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/ Calm Before The Storm /
&&
Kenshin closed his amethyst eyes tightly as he lifted his hand, his fingers rubbing the lids of his eyes gently as he sat back in his chair. Due to his lack of sleep in the past several days, he wasn't doing so well with concentrating on the current case. It worried him that Kaoru and Yahiko were targeted, both of them young and seemingly defenseless against anyone who could plan to attack them. He briefly wondered if they should be staying in the home of a police officer or another detective. He would volunteer himself, but thought against it immediately. He didn't want to cause problems by getting to close to Kaoru. He had a feeling that he was beginning to. The girl was starting to become like a drug. Her laugh soothed him; her smile was contagious—though he could tell that it wasn't a true smile just yet. It was certain that she was becoming completely comfortable with him.
He let out a loud sigh as he opened his eyes, letting them slowly travel to the window in his office. He watched quietly as cars sped by and couples passed his window, carefree and unknowing about the dangers that surrounded them. He wanted to be like that in all honesty. He wanted to be ignorant and not know half of the things he knew from being a detective. Kenshin debated on whether he should watch television, figuring that the media was still talking about the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya. They didn't have much information to talk about, much to Kaoru's liking. She wanted everything to be on the down low for now, so to say. She liked her privacy.
He tapped his fingers on his desk lightly with his left hand, loosening his black tie with his other. His eyes darted up to his door when it opened, revealing his quiet partner in the doorway. Kenshin nodded slowly, watching the man close the door after entering.
"You look like hell."
Kenshin gave him a small smile, "That's what sleep deprivation does to one such as myself."
"Well, after I'm done speaking with you, you should go home and get a few hours of rest."
He tilted his head, red bangs falling over his eyes. "Aw, Aoshi, I'm surprised you even care."
"I just don't want a partner doing a half-assed job," he replied dryly, sitting down in the chair in front of Kenshin's desk. He ignored the smile dropping from Kenshin's face. "About the Kamiya siblings, maybe we should just consider putting them in the Witness Protection Program."
Kenshin shook his head, "It wouldn't work. There's been a situation or two this year where people have been tracked down and look at Yahiko—he's quite the suspicious character with his inability to speak to anyone. Kaoru and Yahiko will be far too scared to pull off changing their identity and whatnot."
Aoshi simply nodded as Kenshin continued. "If anything happens to where they can no longer stay at the Makimachi residence, they should bunk up with a cop or another detective. I've been thinking about that and it has happened before."
Kenshin stared at his partner and Aoshi abruptly shook his head, "Don't think they will be staying with me."
"Why not? It's not like you ever have any women over with your silent personality."
The corners of his lips twitched, a facial expression that was hardly seen among people they worked with. Kenshin was his closest friend and he came to see Aoshi smile more than once and even let out a short laugh. He wondered if Hell was starting to freeze over when Aoshi let out the unfamiliar laugh. "I'll have you know that women seem to like the strong, silent type. I'm not sure if women go for men that they have the possibility of being taller of, though."
Kenshin let a small glare slip at his partner, touchy on the topic about his height. He was nowhere near Aoshi's height, but he wasn't a midget either. Many of the men they worked with tormented him about his height, but Kenshin proved his own abilities. He may have been a small man, but he held great strength in his being and everyone knew it now. They knew not to get on the bad side of Kenshin—comrades and criminals alike. "Anyway," he started quietly, "how many cars are positioned at the Makimachi residence?"
"Three."
"I'll give Kaoru a call and see how everything is going there. Then I'll go work on getting some rest. Call me if anything happens." He picked up his phone as Aoshi left his office, picking up a slip of paper to begin dialing the number.
&&
Makimachi Residence
Misao and Kaoru sat on the couch quietly, a bowl of junk food resting between the two of them. They referred to it as the 'junk bowl', numerous candies mixed together such as: whoppers, gummy bears/worms, nerds, and mini candy bars. Their weight wasn't currently on their mind as they stared at the television, watching The View. Misao let out a laugh as Joy made a crude comment, causing the entire audience to laugh along.
