Here's Chapter 26
Please Enjoy :)
Warning: Not NxM Chappie :3
Hotaru hurt all over when she coughed, but she managed to extricate herself from the E.R. and bypass any medical types on her way to Ruka's room. She still had her running clothes, the hem of her shorts bloodied from short skid across the road. The guys guarding Ruka eyed her but didn't say a word. Smart. She felt like punching someone. Not that she could muster up the strength to really nail anyone. But she was in the mood.
Ruka was on his feet; off all his IVs and looking like he wanted to escape out of the nearest window.
"Watch out," Hotaru told him. "Yome is getting cranky about Alice agents who get out of line."
He gave her a ragged look. "I need to get out of here."
"Not without an armed guard. You're still not fit to protect yourself, and, damn, you need protecting. I'm thinking you've got a big-assed target painted on your back."
His azure eyes seemed to focus on her for the first time since she'd enter his room. "What the hell happened to you? Hotaru-"
"I got shoved into a car at a gunpoint by couple of thugs. One got in a few smacks before I jumped out into oncoming traffic. They wanted to know about the investigation into the shooting." She grinned and limped to his bed. "I think the picked me because I'm raven hair."
He swept a narrowed gaze over her, presumably taking in her swollen lip, the visible portion of her bloodied upper thigh and the obvious pain she was in. "They picked you because you're a creature of habit and run at the same time every morning." He sat on his vinyl-covered hospital chair. "And you're my former girlfriend."
"There. I've always said you'd make a great investigator." It was weird with swollen lip. The doctor had sent her off with an ice pack, which she'd used on the way up to Ruka's room but wouldn't use in front of him and his guards. "I swear, I'd rather get shot than have to jumped out of a moving vehicle. You should see the rest of the road rash."
"Done. I'll trade you my bullet wound for your road rash."
"You'd get my right thigh with the deal. You might not like that."
"I like your right thigh just fine."
His comment was that of a friend who'd once been a lover, a man who was facing a long recovery, who hadn't had a chance to fight his own to fight his own attacker. Hotaru sat on the edge of his bed, a hospital no-no, careful to avoid touching anything to her road rash. "It could have been a couple of mad reporters for all I know."
"That's not what you think."
No. She thought it was the guy his sister had seen in Central Town. She tried to grin, but it hurt. "You don't look so good today, Nogi."
"You should see yourself, Imai."
She laughed which is a rare sight to see. "Yome asked me a bunch of pointed questions. I think he's suspicious of me. Thinks I might have faked my own kidnapping. For all I know, he's got it in his head that I shot you and Natsume."
"FBI's suspicious of everyone. Yome is no exception."
"I'm suspicious of everyone, but he's carrying it too far. He barged in on me in the E.R. I practically had my ass hanging out – "
"Hotaru. Jesus Christ."
"Sorry. I grew up with only my brother-"
"I wasn't talking about your language. Yome. He doesn't really suspect you. You got description of the guys who grabbed you?"
She nodded. "I'm not supposed to discuss the details to anyone."
"Understood."
"You want to get back in bed? You look like you're fading. My God, Ruka. I can't believe…" But she stopped herself, knowing it wouldn't do him any good to dwell on how close he'd come to being dead.
"Maybe I'll just tell Yome I fell while I was on my run and made up the kidnapping just to cover my embarrassment."
"This thing, whatever's going on – it's not an agent's deal. Natsume knows about you?"
Although he was up, Ruka looked more haggard this morning, with dark circles under his eyes. Maybe the doctors and nurses were pushing him so hard. "Yome called him after he got through grilling me."
Ruka sank his head back against the chair and exhaled at the ceiling, his chest bandage peeking out his hospital gown.
Hotaru eased back to her feet. "It's hard to look macho in a hospital gown, isn't it?"
"It's hard to look macho with a big goddamn bullet hole in you." She'd tried to make him smile, but failed. He had to know she was holding back on him.
"You did great, Hotaru. Getting away. I'm glad you had a chance."
"I should have gotten the plate number. Yome would be happier with me if I had."
"Fuck Koko."
She smiled and fakes a gasped. "No way. He's got a wife and kids, not to mention that gut-"
That drew something of a smile. "You are going straight to hell, you know that, don't you?"
"Just trying to cheer up a fellow agent. Think FBI's got me under surveillance? And Natsume – I wonder-"
"You and Natsume'd sniff out a G-man within a thousand yards of you."
"They can monitor my calls and emails all they want – I don't care. I just don't like someone tailing me."
"You're unnerved, Imai. That's not a good place to be."
"How would you know? You've never been unnerved in your life."
