A/N: Ta-da! A lil surprise mini-chapter for you guys! Ya'll had such an amazing reaction to the last chapter that i didn't want to keep you waiting too long before i updated lol THINGS ARE FINALLY GONNA START HAPPENING! Next one will be quite dramatic and eventful. On that you can be sure of lol
Also: This title of this chapter comes from the Neon Hitch song 'Serious'. Very good song.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter forty-three: Serious
"Hey, Mitsurashi, you going to Lizard Lounge tonight?" The department's other Junior Detective leaned against Kouga's desk, disrupting his concentration with the unexpected question. Kevin was a nosy busy-body with a hidden agenda, and could always be counted on for knowing the best gossip and department secrets. Kouga looked up from the file on his desk with an irritated expression.
"What the hell is Lizard Lounge?" He asked shortly, thinking the name sounded idiotic. Kevin shrugged his shoulders, but was obviously still excited.
"I dunno. But I heard that all the officers and detectives in the department are going." The blonde Junior Detective glanced at the computer monitor on Kouga's desk. "Google it." He insisted, then came around to stand behind Kouga.
"No. Its Saturday and I'm trying to get out of here early." Kouga's voice was deadpan, hoping that was enough to deter Kevin's enthusiasm. Alas, the man wasn't even fazed.
"If our superiors are going, we gotta get in there too! They'll like us and give us better cases and then we'll make Lead Detectives real quick." Kevin's logic had some sway over Kouga's impatient mood, and he reluctantly gave in. It was no secret that Kouga was eager to climb the ranks and become a Lead Detective. But the search for 'Lizard Lounge' came up with no results. Both men had confusion written on their faces, and Kouga looked back at Kevin with narrowed eyes.
"Are you sure it's called Lizard Lounge? Maybe someone was making it up. You would fall for something like that." Ready to drop the topic, Kouga stood up from his desk to refill his coffee cup. He'd been there since six in the morning and it appeared as if he'd be there til later that evening. Kevin followed quickly, shaking his head.
"Nah, I know what I heard. I'll ask around and see what I can find out. I'll text ya the info." Kouga didn't even both looking up as he poured the hot liquid into his mug, content with merely nodding his head in acknowledgement. Kevin was always up to things like this, so Kouga wasn't expecting to get any kind of text later on. Besides, he had a mountain of case paperwork that his Lead Detective needed finished by the end of the day. That was the wrap of being a Junior though; he was the one responsible for filling out the paperwork and gathering information for the Lead. No matter, because he was putting in his dues to one day be on top as Chief of Police.
"Are you sure about this?" Kouga asked as he and Kevin walked down the darkened street towards the address the later agent had discovered from another officer. Both men had changed out of their work clothes and were dressed more appropriately for a club setting. Kouga was now twenty-one, and Kevin had just turned twenty-four; just out of the academy, they were still very naïve and idealistic in their idea of what kind of career they wanted to have.
"Yeah man, look there's the line. That's gotta be the building." Kevin had taken his work friend to a rather skeevy part of the city, where the homeless population outnumbered those who had a place to hang their hat. They'd used a cab service rather than taking their own cars, which had been a very smart decision considering the shady characters walking around. As they crossed the empty street, Kouga's dark blue eyes shifted sideways nervously. He was happy to go out to clubs and have fun, but this place already seemed ominous and threatening. Why didn't the building have windows?
"Look! There's the chief!" Kevin nudged Kouga's side as they walked down the alley towards the entrance, where their boss was being invited in before anyone else waiting in line. It was strange to see him out of uniform, but it did confirm for Kouga that there would be others from the precinct there as well. "Hey, I think I can get us in. Ramirez told me that if we mention the chief, we'll be let in without havin' to wait in line." Kouga rolled his eyes and stopped walking abruptly, causing Kevin to halt and turn back curiously. "You coming?"
"This place is sketchy. I don't know why the force decided to come here, but I got serious red flags going up man." Kouga looked up at the building warily, almost fearfully. Why would someone put their club in one of the worst parts of the city? What could they be hiding in there? And why would their boss be such an influential figure? Kouga could feel the beat of the music reverberating through the ground under his feet, but all it did was make him want to get away. Ayame had asked him to come over and her study; that was a good excuse, right?
"Don't puss out now!" Keven grabbed Kouga by the shoulder and gave a hard tug. "We can really get our foot in the door with the captain or the chief if we do this! We'll be one of the guys and not just the annoying paper monkeys. So come on." Kouga's feet dragged as he let Kevin pull him towards the entrance. As they got closer, the music became clear and the bright lights from inside bled into the dark alley. There was a line of people waiting anxiously, but the two detectives confidently approached the intimidating bouncer at the door.