Kaoru smiled slightly, popping a whopper in her mouth as the phone started to ring. She stretched her arm, reaching over and pulling the phone to her ear, "Hello?"
"Ms. Kam—Kaoru," Kenshin corrected, recognizing her voice immediately.
"O-Oh," she stammered. "Kenshin! I haven't heard from you in a few days."
"I know," he spoke gently. "I've been busy trying to find any further evidence and track down a few people. Nothing has surface yet, but be patient." He paused. "How is Yahiko doing?"
Kaoru excused herself from the couch, not wanting to be rude and talk while Misao was trying to watch the show. Misao nodded slowly, watching her cousin get up from the couch and wander off down the hall. Misao let a trouble look pass over her face before she returned her gaze to the television, letting out a sigh.
"He's doing….okay." She bit her bottom lip softly; "He has a lot of nightmares whenever he sleeps for the night or just during a nap. He's sleeping right now, actually. He's still showing no emotion. No smiles, no laughs—well, he almost smiled when Misao fell down the porch, but that's it."
Kenshin chuckled. "And how are you, Kaoru?"
There was a moment of silence before she decided to speak. "I'm fine," she lied easily, forcing a smile to her lips. "I have to stay strong for my younger brother after all, right? I'm all he has and—"
"Kaoru," he interrupted quietly, leaning back in his chair. "Keeping feelings inside isn't too healthy, you know. It isn't the best—"
She became defensive, hearing those words from Sano a day ago. "Who says I'm keeping my feelings locked up?"
"It's clear to see, Kaoru. I was at the funeral of your parents' with Aoshi and managed to get a glimpse of you. You weren't even crying and I know that you were—still are miserable."
'He's right.'
"Perhaps showing that you also having your moments of weakness like everyone else..won't be so bad."
'Since when did he become a psychiatrist?' She had the urge to speak the snide remark, but held her tongue. She didn't want to come off as rude to the older man, because she truly wasn't like that. She was becoming infatuated with the detective, but she kept it hidden. Time for a topic change, she decided. "Kenshin?"
Her voice was small, but he heard her. "Yes?"
"I—today," she started nervously, "Yahiko and I were planning to go to the zoo today when he woke up and ate breakfast. Since we already talked about it before, would you still like to come along with us? The other detectives and whatnot..it would be weird walking with one of them since we don't know any of them that well and—"
He let another chuckle out at her rambling. He glanced at the clock, groaning mentally as he debated. He wanted to go, but damnit—he needed sleep! No sleep in thirty-two hours can drive someone insane and Kaoru wanted to extend his sleep deprivation. "How about we reschedule that for tomorrow?" He smiled slightly, "I'll be free tomorrow and wide-awake then."
"O-Okay!" He could practically hear the smile in her voice, wishing that he could see it. "Tomorrow then."
"You have my number, don't you?"
"I lost it," she admitted, looking around and grabbing the nearest pen. She stepped into the kitchen, wandering over to the counter when she saw a pad of post-it notes.
"I'll give you my house number, cell phone, and office so you can reach me whenever you'd like or if there's a problem. My cell phone is always on," he told her, reading off the numbers once she said she was ready to scribble them down. Kaoru scratched out a wrong number, re-writing it correctly and gasping softly when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist.
She looked down, her mouth forming a thin line as she stared down to Yahiko, his face buried in her shirt. She dropped the pen, finishing the numbers. Her hand ran through his messy hair, "Thanks, Kenshin. I have to go—Yahiko has woken up and he needs breakfast."
"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow, Kaoru."
"Yes," she responded softly, "bye."
-Click-
Kaoru kept the phone to her ear a moment longer before hanging up, placing the phone down. A smile came to her face as Yahiko looked up at her, hearing that it was Kenshin. She bent down to him, raising a brow. "You know I can't cook, so I won't bother making you any eggs or bacon. You know what happened last time I attempted making bacon," she told him with a short laugh. They were black and shriveled up. "I do make good pancakes though if I pay attention to them!"
