concern for him after he did a number on your face" Kai stated, frowning at her.
"KAI! The window!" Miwa shouted, gaining everyone's attention. And in the next moment, there was a gunshot.
At Miwa's cry, Kai almost tackled Misaki as he embraced her and fell down, taking her with him as they slid on the floor. The bullet missed them. He cautioned her by turning on his side a little. Ren along with the rest of the men ran out to catch the culprit behind the gunshot while Miwa ran to the window from where the bullet was fired. Akari shakily approached the fallen duo who hadn't moved.
"M-Misaki! K-Kai-san!" exclaimed Akari and sighed in relief when Misaki left Kai's embrace and sat up shakily.
"K-Kai!" Misaki half-yelled half-whispered. Her eyes widened when she saw blood oozing out from the side of his head and she shook him violently by his shoulder. "KAI!" she shouted his name.
"Stop it" Kai said, grabbing her wrist and sat up straight. Misaki's panic eased at that. "You alright?" he asked her and she nodded. He let go of her hand and sighed.
"Akari! He needs a first aid!" Misaki grabbed his left hand and stood up while looking at Akari. Kai winced. "His hand is injured too!" she added, loosening her grip on his wrist. Apparently, he's injured after the rough landing on his side on some shards of glass which can be seen due to his torn off and blood stained sleeve.
"In the car! Let's go" Akari informed while gasping at Misaki's split lip and swollen cheek.
"Let's leave, guys" Miwa told them as he saw Kai standing beside Misaki now.
"I'm fine" Kai told the two ladies who were fussing over him. "Let's just go. Ren might get lost outside" he added, causing Miwa to chuckle as they left. But once they reached the car, they saw Ren with Naoki who seemed to argue. They sighed.
"Please, Naoki-Kun~! Let me drive this once!"
"I said NO! You almost killed a dog last time! It's totally risky"
"It wasn't me! That dog risked his life by crossing the street at a wrong time!"
"Exactly my point"
To be Continued….
A/N – Phew! They rescued Misaki! Some unexpected revelations are revealed in this chapter. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Review and comments please! Tell me what you think, share your thoughts, favs and follows! Come on, KaiSaki fans! Peace ^^! Thank you for reading!