"Back of the line." He possibly had the deepest voice Kouga had ever heard in his life. Kevin wasn't bothered by it though.
"We're with the Chief of Police, Robbert McFarley. We're part of the force." Kouga looked to Kevin with an incredulous expression, wondering if he really thought this bouncer was going to buy that line.
"Arms out, spread your legs." The bouncer stood up from where he'd been leaning against the wall and prepared to pat the two down before they were admitted inside. Kouga's eyes got wide when he realized that Kevin had actually gotten them in! He was dumbstruck as the heavily muscled man quickly patted their clothes to check for weapons before stepping aside to allow them in.
"Thanks." Kevin patted the man's shoulder as they passed him, and Kouga quickly swatted his hand down and shoved his foolish co-worker inside. "What?" the blonde snapped.
"Stop acting like that! Woah…" Kouga finally realized that they were actually inside and took a moment to look around. There were beautiful women and bright LED lights that flashed in every color imaginable. The stage at the center had three topless girls writhing and dancing for the money everyone seemed happy to give away. The TVs, the DJ, the humongous bar at the back; he'd never been in a club quite like this. Kevin was practically jumping in place, looking around like a kid in an arcade with an endless amount of quarters.
"Dude, this is amazing. Where do you think the chief went?" he asked quickly, wanting to be where their superiors were as soon as possible. It didn't take Kouga very long to notice the flight of stairs that went to the next level. There was a bouncer at the top of the landing, looking as intimidating as the one by the door.
"Probably up there with the VIPs. Let's go if we're going." He gave up trying to fight it, despite all the warning bells still going off in his head. Kouga and Kevin began making their way up the concrete stairs, watching the other club-goers enjoying themselves with reckless abandon. As they approached the top, the two were halted by the bouncer.
"Name?" He asked bluntly, looking down at his phone for an updated VIP list that had been sent out earlier. Kevin stood on the balls of his feet to peek around his shoulder, spotting their chief relaxing with some beautiful girl in his lap.
"Ah! That's our chief! I'm Kevin and this is Kouga. We work for Robert McIntyre." Hoping this was sufficient, Kevin and Kouga waited for his answer. The bouncer looked the two up and down skeptically. It had been announced that the police chief had invited a few members of the force that night, but these two looked nothing like the other officers who had come out.
"You two are cops?" He questioned, not completely trusting them. "You're pretty young." Kouga rolled his eyes and pulled out the badge from inside his pocket.
"We're just out of the academy." He explained and the bouncer nodded. Kouga took a brief moment to study the man, and then noticed a handgun discreetly tucked under his Jacket. That was unsettling.
"Welcome to the VIP lounge. If you need anything, the girls will take care of you." Kevin reacted as if he had just won a golden ticket and quickly strode over to their lounging chief, who was conversing with the captain and a few other high-ranking officers. Kouga sighed, then noticed the stairs behind the large club employee.
"What's up there?" He questioned off-handedly, not expected the threatening nature of the bouncer's reply.
"Storage. It's strictly off limits. Enjoy your night." With his hands up, as if to say 'my bad', Kouga made his way to the other precinct members. He'd only met the chief once, so to see such an esteemed and powerful man pawing at a small woman, and then laughing at her minimal grasp of the English language, was a bit jarring. This was not the same man he met before; but was this the real chief of police? With cigars and drinks handed to them, Kouga and Kevin quickly began to relax and feel like 'one of the boys'.
For a while, things seemed to be going fine. A few other police officers and detectives showed up as well, and soon them were all laughing and joking with one another. The three girls that were working the VIP section spent much of their time catering to their needs, laughing at their stories, and allowing them to caress and demean them. Kouga was bothered by this, mostly because they seemed completely complacent and willing to subject themselves to it. The identical tattoos on their shoulders was another strange thing that made him question everything about the establishment. As he and Kevin took a break to stand against the railing of the second floor, he leaned close to the other and whispered.
"Hey, you notice anything weird about this place? I mean, those girls all have the same tattoo and they speak like three words of English. And that bouncer over there was ready to shoot my head off if I even took one step towards those stairs. What do you think is going on?" He asked secretively, trying to look as casual as possible. Kevin just shrugged and bopped his head to the pounding music.
