Author:

YourSecret'sOut

Title:

Deadly Code

Summary:At the age of seven, Yahiko has the responsibility to keep a code a secret, a code to unlock suitcases totaling up to $4.6 billion. After losing his parents, his sister and himself are alone, running from a deadly man that wants to hunt them down and get the money for himself. AU/OOC

Disclaimer: I only wish RK characters belonged to me, but they clearly do not ;) Enjoy reading.

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/ And The Sky Is Gray /

&&

Kenshin entered the room while loosening his tie, glancing at a police officer that took his position in the corner of the room. Kenshin tossed the manila folder onto the table as he rounded it, taking a seat across from the blonde-haired man. He opened the manila folder to read over his information once more, glancing up from the sheets of paper when the table shook lightly.

Chou rested his feet on the table casually, a toothpick hanging from the corner of his mouth as he placed his hands behind his head. "Himura."

He nodded, "You know my name." He was a tad surprised.

"Certainly! You've made quite the name for yourself as a detective, Himura. You crack a lot of cases." He tapped the side of his temple with two fingers, "People say you're smart like that. I hear you can also get into the minds of other people and make them snap and confess what they have done wrong." He gave a short laugh, "I also heard you even have eyes that would make a hardened thug piss his pants, but all I see is a pair of big, gentle violet eyes—"

"We're not here to speak about me," he interrupted coolly.

"What a bunch of damn fairies, afraid of your eyes—"

He was getting impatient, "Mr. Sawagejo—"

"Right, right. I'm sure you have questions. Ask away!"

From another room, Kaoru was watching them speak silently, Yahiko sitting next to her. Aoshi stood behind her; his arms crossed as he listened quietly and kept his eyes on the animated character sitting across from his partner. Kaoru shifted uncomfortably, almost forgetting that the silent detective was even in the room until a police officer entered and asked if he wanted anything to eat. She sighed as Kenshin remained unspoken, her blue eyes looking up at the tall man. "How long have Kenshin and yourself been partners?"

"Five years," he murmured, looking down at the girl. He knew she wasn't doing well, due to her pale face with the black circles under her eyes. She was weak, having a hard time opening the door to the room they were know residing in, but he understood why she wasn't doing well. She was still beautiful, he noted.

"I see—"

"Okay," Kenshin started, "Where—"

"Let's make this easy for all of us," Chou rudely interrupted, getting a disgruntled look from the police officer in the corner. "There's no need to ask questions, I'm sure. You have proof I was at the house since Mrs. Kamiya has my skin cells under her nails. I can't fight around that. Come on, Himura. I did it."

'Okay, that was simple.' "You're also the one that raped Mrs. Kamiya, correct?"

"Yup."

Kaoru gnawed on her lower lip as her fists clenched, her nails digging painfully into her palms. She glared dangerously at the blonde-haired man, finding his calm answers unbelievable. He acted as if nothing was wrong and it made her body fill with rage. He violated her mother before she was killed and he saw nothing wrong with it. Aoshi watched the girl closely, his blue eyes traveling over to Yahiko. He was staring at the man calmly, no emotions crossing his face or brown orbs. Aoshi figured that he was too young to know what the word 'rape' meant. Kaoru swallowed heavily, her small body starting to tremble as she envisioned what her mother probably went through. Her mother didn't deserve anything that happened to her, let alone her father.

"Whom are you working for?"

The question was quiet, but Kaoru heard him. Chou glanced up, seeming to be in thought as he repeated the question out loud. Kaoru wondered if the man even cared about going to prison. A smirk appeared on his lips as his eyes locked with Kenshin's violet eyes once more, "You think I'm going to answer that, Himura? I'm not going to rat out who I work for, but I can tell you that he's not done just yet. He got the parents' out of the way, but he surely isn't done."

A tight frown came to his face as his eyes narrowed slightly, "What is he after?"

Chou removed his feet from the table, resting a hand on his right knee as his eyes traveled to the mirror a few feet away from them. His smirk remained on his face, "He's after that child that's probably sitting behind that mirror at this very moment." Yahiko flinched visibly as Kaoru let her eyes widen. "That boy knows some valuable information that a lot of people want to know. I bet his sister is with him—who is hella gorgeous. I wish she was there at the time we killed her parents so I could've gotten a piece of—"

Kaoru felt sick, her breathing becoming difficult as fear clawed at her. The man was insane. Kenshin cleared his throat, trying to ignore his crude speaking, "What information is that?"

