Hello loyal readers!
Sorry for skipping a week, but I've been busy this week with paperwork for my NEW JOB! It was honestly such a blessing because it was the exact specialty and location that I wanted. Thanks for everyone who wished me well! Extra long chapter today for you patient peeps~!
Today, Kanako dies, Sho has regrets, and there's a fight with a familiar rival.
Hope you all enjoy!
-x-
CH24
Sho sighed and nursed his latte. The café was cute enough, sure, with the hanging vines and cast-iron gated patio area. His drink had even come with the milk foam on top drawn in the shape of a cartoon bear. It was technically the perfect spot for a date with a girl like Kyo– er, Kanako. The café wasn't his typical dating scene, but then again, Kanako wasn't his typical date.
Sexy? Nope. Buxom? Nada. Sultry? Not at all.
So why was he so interested in her?
No, there was no more wondering why he had agreed to meet Kanako today or any of the other handful of times he had seen her in the past two months. Unbidden, Shoko's words sprang to mind.
"Isn't it just wish fulfillment?" His assistant had asked. "Aren't you only interested in this Morishige Kanako because she reminds you of Kyoko?"
After all, wasn't that also the reason that he was here in Yokohama in the first place?
Kyoko.
One eavesdropped comment from Kijima about his childhood friend's location, and Sho had made up a paper-thin excuse to his father that he wanted to tour their hotels along Yokohama Bay. Shoko repeatedly told him it was illogical. Sho couldn't possibly expect to just run into Kyoko at random, especially while she was working.
And it was illogical – he knew it was illogical.
Despite how vehemently he denied it, in his heart, he knew that Shoko was right. After almost three months, Sho was ready to admit it to himself.
He had royally screwed up.
For the sake of his pride, he had sacrificed the one girl who cared for him beyond the fortune and the face – the one girl who knew him better than he even knew himself. He was an idiot, and he wanted to tell her, to apologize, to make things go back to the way they were.
But his plea to send a message to her through Momose had gone unanswered.
Maybe Kyoko had forgotten all about Fuwa Sho… That thought had haunted him for many a sleepless night.
Therefore, when Kanako had messaged him a week after the incident at the coffee shop, he had gone on a date with her. Then another date and then another.
Today, after reporting that she was coincidentally also in Yokohama visiting the pier's theme park with some friends, Kanako had asked him if he wanted to meet up. Sho had said yes. He had even researched and chosen this café on his own.
Sho sighed quietly to himself. Maybe Shoko was right; it was wish fulfillment… Maybe he wasn't being very fair to Kanako. Maybe he was taking advantage of the girl to satisfy his own selfishness.
Again. Way to go, Fuwa.
Trying to shake off his feeling of brooding, Sho glanced to his left where Kijima and Momose sat at a separate table, looking very much like a couple out on a date. Despite their squabbles while on bodyguard duty, Sho had to admit that the partners put on quite the convincing act when covert.
Today, Shoko had stayed at the hotel to work on business that Sho would otherwise leave unfinished due to his last-minute date. Though the personal assistant hadn't fully agreed with his motives, Shoko supported him in her own way. She had even promised Sho that she wouldn't tell his father or Mimori about his dates with Kanako.
Despite his gloomy thoughts, the day was looking up. For once, he hadn't run across any bad luck at all. No slips or trips or spills. Apparently, the universe agreed with the idea of him meeting with Kanako.
Then the sound of shouting broke through his reverie.
Sho snapped his head up, noticing that Kijima and Momose had risen from their seats. They were staring off at the street beyond the patio. Sho followed their gazes, then immediately flew to his feet.
On the sidewalk outside the restaurant, a man wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a cold mask was wrenching a purse strap from the desperate grasp of a young woman with long, black hair. As the man roughly shoved the woman to the ground, Sho realized.
Kanako was getting her purse snatched.
"Hey asshole!"