"I don't care. I'm off duty and I'm really getting in tight with the captain. He thinks I'm hilarious!" Of course, Kevin was already inebriated and would be of no help. Kouga shook his head and gave up trying to find help from him.
"Yeah, you're a real hoot. I'm gonna go check out the place. I'll be back." Kevin waived his friend off and went back to their superiors, who had just pulled out a bag containing a powdery white substance. They began cutting lines of it on top of the table between them, and forced one of the girls to inhale it. Kouga breezed past the bouncer as he descended the stairs, hands in his pocket and holding onto his wallet, badge, and cell phone. The raised platform had been cleared and people returned to dancing and enjoying the music again. He wasn't quite in the mood for that, however. If Ayame had been with him then he might actually join in; but this was not the sort of place he'd ever bring her to.
Once back on the ground floor, Kouga turned to head over to the bar, but collided with the form of yet another muscular employee. He was standing next to a door underneath the stairs that opened into something Kouga had to assume was a closet. But why would a closet need a bouncer?
"Hey, what's in there?" He asked loudly, having to shout over the music. The bouncer barely reacted.
"Fun room." He was not a very descriptive man. Kouga watched him look down at his watch, then pound the back of his fist into the door. "One-hundred dollars for ten minutes. Any longer than that and you'll have to pay more." Kouga made a confused face and moved on, not sure if he wanted to know what the man was referring to.
At the bar, he managed to get the attention of a bartender and ask for a vodka sour. Kouga hung back to enjoy it. As he turned to watch the other patrons of the club, Kouga's eyes traveled back to the mysterious door; and just in time too. It suddenly opened as a beautiful girl and a grinning older man stepped out. She was adjusting the bottom of her black dress and smoothing her hair, looking rather apathetic about what had just occurred. As a trained detective, Kouga instantly knew what that room was used for and began piecing everything together. The club was obviously some elaborate front for darker crimes, and the chief of police was not only aware, but in support of it.
Kouga's face was stoic, but he bit down hard on the thin straw in his drink to let out some of the frustration he felt. It was a disgrace to the job and only further enforced the NYPD's reputation as corrupted defenders of injustice and deception. Kouga no longer wanted to be in such a place and began moving towards the door that would let him out; cutting across the dance floor in a strait bee-line. But then someone else brushed past him, a girl, who had eyes that made him freeze in his place. She must not have recognized him, but her certainly remembered that face.
"Kagome?" It couldn't be. She couldn't have been here all this time? Kouga shut his eyes and tried to shake the notion from his mind. No, it was impossible. He took another step to leave, but something nagging in the back of his mind that told him to be absolutely sure. The detective turned to search for her, walking in the general direction he'd seen her going. There were so many people though, obstructing his view and path, that it was getting to be very frustrating and pointless. Part of him just wanted to whip out his badge and scream, 'STOP! In the name of the law!' but that only ever worked in movies.
Suddenly, there were three more girls climbing up to the top of the triangular stage. Kouga was nearly pushed to the ground as men swarmed the raised platform, pulling their wallets out and riling up with excitement. 'Animals.' Kouga scoffed and moved towards the back, not wanting to be part of the madness. As he fixed his tan jacket, a new song began and the girls started to dance for their demanding fans. As the stage glowed a deep crimson, Kouga watched only to realize the girl he'd been looking for was one of the three dancers! She was too far from him to see clearly, and the red light didn't help in recognizing her either.
Kouga looked around himself, checking to see if any of the employees were watching, and slipped his phone out to take a few pictures. Having been trained in discretion, Kouga was able to snap a few rapid-fire pictures of the particular dancer without being noticed. Pulling the device back down, he pretended to be texting someone. His thumb wouldn't move fast enough as he opened the gallery of images and clicked on the first of five shots taken just now. It was a clear enough picture, but her face was turned away. Scrolling through the next two, her head slowly turned more and more in the direction of the camera, but the final one had only captured her profile.
"Damn." Kouga hissed and put the phone away. A profile was not enough to prove if it was Kagome or not. He'd need to get close and see for himself. With renewed determination, Kouga used his muscular frame to push and shove his way through the wild group of men howling and ogling the dancer above them. She was in just a black bikini now, and was writhing on the floor sensually. Kouga had to admit that it was quite the exquisite sight, but with her face upside-down like that he still couldn't identify her. As he finally came to the front of the crowd, the girl had just turned over and was on her hands and knees, a far-away look on her beautiful face. They were within arm's reach of each other, and it was as plain as day.
