Ryo could see her falling, he reacted within a blink. He threw the gun away, and clutched her in both his hands. She knew nothing of what was going around her. Saeko looked at her in a bit of surprise, all the while, keeping her focus on the person tied on the floor. "Take him away Saeko. If I see him again, I might kill him." said Ryo with a brow darkened with suspicion. Saeko fired with the gun facing upwards, it was a blank fire. Within a minute there were two armed constables beside her. She motioned them to take the man away, which they obeyed silently.
From the time Kaori had seen this person, tied, in Ryo's room, she was behaving absonantly. When he uttered the name, Kaori became unconscious. "What's the matter? Is there any relation between the two of them? Does Kaori know this Fujimaki Masashi? Who the hell is he?" thought a now-serious Ryo. He was wondering what could have happened to Kaori that gave her such a shock such that she blacked out? There's definitely something fishy between these two. Ryo's gaze was fixed on unconscious Kaori's face while Saeko was checking her pulse. "It seems alright to me, Ryo." said Saeko. Just then Kaori showed signs of coming back to her senses. Ryo went to the bottle he had thrown on his bed beside Kaori when she had handed it over to him, and sprinkled some water on her face from it. She sat back up. "What happened to me? Why are you two looking at me like that? Ryo? Saeko-san? What's the matter?" asked Kaori in a confused voice. Before Saeko could answer, Ryo said "It's nothing Kaori, You may take rest a bit. It seems that you're still weak. By the way, do you happen to know someone named Fujimaki Masashi?"
Kaori's face turned pale and her heart almost leaped to her mouth. She was very tensed and afraid. It didn't escape the eyes of the great City Hunter as he eased her back on his bed. Kaori nodded her head vehemently to show that she didn't. As she drifted off to sleep, Ryo kept his forefinger on his lips indicating Saeko to be absolutely quiet and motioned her to follow him out of the room. When they were out of the room, Ryo closed the door behind them without even a faint creaking sound and turned to face Saeko. "It seems that she knows him, but she won't tell me ever. I've got to find this Fujimaki Masashi real soon before that bastard lands another attack. But the only problem is that I don't have the faintest idea where he might be at the present." Saeko said, "Well Ryo, let me wring the person out to see if we can get some information that can give us a new lead. You go on with your work. Gimme a ring if you ever need me, I'll be there even before you can think of." and left the apartment. Ryo came back into his room where Kaori was lying asleep on her bed. "Kaori" he called out and kept the palm of his right hand on her forehead. Kaori opened her eyes slowly, and instantly turned red as an apple seeing Ryo so close her. "I need to go out to the market because unfortunately my partner can't. So will you be alright and be a good girl while I am away? I promise I won't be gone for long." said Ryo affectionately. Kaori slowly nodded her head in approval all the while looking at his eyes. "So I must be off now. See ya. Take care Kaori, and don't overstrain yourself." Ryo said as he went out through the apartment, locking the door as he did so.
Just as he left, Kaori ran to the roadside window to see him. He was whistling in an eerie manner, and was walking unmindfully like a pervert, looking at the assets of the girls walking on the street, but he never approached them. Long after he was out of sight, the telephone in the sitting-room rang. Kaori lunged for it, and as soon as she reached it, she grabbed it and held the receiver close to her ears. There was no sound from the opposite end. With each passing moment, the tension within Kaori rose up to new levels. Her heartbeat accelerated. Was she right? Was it him? What if it's him? What would she do now? And most important, What more does he want? After a long torturing silence that seemed like decade, there was a voice heard from the opposite end of the telephone – "How are you my sweetheart? Is everything alright? Seems like you are still alive! Surprising, isn't it? Sorry for the wrong hit! Trust me, I've had punished myself after I did it. I'm really sorry. Oh, I forgot. How is your new found love? I saw both of you yesterday on the footpath, hand in hand. It was a pleasure seeing you alive after so long. I must say that you two look great together. But I am sorry; I must punish him for being so close to you. Hope you won't mind, would you? I know you won't." The last sentence sounded like a cold warning. Kaori wasn't afraid anymore thinking of what might happen to Ryo. She was fuming with anger. Enraged as she was, she shouted at the top of her lungs "Fujimaki! You dare not touch him ever! If you do, there won't be anyone to save you from me! You hear me? Don't ever think of laying a scratch on him." There was a faint sound of a laughter heard from the other end of the phone and then the voice spoke again "Well then! I accept the challenge! Save him from me if you can, my sweetheart! I guess he needs help in choosing his groceries for the day." and the phone got disconnected.
Meanwhile Ryo went out of his apartment, and into the market. He went towards Kabuki-Cho. As he reached on the crossing, he could see an old café. He entered and sat on the last table on the roadside window and opened the newspaper on his face. After sometime, a young waiter came in to him and served him with a glass of wine although he hadn't ordered for anything. He closed the newspaper and as soon as he looked at the glass, his eyes narrowed. The glass was full up to the brim with a rosy red coloured drink.