"What?" He gave him a befuddled look, "They didn't tell you? That boy is the most important thing in this whole situation! That little kid knows the code to suitcases that incase money in them. Four point six billion, to be exact. The only reason we broke into the house is to get that little runt, but no luck in finding him that night. The parents' wouldn't tell where he was and the father wouldn't spill the code. So we killed them."

A pregnant pause developed as Kenshin glanced quickly to the mirror. Kaoru lied. She knew what they were after and why her parents' were killed. Kaoru dropped her gaze to her lap as Aoshi looked at her, a bit stunned to hear the amount of money that was hidden, but his face remained straight-faced. "I see," Kenshin responded softly. His violet gaze traveled to the officer, motioning to Chou. "Arrest this man," he demanded as he stood up, having enough with the man. He didn't need to ask any questions. Chou admitted everything, except whom he worked for.

Chou merely grinned as the cuffs were thrown around his wrists, ending in a click. The officer roughly pulled him out of his seat by his upper arm, leading him to the door. He tossed a smirk over his shoulder, "Keep those kids safe, Himura. My boss wants that money and he gets everything he wants."


&&

Kenshin glanced around as he entered the hallway, walking to his partner when he found him. "Where's Kaoru?"

"Using the bathroom. Yahiko is with her."

Kenshin nodded, walking with him down the hallway to head to the bathroom. "That man has some serious issues," he spoke gently, glancing at a comrade that mumbled his hello. Kenshin merely nodded, "How did Kaoru and Yahiko handle it?"

"Fairly well. The boy didn't react much, but Miss Kamiya did. She's frightened."

'Of course she is..'

Kaoru exited the bathroom, letting the door shut behind her as she looked down to Yahiko. He waited patiently outside of the door, turning to her when he heard the door open. She forced a smile to her lips, bending down to him and grabbing his hands gently, holding them. "Yahiko, you don't have to tell anyone the code, all right?"

"…"

"Not even me." Her father didn't bother telling her the code, but that was quite all right with her. She knew the whole situation before he was killed, knowing that numerous people wanted his money. She wondered if he knew he was going to die because he told her to protect her brother and to stay alive with him. "It's your secret; you keep it. A-And when this is all over, we can go get that money and start a new life. Doesn't that sound good?"

He nodded, stepping forward as he slipped his hands away from hers. He wrapped his arms around her neck loosely, leaning his head on her shoulder as she stood up, holding him. Her blue eyes darted ahead, watching the two partners make their way to her. Kenshin gave her an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry you had to hear what he said. You could've left—"

"It's fine, I-I wanted to hear him confess to his crime. I feel a lot better..knowing that he had something to do with the whole thing." She glanced around, "Is there a phone I could use? I'd like to get home now and I have to call my cousin to tell her that I'm done."

"I can give you a ride home."

Aoshi sent a glance to the shorter man that spoke up.

Kaoru stared at him in slight surprise, "Are you sure? I don't want to bother you—"

"We're supposed to be watching over you anyway, so there's no problem, Kaoru."

The way he said her name made her shiver slightly and she nodded, watching him speak with Aoshi before walking over to her. He placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her to the front door as he grabbed his coat that was hanging on the wall. He removed his hand to slip his coat on, placing his hand back in its spot as he pushed the door open, Yahiko keeping an eye on him. Kaoru looked to the man, "Is it possible to stop and get something quick to eat?"

"That's fine," he told her as he removed his car keys from his coat, unlocking his car doors as they approached his Red Pontiac TransAm. Yahiko turned his head to eye the car, fairly interested in the nice car. Kenshin opened the back door for Kaoru, watching her as she placed Yahiko down on the seat. He closed the door when she moved away, opening her door next. She thanked him quietly, fighting the blush that threatened to spring onto her cheeks. He shut the door quietly once she slipped her leg in, walking over to his side and climbing in.

"This is a nice car," she told him quietly, buckling her seat belt.

Kenshin gave her a small smile, "Thanks." He glanced into his rearview mirror, peeling out of his driving spot when he saw that Yahiko had his seat belt on. "Miss Kaoru—"

"Kaoru, please."

"Kaoru," he corrected. "Why did you lie?"

Her peaceful blue eyes glanced at him and she shrugged slowly. "I don't know, I guess. I just want to stay private and keep Yahiko away from danger. I don't know. Am I going to get in trouble for it?"