"Kagome?" Kouga was utterly shocked to see his friend reduced to this. She was nothing like he remembered. Her cheeks were hollow, eyes sunken, and hair lacking in the natural luster it once had. The tattoo he had noticed on other girls was on her shoulder as well. And through the thin layer of makeup he could see faint bruises. The two were lost in a world all their own as they both gazed at each other with recognition. Her eyes watered up and mouth hung open, and finally she spoke.
"Ko-Kouga…" It was her! Before something could prevent it, Kouga pulled his phone out and took another series of five, rapid-fire pictures. Kagome seemed to realize the situation and leaned in towards him. "Kouga, help me." She whispered as the men around her became upset, demanding she continue dancing and that Kouga get out of the way. The detective did not care, however, and reached forward to grab Kagome's small wrist.
"Come on, I'm getting you out of here." He promised, refusing to leave Kagome there for a second more. For a moment, he saw her smile in such a way that nearly broke his heart; but it didn't last long. Something behind him caught her attention that made her gasp and pull away fearfully. Kagome backed away from Kouga until she felt the cold stripper pole pressing into her shoulder. One of the bouncers had noticed them and was coming to take Kouga out of the building. There was a sudden rush of pain at the back of Kouga's head, and it made him disoriented and legs weak. The back of his jacket was yanked roughly, preventing him from falling down.
"No pictures and no grabbing the dancers!" The angry, muscular employee warned and began pulling Kouga away, who's vision was swimming and ears ringing loudly. It had to been the butt of a gun that hit him so hard. Kouga managed to look back at Kagome once more before she left his field of vision; but he could see the desperation on her face.
"Let go of me!" He growled angrily, then grunted as his body was pushed to the rough asphalt outside. The line of eager patrons watched curiously as the bouncer towered over Kouga. While he was momentarily incapacitated, the larger man found Kouga's cellphone and threw it to the ground a few feet away.
"Don't come back." He threatened, then pulled out the gun tucked behind his back. At the very end of the muzzle, a strange extension had been attached. The bouncer pointed it towards Kouga's phone and pulled the trigger. All that could be heard was the quiet whoosh of a bullet and its collision with Kouga's phone. The frantic and outraged man looked up from the destroyed electronic towards the man walking away. Did they think that would be enough to keep him out? Or that destroying his phone would stop him from bringing proof of Kagome's existence to light?
"Stop here, this is the place. Keep the change." Kouga couldn't get out of the taxi fast enough. It was one in the morning and the yellow car had just pulled up in front of a very extravagant apartment building. Rushing up to the front doors, which he knew would be locked, Kouga turned to the rows of buttons that called up to the specific residents that lived there. There was an intercom next to it that allowed those inside to answer whoever was buzzing their apartment. Kouga pressed the topmost one, relentlessly holding it down as he glared up towards the top of the building.
"Answer the fucking buzz, Sesshoumaru." He mumbled angrily while continuing to hold down the button. After nearly two minutes of it, a familiar voice was speaking to him through the intercom. It was muffled through the electrical pathway, and incredibly irritated.
"Who is it?! It's one in the goddamn morning!" he barked angrily, obviously pissed for having been woken. Kouga ignored it and held down the button so he could reply.
"Sesshoumaru, it's Kouga. Buzz me in!" He demanded quickly.
"Come back at a normal hour!" Sesshoumaru sounded like he was about to leave Kouga down there, but that was not an option in this dire situation.
"I found Kagome! Buzz me in you dick!" Almost instantly there was a familiar buzzing sound that meant Kouga could open the front door and enter the high-rise apartment complex. There was no one else in the brightly lit lobby, and Kouga's shoes squeaked against the marble floor as he rushed over to the elevators. Nothing was going fast enough! Waiting for one of the damned boxes to drop down to the ground level took nearly three minutes. When the doors final slid open, Sesshoumaru was standing inside, dressed in just his boxers and a black robe tied loosely at the waist. His short, silver hair was disheveled, and a desperate expression masked his face.
"You found her? She's alive?" He demanded and pulled Kouga into the elevator with him. Sesshoumaru punched the button that would take them back to his floor. "Tell me everything." Kouga swallowed nervously, but shook his head.
"We need Inuyasha here too. He needs to know! I would have called him to meet me here, but someone put a hole through my damn phone." Sesshoumaru growled impatiently and balled his hands into dangerous fists at his side.
"Fine, we'll call him but if he doesn't pick up then we're not waiting." Sesshoumaru glared at Kouga as he made a call to Inuyasha's phone.