Before he could even form a rational thought, Sho found himself sprinting forward on instinct. From some part of his mind, he could hear his LME bodyguards shouting at him as he vaulted over the cast-iron fence and hit the sidewalk running.
Kanako had run off after the purse-snatcher, down the sidewalk. The chase was scattering startled pedestrians in its wake. Sho followed after in hot pursuit, glad that Shoko had provided a casual outfit for this outing. It was much easier running in jeans and a t-shirt than in a suit. He heard shouting behind him but refused to turn around.
Far ahead, the thief swerved around the corner of a busy ramen restaurant, ducking into a small alley behind the building. Kanako followed, yelling after him as she disappeared around the corner.
Sho cursed and tried to put on an extra burst of speed, his legs aching in protest.
As soon as he turned the corner, he noticed Kanako farther ahead down the alleyway. The thief was nowhere in sight. However, Kanako was standing stock-still, turned to the side, eyes wide.
Sho almost skid to a halt in surprise.
Then he saw the truck.
Time seemed to slow down. It was a large white delivery truck, just coming into view around the corner of the alleyway. The alley had melded seamlessly into a narrow side street that lay perpendicular to the alley.
On the street, her long black hair and white shirt billowing back in the wind, stood Kanako. She appeared frozen, like a deer locked in front of a pair of onrushing headlights.
Unbeknownst to him, Sho shouted, "Kyoko!"
On reflex, his legs sped up, fueled by a rush of adrenaline. He was almost to the street, hand outstretched to push her out of the way. Almost there…
Then… Sho tripped.
Time rushed back in a ragged wave. He plummeted to the floor. The ground knocked the wind out of him. His fingertips lay just shy of the road. A roar of air and sound and exhaust fumes buffeted him as the truck flew past.
The next moment stretched on in silent shock.
Then Sho scrambled to his feet. Desperate, his eyes darted about the road for the broken body of a young woman. A young woman he had failed.
Nothing. No body. No blood.
"Kanako? Kanako!"
Panicked and confused, Sho staggered across the street to the other side of the alleyway, shouting her name as he went. He felt hot, frustrated tears sting the corners of his eyes as his heart sank with each passing moment.
"Dammit!" Sho cursed, angrily pounding his fist into the alley's brick wall.
He had failed her. Again.
"Really?"
At the young woman's voice, Sho whirled around. Kanako stepped out of the shadow of a nearby building. She was alive! Relieved, Sho started forward. Then he faltered, confused. Not only was she in one piece, but she also seemed… annoyed?
Gone was the polite, smiling gentleness of Kanako. She wore the same clothes – white shirt and denim shorts – but Sho could hardly say she looked like the same person; her demeanor was entirely different. Kanao rolled her eyes and placed a fist on one cocked hip.
"Really?" She repeated and sighed in exasperation. "I spend all this time and effort to make it look like you got hit by a truck, and you just trip and avoid it? How anti-climactic."
Confused, Sho took a hesitant step back. Nothing the girl was saying was making any sense. "W-What?"
Shaking her head, the dark-haired girl strolled forward. "Oh well… I guess Plan B is just as good."
Nonchalantly, she reached into the waistband of her shorts and pulled out a knife. The cruelly curved blade was roughly hand-length, and it gleamed in the dim lighting of the alley. It was an object shrouded in numb unreality – one that Sho was used to only seeing in movies. He would have been just as shocked if she had pulled out a snake instead.
"K-Kanako-chan…?"
"It's a shame really," the girl mused as she advanced. She flipped the curved knife up in the air and deftly caught it by the leather grip. "The newspapers are going to paint you a hero."
Her dark brown eyes glinted with malice, and for the first time that day, Sho noted from some far corner of his mind that her eyes were no longer their warm, familiar amber.
"I can just imagine the headlines, can't you?" The girl raised a hand and roughly caught Sho by the chin, her nails digging into his skin. She crooned mockingly, "'Man chasing purse snatcher found stabbed to death.'"
She giggled and rolled her eyes. "What a bunch of bull. That's much more noble than your pathetic existence has warranted, I'm sure."