"No," he comforted, a gentle smile on her lips. "Chou admitted everything we need to know and while Aoshi shares the information, other men are being chosen to watch after the house you're living in. They are most likely informing the Makimachi family at this very moment."

"I see.." She leaned back in her seat, her eyes staring at the windshield as a single orange tinted leaf fell, landing in the middle. Fall was coming. "Yahiko, the zoo will be closing in a few more days. We should go sometime soon, what do you say?"

An affirmative noise was his response. Kaoru let a small smile come to her face, Kenshin coming to a stop at a red light. He looked to her, "But you know someone will be with you. We can't take any chances—"

"Why don't you come, Kenshin?"

She said his name so sweetly that he couldn't deny her. He nodded slowly as Yahiko stared at him, finding himself liking the polite redhead. The man was small, but Yahiko could tell that he had hidden strength. His father was the same way. He was gentle, but in certain situations, he would become a different man with no gentleness within his form. He wondered if Kenshin was the same way. He broke away from his thoughts as Kaoru turned around in her seat, tossing a smile to Yahiko. "Doesn't that make you feel better that Kenshin will be coming with us to the zoo?"

He nodded with a blink. His sister surprised him with how strong she was being. She hadn't shed a tear, with or without him near. Why couldn't he be as strong as her? His brown eyes traveled to his lap as his fingers fisted in his jeans and Kaoru lost her smile, glancing at the McDonalds building as Kenshin pulled in. "Yahiko, do you want the usual? Chicken nuggets and a strawberry shake?"

Another nod and she turned around in her seat, rummaging through her purse for money. She pulled out wrinkled money, sorting through the bills as Kenshin ordered for himself. He turned his violet gaze to the girl next to him, watching her sort her money. "I can pay for you, Kao—"

"No! You've done enough. I have money," she told him, holding out the money to him. "I'll have a parfait," she spoke, telling him what Yahiko wanted after her order. Kenshin worried that she should eat more than that, but he kept silent as he accepted her money. They waited behind another car after paying the cashier, Kenshin tapping his fingers lightly on the steering wheel, a comfortable silence developing between the three. He drove up to the last window, taking the bag from the woman and driving slowly over to a parking space, turning off his car.

He handed Kaoru her parfait, leaning back to hand Yahiko his food. He hesitated before reaching out and taking his food from the man. Kenshin didn't expect him to thank him. He sat back in his seat, taking a bite of his chicken sandwich.

"Hey, Kenshin. Since you and other people are going to be following me around, it'd be nice to know a bit about you," Kaoru spoke, stirring her parfait with a small smile. She needed another favor from the redhead also.

He swallowed, "What do you want to know?"

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-eight."

"That old?"

"..Oro?"

"Well, I mean—you don't look that old. I guess I kinda figured you were near thirty just…because."

"I see."

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Yahiko quietly ate his food in the backseat, giving Kaoru a glance. He didn't have to ask. His sister clearly had a crush on the redhead. She only asked that question to men when she was interested. She had asked Soujirou when they first met.

He took a moment to answer before looking at her, "No."

'How can he not have a girlfriend?' "Oh."

"I was married to a woman named Tomoe, but recently got divorced."

"Oh," she said slowly, staring at him as she took a bite of her food. Kenshin seemed perfect, inside and out. He was gorgeous and polite. Chivalry wasn't dead after all. 'Maybe he abused her or something. Probably cheated. A guy with his looks gets a lot of attention and he probably accepted the attention from girls. He doesn't seem like that though..' "Why?" 'Oops.' "I mean—you don't have to answer that. It's none of my business and that was rude—"

He laughed lightly, "Don't apologize; I'm over it. We divorced because the love wasn't there anymore. We rushed into the marriage without thinking everything through. We weren't ready and she still had strong feelings for her ex, so I wanted a divorce. She denied having feelings for him as I continued to accuse her, thus there was much fighting between us. She finally admitted it. I didn't want a fake, meaningless marriage."

"I understand," she spoke quietly. "Kenshin, could you possibly take me somewhere else before dropping me off at my cousins place?"

"Sure," he responded with a blink. "Where to?"

"My house.."