"…" He nodded slowly, slipping his hand into hers. She stood up straight, leading him into the kitchen. He was a bit wary of her cooking, even if she did say she made good pancakes. His sister was known for starting to cook something, but shortly walk away after a few minutes because it was time for a bathroom break or she merely became distracted. He let his hand slip away from her fingers, watching her search through the cupboards.
"Misao! Where's the pancake mix!"
"How should I know!" She shot back.
Yahiko glanced to the living room. Kaoru threw her hands up in the air, rolling her eyes. "Gee, I don't know. Because you live here?"
Misao popped a candy into her mouth, "That may be true, but my parents' love rearranging things almost everyday." She got up, deciding to tape her show before heading to the kitchen. She smiled, "Pancakes sound good! I'm in. Chocolate chip pancakes, anyone?"
"Sounds great," Kaoru replied, Yahiko nodding in agreement. After a few minutes of searching, Misao discovered the pancake mix while Kaoru found the chocolate chips. She opened the new bag, popping a few chocolate chips in her mouth. She gave Misao a smile when she glared.
"Kaoru, save them for the pancakes or there won't be any left."
"Ah, I'm just checking for freshness," she lied easily, placing the bag on the counter. Her smile slowly faded as her gaze drifted to her younger brother, watching him stare as Misao got everything ready. She bit her lower lip gently, knowing that they both use to help their parents make breakfast. "Yahiko, come help. You can toss in the chocolate chips—just don't overdue it," she teased lightly, wrapping her arm around his shoulders when he came to stand next to her.
Misao read the instructions, "So..what did Mr. Himura want?"
"Just to check up on us. He's still looking for evidence and whatnot. So far, there's nothing." She overlooked Misao's saddened look. "But soon, they'll find something..I'm sure." A frown came to her pretty face, "I'm sorry for staying here. I understand if you'd like me to leave, Misao. Just say it."
"Kaoru!" She gave her a glare, "Just because our other crappy family members are trying to pretend you two don't exist, doesn't mean I'll start acting like them. That's bullshit," she swore harshly. Kaoru tried to cover Yahiko's ears, but was too late. Ever since the incident, family members pulled away from her. The drift increased when they found out that people could possibly come after the two for their money. They didn't want to be associated with them, didn't want trouble in their life, so they abandoned the two after wishing them luck.
'Assholes,' Kaoru thought angrily. Megumi and Sano were still by her side, telling her that they will never leave her side. She was lucky to have them, along with Misao and her family. Kaoru noticed that her parents were starting to become quite skittish though whenever there was a loud noise at night. She didn't blame them. At times, she was scared to fall asleep herself, the darkness bringing nothing but pain and bloody nightmares. She was sure that it was the same for Yahiko. He crawled into her bed almost every night, struggling to keep his brown eyes entirely open through out the night, but failing miserably. "Thank you, Misao."
"No need. Kaoru, you should know better. We were in diapers together, we took baths together, and we flashed the police together—"
Kaoru let out a laugh at her last comment. A year ago, they went to a party and accidentally got wasted. Misao acted no different when drunk, Kaoru noted. Kaoru on the other hand became quite giggly and touchy, being called a tease several times in her teenage life. The incident was memorable among the people in the car. Misao and herself were in the backseats, Soujirou sitting between the two girls' and not complaining as Kaoru let her hands wander. The two in the front seat—both sober, got the brilliant idea to dare the two girls into flashing the upcoming police officer on his motorcycle. They went for it, hanging their rear ends out of the windows and pulling down their skirts and underwear.
They were both charged with MIP's. Kaoru had a beer in her hand and it was obvious that Misao was drunk along with her.
"I know, I know."
"Anyway, speaking of Himura—my God, did you see his partner?"