"Ka-Kanako? What–?"
Looking him straight in the eye, her hand still holding his face in her talon-like grip, Kanako smirked. She let her eyes grow wide and innocent as she assumed a cutesy pose. Raising her voice an octave, she said in a cloyingly sweet voice, "Sho-chan, want to go grab coffee with me?"
For a moment, Sho frighteningly saw a glimpse of the Kanako he had gotten to know. Then the familiarity faded away as the cold, angry stranger melded back onto the young woman's face. She barked a short, bemused laugh. "As if."
Shoving his chin aside, Kanako stepped back and raised her hand to her head, carding her fingers through the straight, dark hair. Then she yanked, and with a flourish, removed what appeared to be a wig from her head.
Sho felt his eyes widen. The girl was shaking out long, curled brunette hair. She was still talking but he could scarcely hear her. His feet were finally working, and he began to edge back from her in small, shaky steps.
"I tried a couple of other disguises, but you just looked right through me." Letting the wig drop to the ground, the woman regarded the heir with a sneer. "But some research into your past turned up your little childhood friend."
'Kyoko?' Sho felt his heart leap in panic as he continued to back away.
"Did you two have a falling out? I heard, she left you for another employer." The woman sighed. "You're as transparent as a sheet of glass, really. You miss her so much that you were completely fooled by my disguise. Hook, line, and sinker."
Sho grit his teeth, wanting to throw an insult back at her – whoever she was – but she was right. He had no defense.
"What a chump." As if she knew his thoughts, the young woman grinned maliciously. She began to stalk forward yet again. Her knife glinted in the alley's dim light. "Really, it's a shame you're never going to get a chance to tell her how much you cared."
'As if, you bitch,' Sho thought vindictively. Instead, he let his eyes go wide as his gaze flickered behind Kanako down the alleyway. He shouted as loudly as he could, "HEY!"
As the girl spun to look behind her, Sho quickly turned on his heel and began to sprint down the alley in the opposite direction.
For a moment, he thought he would get away. He was taller and most likely faster than she was, especially with the added lead he'd gained with his miniature distraction.
Then a bright flash of pain tore through his ankle. Sho cried out and tried to ignore the stabbing pangs, but the next step sent him toppling to the ground.
White-hot pain seared through his leg, and when Sho tried to scramble to his feet, blood dribbled to the sidewalk from his left ankle. His left foot refused to move and support his weight, and he fell again, hands striking the pavement. Past the pain, he dimly wondered if she had thrown the knife, cutting some muscle or tendon on the back of his foot.
Behind him, he heard the brunette woman giggle again. His blood ran cold.
"I guess you can say that girl Kyoko was your Achilles heel!"
Gritting his teeth, Sho flipped himself onto his back, working with great effort to move into a sitting position. He watched with growing dread as the woman leisurely stooped to pick up her thrown weapon. She expertly flicked the knife, sending the blood splattering in an arc and cleaning the blade.
Desperate, Sho attempted to crabwalk backwards, his lame foot dragging along the ground. But with a desperate, sinking feeling, he knew that he would never be able to outrun her now.
"Now, if you don't mind," the woman said in a business-like tone, "I have a schedule to keep. My boys can't keep those LME nitwits occupied forever."
Without warning, she ruthlessly stomped on Sho's wounded ankle. He cried out as a flash of disorienting pain rent through his mind, and before he knew it, he was being dragged up from the ground by a surprisingly strong grip.
Sho grimaced as the girl sneered into his face, knife pressed to his stomach.
"Just do us all a favor and die already!"
Sho closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain. In his last moments, he would have thought that his mind would turn to regret. Regret for not pursuing a career in music, for not breaking away from his father, for not gaining popularity and fame by his own merit.
But the last thing he thought of were a pair of familiar, comforting amber eyes.
Then he heard someone shout – "Get away from him!"
His eyes flew open. "Kyoko?!"