&&

Makimachi Residence

Misao glanced back at Sano as he raided the refrigerator, stopping by for a quick visit. She returned her eyes back to the detective in her kitchen, her eyes darting quickly to the clock. "Isn't Kaoru supposed to be back by now? Where is she—"

"My partner is with her. There is nothing to worry about," Aoshi reassured calmly. He sent a brief glance in Sano's direction as he closed the refrigerator. "I thank you for cooperating with us, Miss Makimachi."

"Anything for Kaoru," she responded. Her parents were currently out. "Where will everyone be located? The men..I mean."

"They will be stationed in cars every night. You may not be able to spot them, but they will be there. Since Kaoru is living here, you may be in danger too. If you go out with Kaoru at any time, you will be followed. You'll be able to tell if it's our men."

She nodded slowly, "Right. Thank you."

Sano stepped next to Misao, looking at the man that challenged his height. "Is there any breaks in the case so far?"

"Yes," Aoshi answered, "Yahiko managed to identify a man in an line-up. The man happened to be the one who violated Mrs. Kamiya, her skin cells found under her nails also." He watched as the young girl bowed her head as he spoke, her eyes hidden by her bangs. His eyes went back to Sano; "We'll do everything in our power to keep Miss Kamiya and Yahiko safe."

He merely nodded, his jaw muscles clenching.


&&

Kamiya Residence

Kaoru stared at the medium-sized house as Kenshin drove up next to the curb, coming to a stop. He shifted the gear into park, leaning back in his seat as he stared at the house also, the yellow tape blocking the door. Kaoru let her fingers reach for the handle, stopping when she felt Kenshin grab her elbow. She looked at him, "I want to go in."

"Kaoru, I don't think—"

"It's fine, just keep Yahiko in the car," she rushed out, pulling away from his grasp and climbing out of the car. Kaoru knew Yahiko wasn't ready to go into the house. She feared he would have another breakdown being in the house. She gave him a small smile as he peered at her through the window, his eyes taken over with sadness. She blew him a quick kiss before turning her back to him, a gentle breeze blowing as her eyes stared at the house. She could hear thunder in the distance and her blue eyes traveled to the gray sky, clouds slowly rolling across the sky as a storm continued to be created. Her eyes returned to the house and a frown came to her face. It seemed to be mocking her.

She wasn't there, her parents' were killed, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Kenshin watched her closely as she made her way through the lawn and to the house, her black hair blowing in the wind. He glanced back at Yahiko, watching him stare out of the window, his fists clenched. He had finished all of his food, Kenshin taking the garbage from him and keeping the bag in the front. Yahiko turned his head slowly, his brown eyes widening slightly in surprise when they clashed with violent.

He didn't know Kenshin was watching him. His surprised quickly faded as he decided to stare back at the man. He wanted to have a staring contest now. Kenshin caught on when the boy didn't blink, playing his little game. The staring contest almost lasted a minute until Kenshin closed his eyes, rubbing them slowly. He re-opened them, his eyes watered when he looked back at the boy. He could've sworn that his lips twitched upwards for a split second. Kenshin let a smile come to his lips. The boy possibly liked him for vowing to keep an eye on himself and Kaoru.

Yahiko raised his hand, his hand forming into a gun as he pointed at Kenshin.

"Do I have a gun?"

Yahiko nodded.

"Of course." He reached over to his glove compartment, popping it open to reveal the silver gun. He looked back to Yahiko.

Interest flooded his eyes.

Kenshin snapped the compartment shut, "And no, you can hold it."

Interest was replaced with disappointment.


Kaoru closed the door quietly behind her, her mouth in a thin line. She took a step, looking over to the fish tank that held multiple black mollies. She walked over, reaching for the food as she lifted the cover up. They greedily swam to the top as she sprinkled enough food for them, setting the food back down as she gazed upstairs. She headed to the stairs, glancing into the living room to see their couches knocked over and the television busted. As she walked up the stairs, she let her eyes remain on the family photos that were on the wall as she passed them.

Her father glared. "Kaoru, you are not leaving this house with that belly shirt on!"

"Bite me, ugly hag!"

Her mother gave her a smile, "Kaoru, I made your favorite for dinner tonight."

"Mom," Yahiko yelled in anger, wiping his cheek, "Kaoru kissed me!"

She stopped on the stairs as her eyes widened, locking on a family photo of the four of them. They were smiling happily, Kaoru in front of their mother as Yahiko was placed in front of their father. Their father had his hand placed on Yahiko's shoulder, his other hand on the shoulder of his wife. Their faces were covered with an X, drawn on with a black marker. Kaoru and Yahiko were left alone. She covered her mouth with a trembling hand, shaking her head as she ran up the stairs, ignoring the broken and crooked pictures on the wall.