Yahiko shook his head slightly at his boy-crazy cousin. She never stopped. Kaoru nodded slowly, "Well, of course. He's a nice man. Quiet, but a decent man."
"His voice is amazing—so deep. He's gorgeous."
"Misao, I think he's too old for you."
"Is not. I'm turning eighteen in November," she told her with a wink. "Hopefully, I'll see him again."
"There's a possibility.."
"Hey, how about we call Soujirou?"
She was good at changing subjects randomly. Kaoru blinked slowly, "..Soujirou?"
"Yes..we haven't seen him in awhile. He can come and cheer you up. I think he's in town, but you know how he's always busy. I heard he attended the funeral."
"He did, did he?" She handed the bag of chocolate chips to Yahiko, watching him toss the chips onto the pancakes. He stared on greedily, restless to start eating his favorite type of pancake. He slightly noticed Kaoru running her fingers through his hair soothingly, carrying on a conversation with their cousin. "Yeah, we can give him a call. I'd like to see him. Does he still have the same cell phone number?"
Misao nodded, watching as Yahiko added a bit too many chips to a pancake.
&&
Soujirou slipped his gloves off after handing pictures to Kamatari, slipping his cell phone out when a familiar ring tone sounded. He checked the name, taking a few steps away from the man. "Kaoru?"
"Hi..Soujirou," came her quiet voice. A smile sprung to his lips. He missed that lovely voice.
"Hi, Kaoru." He paused. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you. I tried to catch you at the funeral, but I didn't see you. How are you two doing? Well—that's a dumb question, so don't answer that."
"It's all right. I'm doing better. Yahiko is just fine. How are you?"
"Never better, but I do miss seeing you and weasel girl. I'm going to stop by, today. I heard you're staying with Misao. Is that true?"
"Yes." She paused. "Really? That's why I called—we wanted to have you over today."
"It's a plan." He brought his wrist up, moving his shirtsleeve away from his Rolex watch. "How about I get over there in an hour? Is that fine?"
"Perfectly fine. We'll both be here. Her parents' are busy all day at some convention."
"All right. I'll see you in an hour."
A small smile came to her lips. Even if they weren't together intimately, they were still very close. Soujirou continued treating her like a princess, as if they were going out at times. He fooled several people, giving them the impression that they had gotten back together, but it wasn't true. She no longer had those types of feelings for him and she wasn't sure what he felt. He was a hard man to understand. "Okay, bye."
"See you." He hung up, putting his cell phone back in his pocket. He looked at Kamatari, watching him sort through the pictures with a small grin on his face. He seemed satisfied. Kamatari chuckled lightly to himself, grabbing an envelope with his covered hands.
"What sick bastard took these pictures?"
Soujirou merely shrugged, "I'm not quite sure, but they were given to me. Since Mr. Shishio wants you to give them a scare first, I figured those would work and that, my friend, is why I told you to buy a stamp and get an envelope."
Kamatari nodded. At first, he didn't understand why he had to get those two things, but it all made sense later. The pictures were going to disturb the girl. He liked that idea. "I should remember never to question you, Soujirou. Aye, since you know where the little girl and boy are, why not just take out Kaoru yourself and get the boy?"
He let his smile widen, "Mr. Shishio knows I could never physically harm Kaoru, let alone her brother. I fear I am too weak to do anything like that. For now, I'll just play with them." He walked over to Kamatari, watching him seal the letter with a sticker instead of his saliva. He placed a hand on his shoulder, "Nicely done. Mr. Shishio wants it delivered by tomorrow, so find a mailbox."
Kamatari flipped the envelope over, scribbling down Kaoru's name with a heart next to it. Soujirou let a brow rise as he glanced at him. Kamatari shrugged, "For Chou, since he has a thing for the girl. In memory of Chou since he let himself get caught like an idiot."
Soujirou let out a soft chuckle, checking his watch once more. 'Sorry, Kaoru.'
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