-x-
With a furious roar, Kyoko leapt and used her downward momentum to fling several throwing daggers at the girl holding Sho. Agent M's eyes widened in surprise as the brunette promptly dropped Sho and dodge-rolled out of the way of the projectiles. The knives clattered harmlessly against the brick wall around the hotel heir.
A pro?
Either crazy or a pro – the girl was rushing forward with her own knife.
Shifting her stance mid-jump, Kyoko landed and deftly performed a backflip, alighting just outside the range of the young woman's knife swipe. Fortunately for Agent M, the black jumpsuit and boots she had gotten from the safe house were much easier to move around than her Setsu disguise.
The knife just barely missed grazing her abdomen. But the brunette advanced, driving Agent M back with short, controlled slices of her weapon.
In the narrow alley, Kyoko ducked, leapt, then performed a back handspring, aiming to use her legs' momentum to kick the weapon out of her enemy's hands. This time, the other girl wasn't able to dodge fast enough, and Kyoko heard her boots connect with the girl's arm with a satisfying twhack. The knife clattered uselessly to the floor.
The other young woman yelped, staggering back as Kyoko used her opponent's surprise and lack of weapon as an opening to close the distance between them. She dashed in, fist raised to perform a quick rabbit punch to the girl's temple.
But suddenly, she felt her hand batted away, and a swift flash of pain swept up through her midsection. Agent M stumbled away, cradling her bruised ribs. The girl had blocked her strike, using the opening to kick her in the chest.
This girl was definitely a pro.
"Hah!" Her opponent barked, raising an open palm and twitching her fingers in a 'Come on!' motion. "Uesugi-style? That's nostalgic. You're going to have to do better than that!"
Eyes narrowed, Kyoko lowered her center of gravity and dashed forward again, leaping over the leg sweep she saw coming from a mile away – but barely dodging the throwing dagger the girl hurled from below. The girl had probably picked up one of Kyoko's from earlier.
Landing, Agent M immediately spun behind her in a reverse roundhouse kick, which the other girl blocked. Kyoko ducked under the girl's responding reverse roundhouse.
Deciding to change tactics, Agent M twisted to avoid her assailant's cross-body jab. Kyoko grabbed ahold of the girl's arm with one hand and shirt with the other, using her twisted form and the girl's momentum to perform an aikido throw.
That didn't quite go as planned, as the mysterious brunette shifted unexpectedly during the throw, kicking off the side of the narrow alley and snagging Agent M's own arm and the front of her black jumpsuit. The girl had copied her move and was trying to use her own momentum to throw Kyoko instead!
Quick – like a flash – Kyoko used a move Agent T taught her. Simultaneously while slipping her wrist sideways from the girl's grip, Agent M spun harshly backward, breaking the girl's hold on her clothing.
After a moment of silence broken only by harsh breathing, the two opponents leapt back from each other. They were evenly matched in hand-to-hand.
Not taking her eyes off the other girl, Kyoko brought a hand up to her cheek. It was wet and stung. Most likely it was bleeding. She hadn't been able to fully dodge the throwing dagger after all.
Unfortunately, Kyoko knew that she couldn't bring out her gun. That would prompt her opponent to do so as well – she was surely armed – and if a firefight ensued, that Sho-baka might get struck by a ricochet.
"Hey!" Sho's voice sounded weak and gravelly with what Kyoko assumed was pain, judging by the puddle of blood on the flood. "Just run away!"
"Shut up, you idiot," Kyoko snapped, her eyes not leaving her opponent in front of her.
"LME, I'm guessing?" The other girl sniped and flipped her hair behind her. "Why else would you try to protect an idiot like this?"
Before Kyoko could stop herself, the words had flown from her lips, "Because, I can't get revenge on him if he's dead!"
Her enemy's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in barely suppressed laughter. Kyoko crouched farther down, suspicious. Instead the girl merely giggled as if Kyoko had told a hilarious joke. "Oh~? So you're his childhood friend?"