She came to a stop when she saw the door open to her parents' room, tape blocking the entrance. She ducked underneath, walking into the room and gazing at the blood before walking over to the nightstand. She picked up a family picture, holding it close to her as she opened the drawer. A smile came to her face as she picked up a picture strip of Yahiko and herself. They took it just a month ago, their parents' laughing out loud when they saw the strip.

In the first frame, they were both giving their biggest smiles. In the second, Kaoru had her finger up her nose while Yahiko stuck his tongue out and pulled down on his eye. In the third, Kaoru grabbed Yahiko and kissed him on his cheek as he gave a disgusted look. In the fourth and last, Kaoru gave a fish face as Yahiko flicked off the camera. He was scolded for that.

She held onto the strip as she turned around, giving the blood one last look before leaving the room and heading to her room. It was trashed. She didn't pay much attention. She walked to her jewelry box, taking out a bracelet that her mother had given her for her eighteenth birthday that passed recently. She closed the jewelry box, frowning slightly when she noticed that a seashell necklace was missing.

She looked at the baseball cap resting on her dresser, grabbing that. Her father had given her the cap when she was eleven, both of them participating in the father-daughter field day convention. They won most of the events, Kaoru being his little tomboy. She placed the baseball cap on her head, walking out slowly.


Kenshin rolled his windows up when it started to sprinkle, his eyes darting to the house when he noticed Kaoru exiting with a few things in her arms. He sat up, Yahiko pressing his hands and face to the window as he watched her near the car, opening the door and dropping everything onto her lap. She reached back, a smile on her face as she held out the Transformers action figure to Yahiko.

His mouth fell open at the sight of his favorite toy, taking it from her with a nod. She turned around in her seat, a small gasp escaping her mouth when she saw that Kenshin had the picture strip in his hand. He laughed slightly, turning the strip her way so she could see which one he was pointing at. "That's attractive," he teased lightly, letting her snatch it away from him. "Home now?"

"Yes, please." As he drove off, Kaoru glanced back to see that Yahiko was consumed with his action figure. "Kenshin, I saw the family picture."

"I thought you would."

She looked to her lap, "They crossed..out.."

"That's why we worry about the safety of you two." He paused, staring ahead with a small frown on his face. "Don't worry."


&&

He walked into the office, shutting the door silently after he entered. His brown eyes stared ahead, a small smile coming to his lips as he approached the desk, standing once he reached it. He nodded to the boy standing next to his boss, receiving the same motion.

"Makoto, you called for me?"

Smoke escaped through his lips, his dark brown eyes darting to the girlish-man standing in front of him. He returned the cigarette to his lips as he closed his laptop, dismissing the boy that was standing next to him. The boy simply nodded, leaving the room quickly. "Chou failed miserably. He's locked up as we speak."

"What an idiot," he grumbled as he placed a hand on his hip. "Are we going to plot a plan to get him out?"

"Maybe," he answered. "Maybe, if needed. Now, it's your turn." He leaned back in his seat, his black hair slicked back into a ponytail, few strands falling over his forehead. He reached for his ashtray, grinding the cigarette down onto it as his eyes remained on the man. "Track down the boy and give him and the sister a warning. Approach that however you wish. Just don't harm them, yet. I want to scare them a bit more before doing so."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with—"

"Don't fail me, Kamatari," he interrupted softly, glancing at the black phone next to him as it started to ring.

He gave a playful wink, "No need to worry."


- - - - – -

New character introduced. More K+K and a bit more emotion from Yahiko. Not much to say except hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Sorry for any grammar issues too. Tell me what you thought of the chapter!

Wolf Jade: Ack, sorry :o) Kaoru and Yahiko will share the money. I should go back and change how I said that since you said something and it does seem that only Yahiko would get the money. But that's not the case, it's belongs to both of them. Sorry about that.

Faust: Using the japanese names is so much better, haha, I agree. With the pairings, I can say that K+K will happen, but for A+M, eh, I'll see if I can work that relationship in here. I'm a fan of A+M.

JadeEye: Thanks for the review, we'll talk more about the beta situation. I've been so busy!

Nette JP: Yes, yay for originality. I haven't read a story like this yet, so I put it all together. Slightly speedy update?

animebdoll: You talked me into it , haha.