"I'm there now. My parents turning up missing yesterday, Mikan and this anonymous note." He shook his head, his distress at his immobility palpable. "And there's not a damn thing I can do about it."
He shifted in his chair, giving an involuntary moan of pain. Hotaru remembered laying her hand on his chest, but all passion and romance they'd had for each other was gone now, or so she thought, replaced by a steady, resilient friendship that surprised her. For most part when men were done with her, they ran like hell.
"Come on, Hotaru. Quit beating yourself up."
"I should have gotten more out of these guys before I jumped."
"If the car had picked up speed and you jumped, you'd have a broken bones instead of bruises."
Or she'd be dead. "They realized they hadn't locked the doors about the time I did. But still – I could have done better."
"You're too hard on yourself."
"Yome is interviewing witnesses himself. He really must think I staged the whole thing." She blinked back infuriating tears. "God, listen to me. You're the one who almost died."
Ruka didn't respond.
Hotaru sniffled and pulled herself together. What the hell had the doctor given her to make her feel do pathetic? "I've decided to fly down to Kyoto and talk to Natsume, maybe talk to your sister. Don't worry, I'm not going to step on FBI's toes."
"Going to ask their permission?"
"No. I don't answer to them. And it's my damn day off. I can do whatever I want. Tono tried to put a security detail on me, but I'm still armed and able to take care of myself."
Ruka grinned at her, a spark of his former self-shining through his pain and weakness. "Tough as nails Agent Imai." But his humour ebbed quickly, and he tightened a fist, staring at his pale skin. "I really need to get out of this goddamn hospital."
"You will." She kissed him on top of the head.
"I'll call you from Kyoto and let you know if Natsume's behaving himself."
"Hotaru-"
"Your sister's really pretty. You know that, right? And her and Natsume – whoa, when she followed him – "
Ruka made a face. "Mikan's always thought she'd fall for some mild-mannered academic, but, watch, it'll be some hard-ass like Natsume."
"Think he could fall for her, or will you kill him if he does?"
"He's my best friend. You've seen her. You've seen them together. What do you think?"
Hotaru pretended to think a moment, but she didn't have to – she had a fair idea of what Hyuuga and Ruka's stepsister were like together. "I think the wolf's guarding the proverbial henhouse."
"Mikan can be tough on men," Ruka said. "She's had too many go after her just because of her looks. She's got herself convinced now that she wants someone 'safe.'"
Hotaru laughed. "That's what we all think when we see Natsume, isn't it? Here's a safe guy. Hang in there, okay? They're both adults. Worse thing that can happen is your sister gets pregnant and has a little Natsume – or little Natsume twins."
"I wish I had the strength to throw something at you." Ruka settled his blue eyes on her, a reminder that beneath that western charm and easygoing façade was a serious, experienced federal law enforcement officer. "Be careful."
"Of course."
"Think of me languishing up here while you're eating prune cake and drinking sweet tea punch on the porch."
"Trust me," she said, "I'm not eating anything called prune cake."
"You already have. I made it to celebrate my assignment up here."
"You said it was spice cake with caramel frosting."
"Prune cake. I didn't want to prejudice you."
"Gross."
"You loved it."
She loved him. But hadn't worked, the two of them in the same district. She was more ambitious than he was – hell, a frog was more ambitious. "I'm glad we've stayed friends."
He winked at her in the way that used to make her want to jump his bones. It didn't anymore. It just made her feel good. "Me, too."
Hi, Everyone :), It's great to be back.. Did you miss me? *giggle* I think most of you hate me for not updating hehehe
I'm very thankful to everyone who patiently waited for this update and for those who are still reading/supporting this fanfic. No word can express, how truly grateful I am.
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riaanaa, mybeyondinfinity, Catalina Luna Moon, Kim, Sawada Yuki, AnimeMango, Love Crimson Red ray88, sme1228, Guest, Ai sakura,Ayame-hime 11d7, SunBabyBoss , Ai Blossum Sakura and ren007 A massive thank you to you guys I love You All :)
As a treat here's a Sneak Peek:
He could see Mikan stiffen, but her brother didn't seem to be caught off guard. "He checks out as a reporter from Shinjuku," Ruka said. "That's as far as I got. I was going to dig deeper after he tracker my folk down in Paris. Where is he now?"
"Last we saw, smoking cigarettes with an old fisherman."
"What else?" Ruka asked. "There's more, Natsume I can tell."
To all my beloved readers, followers, to those people who added both of my stories on their favorites list. I would like to say a massive thank you to all of you. Also, thank you for all the support. Till the next chapter.
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Claire-chan143