Kyoko felt a surge of panic rise in the back of her throat. How did this girl know?
"Revenge?" The other girl continued on, hiding her smirk behind one hand. "Is that why you left him? You know, you look a lot different than the pictures of you."
Kyoko refused to acknowledge the information. Just let the other girl stall…
"Why revenge?" The mysterious young woman paused to pat a mocking finger to her cheek. Then her brown eyes widened again. "Oh, I get it! You liked him!"
To hell with stalling! Unable to help herself, Kyoko growled in frustration and ran forward again. "Shut up!"
The other girl merely dodged and danced away from Agent M's strike. "You did like him!" She crowed, thoroughly amused. "And what?"
The girl dramatically placed her hands over her chest, pretending to pout. "Did he break your little heart?"
Enraged, Kyoko rushed forward again. This time, the other girl grinned, blocked her series of kicks, and when the LME agent's guard was down, spun and sent Kyoko flying back, gagging from the ruthless knee strike to her gut.
Panting, Agent M staggered to her feet, clutching her abdomen. She knew that it was a tactic. The other girl was just trying to make her mad and sloppy. But dammit! That girl was doing a very, very good job!
Not helping the problem, Shotaro was yelling at her from the other end of the alley to run away. And that was just making her more angry. How cocky did that wounded idiot have to be in order to think that he'd survive at all if it weren't for her distracting his assassin!
Good thing the cavalry was almost here.
As if right on cue, Kyoko heard a pair of boots pound up the pavement behind her.
"M-san!"
One glance back at her partner showed that Agent T had fared much better than she had. His opponent had been the guy guarding the entrance to the alleyway who was dressed like a pretty obvious purse-snatcher – most likely just a hired lackey.
Agent M expected her senior partner to take command of the situation and immediately tell her the attack strategy pattern he wanted to use.
However, as Agent T drew closer, Kyoko heard his steps begin to abruptly slow and then falter.
"Well, well… If it isn't Agent T…" The young woman smirked coyly at Ren. "Replaced me with a new partner already? After all we'd been through together, I'm a bit insulted."
Kyoko stiffened. "New partner?"
She had heard from Yashiro and Maria that Ren had only had one permanent partner before her and that the partnership had ended poorly. Kyoko took a chance and stole a glance at her senpai. He seemed to be frozen in shock.
"How ironic, T-san." The other girl laughed wryly, "Your new partner is an M-san as well?"
"As well?" Kyoko couldn't help but parrot in confusion.
"Oh? Agent T never told you?" Finally acknowledging Kyoko's questions, the mysterious brunette turned back to her, a malicious smirk on her face. "I am the original Agent M."
Kyoko felt as if all the air had left her body.
Beside her, she heard gravel crunch on the pavement as Agent T shifted into a fighting stance.
"Morizumi Kimiko…" Ren growled in his deep baritone, his voice flat and cold. Kyoko glanced up at him again. Gentleman persona discarded, he was glaring openly at the girl across the alley. "I thought that Yamashita's assassin seemed familiar. What happened to retiring from field work to become a nice housewife?"
"Actually, Ren-kun," the other girl said casually, but settled her stance a little lower, just in case Agent T tried something, "I go by the name Kappa now –"
Kyoko felt her eyes widen. Kappa – that was a Greek letter, right? Did that mean this girl was a part of Henshin?
"But really, Ren-kun, did you honestly expect me to sit quietly and get married to a nice, boring salaryman?" Kappa gave a longing sigh. "You've ruined me for life. Who else could possibly measure up to you? As a boyfriend? ...As a lover?"
If Kyoko had chosen to look up at Ren at that moment, she would have seen the wide-eyed look of panic he shot down at his current kouhai. However, Kyoko was too preoccupied with her own thoughts and emotions, which had seemed at that moment to uncontrollably and spontaneously combust.
Time slowed to a painful crawl as all Kyoko could think, over and over again, were the echo of Morizumi Kimiko's words – "I am the original Agent M… Replaced me with a new partner… You've ruined me for life… A boyfriend… A lover…"
From some far removed part of her mind, Kyoko heard Ren snap sharply – much more sharply than usual for him – "You know those were just cover stories, Morizumi-san. Nothing more. We never did anything."
"Are you sure they were?" Kimiko replied, voice coy. "I could have sworn you felt something back…"
Kyoko resurfaced from her thoughts just in time to hear Agent T say sternly, "Enough. It's time for you to come with us, Morizumi-san."
Kappa barked a short, bitter laugh. "I don't think so."
Narrowing her eyes and sliding her hand to the back of her belt to reach for her gun, Kyoko silently prepared herself for action.
Instead Kimiko just winked and blew Ren a kiss. "I'll catch you some day, Ren-kun. Don't forget... I always get what I want."
With a malicious grin and a flick of her wrist, Kappa threw something at the ground. A bright light and a loud noise assaulted Kyoko's senses.
When the dancing spots across her vision and the ringing in her ears cleared, Kyoko saw to her frustration that the ex-LME agent was gone.
-x-
PSYYYYYYYYCH! Did I fake any of you out with my author's note at the beginning about Kanako's death? Can't believe everything you read on the internet ;) Who else guessed that SHE was Kappa? I think there were a couple of you who called it in the comments. Bravo!
Japanese Notes:
Purse-snatchers – It might just be an overused trope, but suspicious people in Japanese media always seem to be wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a cold/flu mask.
-x-
MAILBAG
Shizuhoe – You got it! Chi = Cain and Sigma = Setsu. I'm so lucky that I didn't have any other character using those greek letters since the beginning of the story. I must admit that I didn't plan that far ahead. Heehee… Oops! And that is a good point; Kyoko would indeed have rationalized that Cain was looking at Setsu and not Ren at her. Thanks as always Shizuhoe! :)
MWEH – I'm pretty sure we get a chapter every month! There was a 2 month gap a couple (?) months ago because Nakamura-sensei was taking a long overdue vacation. Fortunately, we got a chapter this month, because last chapter was a huge cliffie! Your last comment made me LOL. Indeed, only Kyoko would consider falling in love a sickness!
Cheshire2313 – Wow! Thank you so much for the multiple reviews! It's such a privilege to get not only one review but reviews for multiple chapters! I'm really glad that someone finds me funny :,) I've seen most of RWBY Season 1, but stopped watching Season 2. Let me go rewatch the 2.1 opening! As for Delta knowing whether Saena has a daughter, he doesn't! Hence, he's never brought it up. Good question! As for Kimiko, ironically, she's just adding fuel to Kyoko's "Momiji" characterization. After all, Momiji is someone who is in love with a man who does not return her feelings and dotes on another girl. Sounds just like the situation Kimiko is setting up! I can't wait either for Kimiko to get her due… Many of the characters Sensei writes are not pure evil; even Ruriko, Erika, Chiori, and Saena started out as "malicious" characters, but were humanized and shown to have redeeming qualities over time. However! I really, really, really don't like Kimiko and hope she's as straight-forwardly immature and evil as she seems just so her eventual fall will be all the more satisfying. :3 And don't worry! Kyoko is going to address the promise/bet between her and Sho very, very soon… Won't resolve it completely, but that's not going to be the point of the bet. ;)
Aikori Ichijouji – LOL! Your comment was hilarious! It may indeed be a crime to cover it up… ;) I'm really glad that the montage format wasn't too heavy on exposition… It was a LOT of exposition. Haha Just curious, after this chapter, do you still want Sho not to be rescued? Thanks Aikori!
brennakai – Over 20 chapters… You're right! I was looking at the stats the other day, and I realized that this is by far the longest story I've ever written. My Word document is actually starting to lag whenever I first load it up! So many pages! Welcome for the story! Thank YOU for continuing to read it and provide feedback!
If you liked what you read (or even if you didn't), don't forget to add an alert, a fave, or a review. It really does make a difference! Love you guys!